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Forum Discussion
No Internet suggested PPPOE not an option
Hey, so backstory we bought the nighthawk router 2 days ago and tried to set it up, It wasnt getting internet to the router so I contacted the ISP and they suggested that we set it to Transparent Bridge Mode that totallly killed our internet coming from the modem including LAN so this basically pissed my parents off and they hard reset the modem multiple time to get it to work on lan to set the WAN mode back to Automatic. So the next day I called Netgear and got connected to their Tech Support we troubleshoot the router stayed on call for more than an hour, updated the firmware, changed the internet settings ect nothing worked so he told me that we may require a login to let the router have access to the modem, we needed a PPPoE user and password. So I contacted the ISP and they would not allow me to get the PPPoE info since im not the account holder and I needed my parent's authorization. So I explained this to them and they would not allow me to do anything to it, saying that if i change it to PPPoE I'll mess up all the other routers they have already hooked up, so he plugged in the Cable from Port 1 to Port 1 on modem and router and it showed up on the Wi-Fi and says connected (we can also access webpages ect) but the internet light is not on, on the router which means to me its not really working? right?. :smileyfrustrated: So my question is if I let my router access the PPPoE login will this change the modem to a PPPoE connection and mess up the other routers that are already connected? If the internet light is not on the router, is it acting like a router or..? Can anyone explain this to me so I can convince me to atleast try this login method? Is there any other method I could try to troubleshoot it? Thanks in advance. Yes I know im quite illiterate when it comes to this topic but i'd really appreciate if anyone can explain it better to me. Thank you.
3 Replies
> Hey, so backstory [...]
This is not a very well-told story, back or front.
> [...] we bought the nighthawk router 2 days ago [...]
Why? What had you been using before, or is this a new installation?
> [...] tried to set it up, [...]
_How_, exactly? What, exactly did you connect to what, exactly?
(Hint: If a device has different types of Ethernet ports, then
"connected to device" is not enough detail.)> [...] the ISP [...]
Who/what?
> [...] they suggested that we set it to Transparent Bridge Mode [...]
"it"? Some (unspecified) modem+router, or what, exactly?> [...] the modem [...]
Maker? Model number? Any useful information at all?
> [...] including LAN [...]
By "LAN", do you mean wired, rather than wireless, or what? "LAN" =
"Local-Area Network", and it includes wired and wireless devices.> [...] changed the internet settings ect [...]
_Which_ "the internet settings"? "ect"? Abbreviation for "et
cetera"? And that means what, exactly, in this case?> [...] nothing worked [...]
Not a useful problem description. It does not say what you did. It
does not say what happened when you did it. As usual, showing actual
actions (commands) with their actual results (error messages, LED
indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vague descriptions or
interpretations.> [...] we needed a PPPoE user and password. [...]
If your ISP connection uses PPPoE, then the router at your end needs
the credentials. If your (unspecified) old stuff had been working, then
the router in that should have the data.> [...] Yes I know im quite illiterate when it comes to this topic [...]
Vast expertise is not required to provide basic information, like,
say, why you're doing any of this, an inventory of the devices involved,
how things are connected, what you did, what happened when you did it,
et c.
> [...] Is there any other method I could try to troubleshoot it? [...]Don't yet know what "it" is.
You might start with an oft-neglected resource:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM
Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Documentation. Get the User Manual (at least). Read. Beyond the
basic set-up instructions, look for the LED descriptions and
"Troubleshoot".Why? What had you been using before, or is this a new installation?
- We use a modem+router provided from Centurylink before this. C4000LG
_How_, exactly? What, exactly did you connect to what, exactly?
(Hint: If a device has different types of Ethernet ports, then
"connected to device" is not enough detail.)- WAN port from the modem to WAN on the router
Who/what?
Centurylink
"it"? Some (unspecified) modem+router, or what, exactly?
The modem+router combo that was provided by the ISP
Maker? Model number? Any useful information at all?
C4000LG
By "LAN", do you mean wired, rather than wireless, or what? "LAN" =
"Local-Area Network", and it includes wired and wireless devices.well its both wired and wireless to what i was saying in general we weren't getting any internet of any sort
_Which_ "the internet settings"? "ect"? Abbreviation for "et
cetera"? And that means what, exactly, in this case?The tech support had my change things in the router's internet tab : selected are the options= Get Dynamically from ISP, Get automatically from isp , and use computer MAC address.
Not a useful problem description. It does not say what you did. It
does not say what happened when you did it. As usual, showing actual
actions (commands) with their actual results (error messages, LED
indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vague descriptions or
interpretations.-As i've said , there were no internet going to the router and we were doing those steps (as mentioned above including the resets and the firmware updates) to try to get it connected to the internet. The LED light on the router was showing orange where the internet is.
If your ISP connection uses PPPoE, then the router at your end needs
the credentials. If your (unspecified) old stuff had been working, then
the router in that should have the data.- I have no way of knowing what old stuff i got if u mean the other routers and i doubt i can access the data. The ISP is on auto and i've been told by the isp that we are using iPoE connection.
Vast expertise is not required to provide basic information, like,
say, why you're doing any of this, an inventory of the devices involved,
how things are connected, what you did, what happened when you did it,
et c.-My bad, Im not used to forum communications and is more used to communication where there are responders who asks specific questions and i who will answer what they need to know. I thought i could get genuine feedback and advice. My bad, I feel as if tho your response has been condesending, and not needed in that tone whatsoever. I admit it was my fault that i forgot to include the ISP and the Modem model that i had. I apologise for that. Clearly, when tech support told me to also try the forum was a huge mistake when i get booted of to "RTFM" if I would have found anything useful I would have tried to fix it myself.
> - We use a modem+router provided from Centurylink before this. C4000LG
Ok. Now, why did you get the AC2400? Did you want to replace the
router in the C4000LG, or extend its wireless-network coverage, or what?
> - WAN port from the modem to WAN on the routerAnd what is the ISP connection to the C4000LG? DSL? Ethernet?
Other?> [...] they suggested that we set it to Transparent Bridge Mode [...]
Using the C4000LG as a modem-only ("bridge") would make sense if you
want the AC2400 as your router.> The tech support had my change things in the router's internet tab :
> selected are the options= Get Dynamically from ISP, Get automatically
> from isp , and use computer MAC address.Showing the questions with the answers would be easier to understand
than showing only the answers.
What kind of service are you getting from CenturyLink? DSL, or
optical fiber (with an ONT), or what? What, exactly, are you connecting
to what, exactly, on the C4000LG?What about "Does your Internet connection require a login?"? If
you're using CenturyLink DSL, then I'd expect "Yes", which should give
you a place to put your PPPoE credentials.I would not expect the MAC address to matter.
> - I have no way of knowing what old stuff i got if u mean the other
> routers and i doubt i can access the data. [...]If the C4000LG was working as a DSL modem+router, using PPPoE, then
it must have had your PPPoE credentials in its tiny brain. I've never
touched a C4000LG, so I know nothing, but I'd bet a small sum that the
user can change those settings on it. In any case, looking at the
Internet settings on the C4000LG might provide some clues as to how the
AC2400 should be configured.
> [...] The ISP is on auto [...]I don't know what that means. CenturyLink "is on auto"?
> [...] and i've been told by the isp that we are using iPoE connection.
"IPoE" and "PPPoE" are spelled differently for a reason. If the
C4000LG was working as a router (with an Ethernet ISP connection, not
DSL), then IPoE would make some sense, and that would suggest that "Does
your Internet connection require a login?" should be answered "No". So
no PPP credentials. But there might be a VLANID, or some other detail
about which to worry. But, so far, only one of us has gotten any info
from CenturyLink about the proper router settings for your service.> [...] I thought i could get genuine feedback and advice. [...]
This is not a psychic hotline.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_in,_garbage_out
> [...] I feel as if tho your response has been condesending, [...]It's easy to get that impression when you fail to provide even the
most basic and obviously required information, and wait to be asked for
every conceivable detail. It might help if before hitting "POST", you
read what you've written, and tried to imagine what it would mean to
someone else.> [...] when i get booted of to "RTFM" if I would have found anything
> useful I would have tried to fix it myself.Sadly, with my weak psychic powers, I can't guess what you might have
read, or what you might have learned from it. Or what all the LEDs on
the AC2400 are doing, or those on the C4000LG, or what's connected to
what, or the answers to all the still-dangling questions, and so on.> [...] why you're doing any of this, [...]
Still a mystery.
I'd expect that CenturyLink has published a how-to someplace on the
Web which reveals how to configure a third-party router with whichever
type of service you have, but, so far, at least one of us has no real
information as to what type of service that might be, making research
difficult.