Connecting to Nighthawk AC3200 R8000 Account

[BFuller]

Love the router so far, but could use a little help.

I have a FiOS Gateway Router MI424wr, which is has lousy wi-fi range.  So, I bought this router to help me better manage my connections and improve my range.  My whole house is hard wired (4 ports = 4 wired rooms).  I set up the router in my office.  Set up only worked when I connected my pc directly to the router (with the router plugged into my Netgear ProSafe 5 switch).  Wi-fi is working great.  But, I want to move the router to the family room so it is centered in the house (connecting to the hard wire switch in that room).  However, when I plug my office pc back into the office switch, i can no longer access the router (using the Genie app or the www.routerlogin.net address).

I reconnected my pc directly to a router port and could once again access the router controls through the Genie app and www.routerlogin.net.  

Do I need to be directly connected to the router to control it?

Running Windows 10

FiOS Actiontec MI424wr Gateway (I have turned off the wi-fi feature to use the new router).

Thanks!

Barry

[BFuller · Accepted solution]

I can see the IP address of the router but cannot connect the admin controls unless I am running my ethernet cable directly to it or the pc I am using is connected to it via wif-fi.

I am going to call close enough and just live with it I think.

Thanks again for the all the help.

Barry

[Retired_Member]

the gateway should be in bridge mode and the 8000 in router mode OR the leave gateway in router mode and 8000 in AP Mode

If the 8000 is in router mode and connected to another router it may change it's DHCP IP to 10.0.0.1

[BFuller]

Thank you for the quick response.  According to a post I found on the Actiontec support site, it does not support bridging, and to do so might disable my VoD services.

http://support.actiontec.com/doc_files/Can_I_Bridge_the_Actiontec_MI424WR_FiOS_Router.pdf

I think (dangerous term) that my R8000 is working properly as an AP (which I assume means Access Point).  I have it plugged directly into one of my Netgear switches and I have the Wi-Fi on the Actiontec turned off.  All my wired devices are working properly.  All of my wireless devices are now connected to the R8000 (and speeds are 2x - 3x faster!).  I am able to use both the Genie app and direct connection to change router settings.  However, I can only do that if my PC is plugged directly into one of the ports of the R8000.  When I attempt to access the R8000 when I plug my computer back into the Netgear switch, I lose control of the router through both the Genie app and www.routerlogin.net.  The good news is that the wi-fi continues to work.  However, I would really like to move the router to a central location in my house where I don't have a computer connected to it.

I did find a workable solution.  I am able to connect to and control the router using a pc that is connected via wi-fi.  So, unless someone knows how to control the R8000 through the network (intranet) without being directly plugged into the port, I will use this solution.  It is not perfect (as it is my kid's pc) as I would prefer only my office pc have control over my network.

Thanks,

Barry

[Retired_Member]

You're Welcome

the 8000 IP is being handed out via actiontec, log in to it and check attached device list for r8000 IP use that IP to login to r8000

 if actiontec has address reservations use it for r8000 so it receives same IP all the time.

[BFuller · Accepted solution]

I can see the IP address of the router but cannot connect the admin controls unless I am running my ethernet cable directly to it or the pc I am using is connected to it via wif-fi.

I am going to call close enough and just live with it I think.

Thanks again for the all the help.

Barry