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Cable Modem > Airport Express > GS108 Switch, but not Cable Modem > GS108 Switch > Airport Express?
So it appears that my Apple Airport Express router is being a bit of a diva. I have a Motorola SB6141 Cable modem running into my Apple Airport Express which runs into my Netgear GS108 Gigabit switch. This causes my Cable modem link light to blink Amber, indicating 100 mbps (because the Airport Express is Fast Ethernet only). When I run my cable modem directly to my GS108 and run my Airport Express from my GS108, the Cable Modem link light indicates blue (1000 mbps), but my Apple Airport Express refuses to provide working internet over wifi.
When I switch things back to Modem > Airport Express > Netgear GS108, my wifi works correctly again, but no gigabit link from the modem.
Has anyone every seen this before? I suppose that ultimately this may not matter since my LAN is functioning at gigabit speeds, but I'd like my cable modem to see gigabit as well...
When my connection is Cable Modem>GS108>Airport Express, I can get a 1.0 gbps-link from my cable modem and working internet on an ethernet-plugged PC/Mac (which is directly plugged into my Netgear gigabit), but the Airport Express cannot pull an IP address. When I put the Airport Express first in line from the modem, then connect the Netgear to it, the Express works wonderfully, and the Netgear works and negotiates gigabit between devices internally (just no gigabit link light from the modem first in line).
This is normal, a regular modem only provides a single IP address (unless you bought public IPs and the modem can handle giving out more IP or on DHCP mode) so the first device connected to it which is the PC will obtain that IP. It is the reason why the Apple Airport Express does not get an IP anymore. If you only have a single IP provided by the modem, all other ports of the switch will be unuseable. Have you tried connecting Modem>GS108>Airport Express without any other devices (like PCs) connected to the switch? I believe that setup will work, but then again all of the other ports will be unuseable since there is only a single IP from the modem.
Re: Cable Modem > Airport Express > GS108 Switch, but not Cable Modem > GS108 Switch > A
Hello Zelf24,
Welcome to the community!
When your connection is Cable Modem>GS108>Airport Express, did you test if you can get internet service on the GS108 before plugging the Airport Express? How much bandwidth are you expecting from your modem?
Re: Cable Modem > Airport Express > GS108 Switch, but not Cable Modem > GS108 Switch > A
JohnRo,
I just verfied your inquiry once again:
When my connection is Cable Modem>GS108>Airport Express, I can get a 1.0 gbps-link from my cable modem and working internet on an ethernet-plugged PC/Mac (which is directly plugged into my Netgear gigabit), but the Airport Express cannot pull an IP address. When I put the Airport Express first in line from the modem, then connect the Netgear to it, the Express works wonderfully, and the Netgear works and negotiates gigabit between devices internally (just no gigabit link light from the modem first in line).
I'm paying for 30 mbps down / 5 mbps up on my cable internet package. My intent in purchasing a gigabit switch wasn't necessarily to speed up my internet connection, but to allow more bandwidth total between all of my devices (of which there are probably 20 on my LAN). Within my LAN, I do a ton of external/internal HD video-streaming, etc- so I just wanted to "widen the roads" so to speak, as things were beginning to feel a bit crowded.
The only way that my Airport Express ever seems to work correctly, is if it gets to connect immediately from the modem, and then the Airport Express's extra ethernet pass-through then goes to my Netgear switch.
Of course, under this condition my cable modem only sees what is locally connected to it, and that is my non-gigabit capable Airport Express (which created a Fast Ethernet-Only activity light on the modem).
Sorry if this reply seems a bit redundant, I wrote it over the course of two different times of the day.
When my connection is Cable Modem>GS108>Airport Express, I can get a 1.0 gbps-link from my cable modem and working internet on an ethernet-plugged PC/Mac (which is directly plugged into my Netgear gigabit), but the Airport Express cannot pull an IP address. When I put the Airport Express first in line from the modem, then connect the Netgear to it, the Express works wonderfully, and the Netgear works and negotiates gigabit between devices internally (just no gigabit link light from the modem first in line).
This is normal, a regular modem only provides a single IP address (unless you bought public IPs and the modem can handle giving out more IP or on DHCP mode) so the first device connected to it which is the PC will obtain that IP. It is the reason why the Apple Airport Express does not get an IP anymore. If you only have a single IP provided by the modem, all other ports of the switch will be unuseable. Have you tried connecting Modem>GS108>Airport Express without any other devices (like PCs) connected to the switch? I believe that setup will work, but then again all of the other ports will be unuseable since there is only a single IP from the modem.
Re: Cable Modem > Airport Express > GS108 Switch, but not Cable Modem > GS108 Switch > A
Thank you JohnRo. Your theoretical setup (of connecting the Airport Express first to my gigabit switch) will indeed work, but as you can imagine, that connection would be haphazard at best. I have marked your response as the accepted solution. I do appreciate your time and will just have to deal with my wifi "non-giga / fast ethernet-only" connection as it stands in it's current form.
I appreciate your thoughts and helpful advice! Take care.
Re: Cable Modem > Airport Express > GS108 Switch, but not Cable Modem > GS108 Switch > A
Hi Zelf24,
You're welcome!
If you wanted to get the gigabit connection from the modem and have the current setup, then you will have to eliminate the GS108 and use a gigabit router like the FVS318G.
