Computer Mac and Windows Wireless Network Help

[Mr Speirs]

I know there are some anoraks out there. Wonder if you might be able to help.

Im trying to get an amp which connects directly to the ethernet port on my laptop and works fine to start working through Wi-Fi.

I have currently plugged it into my router and have set my router up. Its set up and working in OSX but when I flip over to Windows it says limited connectivity. It was working at one point before I changed the IP address of the router to fall in line with the IP range the amp has.

The amp works between 192.168.1.1-254. The router is currently set to 192.168.1.254. Im not sure what the settings are supposed to be or whether I've missed something or whether it's just not possible. Can anybody shed on light?

When I plug the cable directly to the laptop all I have to do is manually address the IP to anywhere between the above range and it works. Once I add the router I have no clue.

Ta

[-Ralph-]

Not sure I understand the problem.

Amp = amplifier? One of these wifi streaming audio bridges?

You can stream music to it from OSX, but not from a Windows machine?

[Mr Speirs]

Amp as in Pro Audio amp:

http://www.l-acoustics.com/products-la8-30.html

It's for my work. Doesn't stream any audio. The control for these amplifiers i.e. EQ, Mutes Levels etc is all done through computer control so data only. They only seem to recommend wired control but it would be really nice when I am in arenas or places with multiple floors not to have to run up and down flights of stairs or a few hundred yards just to change something.

The router I have is an Airport Express so I have set that up on the OSX side of my Mac but the software to operate the Amps is windows only so I have to switch over to the Windows side to operate that.

[Bibio]

router. 192.168.1.1 (router gives out ip addresses dynamically)
amp. either set dynamic (if it has this) or 192.168.1.2 if static.

if your amp is static only then you will need to turn it on before the computer if the computer is set to dynamic as you might get a clash of ip addy or set computer to 192.168.1.3

only trouble with setting static ip addys is if any other computers/devices come on to your router without the static ones being on then the router might assign one of the static addys so when you switch on the static ones you get a clash (limited or no connectivity) on the static computer.

[rb8989]

All local IPs are between 192.168.1.1-254, You can find out which IP's are in use on your DHCP table, which should be available on your airport settings. Though why anyone would pay £79 for a router when most ISPS provide them I'm not sure, but get on settings and make sure the IP you're allocating to your WIFI Amplifier isnt conflicting with another. Also your netmask should be 255.255.255.0 and your gateway should be 192.168.1.1 for that IP address, so check them if if you can.


EDIT: Bibio covered some of what I had said just before.

[Bibio]

ahhh think i know what you want to do.

you want to plug the amp in to a wifi router but control it from wifi computers?

[Mr Speirs]

Yes Bibio...sorry that wasn't clear.

[Bibio]

are all the computers wifi or are there some wired ones as well?

[Mr Speirs]

Just one computer wanting it to be wireless.

[-Ralph-]

I have currently plugged it into my router and have set my router up. Its set up and working in OSX but when I flip over to Windows it says limited connectivity

The router I have is an Airport Express so I have set that up on the OSX side of my Mac but the software to operate the Amps is windows only so I have to switch over to the Windows side to operate that.

ahhh think i know what you want to do.

you want to plug the amp in to a wifi router but control it from wifi computers?

OK, so it sounds like the issue is nothing to do with the amp. The issue is getting your Windows OS to connect to the wifi.

Firstly what version of Windows are you running?

Can you Start -> Run -> type CMD and hit enter

(if you don't have the run command showing on your start menu you can CTRL-ALT-DEL and choose Task Manager, once this opens go to File -> New Task (Run))

Then once in a command window type IPCONFIG /ALL and hit enter. Paste the results into this thread.

I think you may find with the limited connectivity error you have what's called an Autoconfiguration address starting 169.254. If this is the case you can either set a static IP in Windows, or setup a DHCP range on the router, which we can talk you through once we know if that's the problem.

[Bibio]

as long as you leave the router and the amp on 24/7 then all will be fine if not then remember to turn amp on before any computers.

depending on your router you might be able to set the wired LAN separate from your wifi. if so then set the wired LAN to static and add the ip of your amp.

if there are any other computers that use your router then you must leave your amp on 24/7.

once you have set up your router and amp then you need to restart your computer/s

if your router is already 192.168.1.254 then just set your amp to 192.168.1.253

remember and reboot/save your settings in the router using the configuration page or your settings will not be saved. more than likely the same goes for the amp.

you might have problems logging into your amp via wifi as some devices don't like it.

[-Ralph-]

Sorry rb8989, I don't want an argument and I'm not trying to knock you down, I just don't want the OP to be running around on a wild goose chase based upon incorrect information. But...

All local IPs are between 192.168.1.1-254

This is nonsense. Private IPv4 address blocks are

192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255
172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255
10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255

and your gateway should be 192.168.1.1 for that IP address, so check them if if you can

And this is nonsense too. The most likely default gateway for this network is the router address, in this case 192.168.1.254. I say 'likely' because that assumes that is the gateway you want devices to use to reach traffic outside of that subnet (on the internet for instance), but you may well have another device on the same network that you want to use to route outbound instead. If the only connectivity needed is between the local devices on this subnet, then you don't even need a Default Gateway.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, please don't post advice for people if you don't really know what you are talking about.

I'm a Technical Architect and I design multi-million pound datacentre networks for a living, been doing it for 15 years.

[-Ralph-]

as long as you leave the router and the amp on 24/7 then all will be fine if not then remember to turn amp on before any computers.

depending on your router you might be able to set the wired LAN separate from your wifi. if so then set the wired LAN to static and add the ip of your amp.

if there are any other computers that use your router then you must leave your amp on 24/7.

once you have set up your router and amp then you need to restart your computer/s

if your router is already 192.168.1.254 then just set your amp to 192.168.1.253

remember and reboot/save your settings in the router using the configuration page or your settings will not be saved. more than likely the same goes for the amp.

you might have problems logging into your amp via wifi as some devices don't like it.

Bib, if you reconfigure the DHCP range on the router to a set range of addresses, then you have the rest of the addresses to play with to set as static IP's and there's no risk of an address conflict, no need to leave anything switched on 24/7 and no need to worry about what order they are switched on. I don't know that router, but if the DHCP range is not configurable, then you may be able to set reservations for static addresses, using the devices MAC address.

[-Ralph-]

Chris - I'm leaving the office now and I'm not going to be online again today, and I'm away for the weekend. Sure there will be other folk around this evening who can help you, it doesn't sound like a difficult issue to solve.

If you don't get it sorted, then take the amp, laptop and router home one night next week, and I'll pop over and sort it.

[Mr Speirs]

I have that AUTO config thing Ralph. 169.254.55.139 (Prefered)

Dont know how to do screen grabs to show you though.

[rb8989]

Sorry rb8989, I don't want an argument and I'm not trying to knock you down, I just don't want the OP to be running around on a wild goose chase based upon incorrect information. But...



This is nonsense. Private IPv4 address blocks are

192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255
172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255
10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255

Yes, but based on the information he gave me, it went without saying that his range would be 192.168.1.1-255. To suggest it would be anything else given the associated IP he was dealing with (192.168.1.254 , bringing in other IPv4 blocks which are not being used would be unhelpful here, sometimes keeping it simple for the sake of someone less involved is helpful. That's all I tried to do.

And this is nonsense too. The most likely default gateway for this network is the router address, in this case 192.168.1.254. I say 'likely' because that assumes that is the gateway you want devices to use to reach traffic outside of that subnet (on the internet for instance), but you may well have another device on the same network that you want to use to route outbound instead. If the only connectivity needed is between the local devices on this subnet, then you don't even need a Default Gateway.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, please don't post advice for people if you don't really know what you are talking about.

I'm a Technical Architect and I design multi-million pound datacentre networks for a living, been doing it for 15 years.

Okay cool story, it was a suggestion as he is more than likely using a modem into his Apple router. My setup is with the Modem at 192.168.0.1 and the gateway pointing also to 192.168.0.1. I dont want to argue either but you could perhaps try to be a little less condescending. The guy wants a simple fix. If I gave him a lesson in Technical Architecture I dont think it would help him that much.

[Mr Speirs]

No modem. No Internet. Nothing like that. Just Amp>RJ45C Cable>Router>Wireless>Computer.

[Mr Speirs]

Right. Now managed to get the address on the PC to be 192.168.1.4 which is within range.

So my connection to my router from my computer is fine. Now I think the problem lies between the Router and the Amp.

Is there anyway the Amp could tell if it's being fed/transmitting information via a router rather than direct to an ethernet port?
I've just checked and my router IP address is 192.168.1.1 which is within range.
So my computer is 192.168.1.4, my router is 192.168.1.1 and the amp is 192.168.1.2.

[flymo]

.....Though why anyone would pay £79 for a router when most ISPS provide them I'm not sure......

Because the ones provided free aren't always up to the job, rarely receive firmware updates to resolve problems and do not have the flexibility to be controlled/tuned to your specific needs.

My BT homehub had limited wifi range, reliability problems with some wifi adapters and would not let me choose my own DNS service.

[Mr Speirs]

The reason is I needed a small compact unit that will hide in the back of a desk without a massive outboard power supply and cables lying about. I only really need one ethernet port and some of the other features of the router help me in my job. I.e. I can play songs through iTunes direct from the router and use the audio out to feed the PA. Bearing in mind sometimes I am 3 floors up from my console when I need to mute everything or just change a song.
That's why I paid £79 for the thing....that doesnt work haha

[flymo]

does the amp actually have a wifi network adapter? Can the IP address of this be set separately to the cabled network adapter?

You can check if the amp is reachable from the computer by pinging its IP address. From a command prompt on the comp, type;

ping -t 192.168.1.2

you should be getting replies rather than 'unreachable'. If no replies then unlikely the amp is connected successfully.

[Mr Speirs]

If I plug the amp directly into my laptop it talks fine.
The amp does not have a wifi network adaptor which is why I'm plugging it direct from the LAN port in the amp to a LAN port in the router.

[flymo]

ok right, sorry thought the object here was to get it wireless.

So, provided that the router network subnet is set to the correct range (looks from the amp manual that you have no choice other then 192.168.1.x) then you should be able to ping it as described with both the comp and the amp connected via LAN cables to the router.

[rb8989]

The reason is I needed a small compact unit that will hide in the back of a desk without a massive outboard power supply and cables lying about. I only really need one ethernet port and some of the other features of the router help me in my job. I.e. I can play songs through iTunes direct from the router and use the audio out to feed the PA. Bearing in mind sometimes I am 3 floors up from my console when I need to mute everything or just change a song.
That's why I paid £79 for the thing....that doesnt work haha

I see, it wasn't a dig, its just most are a modem/router combo which only need one plug. I assume your setup goes phoneline>microfilter>DSLmodem>Airport? Surely its a bigger setup.
Anyway, so your gateway *should* now be 192.168.1.1 like I said earlier, what is the pc saying it is?

[flymo]

I see, it wasn't a dig, its just most are a modem/router combo which only need one plug. I assume your setup goes phoneline>microfilter>DSLmodem>Airport? Surely its a bigger setup.
Anyway, so your gateway *should* now be 192.168.1.1 like I said earlier, what is the pc saying it is?

None of this is relevant for a local area network. So long as all three devices are within the same subnet it should work regardless of how the external internet connection is connected or the gateway is configured.

[rb8989]

None of this is relevant for a local area network. So long as all three devices are within the same subnet it should work regardless of how the external internet connection is connected or the gateway is configured.

True, but isn't the Airport connected to a DSL modem? I had an issue with that once and I think It ended up being something to do with using the gateway to access the different subnet. What's the exact setup here, from wall to pc?

[Mr Speirs]

I see, it wasn't a dig, its just most are a modem/router combo which only need one plug. I assume your setup goes phoneline>microfilter>DSLmodem>Airport? Surely its a bigger setup.
Anyway, so your gateway *should* now be 192.168.1.1 like I said earlier, what is the pc saying it is?

No internet. Nothing nada, never mentioned anything about the internet, dont want the internet dont need the internet. No Internet. Hope that clears things up.

The point of this is to get it wireless flymo.

So I have amplifiers at the stage and I have to control them out at the mixing desk with the punters. At the moment I have to run 80m of CAT5 between my laptop and the amplifiers to do this, leaving me able to walk around a venue with the laptop in my hand and control things and feel rather smug about it.

What I am attempting to do is plug the first amplifier (the rest are all daisy chained) into a wireless router which will then broadcast/receive the data wirelessly to my laptop a distance away.

[rb8989]

So you've plugged it into your laptop and it works? I wonder if you need a crossover cable to plug it into your router. What cable are you using to plug it into your pc? Are you using the same cable to plug it into the router? I know if I want to play LAN games with a friend I need a crossover cable as, in short, you need pin 1 on the router to go to pin 1 on the pc. But from pc to pc, you use a reversed cable connecting pin 1 to pin 8. That's not entirely it but I'm trying to keep it simple. Anyway, have you got a crossover cable to try amp>router?

[Grant66]

It works Amp --> PC but not Amp-->Router-->PC

Your not using the same cable for both are you? Wouldnt one require a crossed cable and another one uncrossed?
I may be testiculating.

Bum beaten to it :-o

[flymo]

Ha ha, thought exactly the same on my drive home. It shouldn't work directly between PC and amp unless designed to or using cross over. Sounds like these amps are designed for a daisy chained network rather than through a hub. Crossover cable should do the trick.

[flymo]

One additional thought, but wifi connections to amps in an environment where wireless mics and instrument/amp connections are present might not be a great idea. You may need to keep an eye on interference, check out the frequency ranges that the other equipment use.

[-Ralph-]

This is what I can't stand about this forum nowadays, know it all kids posting tripe, then when, even if done as nicely as possible, you correct them, they start arguing that the tripe is correct and getting defensive. I just can't sucessfully communicate with them.

Try the x-over cable if you have one, but if the router or laptop aren't antiquated, then you'd expect them to have autosensing ports on them. That could be why it works plugged directly into the laptop.

I'd also be checking the router for any individual port configuration settings, it could need to be assigned to the correct network, etc, etc.

The other thing that is confusing, is the laptop had an autoconfig address, meaning it was set to use DHCP, well in that case how was it working before Chris set the fixed 192.168.1.4 when plugged directly into the amp? Have the amp manufacturer put a DHCP server on there so that you can just plug in any old laptop with its default config and go?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[-Ralph-]

Anyway, so your gateway *should* now be 192.168.1.1 like I said earlier, what is the pc saying it is?

Ignore this Chris, its total tripe.



Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[Spank86]

There's a hell of a lot of confusion on this thread.

Reading through it I can't even work out what the poor guy has and hasn't got working at this point so I'm sorry if I'm reiterating what's already been said.

If you can access the router with the PC then the first thing to check is if the router is seeing the lamp and showing it on the internal network.

There ought to be a page on the router which shows all the devices attached.

If you can't even get onto the router then you've got a problem between that and the PC which is an entirely different matter.

The crossover cable is a possibility although I was under the impression most devices these days were designed not to need them.

[rb8989]

Ralph, you calling what I said tripe, and then saying you were as nice as possible is a bit silly.

I'm sorry you cant stand the forum. However as I explained, what I said was true in context. You took it out of the context of the thread and trashed it. I wasn't explaining the rules of networking 101. In response to him saying " The amp works between 192.168.1.1-254" I said all his local ips should be 192.168.1.1-255, and that's true, and I was right, his router was on 192.168.1.1, the amp on 192.168.1.2, and the computer on 192.168.1.4. I was simply pointing it out. You're getting upset because its your profession, and you took what I said as a sweeping statement on how networking works. I was trying to keep it simple for the guy, and telling him what he should be expecting to see . IE all ips in the 192.168.1.1-255 range, the netmask as 255.255.255.0 and the gateway pointing to his router at 192.168.1.1 which it was. Maybe he had set it wrong manually? It was only suggested settings.

On top of all saying I'm speaking tripe, you then suggest he uses the crossover cable after I said it a few posts before. So either You're regurgitating my tripe or I wasnt speaking tripe. Which one is it?

Anyway, I won't be intimidated by how long you've been here or your post count. I was suggesting a few things and you try and school me and say I'm talking tripe. Then you say it was as nice as possible, and suggest something I suggested a few posts earlier.

Anyway , no hard feelings, but you took what I said out of context, I wasn't explaining how it all worked, I was trying to simplify an get him to check a few things.

[Spank86]

@Rb: for a start, even given that one range, its entirely possible his router was auto set to 192.168.1.254 as several are from default.

There are also a few other less likely options in that range and several other default settings out of it depending on the router.


That said I'm quite surprised that unless I missed it there hasn't been a query as to what brand and model of router he has?



EDIT: in fact in his first post he specifically states his router IS at 192.168.1.254 so it turns out that Ralph was entirely correct in his characterisation of your suggestion that it would be 192.168.1.1

[fizzwheel]

Reading through it I can't even work out what the poor guy has and hasn't got.

Nope me neither. I think

He has an amp that has a wired connection to his router.
He has a laptop that has a wireless connection to his router.

From the laptop he wants to be able to control / get data off of the amp.

I'm not sure why everything is trying to be statically assigned IP wise. If it were me I would be leaving it all on DHCP and not making life complicated for myself.

If the Laptop is running windows an ipconfig from a dos or cmd window will give the IP, subnet mask and default gateway ( the router I would imagine in this case ) then we can confirm whats what.

Good shout on the admin page for the router and that'll show whats connected to it and sometimes you can the ability to run a ping test from the router between the devices connected to it.

That would be what I would be trying. Making sure from both the amp and the laptop I could ping the routers IP from both devices. If you cant thats what the problem is. If you can then start looking elsewhere.

IME Windows firewall can be a complete PIA in these situations and I'd be inclined to turn it off and see if everything comes to life then. But networking is not my speciality...

[rb8989]

He also stated his router is at 192.168.1.1 , then it was also noted that since he wasnt trying to access a different subnet, gateway wasnt important. I wasnt arguing that those are definately the correct settings either, but suggesting what he might expect to see. Turns out they were fairly accurate.

[rb8989]

That said I'm quite surprised that unless I missed it there hasn't been a query as to what brand and model of router he has?



He said it was an Apple Airport Express.

[Mr Speirs]

I reckon that in theory I probably have everything done properly which makes me think that the amp manufacturer has cleverly managed to stop it transmitting via a router. Is there a way of doing that? Is there resistance or power that you can get out of a port on a pc that you can't get from a router?
What I'm trying to do hasn't been done before so not as straight forward...I suspect there is a lot of network wizardry needing doing to fool the amp into transmitting.
I'll get back on it on Monday. Got my first day off in 3 weeks this weekend so ill worry about it then.

[Spank86]

Not power or resistance as such, an Ethernet port is fairly generic. I would be surprised if it wouldn't work over a router as that's kinda the point of Ethernet.

[-Ralph-]

Cant think of any way your amp could be prevented from working via a router on a single subnet. Last post still applies though.

All single subnet, all static IP, doesnt need the router anyway. Try it all hard wired via a simple hub or switch to eliminate any issues with amp to router connectivity, if that works add a simple wireless access point. If you can't get your hands on that hardware, patch the router back in via the switch to use as the WAP, if that breaks it again, you'll be a step closer to knowing where your issue is.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[-Ralph-]

Rb8989, your last post to me was a major waste of your time and effort, I haven't read it. If you like wasting time and effort go ahead post another one. My opinion isn't going to change and I'm not interested in arguing with you.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[Bibio]

use a cat5 and plug your laptop into a port on your router and see if it will talk then.

[flymo]

Happy sound check day!

[Mr Speirs]

Very good Flymo.

Why does a sound engineer only count to 2? Cos on 3 he has to lift something...badoom tish

Did you hear about the violin player who was so far out of tune that somebody noticed?