Help with Wi-Fi!

A

angerunleashed

Beginner
Hey. I'm from Bombay and I have the MTNL broadband connection. I had recently applied for a Wi-Fi connection and the guy from MTNL turned up with the wireless router, it was the regular MTNL's UT-Starcom or something router.
The ADSL light didn't turn on when he connected the telephone line, power supply and ethernet cable to it so he thought the router was not working. He went and brought 2 more routers after checking them and the ADSL light did not turn on on them too! :(
He explained saying that the 'line voltage' in my building is low and that most wireless router's, including MTNL's, need 12V supply to provide good range and connectivity.
He asked me to purchase a router from outside and he said that's the only possible solution. If I spend 3k on a router and even that doesn't work, it'll be a total waste of money..
So, I wanna know if any of you have ever faced or heard of such a problem and can you please tell me if there's any other solution?
If I do buy a router that's rated at 7.5V or something, will it work?
Please help me guys! Thank you. :)
 
He's giving you a load of cr@p. If all the lights on the modem are working except the ADSL light, it's a connectivity problem. If the modem doesn't turn on at all, then it's a power supply issue.
 
And by the way, enjoy your 190V fridge, 160V tubelight and 200V TV, as you must have purchased them specifically for your building... give him that line when he tells you the line voltage is low.
 
Your building certainly does not get low voltage DC supply between 12 V and 7.5 V so you cannot expect that to solve your problem. A power adaptor converts your 230V ac supply to low voltage DC like 12 V or 7.5 V

So if your line voltage is so low that your 12 V adaptor can't supply 12 V then you are likely to run the same risk with the 7.5 V one.

But I am pretty certain the problem lies elsewhere and has nothing to do with your line voltage. That would never be a problem in most places in Mumbai.

Tell him to atleast first show it working with a wired ADSL modem before you invest in your own wireless one.

Edit: good point by cranky about the fridge et al.
 
Dude I already have broadband and the wired modem has been working perfect for 2 years! He said the problem has also occurred in another building in my area and it happens with wireless routers only.. Wtf am I supposed to do?!
 
Ask him to get another piece (note the serial no/ dent on the ones he brings so u can be sure that he has brought a different one) and check on that first.
 
Dude, I obviously checked that! He brought two more after an hour to check and they were different. :|

He seemed like one of those uneducated fools from MTNL, so obviously I couldn't believe a word that he said which is why I'm asking you guys if there's any solution to this! What might be causing the problem? The UT-Starcom wired broadband modem that I have now, supplied by MTNL
 
Very interesting issue, have never heard of such a problem if the ADSL line is OK. Does he put the ADSL settings correctly or do some jhol?
 
Probably the wireless router was not configured properly ...

As in, the username/password combo was wrong or any similar thing?

Thats one reason why the ADSL link may not glow in the wireless router. Maybe the internet is not routed through to the wireless router.
 
I got a linksys router ans connected my wired modem to it with the ethernet cable and the wi fi is working perfectly, the proof being that i'm typing this on my ipod touch. It doesn't work when i connect my telephone line directly to the router though. I need to connect that to my wired modem and the wired one to the wirelless one by ethernet. I've asked the mtnl fellow to bring his ut starcom router and ill try if this works with that onw on monday. Connecting it this way is alright?
 
But this way you dont need the UT starcom device, ur setup is up and running with WIFI already.
 
Except that the Linksys router has been borrowed from my brother's office! :P
The mtnl fellow is getting the ut-starcom one that they supply tomorrow, just wanna know if its possible to configure the router settings on that 192.168.1.1 page when I don't connect the telephone line to it! The only way wi fi works is when I connect my existing modem to the wireless router and the linksys one has already been configured so it works.. But the ut starcom on that he'll get will be a fresh piece, and hence not configured.. so will it work?
 
Since the ADSL comes through the telephone line, that line has to work correctly first. The router requires an Ethernet connection for the WAN (internet), so it doesn't matter whether the WAN is connected or not. The router can still be configured and used as a router. It just won't have any WAN access, but the LAN will still work.

The ADSL connection is dependent on MTNL. If you get that working, then the Ethernet cable from the modem can hook into anything, the PC or the router. The two (ADSL/Wireless) are independent of each other. The modem is 'converting' the ADSL line from MTNL into a Ethernet signal that a router or a PC can understand.

And i don't understand what you are trying to do. If your configuration works with the modem and a wireless router, how will the MTNL router help you? The WRT54G2 is for about 2K, and a very capable router/gateway, so all you need to do is hook it up to the modem and you're up and away. It would help if someone would explain why that specific MTNL router is required to achieve wireless functionality.
 
Coz I'm getting it for free dude. :P
I'll check if it works when that guy gets it today, else I'll buy the router that you've suggested next week and use that instead.
 
Ah, that is a pretty big motivation. Not very useful if it doesn't work though, so all the best and hope you don't have to put down cash.
 
Hello.:clap:
:rofl:

Help me please.
I have just ordered a new laptop and it comes with Wi-Fi - PCMCIA 802.11b Wi-Fi Wireless Adapter ........ basically I would like to be able to access the internet from my laptop from anywhere in or around the house. (I dont have a need to network any other PCs)

I don't have broadband yet but it is available in my area and so I am going to sign up soon - - (probably for a 512kbps).

What pieces of kit do I need to be able to access the internet wirelessly (a wireless access point?) ? Do you have any specific reccomendations ? What costs are involved/where should I buy from?

Sometimes the ISP provides the 'high speed' modem ----- would the free-be be compatible with the wi-fi set up that you recommend or will I need another Modem and at what cost ? Or is it possible to buy an access point/high speed modem combined ?

Are there any other things I should be aware of ?

Thanks for any help you offer in advance.
 
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