Bigpond SpeedTouch 536 won’t route
A simple situation… I’d done this many times before… but this time it won’t work.
Customer had a bigpond speedtouch 536 modem. They also had a PC, 2 laptops, and a Lexmark MultiFunction Laser printer/scanner/fax/copier.
While transferring some data for them, they mention a few problems (like having to constantly have to plug/unplug the ethernet cable… scanner not working, etc.
I say: the unplugging ethernet ports can be fixed: I just install a wireless router (netgear WGR614), and you can connect the laptops over WiFi, as well as the computer and printer via ethernet cable (printer has an ethernet port, but its currently using USB).
They say sure. So I do the usual: grab the wireless router out of the car, plug the speedtouch modem into the “internet” port of the WGR614, plug the PC into one of the ports in the router, then connect to the router (so I can configure the wireless security).
Well, I can configure the router, but I can’t get to the internet…
The router obtains the correct IP address (via DHCP) from the modem… but internet traffic doesn’t get from PC to modem.
I figure: maybe its a DOA faulty router… So I take it back to the office… where it works perfectly.
I take it back to the customer, try again… and I get the same problem.
The modem works fine, the router works fine, but they won’t work together… this shouldn’t be happening, unless Bigpond have locked the modem… but that shouldn’t cause a problem either… I even disabled firewalls, Norton, connected my own (non-norton) laptop, but no go.
I also realise that this really needs to be resolved because the Lexmark printer is one of these new breed of stupid printers that will not scan over the USB port… it must be done over a network.
We eventually agree to use a netgear DG834G (wifi modem router), and retire the old modem.
It all goes smoothly after that… the printer even seems smart enough, that it doesn’t need to be allocated a fixed IP address… it gets its IP address from the router via DHCP, and the PC printer drivers detect the printers name (rather than expect a fixed IP address)… Well done Lexmark.