Billion UK Forum

I have a 7800DXL which I updated to 2.32e from 2.32d earlier this week.

Since then my Netgear EX6100 'wifi extender' hasn't been able to connect to the internet. It does correctly get an IP address from the Billion router, and does show on the DHCP list in the Billion router, it also shows on the ARP list. I can't connect to it from any device that is on the Billion's network despite it being a valid IP.

I'm using the EX6100 as a way to connect a wired device to my wireless network so as it can have internet access. This has worked fine, and it's a supported feature of the EX6100.

Previously I could connect to the EX6100 by IP address to access the admin page from either my PC or a mobile via wifi via my Billion router. I also had it set up previously as a static IP outside of the DHCP range and the hostname set in the LAN settings Static IP Lease List of the Billion router which I could also connect to it via the hostname. I've since removed that setting in case it was causing a conflict and to try/check that it is indeed getting an IP assigned from my Billion router.

If I connect directly to the EX6100 via an ethernet cable from my PC, or by wifi from my phone to the 'extender' network SSID (in both cases not connecting via the Billion but directly to the EX6100) I'm able to get in to the admin of the EX6100, and it tells me that it's connected at 270Mbps to the wireless network which is coming from the Billion router, and has it's IP address/gateway/subnet all being configured from the Billion, so it does appear to be connected. It can't however connect to the firmware update server at Netgear (it could with the 2.32d firmware on the router) and I can't connect out to the internet nor can I connect to the router via the EX6100, which I could previously on the older router firmware. It's as if it's establishing the connection but not letting any traffic get through. I don't have any ACL set up on my wireless networks (both 2.4G/5G are set as "disable" for the MAC Restrict Mode setting). I don't have the "NAT" feature or DHCP enabled on the EX6100 (but again have tried that, with a different pool for the DHCP outside of the Billion one, and also a different subnet range 11.x instead of the 1.x, but that wasn't how I had it before the firmware update and it didn't get me any further anyway). I've also done multiple factory resets of the EX6100 in case that had become confused, but I don't believe that's the issue and have completely re-configured it now a few times.

Often/sometimes now with the EX6100's extender networks (which it broadcasts from the extender itself, and can be any SSID/password I wish) it won't connect as my iPhone reckons it isn't getting a full connection to the internet so it drops off that network and back to a valid one. On my computer (Win 7) it just shows as a local connection, again with no connection to the internet.

I'm sure it's connecting to the Billion router correctly though as the EX6100 is getting the full 24 hour DHCP lease when it connects (if I powercycle it or change settings) and the client devices connected to it are also showing as getting IP addresses and appearing in the DHCP list, and checking the devices they are correctly automatically picking up their valid IP, gateway and subnet details.

It had been working fine for several months, and the only change was from updating the Billion firmware. Any thought as to what could be causing this in 2.32e, before I revert back to 2.32d?

Thanks

fenland wrote:I have a 7800DXL which I updated to 2.32e from 2.32d earlier this week.

Since then my Netgear EX6100 'wifi extender' hasn't been able to connect to the internet. It does correctly get an IP address from the Billion router, and does show on the DHCP list in the Billion router, it also shows on the ARP list. I can't connect to it from any device that is on the Billion's network despite it being a valid IP.

I'm using the EX6100 as a way to connect a wired device to my wireless network so as it can have internet access. This has worked fine, and it's a supported feature of the EX6100.

Previously I could connect to the EX6100 by IP address to access the admin page from either my PC or a mobile via wifi via my Billion router. I also had it set up previously as a static IP outside of the DHCP range and the hostname set in the LAN settings Static IP Lease List of the Billion router which I could also connect to it via the hostname. I've since removed that setting in case it was causing a conflict and to try/check that it is indeed getting an IP assigned from my Billion router.

If I connect directly to the EX6100 via an ethernet cable from my PC, or by wifi from my phone to the 'extender' network SSID (in both cases not connecting via the Billion but directly to the EX6100) I'm able to get in to the admin of the EX6100, and it tells me that it's connected at 270Mbps to the wireless network which is coming from the Billion router, and has it's IP address/gateway/subnet all being configured from the Billion, so it does appear to be connected. It can't however connect to the firmware update server at Netgear (it could with the 2.32d firmware on the router) and I can't connect out to the internet nor can I connect to the router via the EX6100, which I could previously on the older router firmware. It's as if it's establishing the connection but not letting any traffic get through. I don't have any ACL set up on my wireless networks (both 2.4G/5G are set as "disable" for the MAC Restrict Mode setting). I don't have the "NAT" feature or DHCP enabled on the EX6100 (but again have tried that, with a different pool for the DHCP outside of the Billion one, and also a different subnet range 11.x instead of the 1.x, but that wasn't how I had it before the firmware update and it didn't get me any further anyway). I've also done multiple factory resets of the EX6100 in case that had become confused, but I don't believe that's the issue and have completely re-configured it now a few times.

Often/sometimes now with the EX6100's extender networks (which it broadcasts from the extender itself, and can be any SSID/password I wish) it won't connect as my iPhone reckons it isn't getting a full connection to the internet so it drops off that network and back to a valid one. On my computer (Win 7) it just shows as a local connection, again with no connection to the internet.

I'm sure it's connecting to the Billion router correctly though as the EX6100 is getting the full 24 hour DHCP lease when it connects (if I powercycle it or change settings) and the client devices connected to it are also showing as getting IP addresses and appearing in the DHCP list, and checking the devices they are correctly automatically picking up their valid IP, gateway and subnet details.

It had been working fine for several months, and the only change was from updating the Billion firmware. Any thought as to what could be causing this in 2.32e, before I revert back to 2.32d?

Thanks

Is your EX6100 connecting to the 7800 using WDS mode??

After you upgraded to 2.32e did you perform a reset back to factory default settings?? (maybe you can make a backup of your current config, reset the router, setup the internet connection, change the wireless password, and try and setup your EX6100 again and see if that helps, if it doesn't you can restore your config)

billion_fan wrote:Is your EX6100 connecting to the 7800 using WDS mode??

After you upgraded to 2.32e did you perform a reset back to factory default settings?? (maybe you can make a backup of your current config, reset the router, setup the internet connection, change the wireless password, and try and setup your EX6100 again and see if that helps, if it doesn't you can restore your config)

WDS Mode - not sure, don't think so. Not sure where/how I would set that up in the 7800DXL? The EX6100 is working in "Extender" mode (instead of "Access Point" - hardware switch on the side to choose that), it's effectively connecting to my Billion wifi network (I've set up both the 2.4G network and 5G networks for it to connect to, and it sees and connects to them fine. I've currently got it just connecting on the 2.4G, as it was previously for the months when it was working - it shows as Associated and Authorised in the Station List)

I can see the EX6100, and any client(s) that are connected to the EX6100, in the ARP list on the Billion and on the DHCP list if an IP has been assigned to it. I can also see them on my PC when I 'arp -a' at the command prompt in Windows. I can also see in the Windows 'Resource Monitor' (from Task Manager > Performance > Resource Monitor > Network) that 'McSvHost.exe' (McAfee) is able, or at least trying, to communicate with the EX6100's hostname/IP, as it is with other devices on my network, so the PC -> Billion via wifi -> EX6100 can be found and is transmitting some info in to the Billion and the rest of the network. Just seems dead for any http traffic to the EX6100 or from the EX6100 to the Billion/internet, like something is blocking it at the router.


When I did the Billion 7800DXL firmware upgrade to 2.32e I did a reset to Factory settings, and then put back my previously saved settings from 2.32d (saved just before the firmware upgrade, although I've got lots dating back ever since getting the device), is there something else I should try there different from how I did it?

Thanks again

fenland wrote:

billion_fan wrote:Is your EX6100 connecting to the 7800 using WDS mode??

After you upgraded to 2.32e did you perform a reset back to factory default settings?? (maybe you can make a backup of your current config, reset the router, setup the internet connection, change the wireless password, and try and setup your EX6100 again and see if that helps, if it doesn't you can restore your config)

WDS Mode - not sure, don't think so. Not sure where/how I would set that up in the 7800DXL? The EX6100 is working in "Extender" mode (instead of "Access Point" - hardware switch on the side to choose that), it's effectively connecting to my Billion wifi network (I've set up both the 2.4G network and 5G networks for it to connect to, and it sees and connects to them fine. I've currently got it just connecting on the 2.4G, as it was previously for the months when it was working - it shows as Associated and Authorised in the Station List)

I can see the EX6100, and any client(s) that are connected to the EX6100, in the ARP list on the Billion and on the DHCP list if an IP has been assigned to it. I can also see them on my PC when I 'arp -a' at the command prompt in Windows. I can also see in the Windows 'Resource Monitor' (from Task Manager > Performance > Resource Monitor > Network) that 'McSvHost.exe' (McAfee) is able, or at least trying, to communicate with the EX6100's hostname/IP, as it is with other devices on my network, so the PC -> Billion via wifi -> EX6100 can be found and is transmitting some info in to the Billion and the rest of the network. Just seems dead for any http traffic to the EX6100 or from the EX6100 to the Billion/internet, like something is blocking it at the router.


When I did the Billion 7800DXL firmware upgrade to 2.32e I did a reset to Factory settings, and then put back my previously saved settings from 2.32d (saved just before the firmware upgrade, although I've got lots dating back ever since getting the device), is there something else I should try there different from how I did it?

Thanks again

Try resetting the unit (as you already have a backup of the config) setup the wifi and WAN, and then test again if that fails flash the firmware back to 2.32d (the only option I'm afraid)

I've got this working now on 2.32e, after a factory reset and complete manual reconfigure.

However when I changed the 2.4Ghz wireless from one of the channels to another (that I had in my setting screenshot from earlier today as what I had just wiped out on the router), it then couldn't connect in the browser to the EX6100. Changing it back and it could connect to it. I wonder if that's all that was "wrong" all along...? The EX6100 only allows "auto" channel configuration for the 2.4Ghz so I can't configure it on the device.

However, it's working. I can connect to my normal wireless network via the Billion router and access the EX6100 and a device that is connected to its ethernet port. I can connect to the ethernet device that is connecting to the Billion/net via the EX6100 and it can get out to the internet, and I can connect via wifi to the EX6100's extender network and it can access both the Billion router/internet and the ethernet device that is connected to the EX6100 - all as it could do for months before the firmware upgrade.

So if anyone else has the same problem with the EX6100, try changing the wireless network channel in the Billion router, it may be the answer. Additional note: I'd previously seen an issue where the Netgear device can only connect to a small number of the 5Ghz channel numbers (5Ghz wifi requires a 5Ghz channel 36-48 setting in the Billion router for EX6100 to be able to see the wifi, "Not Auto or DFS channels" according to Netgear), but that wasn't the issue here as I was connecting via the 2.4Ghz before the upgrade and since I had the problem.