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jamdr

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 20, 2003
659
0
Bay Area
Someone told me this was a good wireless router to use with Mac OS X, but now that I've bought it I can't get it to work. I tried plugging my computer into the router and the router into my DSL modem, but when I turn them all on in sequence (modem, router, Mac), I can't connect to the internet. Does anyone have experience with this router?
 
A) Routers don't care whether they're dealing with a Mac or a PC. Period.

B) Your DSL modem may well be PPPOE. If you have to log in to connect to the internet, then it's PPPOE. In this case, you need to go into the router's setup (the manual will tell you how to do this), and change it from DHCP to PPPOE, and tell it your username and password. Effectively, what this will do is allow your router to do the logging in for you, and keep your connection alive. It will transmit this signal via DHCP rather than PPPOE, so you'll have to switch the mac to connect via DHCP.
 
jamdr said:
Someone told me this was a good wireless router to use with Mac OS X, but now that I've bought it I can't get it to work. I tried plugging my computer into the router and the router into my DSL modem, but when I turn them all on in sequence (modem, router, Mac), I can't connect to the internet. Does anyone have experience with this router?

Can you access the router? Are you getting an IP address from the router, check your network settings? Is there any special settings that you had to do to get you DSL to work with your computer, those same settings will need to go in the router. Do you have the correct wires plugged into the correct ports? I know the last one insults some peoples intellegence, but its a manditory since it does happen.
 
Netgear fix

Greetings,

I realize that this post is a year and a half after the thread started,
but I have a fix, so it might be useful for someone else if they
google this thread.

I have a PowerBook, Broadxent Briteport DSL modem, and just
bought a Netgear WGR614 wireless router to replace the aging
original airport and Linksys BEFSR41 (non-wireless Linksys.)

I followed all the instructions to the letter for the modem setup,
but nothing seemed to work completely. The DSL modem connected
to the internet directly from the computer fine. Changing the settings
to talk to the router also seemed to work fine, DHCP would get
the usual kind of IP address (192.168.1.x, where x starts at 2 and
goes up,) but I couldn't run the setup program, or connect to the
router with any of the recommended methods. I even spent a half
hour on the phone with tech support; a nice woman in India who
appropriately walked me through all the steps I tried, with the same
results. She suggested that I try a different computer, and I went to
move the router and modem downstairs, and disconnected the phone.

Anyway, enough blather. Here's the fix.

First, set up the mac. From the apple menu, go to:
>System Preferences
>Network
in the "Show" bar
> Built-in Ethernet
in the Configure bar
> Using DHCP

Now hook an ethernet cable from the mac to the router. Do not
connect the router to the DSL modem. If you have done so already,
unhook that cable. You can do this before the network config just
above if you like. But make SURE the router and the modem are
not connected together.

At this point, your computer should be talking to the router. The
Network window should show an IP address of the form 192.168.1.x
where x is 2 or a small number. Anything from 2 to 255 should be OK.
More importantly, the router should read 192.168.1.1. If this isn't
happening, click on the "Apply Now" button. If that doesn't help,
try the "Renew DHCP Lease" button. Once you have a router address,
you can proceed.

Now open up a web browser. I used Safari, but anything should work.
enter the following in the address bar:

http://www.routerlogin.com/basicsetting.htm

This should call up the router setup dialog. If prompted for a username/
password, use admin for the username, and "password" for the password.
Those are the system defaults. Then enter in the IP information that
your ISP gave you, the same ones that worked with the computer directly
hooked to the modem. I have a fixed IP address, so I had to put in all
the numbers; if you have a dynamic address, the DHCP setting should
work.

After this, everything works fine. The key seems to be that when I had
the router connected to the modem, I couldn't modify the router settings.
It could be because I have a fixed IP address, or it could be a mac thing.
It's even possible that a PC with a fixed IP address would have this
problem. Don't know, don't care at this point.

Be sure to change the router's password, set up wireless connectivity if
you need/want it, set your Wireless Network Name, and all that good
stuff. The navigation in the setup for the router is pretty clear.

Unfortunately, it seems that one has to disconnect the router from the
modem to do any work with the router settings. This is not a horrible
problem, as firmware updates and configuration changes are not a
common thing, but it's a minor nuisance. I was hoping it was just a
first time problem, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

If this post helps you set up your WGR614, to a Macintosh, using OS X,
possibly with a fixed IP address from your ISP, post a reply to this. If
you get any more info, post that too.

Regards,
Martin Melhus
(aeronaut)
 
aeronaut said:
If this post helps you set up your WGR614, to a Macintosh, using OS X, possibly with a fixed IP address from your ISP, post a reply to this. If you get any more info, post that too.

Worked like a charm, took about 30 seconds. Netgear should print out your directions and include them in the package. Thanks tons.
 
I just can't get this to work.

I bought a WGR614v5 without too much consideration - it said it was OS X compatible, Netgear are a well respected brand and to be honest I wanted a wireless solution cheaper than an Apple Airport basestation.

I have a ZyXEL Prestige 600 ethernet DSL modem that has always worked well straight out of the box - all I had to do was put my DSL PPPoE username and password in and it has been faultless ever since.

I figured that all I would need to do was connect the WGR614 to the modem via an ethernet cable and enable my Airport card and it would work - how wrong I have been so far.

I have followed the instructions posted above to get access to the router setup and that works - I have had my Mac talking to the router across a wireless connection and the little "i" lights up on the router to say it's connected to the internet via the modem when cabled together but I simply cannot get my Mac to connect to the internet via the router whether wired or wireless - what am I doing wrong???
 
I would connect the router via ethernet then verify the configurations you have on your router.

Make sure that you are configuring the correct settings based on your ISPs needs. If the connection is PPTP then select that with your login and password. Also, if there is a service name this should be entered.

If that didnt make sense here is an exerpt from the routerlogin.net (the configuration applicaiton)

Does Your Internet Connection Require A Login?

Select this option based on the type of account you have with your ISP. If you need to enter login information every time you connect to the Internet or you have a PPPoE account with your ISP, select Yes. Otherwise, select No.

Note: If you have installed PPP software such as WinPoET (from Earthlink) or Enternet (from PacBell), then you have PPPoE. Select Yes. After selecting Yes and configuring your router, you will not need to run the PPP software on your PC to connect to the Internet.

Internet Service Provider

Select the service provided by your ISP. "Other" (PPPoE) is the most common. "PPTP" is used in Austria and other European countries. "Telstra BigPond" is for Australia only.

Login

This is usually the name that you use in your e-mail address. For example, if your main mail account is JerAB@ISP.com, then put JerAB in this box.

Some ISPs (like Mindspring, Earthlink, and T-DSL) require that you use your full e-mail address when you log in. If your ISP requires your full e-mail address, then type it in the Login box.

Password

Type the password that you use to log in to your ISP.

Service Name

If your ISP provided a Service Name, enter it here. Otherwise, this may be left blank.

Idle Timeout

An idle Internet connection will be terminated after this time period.

If this value is zero (0), then the connection will be "kept alive" by re-connecting immediately whenever the connection is lost.
 
As far as I can tell I have put all of the correct info in to the set up screens - it simply doesn't work when it's all put together - the mac cannot see the internet when the netgear unit is in the circuit.
 
Just out of interest have you got the wireless in your machine?

Also does anybody know if besides the Apple wireless card any other adapter works with this router including USB ones? Do they matter since they are all 802.11g anyway?

I'll be taking my first steps into wireless networking and want to know more before I buy the exact same router. (But have more luck with it).
 
I have this particular router and I'm loving it a whole lot more than the airport extreme. honestly, the airport extreme couldnt handle the traffic like netgear can :-D
 
I just bought this netgear router from PC world, got it for £45. I used the collect at store function. Normally in store its £60. So a £15 quid saving isn't bad, even the guy at the till was surprised by how much i got it for.

I have just setup my wireless network and it was a breeze, didn't use the CD, didn't follow the instructions listed in this thread, i just tapped away on the browser which popped up and its up and running.

There is even a windows user in this shared house who has logged on as well wirelessly with no problems.
 
Today I bought an "actiontec" combined dsl modem/wireless basestation from my local "mac man" for £29 and it's up and running with better signal strength than the netgear was giving me.

The WGR614 I had was a version 5 model and searching around the net did not seem to be compatible with my dsl modem/router - talking to the local mac guy he reckons it's to do with different bits of third party hardware all assigning themselves the same IP address so they just wind up in a big knot - he said you can manually assign IP addresses to them all but I simply can't be bothered to undo the knot myself, the new piece of kit is a one box solution so the netgear is going back and I'll flog my old modem on ebay to cover the cost of the new one.
 
skoobadude said:
Today I bought an "actiontec" combined dsl modem/wireless basestation from my local "mac man" for £29 and it's up and running with better signal strength than the netgear was giving me.

The WGR614 I had was a version 5 model and searching around the net did not seem to be compatible with my dsl modem/router - talking to the local mac guy he reckons it's to do with different bits of third party hardware all assigning themselves the same IP address so they just wind up in a big knot - he said you can manually assign IP addresses to them all but I simply can't be bothered to undo the knot myself, the new piece of kit is a one box solution so the netgear is going back and I'll flog my old modem on ebay to cover the cost of the new one.

Good for you, at the end of the day just get what works best.
 
DSL Modem "Bridged Mode"

Some people might need to actually set their DSL modem into "Bridged Mode". It really depends on the ISP and Modem Brand. I know I would have saved myself about 6 hours of work if I knew this before hand. I was using a G4 PowerBook with BellSouth DSL, Westell Modem and a NetGear WGR614v6 Wireless Router. Definitely check the documentation that goes with your modem. I think this might happen a lot with 3rd party routers, especially with companies like BellSouth and Earthlink that offer their own wireless routing services (usually for about $5 - $10 a month). Hope this helps someone else save the frustration I went through. P.S. I should mention I just got this one for about $15 (+about $8 for shipping) off of TigerDirect.
 
Setting up NETGEAR WGR614 on MAC -- Add-on to Aeronaut : )

:D Much love aeronaut. Thanks for the tips. PS I know a little bit about the aeronaut thing, I hope you enjoy.

For those wandering (^lol).... wondering souls,

please read Aeronaut's entry on this subject and follow these instructions. I wanted to add, MAKE SURE that when you connect the NETGEAR router to your computer so they can whisper sweet nothings into eachothers DSL ports, that you do not hook the DSL cable to the router via the "internet" port but rather one of the other network ports on the router. Also, if u have any trouble opening the browser for NETGEAR Basic Settings, try try again - close out, reconnect, retype url. It will only work if it prompts you for the password (admin/password), so try until that happens.

Otherwise it worked out for me.
 
Help

Once you have a router address,
you can proceed.

Now open up a web browser. I used Safari, but anything should work.
enter the following in the address bar:

http://www.routerlogin.com/basicsetting.htm

This should call up the router setup dialog. If prompted for a username/
password, use admin for the username, and "password" for the password.
Those are the system defaults. Then enter in the IP information that
your ISP gave you, the same ones that worked with the computer directly
hooked to the modem. I have a fixed IP address, so I had to put in all
the numbers; if you have a dynamic address, the DHCP setting should
work.

New to forums but really stuck with my Macbook/WGR614 connection. When I enter the www.routerlogin.com/basicsetting on safari it just says cannot open the page because the server stopped responding.

This is day 3 of trying to get wireless at home and I don't know what to do, what am I missing, do I have all I need to get online and if so why ain't it working?

Any clues, would be exceedingly grateful.

M.
 
thanks for the fix!

Greetings,

I realize that this post is a year and a half after the thread started,
but I have a fix, so it might be useful for someone else if they
google this thread....
If this post helps you set up your WGR614, to a Macintosh, using OS X,
possibly with a fixed IP address from your ISP, post a reply to this. If
you get any more info, post that too.

Regards,
Martin Melhus
(aeronaut)


:D awesome, THANK YOU SO MUCH :apple:
after three days of going around and around in a similiarly fruitless loop :)
as some others who have posted here and on other forums - I was ready to give up. But posts like aeronauts' and Siggy Sputnik's -- thanks for the reminder about bridge mode - made it all come together, comprehensively! aeronaut should be in charge of NETGEAR guide publishing - I was trying to setup and configure a WGR614v5 router with a Westell 6100 DSL modem - using Verizon DSL (PPPoE) - with my G3 450 MhZ iMac Indigo DV, to (hopefully) connect with my nice little G3 500 MhZ Dual USB refurb iBook - w/ original Airport card (both still happily running OS X 10.3.9/9.2.2 and feeling no need to 'strain at the Tiger bit' ) -- and after i followed aeronauts' instructions WITHOUT connecting to modem first -- see above -- then contacted my ISP about learning how to switch to 'bridge mode' -- thanks again,sig -- it was all smooth sailing after that.The instructions in the convoluted ref manuals even worked, after that -- (this router was given to me, used, without the resource CD) - so I really thank you again, and yes, you are still helping, all this time later (March 2007)
huzzah!
Thanks to all -- proof that these forums really do help
M Luna *)
 
Someone told me this was a good wireless router to use with Mac OS X, but now that I've bought it I can't get it to work. I tried plugging my computer into the router and the router into my DSL modem, but when I turn them all on in sequence (modem, router, Mac), I can't connect to the internet. Does anyone have experience with this router?

Setup link page of WGR614 Netgear
http://jon.pinoyspecialist.com/index.php?itemid=2
 
I have a slightly off-top question that is relevant to this thread, so I thought I'd add it intead of starting a new one.

Has anyone ever had trouble with certain websites killing your wireless connection? I'm running a MacPro off a Netgear WGT 264 and when I go to mapquest.com, my connection will break half-way through loading a page. The only way I can get my internet connection back is to restart the router/modem. Happens every time and only on certain websites. tvguide.com is another website that if I try loading the homepage, it kills my wireless connection.
 
That's very strange...I've never personally experienced that. The only things I can think of are very loosely connected... (1) can you try turning IPv6 off and see if this helps, and (2) try increasing the duration of DHCP leases, on both the computer-router and router-modem connections. Particularly, if you're using PPPoE (most DSL), then the most likely culprit has to do with getting kicked off PPPoE for some reason, and not successfully re-establishing. Once you chase down what you need to do for this, it becomes a non-issue, but I've found that with DSL, occasionally, this will be a really annoying problem that manifests itself in weird ways.
 
make sure that your connections are correct

make sure that the DSL modem is connected into the WAN ethernet port of the router

then make sure that the computer is connected to the router via the LAN ethernet port
 
make sure that your connections are correct

make sure that the DSL modem is connected into the WAN ethernet port of the router

then make sure that the computer is connected to the router via the LAN ethernet port

Thanks for your help, but why would you need to connect the computer to the LAN ethernet port? The router is wireless. The router is connected to the cable modem and you connect to the router by logging in over the wireless connection. I'm confused by your answer.
 
That's very strange...I've never personally experienced that. The only things I can think of are very loosely connected... (1) can you try turning IPv6 off and see if this helps, and (2) try increasing the duration of DHCP leases, on both the computer-router and router-modem connections. Particularly, if you're using PPPoE (most DSL), then the most likely culprit has to do with getting kicked off PPPoE for some reason, and not successfully re-establishing. Once you chase down what you need to do for this, it becomes a non-issue, but I've found that with DSL, occasionally, this will be a really annoying problem that manifests itself in weird ways.

Okay, but that it more than I want to do at the moment, especially since it only does it on certain websites that can be avoided. I'm going to be moving next week and will be buying a new wireless router (do you have a recommendation?) since the router in question is owned by my current roommate. I posted to see if there might be something that would be a quick fix or to see if it was router related. If it was router related, I could alleviate the issue by buying a different brand. Another thing that might be causing it is my somewhat flakey Comcast internet connection. Maybe I should go back to DSL when I get into my new place? Thanks!!!
 
If anyone is still following this thread and is using the WGR614v6 with a Mac, please try to setup your network connection using "DHCP with Maunal Address". When I try this, I cannot get any wireless computers to be able to connect through to the Internet. They will show up in the Attached Devices screen of the netgear setup, but they do not connect through to the internet.

I can get it to work with "Manually" and "DHCP" but not "DHCP with Manual Address".

If someone who is up and running with this setup could try setting one of computers to use DHCP with Manual IP and verify if this is a problem with the router or just with me, I'd appreciate it.

Netgear tech support spent an hour on the phone with me and we walked through the setup several times, but each time when DHCP with Manual Address was configured on the Mac Network settings, Internet connectivity failed.
 
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