need help, mac and linksys router - need manual IP

[JHZR2]

Hello,

Some time back I bought a logitch squeezebox, and installed the slim server software onto my mac. Great. Its a fun little device, works great except for my wireless internet and router setup.

Here is the issue. My wifi router is in one room, the squeezebox is in another. The mac is hard-wired to one of the ethernet ports on the router (which is a Linksys BEFW11S4, FWIW, bought may 2002).

I have to set up the squeezebox to find the server at some ip address - the address of the computer it resides on. The problem is that any time that my mac is restarted, etc., and takes a new lease on an IP address, the actual address is subject to change. Sometimes it is 192.168.1.100, sometimes .103, sometimes even .110. I have a number of other computers that go on and off from time to time and use the intermediate IP addresses.

So, I was hoping to set static IP addresses to the wired connections on the router, so that if the mac is plugged into connection #1, DHCP will always give it IP address 'N'. But the linksys instructions do not explain if this is possible or doable.

So then I try to set up my mac such that it uses DHCP with a manual IP address. I set the IP address outside of the DHCP realm (the router is set to start dhcp addresses at 192.168.1.100), I set it to 192.168.1.50. It works until the computer is restarted, when it takes a different IP address given to it by DHCP. If I set the manual IP address within the realm of what DHCP is set to give out on the router, i.e. above .100, it does the same thing.

If I set it up on the computer to totally work manually, and put in ip address, subnet mask and router IP address, nothing ever works, I cant get onto the internet.

So right now Im stuck manually finding the current IP address of my mac, turning on my squeezebox, manually re-entering all of the WEP keys, etc. EVERY time I want to use the device. Total pain in the butt.

So, how can I set up the mac/router combo such that the mac always has the same IP address, and that nothing changes the networking settings that I have?

Thanks,

JMH

 

[simple_gifts]

Only advanced DHCP server can give out the same IP to the same machine; my Linksys cant do that. You need to statically assign an IP address, netmask, default route to the machine you want to be static; this doesn't use DHCP; you seem to have done this, BUT mentioned nothing works, not even the internet, but did you try going from the machine to the router with the webadmin tool? I suspect you might have tried internet access, but you didn't mention whether you set up the DNS entries on the mac. Lack of DNS might "look" like internet access doesn't work, but in fact name resolution isn't set up.

 

[simple_gifts]

Also check that your subnet masks are all 255.255.255.0; That gives an address space of 192.168.1.1-192.168.1.255; If the subnet masks are 255.255.255.128 or similar, the machines won't be able to "see" each other if certain IP address are chosen.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Looks like you're right... the BEFW11S4 does not allow you to set up static IPs, so your only hope is to hardcode it in each of the devices that need to have a static IP.

Quote:
If I set it up on the computer to totally work manually, and put in ip address, subnet mask and router IP address, nothing ever works, I cant get onto the internet.

What numbers exactly are you using in this case?

If you're using the standard linksys settings, then you should try:

IP address: 192.168.1.50
Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: 192.168.1.1

DNS: 192.168.1.1

If you don't set the DNS, you won't be able to resolve domain names.

Simlarly, you should be able to hardcode a static IP setup in your Squeezebox. Just use a different IP address, such as 192.168.1.51.

 

[simple_gifts]

QP, I don't think DNS is 192.168.1.1; I have always used the "Status" tab on an active connection and hardwired the ISP's DNS machines; sort of annoying should they decide to change them. Could work your way; just never seen that.

 

[Quattro Pete]

SG, I've done it on a lot of machines that way and it always seems to work. And that avoids the problem which you mentioned: you don't have to worry if your provider suddenly changes the DNS server address.

On my Linksys WRT54G, I am running Tomato firmware, and even if I use dynamic DHCP, it will still set my DNS to the same address as the default gateway which is my router's local IP:

Code:


Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:



Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Cont

roller

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0B-DB-1D-01-10

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.100

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.200

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.200

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.200

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, January 27, 2008 1:03:17 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, February 03, 2008 1:03:17 PM


I don't know if it works on all routers, but it worked on all the ones I've ever dealt with.

 

[wwillson]

JHZR2,

Can you copy and paste your IP config including the DNS server into a reply. I think your not able to resolve DNS because you don't have a DNS server, or a good DNS server configured. You can test this by pinging ann address like 69.64.89.243 - the IP address of the BITOG server. If you can ping an address, but not a domain name like http://www.bobistheoilguy.com, then it's the DNS server....

Wayne

 

[tmorris1]

You will need to enter the IP addresses of your ISP's DNS server or another one on the internet. You don't want to set your DNS to your router address because your router isn't a DNS server.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: tmorris1
your router isn't a DNS server.

True, but the router knows what the DNS server is and as such can relay all the incoming DNS requests to the actual DNS server.

 

[JHZR2]

I tried putting in 192.168.1.1 for DNS under the manual setting (Im writing this from my laptop, so Im not 100% yet), and my hom,epage loaded, which it didnt do before.

On one of the setup pages, DNS was labeled as optional, so I hadnt put anything in there yet... right now I have something set for the manual configuration and we shall see.

Thanks all, Ill keep you posted once I confirm how it all works...

Best,

JMH

 

[JHZR2]

well, now Im on from my mac... seems to be working.

Thanks all!

JMH