Seems to connect but does not (Bigpond cable)

[iog]

Please help! ‘Easy installation’ it says on the box. The installation of this thing has been anything but simple. At this stage I am just connecting a WinXP desktop via the LAN1 port, via a cable modem (Motorola Surbboard [FONT=Arial]SB4200) to Telstra bigpond.net.au. I selected the Bigpond type of WAN connection in the setup. I seem to get a connected, according to the status page all the parameters appear correct, compared with a connection directly via the cable modem (output of ipconfig /all with direct connection presented below, then ipconfig/all with router in the path). I tried resetting the modem. No go. I tried putting in MAC address of NIC card and the heartbeat server ip. I cannot ping anything and the system log (at the end of this document) indicates that proper connection is not made.

I have read reams of stuff on the Chupa Q&A forum etc, trying to find something helpful (and that I could understand!). I am just about ready to return the thing and get my money back. By the way, I did disconnect the cable service and disabled the normal Bigpond cable login client before connecting the router.

I installed the latest firmware version 1.9.2.7.

A Bigpond technician said that the router was blocking ports 5050-5055, which Bigpond needs. Is he correct?

I tried disabling the router firewall, but that did not work.

Please, can someone help? I have never had so many problems in installing anything and I have been around computers since before MSDOS.

C:\ipconfig /all (when connected to Bigpond ISP via cable modem)
Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DB
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : qld.bigpond.net.au
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : qld.bigpond.net.au
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-01-80-21-6F-71
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 144.136.129.134
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.252.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 144.136.128.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.18.17.80
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 61.9.208.14 61.9.224.15 61.9.208.15

C:\ ipconfig /all (when WL500g operating with resetting Motorola Surboard modem)

Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DB
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : qld.bigpond.net.au
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-01-80-21-6F-71
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, 25 February 2005 11:31:40 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, 26 February 2005 11:31:40PM

System log from after clicking on <connect> and <disconnect> on status page:

Jan 1 10:03:53 wan: connected manually
Jan 1 10:03:56 dhcp client: bound IP : 144.136.134.4 from 144.136.132.1
Jan 1 10:03:56 bpalogin[178]: BPALogin v2.0.2 - portable BigPond Broadband login client
Jan 1 10:03:56 bpalogin[178]: Sleeping for 60 seconds
Jan 1 10:03:58 wan: connected manually
Jan 1 10:04:01 dhcp client: bound IP : 144.136.134.4 from 144.136.132.1
Jan 1 10:04:01 bpalogin[189]: BPALogin v2.0.2 - portable BigPond Broadband login client
Jan 1 10:04:01 bpalogin[189]: Sleeping for 60 seconds
Jan 1 10:04:42 wan: disconnected manually
Jan 1 10:04:42 bpalogin[178]: Error connecting logout auth socket - Network is unreachable
Jan 1 10:04:42 bpalogin[189]: Error connecting logout auth socket - Network is unreachable
Jan 1 10:04:42 dhcp client: deconfig: lease is lost

[Antiloop]

ehm.. maybe you should ask them to start delivering -NORMAL- services not requiring custom made application to connect to their network, just think like this why the hell Bigpond would it be worth it to add their garbage to the firmwares specially for them only

for the rest, sorry I can't help you as I don't have bigpond....

[Craigster]

Ahh, Telstra...yes its typical of them, but a philosophical debate won't get your router set up. Their custom network heartbeat was something to do with fancy billing arrangements when IP's are dynamically assigned.

ASUS not squeeky clean either.

Anyway, you're not alone and sounds ike more than half way there. My method was,
1. Set up router and modem using a wired LAN port and install bigpond CD
2. Using Telstra's heartbeat client on pc there is an adjustment to allow traffic through on port 5050. If using XP with SP2, aso disable the XP firewalling on your wireless network card in pc. If using Norton firewall, I think there's a patch from Symantec needed if using XP SP2.
4. Tell XP where to look for its DNS server - I think should be the router lan side ip. Default is 192.198.1.1. I later changed mine for security.
4. De-install Telstra's heartbeat login client from PC. after router firmware 1.8.1.7 the BigPond setting takes care of this. I use 1.8.1.9 as that was latest when I set up and I'm too afraid to change now its working. Running login/heartbeat client on pc and router causes conflicts.
5. When working, implement the wireless functionality.

See below for my settings. It took much trial and error, but in end I knew a lot more about what was going on.

Tips
---
a. Keep a written log of all your settings as you change them, so you can roll back. Esp any IP addresses, MAC addresses for all devices, login accounts and passwords. Should be obvious. It all gets very confusing.
b. Leave the router security setup till you're sure its working--only confuses picture. Since this is not most secure path to setting up a network, at least make sure your pc firewall remains in place. Firewall on PC should interfere too much and not need changes.
c. My info sources were
- chupa
- www.whirlpool.net.au - search for wl500g, and heartbeat config, and esp posts by rwhitby. Background info from OzCableGuy can also help in understanding for non-network engineers.
- also microsoft site (e.g. for the port 5050 adjustment)
- bigpond boradband pages (http://bigpond.custhelp.com, look for "what DNS settings should I use" for DNS servers in your state. But if you get the heartbeat server right, these should be obtained automatically, you don't need to enter them.

Hope there was something new here for you. Good luck !

[iog]

Thanks, Craigster, for your suggestions. At least I did not feel so alone after your input and that inspired me to have another go! However, after all my headscratching, time wasting and angst, the main problem was that I had appended @bigpond.net.au to my userid! I had tried the naked userid initially, but changed it when connection did not happen (Bigpond webmail, for example, and secure sign-ins require the full address). The stuff at http://www.fulton.net.au/qt010.htm jogged the realisation. This url also provides some helpful explanations for the networking newbie as to how the handshaking, etc., happens (this field is so full of incomprehensible jargon, mnemonics, etc!!). Actually, the only thing needed to be added to the Bigpond client provided by the WL500g firmware, other than your userid and pw, is the heartbeat server ip address (which is different for each state of Australia). MAC address is not needed, at least when using the Motorola Surfboard SB4200 modem. I have reactivated the firewall and everything still works (e.g. browsing and email). So much for the nonsense from Telstra's helpdesk about ports 5050-5055 being blocked. Anyway, thanks again. I will now have a go at getting the wireless bit to work.

[Horse]

Hi all,
I have not visited this site for some time, and am stuck back in the old, feature poor world of 1.7.5.9-5. This was the first known, completely stable firmware, to work with BigPond cable. Can anyone please confirm the latest firmware that is known to work - and I mean work without losing the IP address every other day?
Cheers
darren

[iog]

I'm using fw 1.9.2.7 with bigpond cable and it drops out every other day or so (not every day or when the lease is up). I have not had time to work out if there is some pattern to it. I have to manually <Connect> when it happens.

[Horse]

Thanks iog,
'cause i want to use a webcam I can't tolerate dropouts. The dropouts are caused by the WL500g losing the heartbeat, required by the bigpond server. Problem is, with the version I am running Webcam does not work.
rwhitby was going have a look at it at some stage - I think he is a very busy man... but I will wait and see if he can help us out - would be most greatful...

[rwhitby]

rwhitby was going have a look at it at some stage - I think he is a very busy man... but I will wait and see if he can help us out - would be most greatful...

Yes, my time is pretty much taken up by work, www.nslu2-linux.org, and a 9 week old daughter at the moment.

However, I have moved my dial-in (yes, dial-in, not dial-out) modem from the wrt54gs to the nslu2, so now I can use the wrt54gs for the production internet gateway, and possibly find some time to update the wl500g to the latest firmware and get the heartbeat stable on it.

I too am using the old version, cause Asus changed everything in the 1.8 version and stuffed the stable heartbeat all up again ...

-- Rod

[Oleg]

Well, looks like I've finally fixed bigpond support, at least it works now for Wesleyrpg. The updated code will appear in the next custom firmware.

[rwhitby]

Well, looks like I've finally fixed bigpond support, at least it works now for Wesleyrpg. The updated code will appear in the next custom firmware.

I've tested this latest update from Oleg, and it seems to be rock solid.

I'm now running: Firmware v. 1.9.2.7 CR4

-- Rod

[Matthew]

i have also installed Firmware v. 1.9.2.7 CR4 on the cabled pond in brissie.

Seems fine. samba is nice...

[iog]

I'm in Brisbane also and confirm that FW v1.9.2.7 CR4 has resulted in no lost connections, which were happening every other day or so (I had to reconnect manually). However, it has now wrecked my use of a VPN connection (client on the WL500g). VPN always used to drop out after 25 minutes or so using BPAlogin (before WL500g). FW v. 1.9.2.7 gave me a reliable connection (I did not experience a dropout with many hours of use). Now I am back to 'the bad old days', although I think it is worse: dropouts can occur after just a few minutes or a maximum of about 25 minutes. I think I might revert back to the FW that gave me a good VPN connection, although it had the inconvenience of having to reconnect manually every couple of days (a small problem compared to VPN dropping out every 5-25 minutes). The router system log indicates lots of activity about the time the dropouts occur (Mar 26 23:58:00 dhcp client: renew IP... dnsmasq[52]... DHCPREQUEST ... DHCPACK ... DHCPINFORM ... etc.). This activity does not seem to have any regular pattern to it. Perhaps someone knows how I can cure these dropouts on VPN without having to revert back to the earlier FW?