Thread: Weird Reliance Wimax Problem

Hello all,

I have just joined this forum to get help on an issue that is quite strange. This problem seems to be unique as I haven't come across this kind of an issue in all the threads that I have been reading since evening. Or maybe I have missed it out.

The problem is this - I have got REL Wimax 400 Kbps unlimited installed this tuesday. I already have a Hathway 256 Kbps connection that works on DHCP. As I was out I asked the technician (on phone) who came in to install the connection to install it on PC1 ( I have 4 PCs in my home-office). He couldn't configure it for some reason on PC1 or PC2 or PC3. For some reason PC4 is where he could. When I came in I saw the connection working fine on PC4 and I tried to download a file from Rapidshare and it gave me a good speed of 50-odd kbps. So far so good.

However, I wanted it on PC1 and when I tried to connect it on PC1 to the inbuilt LAN port there was no light on. The Local Area Connection couldn't acquire the IP address. I tried everything. Ipconfig release and renew. Uninstalled on-board LAN. Reinstalled it. Installed a different LAN card - Realtek 8139. Set up through another cable. I have many working cables here. It just doesn't show the light at the LAN port.

When after a few complaint calls, the Reliance tech support guy came in with his laptop he changed the Poe device (installed a white one) and connected it to his laptop and it worked immediately. Because the settings are on DHCP, it gets connected within a few seconds. The guy could telnet easily and check the settings from the base tower. Then he connected the cable to my PC1. No connection. He even tried putting on the assigned IP after he disabled DHCP. And then back to DHCP. Nothing. Not even the light comes on.

In my Netgear wireless router the light come on as orange and when I try to use the router setup wizard it shows it has found a static IP address. Very strange.

And the weird thing is - the moment I put in my hathway connection - instant connection.

Now the tech guy was at a loss for words. He just didn't know where could the problem be. And he told me that since his laptop is getting the signal properly (which was true) there was no problem with the connection (which also is correct in theory). And his laptop had WinXP SP2. Same as my all 4 PCs

Now my question --- where could the problem be? What does his laptop have that my machines don't? And all my machines? Even PC4 which was getting a connection earlier doesn't now (although the LAN port has the light on) - after he changed the PoE device. Does the MAC address need to be released somehow as it may be "binded" to Hathway? is this assumption correct? Can anyone help? Would anyone know of this kind of a problem? And has been able to solve it? Any help, needless to say, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Deepak

Ok---I just realised that this thread should have been in the Relaince Wimax sub-forum. Would admin/mod please move it there? Much thanks

This is very strange...
There is no corelation between having a mac address binded with hathway and reliance wimax so that not the cause.

To be honest I give up

I am sure our more experienced members here would be able to help you... I would be very interested to know whats causing this.

U have four PCs set up. PC1 PC2 PC3 PC4. PC4 is connected to Reliance. Hathway is connected to which PC? Or is it something like this, u had a hathway connection which u had replaced with reliance?

There are various forms of cabling, crossover and straight through. Crossover is used to connect similar devices and straight through is used to connect different devices.

This indeed seems like cabling problem.

Had it been a cable issue then it shouldnt work on pc4 either... Please correct me if I am wrong.

The poster has mentioned something like this.

Only PC4 was able to get connected.
Engineer came and connected the laptop, and it started working.

If the cable used in PC4 was straight through, and if the same cable was used by the engineer, no wonder he was able to connect. He can also carry the correct cabling with him and do the tests using his cable, and the connection will seem to work flawlessly.

I think the thread starter should answer the cabling queries.

Usually when we see that the NIC light isnt coming up, then we promptly look at the cabling being used. No light = wrong cabling.

I maybe wrong, and will stand corrected if anyone may do so.

please indicate the nature of sharing ur hathway connection. Are u using a router?

Thank you guys for replying.

Well, I thought I was very specific in explaining the problem and the various steps I have taken to check what is wrong.

It cannot be a cabling issue as the same cable worked properly on PC4 and the techie's laptop. So that is ruled out. And later the same cable didnt work on PC4 either.

Now after racking my brains I think I may have understood the root cause. Because all other parameters are equal it has to be a software issue. And since the IP was binded/bound to hathway it is not being released even though in IPConfig it shows as being released. I had a virus attack all my machines a few weeks ago which I had cleared. This virus had disabled registry editing and had disabled user from administrative privileges. What may be happening is since this was disabled PC user is unable to clear the binding in the software backend even though in the visual front-end it may show as if it is happening. This is just a hunch. Let me format the machine and revert back to you guys. Atleast we will know something new.

Thanks.

Deepak Dhingra

Hey instead of formatting u can install the trial version of Kaspersky 2009 and do a through scan of the PC. This will remove all traces of viruses/trojans/spyware from the PC. Use formatting as the last resort.

Thanks Cool Techie but I already formatted and it was to no avail.

In the end the problem was solved. It was the crimping of the wire connected to the antenna. The guy who had installed it hadnt done the crimping right. The guy who came in today also changed the PoE device.

And the reason it was coming on perfectly on the Reliance guy's laptop yesterday was because the RJ-45 connector on that cable was cross-crimped and these guys have configured their laptop's to accept cross or straight crimp. It was also coming in properly on the laptop of the guy who came in today. Also, what the first reliance fellow had done to my PC4 was this - He had forced the connection in a way with a cross-crimped cable and a cross-crimped connection to the antenna and set the network adapter to Half Duplex. And my other machines refused to take because the network adapter was set to auto-negotiate or 100 Full Duplex.

Also, so in a way it was a cabling issue but at the antenna level. Now its on perfect and through the router. The moment the crimping was done correctly the light came on.

Thanks guys for your concern and help.

Deepak Dhingra

I thought I should post in my experience in the last 1 hour. It is very good speed averaging 50 kbps. Which is what I would get in my 400Kbps plan, I think.

Thanks.

Deepak Dhingra

I knew it would be a cabling problem. Am seeing it daily in here at the office

Nice to know your problem has been rectified.