Tweak589
join:2005-09-24
Redwood City, CA
| [General] WCG200 Crashing whenever I use my laptop
Well this is all very strange, and I do not have any idea what is going on here.
First and foremost, I was having problems with my router one night, and it seemed as if it automatically updated its firmware... without me even knowing (is this possible? Because Linksys have no Firmware updates available as far as I know). Because now, I have completely differenty firmware with all kinds of new settings (love them!) and it quite possibly might be the source of this problem. Because I have 2 computers... a PC in my room, and a laptop which my parents use. Now, ever since this firmware update, it seems the laptop cannot connect properly. I've setup the wireless connection as anyone else would do it, but everytime the laptop tries to access the internet (or if it reaches a certain amount of packets sent/recieved), the router will completely crash and it reboots itself. My PC in here is working fine however. If I use Wired or Wireless connection, the Internet functions fine on my PC. But with this laptop, whether it be on a Wired or Wireless connection, it just crashes the entire modem/router.
I'd really like to know what is causing this. I've checked for any programs or viruses on the laptop, nothing found. It is pretty clean of any problems. There are no IP conflicts or anything, it seems to connect just fine through the router up until I try and use the internet. If I just leave the laptop running on the wireless, it just crashes the router in 2 minute intervals I'd say. Something to do with the amount of packets just shuts it down.
Something new in this firmware I have too is the Modem Log, which I never had... and this is a result after each crash:
Time ------------------ Priority ------- Description
2006-05-21 16:51:09 warning DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response
1970-01-01 00:00:19 critical DHCP WARNING - Non-critical field invalid in response.
1970-01-01 00:00:18 critical DHCP WARNING - Non-critical field invalid in response.
1970-01-01 00:00:18 critical DHCP WARNING - Non-critical field invalid in response.
1970-01-01 00:00:12 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out
1970-01-01 00:00:11 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out
The wierd thing is, it also keeps giving a date of 1970. I don't know what is going on here, please help!  |
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Tweak589
join:2005-09-24
Redwood City, CA
| Oh and also sometimes I see this listed on the local network area of the control panel:
MAC ----------------- IP ------------ Duration ---------------- Expire
000000000000 192.168.0.12 D:00 H:01 M:00 S:00 Thu Jan 01 01:00:06 1970
I don't quite understand that Date, aswell as the MAC address, which is all zeros. It comes and goes, and I'll usually release that and then when I try and use the laptop again, the MAC address is correctly setup, but this happens sometimes... not sure what it is. |
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Tweak589
join:2005-09-24
Redwood City, CA | reply to Tweak589
Nobody?  |
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radojevic
join:2000-12-14
Salinas, CA | What firmware version does the wcg200 state it is using now?
g |
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Tweak589
join:2005-09-24
Redwood City, CA | It says it is using this version:
Firmware Version: 1.1.3.5.10-0520 |
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radojevic
join:2000-12-14
Salinas, CA
 ·Razzolink
| The wcg200 is a combination cable modem/wireless router/switch. Your cable ISP can update the firmware automatically. DSL ISPs can do the same for DSL modems.
The first thing you should do is call your cable company, and explain what's happening. I bet you're not the only one.
g |
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RueGorE
join:2002-06-23
Portland, OR
| reply to Tweak589
He's right. He isn't the only one because I'm having to deal with the very same thing right now.
Brand new settings in the wcg200 firmware (now all of a sudden, it supports 4 levels of WPA encryption -- I have a funny story about that) and ever since the 21 of this month, I've been having random problems every day with the wcg200 resetting itself. It happens most often when I run a torrent on the wired side and have a 2nd computer on a wireless signal just doing simple web browsing.
I can understand that the cable company (comcast) can and do upgrade their equipment that they rent out to their customers, but I bought my wcg200 from Best Buy -- I do not rent from comcast (although for some reason they think I do and charge me for it. I'll have to correct them on that soon.) Shouldn't I be notified when such a thing occurs? Shouldn't they ask me if I want them to do this? They don't own this equipment, I do! 
I would just like to know if there's any more comcast HSI users with wcg200s that have experienced a similar issue recently. Please check your firmwares and see if there's anything different.
As for the "funny story" I mentioned, a few months ago I chatted with Linksys tech support, and asked if was possible to get a WPA firmware upgrade for my device. He basically told me that it'd be impossible to support WPA on it and that no firmware upgrade was available, and that if I want WPA I was going to have to purchase a new modem + router. Fast-forward a few months and now I'm seeing 4 levels of WPA encryption available in my firmware settings.... |
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iron_city
join:2006-05-31
Pittsburgh, PA
| Tweak589,
Can I just quote your message to describe my problem? At least I know that I am not crazy. Everything down to the MAC address of all zeroes.
Anyway, I purchased the wcg200 (version 1) in September of 2004 and had it there for the comcast tech to install. It has been a tremendous piece of equipment; easy setup, reliable, etc. Until Sunday, May 21, 2006.
I can watch the modem as I use the web with my laptop, and the first thing that happens is the "Wireless" light goes red. Next the "Cable" and "Internet" lights go out. Then the modem reboots. Anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Like you, I have other equipment...
Desktop PC with Linksys wireless card - works fine
Laptop, using the network card - works fine
hp iPaq wireless - works fine
Laptop, using the wireless - like I said, constant reboots
Linksys says that I am the first one with this problem; I find that hard to believe. comcast blames Linksys; Linksys blames comcast. No one wants to own it.
An yes, the firmware was upgraded to 1.1.3.5.10-0520. I noticed this because of the modem log, and the new "SES" option for wireless. SES was not offered by Linksys in Sept-04, to my knowledge.
Anyway, since it was the wireless that was causing the reboots, I took a gamble, and spent $50 on a Linksys WRT54G wireless router. Plug and chug. Turned off the wireless on the wcg200. The LAN DHCP on the wcg200 gave the router an IP address, and since the computers were all set to get IP's automatically, they now found the WRT54G as the gateway. Blam - No more dropoffs. Not happy about spending the $50, but one week of no wireless was almost like hell  |
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liquidsnake81
@usu.edu
| reply to Tweak589
Tweak589, iron_city, etc,
Oh man I've been banging my head against the keyboard for days now trying to figure out this problem. I was wigging out and I thought I was losing my mind when I saw all of the new settings when I logged into my router. Finally, I read these posts and see confirmation that it is not just my problem!
I'm assuming the only "fix" for this issue would be for comcast to send out new firmware or to do as iron_city did and buy a seperate wireless router to plug into the router on the wcg200. I do plan on calling comcast and giving them a piece of my mind for pushing firmware upgrades onto my device without my knowledge. |
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iron_city
join:2006-05-31
Pittsburgh, PA
| Well, I'm starting to form conclusions based on what I've read here, and on other sites. This is what I know and/or assume...
•Several people with the wcg200 have this issue; •Everyone who has this problem has purchased their personal wcg200 (version 1); •I have not seen this complaint from anyone that owns the wcg200-CC•The problem seems to affect one system and other computers on the network are not affected; •Everyone has experienced a firmware upgrade; and, •Firmware cannot be upgraded by Linksys nor the user/owner.
The only modem available to from comcast (when I signed up for CC HSI) was some Motorola modem. Rather than rent theirs, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase my own, and why not get the wireless router built in? I called CC, and they said it was compatible. As I mentioned in my previous post, all was well.
I have learned that subsequently, comcast started leasing a version of the wcg200 with the designation "-CC" for comcast.
I would be willing to bet that comcast pushed out a firmware upgrade to all who had a wcg200 (not just a wcg200-CC), and I'd also be willing to be that the firmware is (somehow) not compatible with my particular modem.
I, too, am going to call and give comcast a piece of my mind. First I want to collect as much information as I can, so I can adequately present my case. All their tech support folks seem to know is "I can poll the modem - everything therefore is working fine. It's not our fault." |
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Tweak589
join:2005-09-24
Redwood City, CA
| reply to Tweak589
Well I think I solved this, but I have not 100% tested it, but so far it looks good.
Yesterday I was working hard at trying to find solutions online, and I found something 'similar' to the issue, but I never really found something exactly like what people were explaining, nor something that would fix it.
Basically all I did was go into the Device Manager, right click on the Wireless Adapter I was using on this laptop, and chose Properties. Clicked on the Advanced tab, and set the following:
Channel: 6 (was on 1, which was wrong, by default it should have been 6 which the Linksys sets)
Power Save Mode: OFF (I think this is the important change. Mine was originally on High I think)
SSID: linksys (I typed this in, just because I had just reset the router to factory/default setings, but I figured it was ok. You can also type "ANY" there if you wish).
Every other setting I really did not touch, but this fixed it. The internet was fully functional, and no crashing thus far. Hope this helps anyone with the similar issue
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radojevic
join:2000-12-14
Salinas, CA
·Razzolink
1 edit | said by Tweak589  :Basically all I did was go into the Device Manager, right click on the Wireless Adapter I was using on this laptop, and chose Properties. Clicked on the Advanced tab, and set the following: Channel: 6 (was on 1, which was wrong, by default it should have been 6 which the Linksys sets) Power Save Mode: OFF (I think this is the important change. Mine was originally on High I think) SSID: linksys (I typed this in, just because I had just reset the router to factory/default setings, but I figured it was ok. You can also type "ANY" there if you wish). Every other setting I really did not touch, but this fixed it. The internet was fully functional, and no crashing thus far. Hope this helps anyone with the similar issue I regret not mentioning checking your wireless card's power save mode. It can make life miserable sometimes.
However, your wireless card's channel setting is only used when it's in adhoc mode. If the wireless card is in infrastructure mode, then it'll scan all available channels until it finds a wireless router/access point.
g |
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Tweak589
join:2005-09-24
Redwood City, CA
| reply to Tweak589
Yeah I figured the power saving feature was the problem. Not sure exactly why, but that is a part of one solution I had partially interpreted from some online research.
But it is all fixed now, and so hopefully it helps others.  |
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iron_city
join:2006-05-31
Pittsburgh, PA
| Hmmm...glad it worked for you. I will definitely try this, although I don't have "Power Save Mode" in the properties. My Intel adapter has "Power Management", which says...
Select a balance between power consumption and adapter performance.
Default: Power settings based on computer's power source.
Lowest: Maximum battery life - Highest: Maximum performance.
Currently the Default button is checked. Any tips, radojevic. I can still return the router |
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Tweak589
join:2005-09-24
Redwood City, CA
| reply to Tweak589
Did you install the proper drivers for your Intel device? The wireless PCMCIA card by Netgear is what I have for this laptop. If I don't install the drivers, I get basic Windows settings, much like what you have I think. If I install the drivers, I get some better options. If you don't have any detailed power saving options no matter what drivers you use, you might be outta luck |
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iron_city
join:2006-05-31
Pittsburgh, PA
1 edit | Thanks, Tweak. I upgraded the driver once I started having the problems. The only power setting is the one that I mentioned.
Since it is an integral Intel wireless card, I've even tried using the Intel "PROSet Wireless" software to manage the wireless connection (rather than Windows), and get the same result.
Is yours still working?
B |
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radojevic
join:2000-12-14
Salinas, CA
·Razzolink
| reply to iron_city
said by iron_city :Hmmm...glad it worked for you. I will definitely try this, although I don't have "Power Save Mode" in the properties. My Intel adapter has "Power Management", which says... Select a balance between power consumption and adapter performance. Default: Power settings based on computer's power source. Lowest: Maximum battery life - Highest: Maximum performance. Currently the Default button is checked. Any tips, radojevic. I can still return the router I think either the wcg200's firmware is flakey and causing the reboots when it gets stressed, or it's power supply is dying.
If you got the wcg200 from comcast, you should put pressure on them to get you a replacement. If you bought it yourself, either keep your Linksys WRT54G to use as your wireless router, or get a newer wcg200-CC that doesn't seem to have the same problem.
I realize your laptop's Intel wireless is catalyzing the problem, but I don't think it's the root of the problem. If your laptop wireless was the real problem, then you would still be experiencing the problem with your WRT54G.
g |
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petersolson
join:2006-06-03
Bethel, CT
| I came here looking for a solution to my problem, which is identical to the one posted here. I subscribe to comcast HSI, and I have a wcg200 which I purchased. So it is not a wcg200-CC. About a week ago both my laptop (wireless) and my desktop (wireless) began dropping the wireless connection sporadically. Hardwired still functions normally. I also now have the additional security modes that I did not have previously. My firmware is also 1.1.3.5.10-0520.
I have nothing further to add, just more data as to the root of the problem. |
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petersolson
join:2006-06-03
Bethel, CT
| I just got off the phone with comcast. Th first CSR I spoke with assured me that comcast never pushes out firmware upgrades. She then sent me to the Home Network division, who were very helpful. After a lengthy conversation, he confirmed that the Home Network division sent out a firmware update to the wcg200, upgrading it to 1.1.3.5.10-0520, on or about May 21. He indicated that even a hard reset on the wcg200 will NOT restore the original firmware. It appears to me that the problem is that the new firmware conflicts with the version 1.0 wcg200. So, the problem has been diagnosed, but there does not appear to be any solution to it. |
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Tweak589
join:2005-09-24
Redwood City, CA | reply to Tweak589
I solved my problem, my solution doesn't work for you? |
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