Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Resolved Question

Wireless Vs Ethernet - Weird Issues!

by Mar 12, 2012 8:00AM PDT

I have a home network.

The Router is a Actiontec DSL modem/router/switch provided by Qwest. Connected are two laptops, two PCs and an access point out in my garage. These five devices connect to the Actiontec via a wireless connection all provided with IPs through DHCP.

Connected also is a Seagate GoFlex Home 2TB NAS. It also has an IP that is provided by DHCP. The only difference is that is it directly connected to the Actiontec by an a CAT5 Ethernet cable.

All of the devices have an IP in the 192.168.0.x subnet. They are also all in the same workgroup.

Any PC or Laptop on the network connected wirelessly can not see the Seagate NAS. If I change the PC or laptop to an Ethernet connection it is seen. Also, no matter what I use as a connection the the Actiontec, I can see the other PCs or Laptops in the network. I can only see the Seagate NAS if I connect using a CAT5.

Anyone have any idea why this device hides from the wireless LAN connections?

-John

Discussion is locked

johnsprice has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer
7 Posts
- Collapse + Expand Details

Best Answer

- Collapse -
To me this sounds like CLIENT ISOLATION
by Forum moderator Mar 13, 2012 1:13AM PDT

I can't guess why that would be turned on or a firewall in the router. But your story would have me check for CLIENT ISOLATION or what ever the name this router calls this feature.
Bob

- Collapse -
Solved!
by johnsprice Mar 13, 2012 10:58AM PDT

Qwest (CenturyLink) provided DSL Actiontec Modem/Router/Switch has a built-in uPNP feature.

In order to configure the NAS for external access I turned on uPNP and allowed the Seagate software to configure the ports for me via uPNP. The issue with the Actiontec is that the uPNP only configures the ethernet ports.

I resolved the issue by disabling the uPNP feature on the Actiontec. Deleting all the uPNP configuration and manually forwarding the required ports to the internal IP of the NAS.

Works like a charm now.

A modem makes a crappy router, but was fixable with a work around. (also know why my torrents were slow on my laptop now too.. used uPNP to configure the port!)

thanks everyone for your input!!

John

- Collapse -
Answer
Three wild guesses.
by Forum moderator Mar 12, 2012 8:31AM PDT

1. They have a 'strange' IP-address when connected wireless.
2. There is a router setting that causes it. Did you check the router management page?
3. There is a setting in the NAS.

All sound improbable. Did you check one of the devices wired/wireless using a Linux Live disk? Just to be sure it isn't a setting in Windows (improbable also).

Kees

- Collapse -
re: Three wild guesses
by johnsprice Mar 12, 2012 10:01AM PDT

1. They have a 'strange' IP-address when connected wireless.


I thought of this too.. maybe the wireless IPs are masqueraded and are in a different subnet. I did use NetMon though and did a complete network scan.. when connected by wire, the NAS shows up and wirelessly, no where in site.

2. There is a router setting that causes it. Did you check the router management page?

I went through the router page by page and setting by setting. Nothing there I can see.

3. There is a setting in the NAS.I looked and could not find anything. Would the NAS even know where a ping was coming from and what kind of connection it was. I would not think it would be that smart..

I think I'll post the same in the Seagate Forums and see what comes up. Thanks though for the ideas.
John

- Collapse -
Linux Live CD
by johnsprice Mar 12, 2012 10:03AM PDT

I'll check using an Ubuntu Live CD right now and post results... Great Idea!

John

- Collapse -
Tried Live CD
by johnsprice Mar 12, 2012 11:09AM PDT

I ran the Ubuntu Live CD on one of my laptops. Same results... I can only connect to the NAS when wired.. when wireless, the device is not seen on the network.

John

- Collapse -
Re: not from Linux either
by Kees_B Forum moderator Mar 12, 2012 5:59PM PDT

Well, that clearly shows it isn't a Windows issue. That leaves the router or the disk itself. My guess is the router; like you I think the disk is just a passive device without this kind of intelligence.

So it might be time to try another router. For a test, there's no need to connect it to your modem or to Internet. Just turn off the modem, turn on the router, maybe reset the wired connection (ipconfig /reset), find the wireless in your PC/laptop and see if it sees the NAS.

Kees

Back to Networking & Wireless forum

CNET Forums

Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Brand Forums
Roadshow Autos
Off Topic

Other Forums

Forum Info