D-Link Forums
The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => Routers / COVR => DIR-615 => Topic started by: victorist on March 23, 2011, 09:57:59 PM
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Hi
I've just gotten a DIR-615 and replaced a working linksys G router. I configured it to work with my ipad (wireless N), my laptop-win 7 (N), and my desktop-vista (USB connected N). Everything works ok, I'm pleased with the performance. I'm using WPA personal, WPA2only, AES encryption, 3600, 802.11n only, auto 20/40 mhz channel width, invisible.
Here's the problem. As I powered up and shut down the laptop each day, it wouldn't connect to the router. I could see the connection, but windows said it couldn't connect. I had to go and unplug the router, count to 10, and then plug it in, and tell the laptop to connect and then it would connect it would be fine.
I thought it might be a compatibility with the laptop driver, but after powering down the desktop today, I had to do the same power cycle on the router to get the desktop to connect. So then I went and turned off the IPAD and had the same thing happen. 3 for 3.
I'm pretty sure its router settings and not the 3 devices, this never happened with the Linksys router, but I don't know what to change.
One other odd thing, when I view the network in windows, the DIR-615 icon is there (for about 15 secs), and then it disappears (for about 5 secs), and then reappears (15 secs), disappears (5 secs), etc. - almost like its dropping out for 5 secs... I haven't noticed a performance hit, but haven't transfer big files yet.
Any ideas?
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Try making the wireless SSID visible and not invisible...
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Tried that, doesn't seem to help.
As I mentioned, all devices can "see" the router, but when I go to connect, it says windows unable to connect.
I use the laptop extensively for travel and have never had this occur with any access point at hotels, starbucks, etc.
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I forgot to mention, Hardware Version: E3 Firmware Version: 5.10
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As a test, can you turn off security to test and see if you can get connected? Turn it back on after this test.
What wireless mode are you using? Mixed? Try changing to Single mode G?
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no security doesn't help
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switching to g only connects... so what does this mean? I have a perfectly good linksys g router sitting here, I bought the dir615 for N... is there some other setting I can tweak?
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what modes does your device support? If it doesn't support N then G is probably what your going to get.
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All of my devices support N.
After success with the G only setting on the router, I changed it to mixed-g and n - it seems to work as well. What's weird is the laptop connects in N mode. It looks like N only is giving me the trouble. I'll keep playing around with it to see.
Right now its pointing to a bug in the "n only" setting of the DIR-615.
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Possible however could be that N only needs to be tweeked on the router to support your n only device...try changing the band width settings. Could be that your devices need to be set for something specific. Check the support details for them to see what they support and need from a router.
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Sorry I had a false positive.
I incorrectly said that the problem was solved when switching to G only. It was not.
This morning required a router reset again in G only operation.
So this is not G or N related, what I thought was a solution was the router holding onto the IP address or MAC of the laptop for some period of time (enough time for me to shut down the laptop and restart) and then the laptop connected perfectly.
With the laptop powered off overnight something else happens and the laptop can't connect to the router, although it "sees" the router and retains the sign in information. One weird thing is that the laptop sees the network and can't connect, it ALSO sees another "unnamed network" (which is my network I can tell by encryption, signal strength, etc). This indicates something, but I'm not sure what. When I get to this point, I have to power reset the router, and then the laptop acquires it automatically from its retained settings
Please remember, when I say Laptop, the IDENTICAL SITUATION occurs for the LAPTOP, DESKTOP, and IPAD.... I know it is router related. So don't focus on the laptop. This does not happen with a Linksys G router.
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Does this happen over wired connections?
I would try this, do a factory reset of the router.
Turn off all other Devices accept for the LT.
Change the WiFi mode to single mode N.
Give the WiFi SSID a name that you recognize.
Dont use WiFi Protected set up.
Set Auto Scan and Channel width.
Don't use security to test this.
Turn off QoS for now.
Save and test the WiFi on just the LT for now. Close the cover and or shut the LT off and bring it back up.
See what happens. They try setting security to WPA and TPIK. Try auto and see if you see any differences.
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I had some similar connection issues with wireless. I applied a static IP to those devices I used regularily and have not had an issue since.
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Really at my wits end on this.
I reset the router and tried all new settings, same problem. Router has to be power recycled for 3 cpus to see it.
I tried static IP addresses, and the same thing happens. Using that at present.
Can anyone tell me if seeing my SSID in windows PLUS another SSID called "Another network" is normal? This "another network is also my router. I've never seen that with other routers...
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That is odd. Does that other network dissapear when you unplug your router? I haven't read the rest of your post. I will and post additional input.
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Nope, the "Other network" is still there after I reset the router, but somehow the laptop just connects.
Once connected everything runs perfectly, until powered off again, which will require a router reset to connect.
If I had to guess, I would think that the laptop (and other cpus) somehow get confused when powering up and seeing the two SSIDs, or the two SSIDs are symptomatic of another setting issue. Somehow this gets cleared temporarily or there is an initialization that takes place when you reset the router, and then the laptop can connect. Note that my SSID is set as "invisible"
Does anyone else see "Other network" listed as well as their SSID? Any idea what might cause this?
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My question wasn't "Does it show after a reset" but rather "Do both show when you power off the router"?
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When I first power up the laptop, I see my SSID and "other network" which is my router (same freq, power, encryp, etc).
I can't automatically log in.
I power reset the router, and "other network" disappears, only my SSID is showing, and the laptop automatically logs in.
This happens when my SSID is visible or invisible.
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Actually, a minor correction. It looks like the "other network" shows when you have the SSID INvisible. After I made my network visible and power cycled everything, my "other network" is gone, although I pick up another one in the neighborhood (different freq, power, encryp) so I don't think I'm affected by it.
Now I have SSID visible, only "see" my SSID, but my cpus won't connect automatically unless I power cycle the router. Original problem.
I can't believe no one else has seen this problem. I've had it from day one.
Once I power cycle the router, the router works great and my desktop will stay connected for weeks no problem (until I shut it down). The laptop unfortunately runs out of juice and needs a shutdown each night. If I keep the laptop plugged in, the wireless connection is fine.
Static IPs don't help, fixed freq channels don't help, any ideas?
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SOLVED
after following what is outlined in this thread, I changed my password to remove "-" and "*" from it and now ONLY use letters and numbers. I also turned off "protected wifi" and now everything works fine.
Thanks for the help.
I'll try and invisible SSID again when I feel brave ;D
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Thats odd. I didn't see this thread highlighted as new even though you made posts to it. Sorry I didn't respond. Glad you got it worked out though. When you mean "Protected WiFi" do you mean WPA or WPS?
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No I mean "Wi-FI Protected Setup (ALSO CALLED WCN 2.0 IN WINDOW VISTA) :" that's what I disabled as I don't have a wifi printer etc.
I had reread all the sections once again and decided to remove any characters that were not letters or numbers from my WPA password. I removed a dash and an asterisk, and now things seem to work fine. I always used these types of characters in linksys passwords and they worked fine.
Kind of strange but things seem to work ok now. Desktop, IPAD and netbook all connecting easily with WPA2 and "N" only.
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If you want N speeds, WPA2 with AES is the only options, at least for manufacturers that follow the specification to the letter. Setting any other type of security will downgrade it to G speeds.
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Interesting, I heard of something simular with passphrases and Macs. When you have WPS enabled, you have to enter a $ at the start. I will experiement and see if I can add specail characters to my passphrase.
Also, I don't think WPS and WCN are interchangable. I think WCN can use WPS, but WPS can work without WCN. WPS is the process of handshaking the encryption and configuring it. WCN is the act of applying those settings to the OS. mostly consists of loading the settings on a USB and sharing them that way. Most routers with USB can also use WCN to load those settings onto the flash, and then use WCN on the OS to configure the wireless adapter. I could be wrong though.
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Update: Finally got brave enough to turn "invisible" on the SSID and all 3 of my devices are connecting fine to the router.
So it looks like the WPA2 password can't have symbols which are not letters or numbers, no " -*&^%$" et, and you have to disable "Wi-FI Protected Setup (ALSO CALLED WCN 2.0 IN WINDOW VISTA)"
If you do have those, you'll have to power reset the router to connect.
Thanks for the help and suggestions.
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Back again.
I was moving something and it fell and knocked the power plug out of the wall on my DIR-615.
Now my old problem has returned again. >:(
When I power down my desktop, laptop, and IPAD, they do not connect to the router when powered up again. They all contain the correct login information, etc. In fact, nothing has changed since I left this thread, except I powered off the router.
Now to get connected again, I have to unplug the router, wait 10 secs, then plug it in. After that they will all connect again (windows 7, windows vista, and IPAD OS btw) ONE TIME.
I can't believe no one else is experiencing this problem.
Any ideas?
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What wireless modes are you using?
Try single mode G then mixed G and N?
What security mode are you using? WEP, WPA or WPA2? Preferred is WPA2 and Cipher type to AES only if your device support this.
Make sure you set a new name for the Wireless SSID as there could be other dlink named SSID routers near by.
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I have this same problem with DIR-515.
It's as if the router can't assign IP number to wireless device or something.
Powering off and on always fixes the connection problem.
I have ! in my passphrase... maybe I should take it out??
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Ensure DNS IP addresses are being filled in under Setup/Internet/Manual?
Turn off QoS options.
Turn off Advanced DNS Services if you have this option Setup/Internet/Manual.
Turn on DNS Relay under Setup/Networking.
Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices on the router.
Ensure devices are set to auto obtain an IP address.
Set Firewall settings to Endpoint Independent for TCP and UDP.
Try single mode G or mixed G and N?
What security mode are you using? WEP, WPA or WPA2? Preferred is WPA Personal and Cipher type to AES only if your device support this.
I have this same problem with DIR-515.
It's as if the router can't assign IP number to wireless device or something.
Powering off and on always fixes the connection problem.
I have ! in my passphrase... maybe I should take it out??
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Furry - Most of the settings you suggested are being used. I tried the g vs n etc before so now I leave it on N only as everything I have is N. Its WEP2 and AES. During my first adventure, I tried every recommendation and setting combination, so I know those don't fix it.
I just read a couple of newer posts that seem to imply that changing the SSID to something else resolves a problem and so I tried it - VOILA - so far so good. I changed the SSID and pswd before when I got it working but didn't attribute it to the solution at that time.
To repeat. Somehow magically I got this beast working fine with all 3 devices (IPAD, netbook, Desktop) using IOS, win7 home 64, and Vista 32.
Originally I got it working after many many trial and errors. It worked for 3 months.
Then I dropped something which pulled the power plug and the router powered down for just a minute. Then it wouldn't work, that is, I couldn't connect powered off devices when restarted until I powered down the router each time. Once I did that everything was ok, until I powered off a device.
This morning, I logged onto everything and renamed the SSID (which is invisible btw) and powered off the netbook. When I powered it on, it recognized the network and logged right in.
If looks like the old SSID is stuck somewhere and confusing the login process.
Assigning a new SSID fixed it for now, at least until we lose power at the router again...
Any comments or ideas?
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You said your using WEP2? or WPA2?
What happens if you don't hid the SSID name?
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Hi victorist ... no you are not alone. I installed a DIR-615 HWv:C1 FWv:3.11NA in September of 2009 and have had the same problem ever since. The first time I logged on wirelessly with no problems, but if I disconnected and tried to log back in ... "Limited or No Connectivity". The only thing I could figure out was that the wireless DHCP server would not assign a valid IP address. I did notice that if I did not log in for a while (a few days) I could get back on. This most likely is a result of the lease expiring on a specific MAC address. Once this happens, the wireless DHCP server works again. My solution was to manually set an IP address for my, or anyone else's, laptop and this has worked fine. I got back in to the location today to do some maintenance and decided to check and see if there were any firmware updates that might address this issue. I found two FW updates and FWv:3.12NA states "Fixed: Wireless connection issue". BS! I don't know what wireless connection issue they fixed, but it wasn't this one. You seem to be correct in your assessment of the special characters in the WPA password being the problem (special characters include the "space"). I am running the router in b,g,n mode and when I eliminated the spaces in my password, I could repeatedly log in wirelessly just fine. Thank you for your diligence on this topic as I probably would have not figured this out without it.
On another note ... as I mentioned above, there are two FW updates from my original FWv:3.11NA. When I installed FWv:3.13NA, I lost my internet connection. I then downdated to FWv:3.12NA and got my internet connection back. Really D-Link, do you even test the firmware before you release it?
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How are you applying the FW updates?
hat ISP Service do you have? Cable or DSL?
What ISP Modem do you have? Stand Alone or built in router?
What ISP Modem make and model do you have?
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How are you applying the FW updates?
hat ISP Service do you have? Cable or DSL?
What ISP Modem do you have? Stand Alone or built in router?
What ISP Modem make and model do you have?
How are you applying the FW updates? By using the firmware update built into the router setup.
What ISP Service do you have? Cable or DSL? AT&T T3
What ISP Modem do you have? Stand Alone or built in router? Stand alone, but run through a DHCP router via the WAN port on the DIR-615.
What ISP Modem make and model do you have? Don't know.
I really don't see how any of this is relevant. The problem is pretty simple. With firmware versions 3.11 and 3.12 installed, I have internet access. With version 3.13 installed, I do not have internet access.
I started with version 3.11 and updated to version 3.13, checked the functions and realized I could no longer access the internet. I then reinstalled version 3.11 and regained access to the internet. Downloaded version 3.12, installed it, checked functions and had access to the internet. I decided to check version 3.13 again, installed it and could no longer access the internet. Then I reinstalled version 3.12, and once again have access to the internet. This is not my personal system, so I do not have access to it anytime I want. Therefore, I cannot troubleshoot this issue much further. If I was to venture a guess, I would say that in implementing the "3. Add SMTP Server Port." (found in version 3.13NA dir615_revC_release_notes.txt), you have inadvertently set the WAN port to SMPT as default instead of WAN.
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There a reason for updating FW?
Is there a problem that you were seeing before doing the FW update?
There are specific steps in updateing FW and steps that need to be taken after doing FW. FW wipes the configuration and you might have missed a configuration setup 3.13.
Do you have the router use PPPoE for your internet or DHCP?
When you did FW updates, did you first do a factory reset of the router then apply the update then one more factory reset before configuring the router? This is the preferred method of updating FW.