Help! Wireless Device Connection no longer working.

[LadyKoori]

A few days ago, we got a new router. Today when I went to connect CC to Calibre use Wireless Device Connect it wouldn't work. The Content Server connect won't work either, but I never use that so I don't really care about it. I've triple checked that the ip and port matches up properly. I even went into the router settings and set up port forwarding on the port. I didn't change anything in Calibre or CC before trying to connect the first time today. The only change was the router. Thoughts anyone?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by LadyKoori

A few days ago, we got a new router. Today when I went to connect CC to Calibre use Wireless Device Connect it wouldn't work. The Content Server connect won't work either, but I never use that so I don't really care about it. I've triple checked that the ip and port matches up properly. I even went into the router settings and set up port forwarding on the port. I didn't change anything in Calibre or CC before trying to connect the first time today. The only change was the router. Thoughts anyone?

Are you sure the router is issuing IPs in the exact same IP class block?

Out of the box: (some allow total configuration)
Some use 192.168.0.x
others use 192.168.1.x

Comcast routinely uses 10.x.x.x in my area

You need to verify that your device and Calibre are using the IP current block
(you may also need to adjust you firewall or windows Security settings as it will detect this as a NEW network and treat it as unsecure by default.

[LadyKoori]

I double checked the ip address that the router gave to my computer and it is the same as what calibre is using. I even disabled the firewall on the router to see if that might be the cause. It wasn't. Calibre itself has access to the internet as ffdl and downloading plugins still work just fine. I can get to the content server from my browser on my laptop that Calibre is installed on but not from the browser on my tablet. I'll test a few other things tomorrow after work when I have access to another laptop.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by LadyKoori

I double checked the ip address that the router gave to my computer and it is the same as what calibre is using. I even disabled the firewall on the router to see if that might be the cause. It wasn't. Calibre itself has access to the internet as ffdl and downloading plugins still work just fine. I can get to the content server from my browser on my laptop that Calibre is installed on but not from the browser on my tablet. I'll test a few other things tomorrow after work when I have access to another laptop.

Does your tablet report what IP IT is getting (USING)?

Had you previously configured CC to use a fixed IP?
If you open the Browser on the TABLET. Will it connect to the content server when you enter the IPort (assume you start and test it on your laptop).

Are BOTH units connecting via WiFi? (My AP is not configured to allow WiFi<->WiFi connections)

[chaley]

Originally Posted by LadyKoori

A few days ago, we got a new router. Today when I went to connect CC to Calibre use Wireless Device Connect it wouldn't work. The Content Server connect won't work either, but I never use that so I don't really care about it. I've triple checked that the ip and port matches up properly. I even went into the router settings and set up port forwarding on the port. I didn't change anything in Calibre or CC before trying to connect the first time today. The only change was the router. Thoughts anyone?

You may have purchased one of the routers that enforce "Guest mode". This is a security feature that prevents devices on the wireless network from talking to each other (theducks mentions this). Sometimes it blocks connections between devices using wifi, sometimes between wifi and wired, and sometimes all connections. We recently had a case where we worked for days with a customer trying to get around his router's settings, and failed.

There are a few things you can do to check basic connectivity, but I need to know what OS you are using on the machine running calibre before I can answer more.

It might be worth your trouble to go into your router settings and look for some setting that sounds like guest mode.

[LadyKoori]

Originally Posted by chaley

You may have purchased one of the routers that enforce "Guest mode". This is a security feature that prevents devices on the wireless network from talking to each other (theducks mentions this). Sometimes it blocks connections between devices using wifi, sometimes between wifi and wired, and sometimes all connections. We recently had a case where we worked for days with a customer trying to get around his router's settings, and failed.

There are a few things you can do to check basic connectivity, but I need to know what OS you are using on the machine running calibre before I can answer more.

It might be worth your trouble to go into your router settings and look for some setting that sounds like guest mode.

Well, that's extremely annoying. I know the router has a guest network option but I'm connected to the main network. I'll look into that this afternoon once I get home from work. May try plugging my laptop into the router and seeing if it works then. That's going to be an extremely frustrating thing if I'm going to have to do that every time.

In the meantime, I'm using Win7 as an OS.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by LadyKoori

In the meantime, I'm using Win7 as an OS.

To check if one device/computer can "see" another device at the basic network level, do something like the following. In this example, you would using your windows machine and checking if it can see your phone/tablet.

1. Start CC. Go to settings, IP address and port. Note the IP address displayed in the dialog.
2. Open a command prompt. There are various ways to do this. On Win7 you should have a "Command prompt" shortcut in the start menu Accessories group.
3. In the command prompt, type "ipconfig" (no quotes). You will see output like the following. Look for the line that says IPv4 address. It should be very similar to the address you noted in CC. Probably both start with 192.168.N, where the N is the same on both machines.
   

   Windows IP Configuration
   
   
   Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:
   
      Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
      Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   
   Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
   
      Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
      Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::8452:7346:aade:fbda%10
      IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.120.38
      Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
      Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.120.1
   
   Tunnel adapter isatap.{850AA568-3020-4789-B1B0-2058B85B1B38}:
   
      Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
      Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   
   Tunnel adapter isatap.{079F0E0A-8581-485F-BE57-EE3E77DEA19E}:
   
      Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
      Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

4. At the command prompt, type "ping IP-address-of-phone", no quotes, replacing IP... with the IP address you noted above. You should see something like:
   

   d:\CBH_Data\calibre.git>ping 192.168.120.6
   
   Pinging 192.168.120.6 with 32 bytes of data:
   Reply from 192.168.120.6: bytes=32 time=135ms TTL=64
   Reply from 192.168.120.6: bytes=32 time=46ms TTL=64
   Reply from 192.168.120.6: bytes=32 time=261ms TTL=64
   Reply from 192.168.120.6: bytes=32 time=184ms TTL=64
   
   Ping statistics for 192.168.120.6:
       Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
   Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
       Minimum = 46ms, Maximum = 261ms, Average = 156ms

   If you get the following then the PC running calibre has no connectivity with the phone, perhaps because of a firewall but in your case probably because of the router

   d:\CBH_Data\calibre.git>ping 192.168.120.5
   
   Pinging 192.168.120.5 with 32 bytes of data:
   Reply from 192.168.120.38: Destination host unreachable.
   Reply from 192.168.120.38: Destination host unreachable.
   Reply from 192.168.120.38: Destination host unreachable.
   Reply from 192.168.120.38: Destination host unreachable.
   
   Ping statistics for 192.168.120.5:
       Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),

5. If you are willing, then it would be good to check the other direction: phone to PC. Install a free network app on your phone. I use Ping & DNS. If you run the app, choose "Ping", and enter the IP address of the PC, you should see something like the following:
   
   If you do not (you see "Destination Host Unreachable) then you almost certainly confirmed that the router is blocking connections between the device and the PC.

[LadyKoori]

Originally Posted by chaley

[LIST=1]
[*]In the command prompt, type "ipconfig" (no quotes). You will see output like the following. Look for the line that says IPv4 address. It should be very similar to the address you noted in CC. Probably both start with 192.168.N, where the N is the same on both machines.

Okay, I may be having a blonde moment here. You say that the IPv4 addresses should be very similar. They're not just very similar they are the same. Is that the problem?


Edit:

Wait, no nevermind I just figured out what I did wrong. Yeah, my pc can't connect to my tablet over the wireless.

[theducks]

192.168.n.m

n must be the same

m must be unique (range 1-254) The (home) router is typically 1. 0 and 255 are specials..

Can you run the Laptop wired (and turn off the WiFi)? Be sure to reboot so Calibre can't find the WiFi IP/port

[LadyKoori]

CC connects to Calibre if my laptop is connect via wire. Its definitely the router. I take it there is no way around this sort of thing aside from plugging into the router every time I want to send stuff to CC?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by LadyKoori

CC connects to Calibre if my laptop is connect via wire. Its definitely the router. I take it there is no way around this sort of thing aside from plugging into the router every time I want to send stuff to CC?

chaley suggested looking at the routers 'guest' (blocking) settings. Your Router manual or Helpdesk will be your source of help.

Explain that you want to ALLOW WiFi to WiFi connections

[PeterT]

Maybe post the model of router so we can look for manuals and see what can be found

[chaley]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Maybe post the model of router so we can look for manuals and see what can be found

What PeterT said.

EDIT: Another thought: if you are still able to return the router, do so and get one that doesn't have this problem.

[LadyKoori]

The router is a Cisco built Linksys EA6300. I doubt at this point I could return it. The local retailer I got it from is fairly useless that way but my options are them or Wal-Mart and I refuse to buy electronics from there. Plus, aside from this it works really well and is a great improvement over our old router. I have a disc with the manuel on it that I will check out after work this morning.

[chaley]

I just read through the manual, and it looks like one of the devices (my guess is the laptop) is connected to the guest network, not the main one. Why do I think this? Because if you move the laptop to the cable then the phone can see the laptop, implying that the phone is on the main net.

Suggestion: disable guest networking completely then disconnect and reconnect both the phone and the PC.

BTW: that is quite a router. I am not sure I would want to connect a shared disc directly to the box that is connected to the internet. That triggers my paranoia a bit.

Good luck!