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Hi all,

I have got a Livebox connection up and running on my main computer, using a USB cable, but have two questions.

First, I cannot seem to get a connection established with a second computer (not a laptop). I have tried with the Wifi dongle and also with an ethernet cable, but each time I get 'echec de configuration'. With the dongle, I also get: CFG_IPADRESSERR. This implies that there is an IP address problem. I have tried disenabling the ethernet LAN that connects the computers normally, but to no avail. Can anyone suggest what I am doing wrong here?

Second question, I did get the Wifi dongle working with the main computer, but the speed was very low - can I do anything about this (it was right next to the Livebox)?

Any help much appreciated. Thanks!

 

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Sorry, your question is way above my head, too many words I don't understand, but I hope somebody with better knowledge than mine can point you in the right direction. My reason for posting was to ask if you are working as a pigiste in France and if so how do you get on with registering for social charges, taxes, retirement etc?

Regular users, don't worry - I'll move the topic to a different forum if it gets too far off track.

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I have got a Livebox

What a shame. I don't like these.

I have tried with the Wifi dongle and also with an ethernet cable, but each time I get 'echec de configuration'.

And where do you get that message? Have you set the Livebox to router mode and rebooted it?

With the dongle, I also get: CFG_IPADRESSERR. This implies that there is an IP address problem. I have tried disenabling the ethernet LAN that connects the computers normally, but to no avail. 

You can't expect to have two LANs running properly at the same time. Either the Livebox has to replace your existing router (if you want to use the WiFi option), or you need to use Windows ICS (not ideal) or you need to use the Livebox in ethernet modem mode and connect it directly via ethernet to your existing router. The former is simplest but the Livebox isn't a good router. If you do the latter, assuming that your router is a DHCP server, you should give the Livebox a permanent IP address and then set all the other machines to acquire an IP automatically and to use the Livebox IP as gateway. Switch everything off then restart all the machines, livebox first then the router then the PCs.

Second question, I did get the Wifi dongle working with the main computer, but the speed was very low

How low?

- can I do anything about this (it was right next to the Livebox)?

Change WiFi channels.

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You should start by reading the Livebox manual which does explain the bulk of it.

Once you know which model Livebox you have you will need to spend a few days Googling as you may need to flash the firmware to get full functionality.

The Livebox has a fixed local IP by default. The manual will tell you what the address is. You may need to change it to make it compatible with your existing LAN, depending on what router you are using and how you are using it. All your IPs need to be in the same range: 192.168.0.x for example so see what your existing range is and give the Livebox a unique number in the same range. Personally, depending on the nature of the current setup and if you want the WiFi option, I would probably use the existing router as a switch and let the Livebox do the DHCP work. This will probably give the best results unless you have a very extensive LAN already. Or go for fixed IPs all round if you never need to connect other devices temporarily.

Don't expect the Wanadoo CD to be able to configure this for you if you already have a LAN. In fact as with all Wanadoo software you would be well advised to uninstall it and configure the thing manually. It will work much better.

If I didn't know how to do this I would pay someone who does to do it for me.

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  • 3 weeks later...

hi,

thanks for the previous advice, mazan. i haven't solved the problem yet - i have been trying my hardest (and wasting lots of time!), but i think i have a problem with my client computer. it doesn't seem able to function using automatic IP addressing.

basically, i can't run windows ICS on it, and even when i tried to install the livebox software on it as a main computer, using a direct ethernet cable, it still came up as a configuration failure (on the liveobx software screen). this suggests to me that the problem is with the PC, as the livebox software and the livebox itself runs ok with the other PC (all three options - wifi, usb and ethernet). that is one issue...

second, i have also tried to patch the livebox into our hub, which normally runs the LAN, but then i got nothing on both computers (uplink was switched on and all that, but would I need to do something on the livebox admin page to make that work?). i seem to be burning in some kind of DHCP hell!

as you rightly pointed out, it is better to find someone who knows what they are doing. i have tried reading the manual and surfing to find solutions. i called france telecom and they can't help me (and it will cost 150 euros to get someone to come here - with no guarantee they can sort it out). do you think i should take the wayward PC down to my local computer shop? or does it need to be looked at onsite in my house?

one other question: do you think my probelms will be solved if i take the livebox back and get an ethernet DSL modem? or if i get a new hub?

sorry to be asking for advice AGAIN....

thanks!

 

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OK

I see no point taking one PC to a shop. Networks must be examined as a network. If you were local to me I would come and sort it out for you. FT or a local network man will probably be able to sort it out on site.

Unless you have a particular reason for using the livebox (free phone calls etc.) I would always prefer a regular ethernet modem. FT do a good one for just 10€. Connect it to the whatever router you currently have and tell the router that it is your connection to the internet. Remove any Windows ICS that you may have installed and put all PCs onto DHCP. That should do it. Reboot everything, router first. You may need to release the IP config on the PC that is causing a problem and you can do this from a DOS prompt using the ipconfig command, depending on your OS. Type ipconfig /? for help.

I'm sorry but networks are difficult to advise on from a distance. One never has all the details.

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I've got the same blasted Livebox thing. I've wired it into the network hub as it was absolutely hopeless trying to use it in WiFi mode.

I now have two new problems. First the network is part wired and part WiFi. If I switch off the Livebox's WiFi mode, the WiFi access point on my network also goes off. If I don't I've got 2 networks.

Second, all the computers on the network could see each other fine and share a printer before the Livebox entered the wired part of the network; now they can't.

I hate all Wanadoo software - now I hate their hardware too.

Patrick
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I've had similar problems with sharing printers etc. with my Livebox.

My workaround was to use shares of the form //192.168.3.21/xxx etc. That worked for me. BTW, to make life easier allocate your IP adresses by hand.

A useful article is http://www.wanadoo.fr/bin/frame2.cgi?service=wanadoo_et_moi&u=http%3A//nos-offres.wanadoo.fr/no1107271226/ext/of2-gamme-extense.html%3F

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi,

I just wanted to say thanks for the help I received on this forum. Eventually I managed to manually set up an ethernet connection to the Livebox on my second computer. I could 'ping' and be 'pinged', but no internet. Having narrowed the problem down, I searched on internet forums, and realised that I probably had a corrupted registry (WinSock2). As I have two identical computers, I was able to fix this by importing a clean key.

So...now I have two comps working with Livebox (not using wireless yet, but will attempt). I enabled file sharing using Wanadoo's instructions. Printer was a bit more tricky, but as a previous contributor to the forum said, it works when you input the fixed IP address (with all the necessary slashes) before the name of the shared printer.

Again, thanks - after all the stress of trying to get it sorted, I feel older but definitely a bit wiser when it comes to these matters!

Pigiste  

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