I'm not a network tech, by any stretch of the imagination. I am a former electronics R&D tech from the 60's and an intermediate computer user now. I can set up my own computer, wireless connections, things like that.
So about 6 months ago, we went with Comcast HSI with a TG862 wireless setup for here in the house. Two PC's and two Roku boxes scattered all over a 2300 sq ft approx 30x80' house.
Maybe it was a mistake of mine, but while in another thread here, some people suggested putting a router on it, for better more consistent speed. So a few months back, I picked up a refurbed Netgear WNR3500U/L N300. It got great reviews and is supposed to be high powered too, which would help at the furthest end of the house, with my Roku in my bedroom, which is at the furthest point from the wireless modem in the kitchen and is slow at times.
So people in that other thread told me that all I had to do was call Comcast support and tell them to put it in bridge mode, then hook an ethernet cable between them, but I was hesitant, being I'm not a network tech.
So I procrastinated. But today, we had a tech over here and I asked him if he wanted to make a few bucks on the weekend, off the clock, by helping me with this.
He said, oh, it would only take 5 minutes, he'd just do it. He took the Netgear router out and came back shortly, having given it a password and name, and he said he arranged with them to switch my modem to bridge mode. Cool. Then he said goodbye and good luck and had to get going to more appointments.
So I plugged it all in and configured the wireless in my PC first, to get it going. Wasted some time... but the best I could ever do was to get it to say that the wireless was connected with the router, but couldn't get full functionality. I could get Google on the web, do a search, but any other web page I'd go to wouldn't load. My email wouldn't load either, and Carbonite couldn't work. So something was screwy.
During the time that Google would work, I could find out some mention about a Netgear Genie software download. Did I need that, to get this box fully functioning?
Anyway, I switched it all back, removed the router and had them turn the wifi back on and take the 862 out of bridge mode again and I'm back on the net fully functional again.
Was I close to getting it working? What did I do wrong, or not know what to do?
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