Hey there!
I just bought the WD livewire set today, and thought it would be easy as pie to set up, but that is not the case! It plugs in fine to my router, and the other half connects fine to my plug socket. When I plug my laptop in via ethernet that works fine too. However, I get a problem when I try and plug in a second laptop - it just won’t connect to the internet! It doesn’t get a valid IP address and basically won’t work. It seems like the Livewire boxes aren’t doing DHCP - they are just passing the modem’s IP address to the first computer and then nothing else works afterwards. Is this how it is meant to work? If not how do I fix it!?
I should note that I only have mac and linux computers available so I can’t run the Livewire Utility.
Thanks for your help!
So, if you unplug the FIRST PC, does the Second PC then start working?
Yes exactly, it then picks up the internet IP address and works fine.
Is it the SAME address or a DIFFERENT address than the first PC was using?
The same; like I said it gives me the ISP assigned IP address, and doesn’t seem to be doing any DHCP.
The LiveWire does not do DHCP or anything else. It simply bridges your network connection between LiveWire devices over your power line.
Your router will be providing DHCP and other network services. What happens when you plug a second computer directly into your router? If it does not receive an IP address, then your router is not configured properly. Your router should not be giving out public IP addresses to your computers (ISPs usually charge extra for them). The router should be taking the Internet’s IP address and assigning private (192.168.x.y) addresses to your computers.
I don’t have a router at all. I am connecting using only my cable modem and the WD Livewire. Are you telling me this won’t work? If so, why do all your publicity pictures show exactly the configuration I’m trying to accomplish?
No, the pictures don’t show that at all. The pictures very clearly show a router in the path. (At least, in the ENGLISH version of the manual. Other languages might be different, I didn’t check all of them.) I’m not sure exactly what “publicity” pictures you’re referiring to. Can you post the links?
The pictures I’ve seen show:
INTERNET → MODEM → ROUTER → LiveWire, etc…
And the manual says “To share Internet access over the powerline network, connect your router to a WD Livewire device using an Ethernet cable.”
As to why your ISP only allows a single PC at a time, that’s up to your ISP, not the LiveWire. Your LiveWire isn’t going to magically make two IP addresses appear from nowhere. Your ISP is only going to allow one connection at a time.
I have the same problem. I have one PC connected to the router and the other connected through live wire. The first PC works fine. The second PC does not. I see that the connection is working (using the utility). Hoever, there is no ISP detected. Thus no internet. When I plug both PCs into the router everything works beautifully. What can I do?
I just picked up the live wire kit last week and am quite disappointed. Frankly feeling like it is a waste.
