I have just purchased the WD TV Live device, but I’m still having trouble connecting to my PC via the above router.
When I first tried a Wired connection, I spent a day trying to get that to work and it turned out to be caused by the network cable I first used. Now using a shorter cable, it works perfectly.
Today I received a new Buffalo WLI-UC-GN USB Adapter, but I cannot seem to get it to work.
When I plug the USB adapter into the device and turn it on, a small blue light indicates that the USB adapter has been recognised. I have tried letting the device find the network, which it does (using WPA-PSK security), but after entering the correct key, it says that it is unable to find an IP address etc.
I’ve tried doing it automatically and manually, and I’ve also tried different security types, but it just cannot get an IP address from the router (which is setup to be a DHCP server).
And if I enter an IP address manually (withing the range served by the router), with correct subnet mask and DHCP and DNS addresses it still doesn’t work.
All the above addresses etc, except for the wireless details, are exactly the same as I used for the Wired setup.
I guess I’m doing something wrong, but I cannot think what it might be.
So I’m really hoping some bright spark will be able to point me in the right direction.
Yes, I have that enabled and I’ve just realised that I only have the MAC for the WD device entered. So do I also have to enter the MAC for the USB Adapter (the Buffalo WLI-UC-GN) as well? And if so, where do i find the MAC for that?
Yes, you absolutely need to add the MAC for your USB adapter.
The MAC for the WD TV is actually for the onboard NIC / LAN port. As far as your router is concerned, the device attempting to connect is the USB adapter.
My Belkin USB dongle has the MAC address written on the back.
-edit-
Just googled your Buffalo dongle and see the problem! That’s one small dongle. I suspect the MAC address will be somewhere on the original packaging.
-edit 2-
Actually, when the dongle is plugged into a PC or laptop, go to command prompt (Run… then ‘cmd’) and type:
ipconfig /all
That will list all details for connected network adapters. Within the info for your wifi adapter, look for “Physical Address”, that’s the MAC address. :)
Yes, I have that enabled and I’ve just realised that I only have the MAC for the WD device entered. So do I also have to enter the MAC for the USB Adapter (the Buffalo WLI-UC-GN) as well? And if so, where do i find the MAC for that?
Thanks
Terry
You could disable this until you get your unit set up.
He was able to connect / set up with a wired connection, according to his first post. He’s trying to get the wifi working now, so disabling it might make that tricky.
The problem is almost certainly that he has MAC filtering enabled (confirmed) and hasn’t added his USB dongle to the safe list (unconfirmed; he hasn’t replied to state whether he has done so yet).
He was able to connect / set up with a wired connection, according to his first post. He’s trying to get the wifi working now, so disabling it might make that tricky.
The problem is almost certainly that he has MAC filtering enabled (confirmed) and hasn’t added his USB dongle to the safe list (unconfirmed; he hasn’t replied to state whether he has done so yet).
I understand what you mean and I am sure that you are correct regarding the problem.
If however he still has problems its always best to to switch off security measures while you are setting up the connection and then turn it back on one at a time. The security is just getting in the way at the moment.
I am not sure how disabling it is tricky, I believe he still has a cable, its just that he wants to go wireless.
Anyway I believe there is no doubt that once he finds the MAC he will be up and running.
I haven’t been able to find the MAC for the adapter yet, but I will install it on my PC and check what one of your replies said.
And there definitely isn’t much room on the dongle to write anything, but I’ve looked through all the paper that came with it, but couldn’t find any reference to a MAC. Maybe there will be something on the CD that came with it?
I’ll get back here when I know something more.
But thanks very much to everyone so far. I must also say that this is one of the best support sites I have been on for a while.
He was able to connect / set up with a wired connection, according to his first post. He’s trying to get the wifi working now, so disabling it might make that tricky.
I understand what you mean and I am sure that you are correct regarding the problem.
If however he still has problems its always best to to switch off security measures while you are setting up the connection and then turn it back on one at a time. The security is just getting in the way at the moment.
I am not sure how disabling it is tricky, I believe he still has a cable, its just that he wants to go wireless.
Anyway I believe there is no doubt that once he finds the MAC he will be up and running.
I thought you were telling him to disable wifi… !
Why I would think you’d suggest that I have no idea; reading comprehension fail on my part.
-edit-
@Terry: Probably won’t be on the CD. If it’s not on the device it would usually be on the box it was packaged in. If it’s not on that… try my suggestion in my previous post!
Also, as richUK points out, you can disable MAC filtering as a temporary solution until you determine what the MAC address is. That should at least get the wi-fi connected.
I haven’t been able to find the MAC for the adapter yet, but I will install it on my PC and check what one of your replies said.
And there definitely isn’t much room on the dongle to write anything, but I’ve looked through all the paper that came with it, but couldn’t find any reference to a MAC. Maybe there will be something on the CD that came with it?
I’ll get back here when I know something more.
But thanks very much to everyone so far. I must also say that this is one of the best support sites I have been on for a while.
See you all soon
Terry
After looking more closely at the adaptor it appears that the MAC address may be printed on the metal sleeve of the plug. The middle set of 12 alpha numeric characters certainly conform to the MAC standard.
It all works perfectly! Now all I have to do is find where I put all that hair I’ve been pulling out over the last few days.
And this is what I did, in case anyone else has a similar problem.
The Buffalo WLI-UC-GN dongle came with a CD. From that CD, I had to install the three main programs.
At that point I was then able to get the MAC for the dongle via ipconfig /all.
Then I uninstalled all three Buffalo programs.
Then I went into Wireless Setup on the Sagem Sky router (F@ST 2504) and selected the Access List. In there I deleted the reference to the MAC for the WD device, and added the newly found MAC for the Buffalo dongle.
Then, to my utter amazement and astonishment and …, when I turned on the WD device, selected Setup, and then Network setup, and then Wireless setup, there were all the IP addresses and the SSID waiting for me.
All I had to do then was enter the Network Key and away it went.
And of course, without all the help, tips and everything else, from the readers of this forum, all this probably wouldn’t have happened for ages.
So once again everyone, thank you very much.
Best regards
Terry
And I almost forgot. I am running XP Pro SP3 and the WD device version is 1.02.21
Can you confirm that the MAC you entered is the same as the one printed on the medal sleeve of the adaptor. It could help other users find their MAC address without the hassle of installing onto a computer. Thanks
