This goes beyond what I can fathom

[oursin]

Or, being home IT support...

Partner's computer has been connected to the home network via a TP Powerline, i.e. an ethernet connection.

There have lately been problems and in fact, the connection has defaulted to the (weak and fluctuating) wifi that reaches the back room.

We have therefore replaced the existing TP Powerline (which was of some antiquity, as I recall), but this does not seem to have fixed the problem. The computer recognises that there is an ethernet connection to the home network there, but says there is No Internet.

This is getting beyond my competence to deal with.

O, all knowledge which is on Dreamwidth, can you help me?

ETANow seems to have sorted itself! Boggle.

Comments

[glaurung]

Has the computer been restarted/rebooted since replacing the old powerline with a new powerline (not put to sleep, but actually restarted)? If networking gear was misbehaving, Windows will often need to be restarted before it is able to tell that internet access has been fixed.

Failing that, turn off everything - modem, router, powerline, computer. If there's no off switch, unplug it from mains. Turn things on one at a time, modem first, then router, then powerline, then computer, waiting at each step for the device to start up fully and establish its connection (status lights finish their dance) before moving on to the next device.

Under the hood, internet access over computer network equipment is a fragile Rube Goldberg assembly held together with digital duct tape and it's a miracle it works as well as it does.

[oursin]

It did eventually go 'Oh! that is the internet!' and connect all by itself. But it took its sweet while about it.

[davidgillon]

I have a similar setup, and when I've had issues it's been with getting the two units to sync with each other, considering they expect the buttons to be pressed within a certain time of each other, and they're at opposite ends of the house and on different floors.

[davidgillon]

Forgot to say, I suspect Windows will claim there is an ethernet connection present as long as it's plugged into a single powerline, because technically that's true, even if that powerline connects to nothing and is neither use nor ornament.

[oursin]

Yes, given that the whole point is to enable a connection where the wifi doesn't reach, that is a bit hopeful. I actually synced both units downstairs and then went away and plugged one in upstairs. Maybe that was what was confusing the system, but it seems to have sorted out.

[davidgillon]

I'd be surprised if that worked. I'd expect to need to sync them any time you plug one in. But I haven't read the manual for a recent model, so it could work.