We Have Run Out Of Internet

HGiles · **Joined:** Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:21 pm **Posts:** 1166

Actually it's just malfunctioning. We've been getting reports of the wifi in the café behaving oddly for the last couple of weeks, often for hours at a time. The most common problem seems that the connection shows up fine on computers, but people are only able to access a handful of sites -- Gmail, Facebook and Twitter particularly -- and aren't able to get through to any others. Sean and I tried a hard reset of the router(s) yesterday and it all started working again for about 60 seconds, before behaving strangely again. Starting to impact folk's ability to work in the building, sadly.

Any thoughts, geeks? Is anyone free to come and have a good look at it in the next few days?

neil · **Joined:** Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:50 pm **Posts:** 944

It only seems to work with https addresses.

HGiles · **Joined:** Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:21 pm **Posts:** 1166

That explains why I'm doing OK with it, because I'm using the HTTPS Everywhere plugin.

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:37 pm

I'll come in today and have a look.

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

Thanks Mike. It's quite important to get this sorted. Birgit is having to enter events into tumblr in the cafe and is hardly ever able to actually logon (not helped by tumblr itself being unreliable as well). Also I keep meeting with people in the cafe to talk about web stuff and finding we can't bring up the website to look at it. Would be great if you could fix it!

gaia · **Joined:** Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:04 pm **Posts:** 294

neil wrote:

It only seems to work with https addresses.

It's quite a recurrent problem - surely there must be a way to fix this permanently?

PS: I just heard that the router is now f*cked. Is this true? Is someone on it already? Gods of the Internet, HALP?!!1

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2011 1:21 pm

Yeah, basically whoever tried to "fix" the router before (possibly by attempting a hard reset) fucked the power connector in the back so now it won't even power up. :roll:

It's currently in bits on my living room table as I first attempted to repair it. Unfortunately, I struck out with the power connector, and so I am going to put an appeal out on the Forest Facebook to ask anyone who was a spare router lying around to donate it to us.

Until then, I will be lending a router to Forest, which I am currently setting up and will bring in shortly. This is a short term only because the router actually belongs to one of my flatmates, who has very kindly agreed to us having it until we can source a replacement elsewhere.

So, if anyone has a spare router and power cable, please bring it in and let me know!

gaia · **Joined:** Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:04 pm **Posts:** 294

We love you & your flatmate.
I'll try to freecycle one!

PS: Which broadband provider are we using? I remember seeing a BT router in the freeshop.

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

Surely forest can buy a new router?

martinmckenna · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2011 4:03 pm

thanks mike.

of course the forest can buy a new one. if no free one appears .

martin

mirja · **Joined:** Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:23 pm **Posts:** 820

I'm pretty sure we have a free one knocking about. I will know for sure in a couple of hours.

Shannon · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:12 pm

Thanks everyone.

The lack of internet has made trying to coordinate the EVS programme very difficult and complicated in an already difficult and complicated time.
I need the combination of paper files/computer files/international phone calls/banking things/internet that only exists in the office.

If for some reason the free/borrowed options aren't ready to go tomorrow morning, could we just buy something and get it set up asap?

mirja · **Joined:** Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:23 pm **Posts:** 820

ok i have a router, can bring it in. Into the office? Anybody to set it up?

Keni · **Joined:** Sun Aug 01, 2010 4:30 pm **Posts:** 1115

Looks like I'm too late but how would a D-Link DSL-G604T, boxed with all the bits, do? A colleague has one he doesn't want

mirja · **Joined:** Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:23 pm **Posts:** 820

my router is Belkin N wireless. It's NOT ADSL, but for cable... whom do we have , BT? I don't know if we can use this, or Keni's one.

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

If more than one router is available, keep the other(s) somewhere safe (in the office) as spares for when the next time this happens.

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:22 am

We have slightly bigger problems...

Whoever tried to fix the router not only broke the router, but also seemingly the external ADSL modem as well. I don't know how, but both are fucked.

I tried my best to get something up and working today with the spare parts and my backup router but was unsuccessful.

Several people have offered routers so I'm going to start collecting them and set a couple up, so that in case one breaks, we have a spare or two that can just be plugged in and then they're ready to go.

I have picked up a few more spare parts from home and I think tomorrow morning I should be able to get an ad-hoc solution working till the donated routers arrive.

Keni · **Joined:** Sun Aug 01, 2010 4:30 pm **Posts:** 1115

I now have said router sitting on my desk & will pop in with it after work.

HGiles · **Joined:** Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:21 pm **Posts:** 1166

Thanks for the work, Mike.

The guy who tried to fix the router is the American who's been spending a lot of time in Forest in the last few days, generally being friendly and chatty and ITy. I asked him politely on Tuesday not to try messing with it, because it would be easy to break things, and that if he insisted to please put things back the way he found them. He was very resistant in that cheerfully aggressive kind of way and insisted that he knew what he was doing and that everything would be fine. I'm afraid I had to leave at that point while he was fiddling with it all, but I let Martin know about the issue and Brigid (sp?) was there as well -- not sure how he left it, but I know all the lights were off the next day.

Keni · **Joined:** Sun Aug 01, 2010 4:30 pm **Posts:** 1115

"Cheerfully aggressive kind of way and insisted that he knew what he was doing and that everything would be fine." Aye, ken exactly the fellie you mean. Say no more. . .

gaia · **Joined:** Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:04 pm **Posts:** 294

HGiles wrote:

Thanks for the work, Mike.

The guy who tried to fix the router is the American who's been spending a lot of time in Forest in the last few days, generally being friendly and chatty and ITy.

I still wonder how he managed to BREAK the thing just by trying to reboot it. It takes a lot of dedication

I'm all for letting people get involved, but damn, the Forest is not his living room :/
Are we sure it was him? He should totally buy us a new router. It's not like he doesn't get free internet every day.
*groan groan groan bitch bitch bitch*

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:00 pm

gaia wrote:

Are we sure it was him?

Well he spoke to me about the router today and told me he'd had a go at fixing it, and from what he said, I think it probably was him.

He donated us a replacement router but unfortunately it wasn't too great. Kept it as a spare anyway.

Jimmy Bastard · **Posted:** Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:10 pm

What's the latest with the internet situation?
I only ask as we were hoping to beam in Faith (currently in deepest, darkest Peru) via Skype.
Is this workable?

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:03 pm

Well, I got it up and running yesterday but apparently it has fallen over again. I suspect someone just unplugged the wrong cable. On my way to Forest shortly to try and rectify.

Jimmy Bastard · **Posted:** Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:43 pm

fingerscrossed, thanks Michael.

uptherevolution x

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

What's the situation Mike?

Stevie and I tried to have a look today. Above the kitchen seems to be a router and a switch but no modem. In the spare router box is a modem and a router and a couple of power supplies, but seemingly not the right power supply for the modem (wrong voltage). In the office is another router that is plugged into the wall, but no modem there either.

So many wires, so many switches and routers and power supplies, so confused :/

I don't actually know the forest's internet login and password info to configure a modem, so I could not have gone out and bought a new one myself anyway.

Have you taken the modem away to fix?

This internet situation is seriously hampering all the really important work that people are trying to do at the Forest right now. I really think we should shell out and get a suitable new modem + router in one combo, and if additional switches are needed for the office and action room buy some decent ones of those too.

I understand that some scripts are needed on the router to stop customers from hogging all the bandwidth, but it would be more important to get wired internet and password-protected (not for customers) wifi working for us to use right now, wifi for customers can be setup later.

martinmckenna · **Posted:** Sat Feb 12, 2011 6:27 pm

yeap if better stuff will help then we should . I cant pay the bill's, check the bank without it .

martin

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Sun Feb 13, 2011 12:27 pm

chombee wrote:

In the office is another router that is plugged into the wall, but no modem there either.

Look again. See the phone cable plugged into the back of it?

At the minute, the router in the office is the modem and the one in the kitchen is just an access point. If anyone unplugged any of the cables from the router in the office, that would break the net.

The solution I put in was just a stopgap until something better could be done. We've been offered a few boxed/unused router/modem combos, so I'm waiting on them arriving to set them up.

Will try and get in and check out the problems today or early tomorrow.

HGiles · **Joined:** Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:21 pm **Posts:** 1166

What's the internet status today? Going to be working, but'll have to work from home for a while if we're still down.

gaia · **Joined:** Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:04 pm **Posts:** 294

Pretty sure it's still down.

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Tue Feb 15, 2011 3:55 pm

Fucking routers. I hate them so much.
'
See you in a bit.

HGiles · **Joined:** Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:21 pm **Posts:** 1166

No no! Misinformation! The internet is working!

I came in late today because, when I phoned, people told me it wasn't working. But nobody actually checked. It seems to be fine now.

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Tue Feb 15, 2011 4:45 pm

chris · **Posted:** Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:34 pm

Unfortunetly, it was very slow, and then broke completely.

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:18 am

Boo.

I'll try and make it in as early as possible.

scoutwinter · **Joined:** Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:00 pm **Posts:** 733

is working right now wed am.

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Wed Feb 16, 2011 10:57 am

Hmmm. Intermittent failure. That's irritating. Time to start setting up the spare router just in case.

I know it's a really basic question, but the router in the office is not getting turned off sometimes is it? That router provides the modem functionality at present, so it needs to be on if you want internet.

scoutwinter · **Joined:** Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:00 pm **Posts:** 733

as far as I know it's not being switched off. Some NM's have been using the fuse box as light switches though, so could it happen then?

chris · **Posted:** Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:09 pm

yes it could happen like that. they should definetely not be doing that.

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:14 pm

scoutwinter wrote:

Some NM's have been using the fuse box as light switches though, so could it happen then?

Yes! That is a very bad thing.

This might explain how the external modem got fried (and possibly some of the damage to the old router).

Who is doing this? You should ask them to stop. Every time you trip/reset the fuse, you send a small power surge through the wiring and this can severely damage electrical equipment especially things like routers, phones, computers etc.

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

Would a surge protector be a good idea?

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:17 pm

Probably. One with a breaker would be best, the ones without breakers (which I assume are in use at the moment, most trailbars are "surge protected" these days, right?) only dampen the surge, which is usually enough for domestic use, but probably not much good against people flicking fuses on and off.

HGiles · **Joined:** Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:21 pm **Posts:** 1166

Internet definitely down again today; I've had to migrate to BMC to get Forest work done :-(

HGiles · **Joined:** Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:21 pm **Posts:** 1166

Anyone been able to use the internet today?

ChaoticReality · **Posted:** Tue Feb 22, 2011 3:52 am

Replacement brand new routers coming very soon, huzzah!

Shannon · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:04 am

Can't wait.

AnneSof · **Joined:** Sun Apr 11, 2010 6:48 pm **Posts:** 26

Yeah we could put a sign on the fusebox saying "please don't use as light switches" or "please don't touch, if you do an army of trolls will follow you to your house and paint your red during your sleep".
Anyway, it might seem obvious to most people we should not use fusebox as a light switch, but I know I've done it a few times... apologize for what my ignorance might have caused, please don't send the trolls.

Shannon · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:18 pm

Yes, do it! Put up a sign...

scoutwinter · **Joined:** Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:00 pm **Posts:** 733

i already did that a week ago! still having trouble with the internet.

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

Is there any ETA on the new modem/router Mike?

Wireless was on and off all day today, this has been a real big problem for ages now. If it's not going to be soon I think I should get a cheap wireless modem from a shop and set it up in the meantime.

Who has the login and password and configuration details for forest's ISP? It is needed to setup a modem.

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