Connecting a TP-LINK Archer C50 as an Access Point - connected but no internet access

[#1]

Hey there,

For the last few days I've been trying to setup a new TP-LINK Archer C50 router as an access point from my Plusnet Hub One (to increase the strength/speed of the upstairs connection) but following the instructions in the router's manual in addition to a whole load of troubleshooting has led me nowhere, and I'm almost completely stumped. I have a feeling it's something very basic that I'm overlooking, but networking as a whole isn't a great strength of mine to say the least, so I'd appreciate any help I can get sorting this out. 

This is the manual:

https://static.tp-link.com/2018/201802/20180201/7106507914_Archer%20C50A5(EU)_QIG_V4.pdf

Following the steps under Access Point mode (page 2) results in a connection, but after a few seconds Windows warns that it's connected without internet access.

Following Solution 3 here, I logged into the Plusnet Hub and under Advanced, Home Network, IP Addresses and managed to get hold of the DHCP network range, which was listed as the following:

192.168.1.64 - 192.168.1.253 (Default)

I then changed the Archer C50's gateway IP address to be static instead of dynamic, and as per other advice I'd seen changed it so that the first three numbers were the same as the Plusnet DHCP range, and the last one was outside of the range, so something like:

192.168.1.5 (although I also tried combinations where only the first two numbers were the same, like on the linked page, and they also failed).

I've also followed all of the steps here, including changing the DNS servers to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 respectively, but that didn't work either.

At this point, there are only two things that I can think of:

1. The manual says that the ethernet cable should be connected the Ethernet port on the modem (i.e. the Hub One), but the Hub One has a WAN/Broadband port that I've inserted it into instead, which seems like the superior option because it was presumably intended for this purpose. Does the ethernet cable really need to be plugged into an actual ethernet cable on the Hub One?

2. Updating the firmware. Because the TP-LINK was recently bought new I can't see why the firmware would be out of date, and the chances of this being a firmware issue seem slim, so I don't want to run the risk of flashing firmware unless it really is my last resort.

Thanks in advance for any help, it's very much appreciated.

[#2]

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[#3]

The manual says that the ethernet cable should be connected the Ethernet port on the modem (i.e. the Hub One), but the Hub One has a WAN/Broadband port that I've inserted it into instead, which seems like the superior option because it was presumably intended for this purpose. Does the ethernet cable really need to be plugged into an actual ethernet cable on the Hub One?

@HashimA no , you definitely need to connect it to a LAN port on the Hub One. You also need to check that DHCP is disabled on the Archer ( I assume setting it in access point mode does this but it's not clear from THE QIG)

[#4]

@MisterW The Plusnet Hub One doesn't seem to have a LAN port. There is only a red WAN/Broadband port, which I have the ethernet cable from the TP-LINK router going into, and four yellow ethernet ports. See here: https://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/guides/hardware/plusnet-hub-one.

As for disabling DHCP, I didn't mention it in the post but this was also something I'd tried to no avail after seeing it somewhere online. Whether it needs to be tried in combination with any of the above methods, I'm not sure, but if I went down that route I'd be here all day making blind combinations of solutions to eventually get the one that happens to work.

[#5]

and four yellow ethernet ports

Those are the LAN ports

[#6]

The 4 yellow ethernet ports are LAN ports.

The WAN port is only there to connect to an external modem - so its an input port,not an output port.

[#7]

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@MisterW wrote:

and four yellow ethernet ports

Those are the LAN ports

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Ah wow, I had no idea ethernet == LAN, but that does make sense in hindsight. Thanks, I'll try connecting it into an ethernet port and report back.

@Mustrum

The 4 yellow ethernet ports are LAN ports.

The WAN port is only there to connect to an external modem - so its an input port,not an output port.

I see... I think. The constant mention of WAN on both of the guides I linked to confuses things a lot, and is probably what made me so sure in the first instance. Are you saying that if the Hubnet Plus One was the router I was using as an access point, the WAN would be the port that I would connect from... or no? Trying to get my head around exactly how the tech works here.

EDIT: Why is it so hard to multi-quote with this forum software. I've never run into such a confusing forum GUI for quoting.

[#8]

It is all quite simple when you know how!

The Hub one gets it's internet signal from the DSL port(or WAN if you have a modem) and distributes it out on the LAN ports and/or Wi0Fi.

The C50 will get it's signal from the Hub one's LAN port into the C50 WAN port.

But there is a complication, both devices want to use the same internal IP address range, hence DHCP needs to be switched off on the C50, so that the Hub one allocated all the IP addresses is how my simple mind thinks about it!

HTH

[#9]

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@Mustrum wrote:

It is all quite simple when you know how!

The Hub one gets it's internet signal from the DSL port(or WAN if you have a modem) and distributes it out on the LAN ports and/or Wi0Fi.

The C50 will get it's signal from the Hub one's LAN port into the C50 WAN port.

But there is a complication, both devices want to use the same internal IP address range, hence DHCP needs to be switched off on the C50, so that the Hub one allocated all the IP addresses is how my simple mind thinks about it!

HTH

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So the WAN port is only used for a modem or for when it's the secondary router on a network? Have I got that right? I think part of why this is all so confusing is that I grew up - or rather, only started paying attention to networking - at a time when modems and routers had already been combined into one.

I think I get the rest of it now, and I can't wait to try it out, although there is one thing - should all this be done in Access Point mode, or standard router mode? I ask because writeups I've seen don't seem to make any mention of Access Point mode when talking about setting up something like this, and I'm wondering if doing it in Access Mode will result in loss of speed/signal strength.

[#10]

although there is one thing - should all this be done in Access Point mode, or standard router mode? I ask because writeups I've seen don't seem to make any mention of Access Point mode when talking about setting up something like this, and I'm wondering if doing it in Access Mode will result in loss of speed/signal strength.

Most routers don't have the option for Access Point mode. The C50 does but whilst it's not completely defined as to what it does, I can guess and would suggest that Access point mode is probably the best approach.

I've downloaded the full user guide and looking at the Access point setup , I'd suggest setting LAN type to SMART IP (page 76) as that will automatically disable the DHCP server in the C50. The downside is that it will get allocated an IP address by the Hub one so you will need to check what it is so that you can access it's GUI if necessary.

[#11]

@HashimA

I suspect you had done everything correctly right at the start except that you had plugged the Ethernet cable into the red WAN port rather than one of the yellow LAN ports. There should be a factory reset facility on the C50 somewhere. This is normally a small hole into which you push a paperclip or similar. If you can find it use this, keep the switch closed for about 20 seconds. This will clear all your settings and put the device back into the same state as when you first had it. Then start again following the WAP setting instructions, using the correct sockets.

[#12]

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@MisterW wrote:

although there is one thing - should all this be done in Access Point mode, or standard router mode? I ask because writeups I've seen don't seem to make any mention of Access Point mode when talking about setting up something like this, and I'm wondering if doing it in Access Mode will result in loss of speed/signal strength.

Most routers don't have the option for Access Point mode. The C50 does but whilst it's not completely defined as to what it does, I can guess and would suggest that Access point mode is probably the best approach.

I've downloaded the full user guide and looking at the Access point setup , I'd suggest setting LAN type to SMART IP (page 76) as that will automatically disable the DHCP server in the C50. The downside is that it will get allocated an IP address by the Hub one so you will need to check what it is so that you can access it's GUI if necessary.

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Hi there

I've managed to do this much successfully, but I'm trying to keep DHCP disabled while also having a static IP address, but it seems that everytime I try to change those settings and then connect to the two routers via ethernet it results in working internet but makes the gateway for the first router entirely inaccessible at the static IP address it should be on or the tplinkwifi.net address.

Any idea why this might be? Is it just an unsupported configuration to have DHCP disabled but keep the IP to the gateway static?

The IP in question is 192.168.0.1, the new router's default, and I want to make sure it stays to that so I can always access the gateway on there. The Hub One's DHCP range is different in the last two octets (192.169.1.254) so as far as I know there should be no conflict.

[#13]

If you set the WAP with a static address of say 192.168.1.10 in place of the default then it should do everything you want. You jost use this address in place of the default 192.168.0.1

[#14]

@Baldrick1: If you set the WAP with a static address of say 192.168.1.10 in place of the default then it should do everything you want. You jost use this address in place of the default 192.168.0.1

Interesting, I'll try this now. Is there any particular reason this works whereas using the default gateway IP doesn't? Also see my last edit to my first paragraph, it doesn't result in no internet access, but working internet with a non-working gateway.

[#15]

I've managed to do this much successfully, but I'm trying to keep DHCP disabled while also having a static IP address,

The IP in question is 192.168.0.1, the new router's default, and I want to make sure it stays to that so I can always access the gateway on there. The Hub One's DHCP range is different in the last two octets (192.169.1.254) so as far as I know there should be no conflict.

If you want to allocate a static IP to the C50 it MUST be in the same subnet as the Hub One (but out of it's DHCP range ). The default DHCP for the Hub one is 192.168.1.64 onwards I believe , therefore an IP address between 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.63 will be ok (unless you've got other devices with static IP's)

If you set the C50 to static IP then you will need to disable it's DHCP server manually (see page 88 of the manual)

There's a better way , which is to get the Hub one to allocate a fixed address to the C50 and leave it on Smart IP. I can't remember at the moment how you do that and I don't use a Hub one myself.

NB i see @Baldrick1 beat me to it.