MSN Broadband Setup with Linksys Router

Hello, I have been reading some of the most helpful posts in this forum and thought I would throw this problem out there. Maybe someone here will know, as those at MSN tech support certainly don't!
I am running a two computer WinME 10Mbps network and I recently changed out my hub for a Linksys BEFSR41 router/switch and added MSN's Arescom 800 DSL modem. This modem is both USB and Ethernet compatible, which is where I get into trouble with MSN. Most people are going the USB route, and they have no idea about ethernet config. I have figured out how to get on the internet now, but I am still not satisfied with the setup. Here is what I had to do to get this stupid thing to work.
First off, nothing worked. This router supports DHCP, so it controls everthing. I started messing around with my router's subnet settings and lucked upon 255.255.255.252 instead of 255.255.255.0. Suddenly I popped online. However, I lost my local network and my router admin page suddenly disappeared. Through trial and error, I later determined that the router's default IP and the modem's default LAN IP were both 192.168.1.1! So, I changed the router to 192.168.1.100 (in the DHCP assigned rather than static range of IPs I think), set my default gateway's to same, and configured DNS to 192.168.1.1. This seems to work OK, but I decide to keep messing with it. Then I discover that the DSL modem will post an info page at it's IP-
PPP
Connection Status: Up
NAT IP Address: 65.102.XXX.XXX Encapsulations: PPPoA
Sent Packets: 11026 Received Packets: 9445
Sent Bytes: 1661187 Received Bytes: 6144668

LAN
IP Address: 192.168.1.1 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.252
Ethernet Link: Up USB Link: Down
MAC Address: 00606C394046

DHCP Table
Host IP Host Name Host MAC

192.168.1.2 Linksysrouter 00045A28141E
I see this and check and sure enough, my router admin page is at 192.168.1.2. When I pull it up, it still shows its IP as 192.168.1.100 and it is still assigning DHCP IPs starting at 192.168.1.101.
My only conclusion so far is that the DSL Modem must be acting as a DCHP server that assigns the router a new address and then the router's DHCP server is assigning my network addresses. Having two DHCP servers is probably causing the following problem I suspect. One of my virtually identical computers will bring up the router admin page in 3 seconds. The other takes 30! I have played around with disabling DHCP on the router and assigning static IPs below 192.168.1.99 and had limited success.
Anyone else encountered similar problems? I can't figure out why I would have to use the same subnet as MSN on my private network. I thought the whole point of the router was to obtain the WANs assigned DNS, IP, subnet, etc. and then to translate that across to my private LAN, where it can assign IPs on any subnet as it pleases.
Any thoughts/things to try are appreciated???

2. RE: MSN Broadband Setup with Linksys Router
lbyard Sep-02-01 05:45 PM
In response to message 0

Good detective work. You have discovered how things basically work. The router should be obtaining its IP from the MODEM. This may start-out as a local IP assigned by the MODEM and then switch to an Internet IP assigned by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), once a connection is established. You may have to refresh that IP with the router interface to obtain an Internet vs. local IP, but the router should do it automatically given some time. The DSL MODEM also has a built in telnet server that uses a local IP for local management with a Windows interface (other MODEMs have a http server for local admin with a web browser interface; the router has a built-in HTTP server for local admin—some have both; some have an File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server as well for firmware upgrades). Your PCs should have their TCP/IP properties set to automatic and obtain their local IPs from the DHCP server in the router. The PC DNS properties should be disabled. The router has a DNS proxy server that does domain name to IP resolution with the ISP’s DNS servers. You local PCs are separated from the Internet by a Network Address Translator (NAT) built into the router (the router’s principle function) and should not see the MODEM’s DHCP server at all. All packets for the PCs go through and are translated by the NAT to and from the local IPs to the IP assigned by your ISP through the cable MODEM to your router. The cable MODEM does not see or even know there are PCs behind the router. That’s why a NAT is such a good basic firewall. If you want to assign static IPs, then turn-off the router’s DHCP server, if you can, or assign it an IP address scope (range) that will not interfere with your static IPs. Using automatic IPs is probably better and certainly simpler. You may have to enable DNS and enter the ISP DNS server addresses (most have two DNS servers) if you use static IPs. The subnet masks should be 255.255.255.0 for local, static IPs (192.168.0.1, etc.). The slow PC may not be related to the router at all. Try switching cables with the fast one (or moving PCs). Try another router port. Use Start, Run, and enter winipcfg to refresh local IP addresses, which was probably the original problem and the first thing those techs should have told you to do. If you see the IPs renewed, you know the router is “talking” to the PCs. If you can refresh the router’s IP address, you know it is talking to the MODEM. Larry

3. RE: MSN Broadband Setup with Linksys Router
nowhereman Oct-21-01 08:35 PM
In response to message 2

by default msn is a dhcp server and the linksys is a dhcp server; both are attempting to serve up 192.168.x.x a non-routable address on the internet.
linksys is getting confused because it is trying to use the same address range on the WAN link and the LAN link.
the easiest fix is to change the ip address range that linksys is serving up to your lan.
change the lan to 10.10.10.x
leave the mask alone (255.255.255.0)
that's it!
now the linksys will serve up the 10.10.10.x range to your internal network and will receive the 192.168.1.x from msn.
if you;ve used static ip, you'll need to change those systems to 10.10.10.something. if your already using dhcp dont change anything on the pc's.
if you do this on-the-fly, you'll need to do a winipcfg /release followed by winipcfg /renew (for 9x systems) or ipconfig /release (and /renew) if NT, 2000, or xp

4. RE: MSN Broadband Setup with Linksys Router
GBPACKers Jan-18-02 09:58 PM
In response to message 3

I have almost the exact same setup, the problem is I don't know the DNS Server, and MSN has been little or no help at all. It seems I have to wait 1/2 just to talk to someone and then the person on the other end is completely retarded.
So did you ever get your setup to work? I have the exact same components. Did you get any DNS server ip address info?

5. RE: MSN Broadband Setup with Linksys Router
lbyard Jan-19-02 07:16 PM
In response to message 4

You shouldn't need to know the DNS server IPs. That should be handled automtically. You should be able to turn of DNS on the PCs as the router has a DNS proxy. That is, if you are gettting the PC IP addresses autmatically from the router. That works well. If you want the DNS server IPs, you should be able to get them from the router browser interface. Go to http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,1403560~root=msnetwork~mode=flat for info on how one person setup the combination. Larry