Can't connect to wifi without Double NAT condition

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Level 1

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Can't connect to wifi without Double NAT condition

Ok this is odd or normal I don't know. Currently my Extreme connects to the internet router with DHCP. The Wireless on it is set to "Create a wireless network". The Network mode is Off (Bridge Mode). All the devices that are hardwired to the Extreme DHCP and access the network/internet fine. All wireless devices (iphone, ipad) take for ever to join and get a valid IP in the DHCP range of the internet router but can't access the internet. When I configure the Extreme with a static IP on a different subnet (192.168.2.1 vs DHCP to 192.168.1.x from internet router) and set the Wireless to "Create a wireless network" and the Network mode is DHCP and NAT then everything works great, but I have a double NAT condition. I've gone through the usual of power off everything, turn wifi off/on, but that doesn't help. I would like all the devices hooked to the Extreme through either hardward or wireless to get their IP address from the internet router through DHCP if possible. Any help here?

Posted on Dec 12, 2012 6:56 AM

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Answer 1

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,042 points

Dec 12, 2012 7:12 AM in response to Dan Mcree

We don't know anything about the make and model number of the Internet router or how it has been configured as far as authorization to allow "new" devices to connect to the Internet.

If you are connecting to an apartment, hotel, or corporate router, it may only allow one device to connect. If that is the case, then Double NAT is your only option.

Double NAT is usually not a serious error on most simple networks and AirPort Utility provides you with an option to ignore the "error".

You actually have more security with a Double NAT since all of your devices are shielded from the "other" network.

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Answer 2

Dan Mcree Author

Level 1

50 points

Dec 12, 2012 8:05 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Hey Bob I'm glad you replied. It's an AT&T Uvers home gateway (I don't know the model at this time). The shielding the Double NAT provides from AT&T was the reason I had that original configuration on purpose. Good catch on that! I do have other devices hooked directly to the gateway and several computers hardwired to the Extreme that have access the internet fine, so that wouldn't indicate the gateway allowed only one device would it? I have scratched my head at this for a year, but had an alternate configuration.

The reason I had to go away from the Double NAT configuration was because I had to temporarily hook the Uvers TV box to the Airport Extreme while some home construction was going on and the Uvers box didn't like the Double NAT. My work around for WiFi has been to turn on network sharing on an iMac over its airport, so that really blows me away.

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Answer 3

Dec 12, 2012 11:52 AM in response to Dan Mcree

Since you don't seem to want to use the router functions of the AT&T home gateway and don't want to use Double-NAT, you might be better off to swap it out for a Motorola 2210-02-1ATT modem and place it in effective bridge mode:

Connect to the 2210-02-1ATT modem and configure it as follows:

Advanced>Connection Configuration>Yes, use public IP address

The only sources for this modem may be AT&T and eBay.

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Answer 4

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,042 points

Dec 12, 2012 12:08 PM in response to Dan Mcree

IF....the Uverse gateway is operating correctly, it should provide all the IP addresses that you need if the AirPort Extreme is in Bridge Mode.

Double check to make sure that the AirPort is really in Bridge Mode.

Then power cycle the entire network. That means powering everything down....in any order you want.

Wait a minute

Start the Uverse gateway first and let it run by itself a few minutes

Start the AirPort next and let it run a minute by itself

Continue starting devices one at a time the same way until everything is powered back up.

If the Uverse still will not provide IP addresses to devices connected to the AirPort, the Uverse gateway is defective, or it has been pre-configured to only provide several IP addresses.

You can replace the Uverse gateway and try another, or run the AirPort in the Double NAT configuration if you do not experience any issues that way.

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Answer 5

Dan Mcree Author

Level 1

50 points

Dec 12, 2012 3:42 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thanks Bob this reminded me to unplug my second gen airport express that was covered up with a tarp while the construction continues. It was extending the original network to my stero. Since it was showing up in the airport utility and I could talk to it just fine over that I left it plugged in. It was completely reset through all this several times, but I always plugged it back in and got the green light on the utility. I believe it was jamming the wifi. Since a simple shared network from an iMac is set to a specific channel it always seemed to work ok. The Extreme network is set to auto channel which the express is always trying to find and it jammed it when it did causing another channel change. Of course all that is a pure ***_ pull, but the wifi started working immediately by unplugging the express. I'll do a factory reset on it and see what happens when the construction is done.

Thanks again,

Dan

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Answer 6

Dan Mcree Author

Level 1

50 points

Dec 12, 2012 7:07 PM in response to Dan Mcree

Well the Airport Express jamming the WiFi wasn't the issue either. The problem IS caused by having the Uvers TV box unit IP traffic going through the airport extreme. Though just temporary this seems to have been the wrong thing to do if you want wifi to work on that network. Don't know why it doesn't seem to hurt the hardwired connections but it really jacks with the wireless. If I disconnect the Uvers TV box from the network the wifi works like a champ. When I plug it back in and reboot it the wifi will continue to work up until the AT&T logo appears.

So why did it seem to work when I unplugged the express? Well the TV box was off and nothing was getting recorded. I unplugged the express and it appeared to be working the first I tried the wifi. Solved until the Uvers box was turn on.

So why did this thread start with a Double NAT question? Well it all started with the temporary network rearrangement when I turned that off and I thought it was causing the issue not knowing the problem was a client on the network.

Now I have no idea as to why the Uvers client box does this to the network (traffic? weird ip data), BUT it's no wonder as to why they are hooked directly to the gateways.

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Answer 7

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,042 points

Dec 12, 2012 7:35 PM in response to Dan Mcree

Sorry, I am lost. Can we start all over again from he Uverse gateway and work out from there?

My son has a Uverse gateway. To that, he has a Time Capsule connected using Ethernet configured in Bridge Mode. All devices connect to the Time Capsule using Ethernet connections or wireless, although the Uverse wireless is still "on".

He uses an AirPort Express to extend the Time Capsule network using an Ethernet connection from the TC to the Express as well.

My guess is that he has 7 or 8 devices connected to the Time Capsule and they all get their IP addresses from the Uverse router since the Time Capsule is in Bridge Mode. The network has been flawless as far as I know.

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Answer 8

Dan Mcree Author

Level 1

50 points

Dec 13, 2012 7:19 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Hey Bob,

Sure. I would say I had a very similar network as your son. All working fine. Now take the Uverse client box (the one that hooks to an HDTV) that is normally hooked directly to the Uverse gateway by either coax or twisted pair (I don't have the wireless version) and move that to the other side of the airport extreme so it is now hooked directly to the extreme. The Uverse client box seems to work fine providing HDTV and ip clients hard wired to the extreme seem to work fine too, but somehow any wifi clients on the extreme don't. I know for sure that this is the problem because when I unplug the Uverse client box the wifi works fine. At other times in the debug process when I thought things were working after settings changes, factory restores or disabling the express it was cause by not having the client box on at that time. Does that help?

Moving the Uverse client box to being connected to the extreme was not by choice, but temporary necessity. I now know that my wifi issues were not caused by Double NAT or other setup issues besides the Uverse client box. When I can change back to my old configuration I will!

Thanks

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Answer 9

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,042 points

Dec 13, 2012 9:23 AM in response to Dan Mcree

I don't when I'll have a chance to try to duplicate the same setup....or whether the son will be willing to let me change things around on his network....so I cannot say when I'll be able to post back on this.

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