Router Ethernet Not Working

[Archy101]

Hi,

We just got a replacement router to replace our ageing one (that is still working OK, however needs replacing). This is a newer model one with the single light that goes orange, then blinks white/orange then white to confirm connection.

I got it all set up with wifi on all devices, only to discover that on my home PC which is connected by ethernet it was not picking up the connection at all. I power cycled the PC and router several times and also tried all 4 ports on the back of the router to no avail.

To this end I re-plugged in the old router and my PC is suddenly connected to the internet again via ethernet.

No idea why the new router will not work with my home PC's internet cable. Any suggestions would help.

[ferguson]

There you go, one dodgy cable, well spotted and resolved.

[Archy101]

Hi All,

An update on this as the issue has now been remedied.

The CAT5E cable I am using is to blame. I am not sure why as the supplied CAT5E cable supplied with the router works fine when I wired it into a laptop close by, however I plugged a CAT6 cable from my PC into the router and it worked with no issues.

I tried a number of other changes first on my PC which made absolutely no difference, I looked at the ports on the router and the CAT5E cable was never detected. No packets or any information was sent or received when it was plugged in. Plugging another CAT5E cable that was supplied with the router into a laptop however worked.

It is very strange, 5E cables do work, just not the particular one I use with this particular router (as it works fine on our old router).

I will order a new cable (I assume the length is not an issue, it needs to be a 30M cable to reach the router) and will likely order a CAT8 as that is the current standard, if this would be an issue though I'd stick with CAT6 which appeared to work when wired in.

Thanks.

[Piethorne]

Just a quick note. Some cables provided with 3rd party equipment may not have all the twisted pair wires included in the ethernet cable - probably to reduce manufacturing costs, so it's always worth examining the connectors to make sure all the wires are in place. For instance, the pic below is from a cable I have, but I can't remember what it came with. It's always worth checking.

Unknown origin

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hello,

How are you getting on?

Thanks

[Archy101]

I will try this also.

[ferguson]

OK, have a look at this:

https://www.lifewire.com/fix-ethernet-driver-problems-on-windows-11-5192713

[Archy101]

As a test I disabled the wifi on a laptop and plugged the new router in via ethernet and it worked no problem with the laptop plugged in.

This narrows it down then either to the cable or an issue within the router software (under the 192.168.1.1. menus).

I will perform further tests on another evening and report back when I know more.

[Archy101]

Windows 11.

[ferguson]

Which version of Windows are you using?

[ferguson]

Make sure the ethernet drivers on your PC are up to date.