Interesting event: Unpowered router as an antenna...
About 3 years ago I set up a home network for a family who live out in the "sticks". They were unable to get cable/DSL so they had to use a dish based antenna system for their internet connection.
They live in an old farm house that only had one RJ11(?) connector, no Ethernet wiring and of course no monies to add same. I had some old extras parts so I set them up with a wireless system; a WRT160N, to use in connecting to the internet, a WRT54g router (addressed as a bridge) -both with DD-WRT software and a WET54G bridge.
With no RJ45 wiring available, I set the Network up as an ICS connection using an XP Pro desktop as the Network base and 2 other XP laptops as a clients. Surprisingly all was well for three years with no problem and no calls for help.
When XP was dropped, they finally lost their internet connection so lucky lucky me, I received a call for help.
When I arrived, my first thought was to power reboot the router (NOT reset) as he said nothing was done in last three years. So then I proceeding to unplug the power cord from the router, WRT160N, and move the cable from the the Internet connection to an WLAN port, so I can check the programming and around 20 to 25 seconds into this procedure, the internet came back on....WTF
I was able to duplicate this by again just by moving the router cable. Well I said as I cracked open another beer, let us check the other laptop for connection. I powered up the other laptop, checked the ISP address and it was; 192.168.1.XXX , gateway was 192.168.1.1 and it was in DCHP mode. I then plugged that laptop into its' bridge and when it connected the ISP and the Gateway changed to 192.168.0.XXX thus bypassing the router.
One client was 10 feet and the other was 25 feet, as the crow flies, from the WRT160N router.
Other notes: the XP Ethernet internal board was a Broadcom 5700 series, running X32 OS Pro, Sp3
I always set my home network to a static address but I remember him calling me after a power failure and I had him change both of the laptops to DCHP so I would not have to go and visit.
I have since gave them my old Win7 X64 laptop for their network server and they are happy.
I checked the program in the WRT160N and it matched the original, no changes. Left as was.
I did set it up as MAC filtering connection only, as I normally do( but latter I found out that they had been "borrowing" thy neighbors airways....so maybe a hacked someway).
I do not do this for a living and only lucked into this event by being in the right place at the wrong time.
SO WHY was they able to connect to the internet with the router power cable unplugged? Was able to duplicate after the router power cycle but not after desktop reboot.
