JimWright
New elf
I have found through discussions with others, that I am not the only one that has had a problem with the E1.31 network interface. As an initial setup for the following discussion, I am using LOR S3 software on a Windows 7 x64 machine and have installed a second network card that will only carry traffic for my lighting network. The following is my attempt to help with a very nagging problem that some have faced. This explanation is based only on the problems that I had and the way in which I resolved those problems. I do not hold myself as a expert in Windows or in networking. This is what worked for me.
1. After setting up my new network card and configuring everything (my "E1.31" network and all software) properly; everything worked fine for a week or two. Then I started having problems with the network. It would just quit working. I would have to reboot the computer and then everything would work again for a little while. As time passed (in hours and days, not weeks) the problem continued to get worse. It finally got to the point that the E1.31 network would not work at all. Everything seemed to work, no error messages were generated from any software, but there was no data being sent to the controllers.
2. I spent a lot of time trying to track down the problem. It turned out that, if, in Windows, I would go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings and look at the information for the network in question, Windows would report “Network Cable Unplugged” or words to that effect. I tried everything that I could think of to correct this error notification, including un-installing and re-installing the NIC. There was nothing wrong with the cable or the systems that it was connected to. Early on, I could right click on the controller in question and “disable” and then “enable” the card/network, and the card/network would start to function again. That did not last long however. After a few times doing this, Windows refused to re-enable the card. Windows would look like it was re-enableing the card, but it wouldn’t and the status would remain “Network Cable Unplugged”.
3. I next Googled “Windows 7 network cable unplugged” and got back way over 200,000 hits. Obviously, I was not the only one with this particular problem. In looking through the problems and the responses, two things soon became clear. First, no one knew exactly what the problem was or had a good solution. Some “experts” blamed Windows; some blamed the RealTek drivers or chipset; some didn’t know what the problem was. Second, every reported problem that I read was talking about a problem with a RealTek NIC. No one else had an issue with any other manufacturer’s card. I checked and, yes, in order to save some money, I had bought the cheapest NIC that I could find; and it was based on the RealTek chipset and drivers.
4. The solution now seemed obvious. Change to a different NIC, from another manufacturer. I bought an “Intel” NIC and installed it. To date, I have not had one problem with my E1.31 lighting network since I installed the new, non-RealTek NIC.
I just thought that I would pass this information along in case it might help someone else with a networking problem.
Jim
1. After setting up my new network card and configuring everything (my "E1.31" network and all software) properly; everything worked fine for a week or two. Then I started having problems with the network. It would just quit working. I would have to reboot the computer and then everything would work again for a little while. As time passed (in hours and days, not weeks) the problem continued to get worse. It finally got to the point that the E1.31 network would not work at all. Everything seemed to work, no error messages were generated from any software, but there was no data being sent to the controllers.
2. I spent a lot of time trying to track down the problem. It turned out that, if, in Windows, I would go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings and look at the information for the network in question, Windows would report “Network Cable Unplugged” or words to that effect. I tried everything that I could think of to correct this error notification, including un-installing and re-installing the NIC. There was nothing wrong with the cable or the systems that it was connected to. Early on, I could right click on the controller in question and “disable” and then “enable” the card/network, and the card/network would start to function again. That did not last long however. After a few times doing this, Windows refused to re-enable the card. Windows would look like it was re-enableing the card, but it wouldn’t and the status would remain “Network Cable Unplugged”.
3. I next Googled “Windows 7 network cable unplugged” and got back way over 200,000 hits. Obviously, I was not the only one with this particular problem. In looking through the problems and the responses, two things soon became clear. First, no one knew exactly what the problem was or had a good solution. Some “experts” blamed Windows; some blamed the RealTek drivers or chipset; some didn’t know what the problem was. Second, every reported problem that I read was talking about a problem with a RealTek NIC. No one else had an issue with any other manufacturer’s card. I checked and, yes, in order to save some money, I had bought the cheapest NIC that I could find; and it was based on the RealTek chipset and drivers.
4. The solution now seemed obvious. Change to a different NIC, from another manufacturer. I bought an “Intel” NIC and installed it. To date, I have not had one problem with my E1.31 lighting network since I installed the new, non-RealTek NIC.
I just thought that I would pass this information along in case it might help someone else with a networking problem.
Jim
