Steam link Ethernet not working

[Jaykinch]

Hi all,
I'm not sure what is going on I've got myself a steam link and all is pretty good over wireless
But now I've tried to connect the link box over Ethernet using the PowerPoint connections but it don't seem to work.
I don't get any lights on the back of the link box (Ethernet port) I know the PowerPoint is good as I normally use it for Sky go
I've tried connecting straight into my router ( bt3 I think) and still no joy
The Ethernet led light up when I plug the link box main power in and they light up for one or two seconds and that's it
Am I doing something stupid?
Is the Ethernet port not workin?
Anyone got any idea what is going on cheers

My setup is PC connected in games room via PowerPoint Ethernet then router is in the front room is connected via PowerPoint Ethernet

Thanks in advance

[brstancliffe]

This is my exact problem except the wireless is pretty dire. Did you fix it?

[messyjesse80]

You are using powerline adapters between the PC and the router, are you also using powerline adapters between the Link and router?

Does the Link get an IP when you plug ethernet in to the router? If yes then the ethernet port is probably working. Check the network page on the Link.

Try to ping the Link from the PC with your various networking setups. The PC and Link need to be on the same subnet for that to work. What kind of ping times do you see?

While testing it would be a good idea to tell the Link to forget all your WiFi networks so you can be sure it is connecting with Ethernet, not WiFi.

[brstancliffe]

My PC is connected to my router via powerline, pretty good connection. My Link is connected directly to my router via Ethernet. After a factory reset and turning off my routers WiFi the link does not see my network. No activity at the port, no IP address, nothing.

[Jaykinch]

hello yes i did fix it not really sure how !
i turned my wireless off on router then i just unplugged steam link from mains and ethernet then replugged everything and the 2 ethernet lights at the back of steam started to flash away and all worked? then turned wireless back on for the rest of my stuff

not sure if anything else was involed as i like to click lots of buttons then click some more

[brstancliffe]

Glad you got it working. That's not worked me though. Starting to feel real stupid here. Thanks for the replies.

[messyjesse80]

brstancliffe - what do the ethernet LDs do on your Link? They should both turn on for 1-2 seconds when you connect power to the Link. Later when ethernet is plugged in they should blink on and off.

Can you use WiFi well enough to get the Link to update SW and opt in to Beta builds? Once you have all the updates on the Link, force the Link to forget the WiFi network and connect it to the router with ethernet cable.

If you still don't get IP address using wired ethernet, check the wired ports of the router to make sure they really do assign IPs to other devices plugged in to them. Try a different ethernet cable that is known working as well.

[ArcusVII]

Same issue here, ethernet lights work briefly when link is first powered up, but once connected via ethernet, nothing... Tried to update to beta build as advised, still no luck. Starting to think this might be a fault?

[messyjesse80]

Arcus - have you verified that the same port of your router will assign IP to other devices connected there?

Also recommend swapping ethernet cables with known good ones.

Make sure the WiFi router doesn't have the physical LAN ports disabled too.

When referring to the beta builds, I am referring to beta builds on the Link not at the host PC. You would need to do this over WiFi since your ethernet is troublesome now. But the suggestions for router/cable check are probably more important than updating Link SW.

[brstancliffe]

I appreciate your time messyjesse, thank you. The Ethernet LDs do light up when first powered on then nothing. I've used various cables and all ports with my laptop to test these. I've even borrowed a spare router off a friend to rule out an issue with my router.

I have also tried the beta, installed updates, reverted to factory settings and still no joy. I don't know how to force the link to forget a wireless connection, but did disable wireless on the router.

As a 'noob' to the PC gaming world I'm at a loss, but I'm reluctant to blame a hardware fault, and I'm missing something here.

[messyjesse80]

No problem. It should be pretty simple to verify the Link can get a wired connection, and it is possible you have a bad Link unit somehow.

In the networking screen on the Link you should be able to see what it is connected to, WiFi or wired. If WiFi you should be able to select the network, click advanced settings, and click the "forget" button. Do this for all the WiFi networks that the Link has been connected to.

Then with the network cable plugged in you should see an IP address on the network screen. Do you see any IP address at all after forgetting all WiFi networks and plugging in the ethernet cable? What IP address do you see?

Then with the same cable/router setup, replace the Link with a laptop connected to the same ethernet cable. Run "ipconfig" on the cmd line or other method to see the IP address of the wired connection on the laptop. If you see an IP address with the laptop (make sure it is the wired IP, you might have one for WiFi also) but no IP address on the Link, then I think you might have a bad unit and should ask Valve for an RMA.

[ArcusVII]

Tested all ports of the router with various ethernet cables. Every device I plug in works...except the link -_-

[brstancliffe]

Followed your advice, and no IP address for the link. There has never been an option between wired and wireless on the network screen. I already requested and RMA and I'm about to pack it up and send it back for a replacement the morn. Fingers crossed its a faulty unit, rather than it being me being daft.

Thanks again pal.

[messyjesse80]

You are correct you cannot "choose" wired or wifi - however if wired ethernet is connected to the Link, the Link will not use WiFi. My point with forgetting all the wifi connections was to make sure any IP address assigned to your Link was definitely from the wired ethernet.

Based on your testing I can't think of anything you did wrong. Better luck with your replacement!

[brstancliffe]

Apologies for reviving this thread, but in case someone else is having this problem. Turns out it was a hardware fault, new unit came today and works great. Thanks for all the suggestions, it was really appreciated and helped me rule out all possibilities before sending it back. Great community.

Now.... time for some sofa based gaming!!!

[Buzz-O-Matic]

Originally posted by brstancliffe:

Apologies for reviving this thread, but in case someone else is having this problem. Turns out it was a hardware fault, new unit came today and works great. Thanks for all the suggestions, it was really appreciated and helped me rule out all possibilities before sending it back. Great community.

Now.... time for some sofa based gaming!!!

I seem to have the same issue. My steam link was working via ethernet until I unplugged it and moved locations (and shocked myself on the steam link) now my ethernet connection no longer works. I've tested the connection and the cable using a cable tester, looks like my unit is faulty too.