Computer / internet networking

[will gilmore]

This is actually for my house but applies to garage as well. If this has been discussed before I apologize (give me a link).

My networking knowledge is next to zero so please forgive ignorance or wrong terminology.

The parts of my home network just wont play nice with each other. It works for awhile and then I go to use the computer and it wont connect to the internet. I can usually fix it by power cycling modem or wireless router.

Here are the components:
Cable modem - ARRIS / Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem
2 x Leviton 10/100Mvps 8 port ethernet switch (these ports are wired to wall plates around my house)
Linksys wireless router (I forget which one right now but it's plugged into one of the wall plates.

I recently added a programable irrigation system (https://opensprinkler.com/) using this router as a client (TP-LINK TL-WR702N Wireless N150 Travel Router). When I power cycle my main router sometimes it changes the ip address of the open sprinkler router which messes that up.

There must be a more robust way of setting this up rather than the plug and play method which doesnt seem to be working for me. I'm happy to read a book or webpage if someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks.

 

[zx2slow]

Do you live in a residential area, if so the 2.4GHz spectrum is usually packed with yours and all your neighbors gear. Switched to 5GHz wireless N and things got way better.

So just to sort out your network:
Cable modem -> Linksys router (Unknown) -> two 8 port switches
Wireless connection to a TPN150 router?

How many clients are attached to the router wireless and wired? If you are using an older WRT54G that will have a problem serving up to a lot of hosts.

 

[Falcon67]

This is hard to make simple, but your irrigation control needs what's called a DHCP reservation. DHCP is the process in the wireless router that hands out IP addresses to the clients. You use a reservation to tell the router "this MAC address (hardware address of the connecting client) gets the same IP address every time it connects". Look in your router docs for the procedure.

 

[sublime68charger]

This is hard to make simple, but your irrigation control needs what's called a DHCP reservation. DHCP is the process in the wireless router that hands out IP addresses to the clients. You use a reservation to tell the router "this MAC address (hardware address of the connecting client) gets the same IP address every time it connects". Look in your router docs for the procedure.

Good idea


though can you just assign a static ip to the sprinkler system via its interface?

That way it just stays the same if you only have 10 wireless things on your wifi put the sprinkler up in the 40s on the ip range.

Just my thought
Plan B find the nerdy neighbor kid and have him set it up!

Buy him pizza for the night or something.

Just my thoughts good luck

 

[stonesfan68]

I'd recommend plugging the Wi-Fi router into the cable modem, and then plug the switches into the Wi-Fi router. That way the Wi-Fi router assigns the IP addresses to all of the devices downstream. Try that and see if it helps.

 

[pattenp]

If you are using remote access to control your sprinklers I assume the sprinkler system needs a static IP so do as suggested by sublime68charger. I assume you know how to access the router setup via your browser.

 

[will gilmore]

Thanks for the thoughts everyone.

Current set up is:
Cable modem --> Switch --> wireless router

I currently have the wireless router plugged into one of the switches because the cable modem is in the basement and I don't think it will reach two floors up from there. I'll try this. I have another wireless router laying around that I could use for upstairs.

Sprinkler is actually 2nd priority right now but it sounds like the DHCP reservation or static ip will work. I'll look into that. Thanks.

 

[slickgt1]

Your setup is a bit backward, and pretty sure causes conflicts.

Should be.
Cable modem ---> router 1 ----> switch. You can connect another router or whatever, to the router 1, and / or to the switch that is connected to router 1.

You can have multiple routers. But you need to make them play with each other.

So. Put a router to your modem, use the ports on it instead of the switch. Connect the switch to it if necessary for more connections for your wall outlets. You can use a wireless router here too. I suggest you use a different wireless name than the other router. Some routers won't hand off the signal properly, which could make your wireless experience a *****. This first router, that is right by the modem, will be the main deal. You would do all your DHCP stuff here. I suggest you do the DHCP instead of static IP on the devices. At least you can just log into one router, and see your IP addresses, instead of remembering each one.

Place second router wherever you want to get more coverage. Disable DHCP on it. Forward DHCP requests to the main router.

 

[will gilmore]

Your setup is a bit backward, and pretty sure causes conflicts.

Should be.
Cable modem ---> router 1 ----> switch. You can connect another router or whatever, to the router 1, and / or to the switch that is connected to router 1.

You can have multiple routers. But you need to make them play with each other.

So. Put a router to your modem, use the ports on it instead of the switch. Connect the switch to it if necessary for more connections for your wall outlets. You can use a wireless router here too. I suggest you use a different wireless name than the other router. Some routers won't hand off the signal properly, which could make your wireless experience a *****. This first router, that is right by the modem, will be the main deal. You would do all your DHCP stuff here. I suggest you do the DHCP instead of static IP on the devices. At least you can just log into one router, and see your IP addresses, instead of remembering each one.

Place second router wherever you want to get more coverage. Disable DHCP on it. Forward DHCP requests to the main router.

Awesome. Thanks everyone.

 

[thool]

Also, check the voltage on your router's transformer. I have an old WRT-54G and it required periodic power cycles. Turned out the 12VDC transformer was putting out close to 16VDC. I guess those things lose their ability to deliver consistent voltage over time. A new router fixed the problem for me.

 

[zx2slow]

The cable modem is a gateway and will give out (20 if I recall correctly) IP addresses, these are exposed directly to the internet.

If you had a regular windows PC connected to one of these IP addresses it did not stand a chance against hackers. The router will keep the network ports hidden by default, these exposed to the internet is bad news on a system not specifically configured for it. I would strongly suggest reloading these systems or at a bare minimum running a full virus and malware scan with decent tools.

 

[will gilmore]

The cable modem is a gateway and will give out (20 if I recall correctly) IP addresses, these are exposed directly to the internet.

If you had a regular windows PC connected to one of these IP addresses it did not stand a chance against hackers. The router will keep the network ports hidden by default, these exposed to the internet is bad news on a system not specifically configured for it. I would strongly suggest reloading these systems or at a bare minimum running a full virus and malware scan with decent tools.

Never heard this before. I think the cable modem start up guide says to plug your computer into the modem directly. I've definitely done this before at the request of the cable company tech support. Using an older apple laptop at home.

 

[slickgt1]

Cable modems, in general do not give out ****. You can use it without a router, by configuring your devices with specific, Internet Service Provider dns, gateway, etc etc info. Normal people have a router.

 

[Falcon67]

A cable modem is a router that handles one device. It'll give the connected device one IP. So

[c-modem]--wire to uplink port-->[wire or wireless router with DHCP Scope]---> devices around the house

I used to assign static IP addresses, but switched because - in most cases, software dependent - a reservation is self documenting. As in "what the hell is that address used for".

 

[wssix99]

Should be.
Cable modem ---> router 1 ----> switch. You can connect another router or whatever, to the router 1, and / or to the switch that is connected to router 1.

Good Catch.

The OP's network can also stay as-is. All that is needed is to move the wire going from the switch to the router OUT of the LAN/WAN port on the router and in to any one of the other ports on the back. This will bypass the routing portion of the device and it will function as a simple switch.

 

[mingus2112]

Finally - a topic I can speak on with authority! (This is my job - I do Network Security for a state University) As others have said, you should have your wireless router plugged into the cable modem directly and then the switches plugged into the router. You should NOT have a second router plugged into the network. It's true that some devices sold as routers can be (by making changes in the device's setup page) made to work as simple switches or wireless access points, but just moving cables around will NOT solve this issue. Set up stock, both routers will be handing out IP addresses and advertising themselves as the default gateway. If, by stating you are using it as a "client," you are saying you are using the tplink as a wireless bridge, then that could work. But having two routers, with stock configuration, you will not have a stable network environment. It may work for awhile, but it will not last (as you have found out).

Is the sprinkler system wifi? If so, you may be able to set up a DHCP reservation for it on the router. If you don't, and want to set a static IP, make sure it's high enough out of range that the router won't assign that address via DHCP. If you have added the second router because the first router is out of range of the sprinkler system, you can buy what is called a "wireless access point," which is basically just the wireless portion of the wireless router.

Hope that helps! If you have any questions, i'd be glad to answer them.

-James

 

[Mongo68]

I had nothing but trouble with the TPlink and opensprinkler ( I dont think it was Opensprinklers fault- the TP link just kept going stupid). I ended up hardwiring the opensprinkler. And I did assign it a static IP.

 

[wssix99]

If so, you may be able to set up a DHCP reservation for it on the router. If you don't, and want to set a static IP, make sure it's high enough out of range that the router won't assign that address via DHCP. If you have added the second router because the first router is out of range of the sprinkler system, you can buy what is called a "wireless access point," which is basically just the wireless portion of the wireless router.

This is a really fancy way of saying "plug the wire in to a different jack." lol

If you move the jack, that the wire from the switch is plugged in to, the device instantly goes from being a wireless router to a wireless access point and switch.

 

[mingus2112]

This is a really fancy way of saying "plug the wire in to a different jack." lol

If you move the jack, that the wire from the switch is plugged in to, the device instantly goes from being a wireless router to a wireless access point and switch.

That's not true at all. The router would still be handing out ip addresses and advertising itself as the default gateway, which would disrupt traffic. I'm not here to argue about it, just figured I got so much out of this forum that I finally had something to contribute. If you have a setup that works for you, more power to you.

Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk

 

[V_Twin]

In addition to assigning your sprinkler system a static IP address, you should update the firmware on your router. Updating the firmware can help with numerous issues, including patching security holes and may help you with your frequent reboot problem. The docs that came with the router will show you how to do it, it's actually very simple.

20+ year IT guy here, PM me if you need some additional help

 

[will gilmore]

Thanks for the help everyone. moved wireless router to basement and plugged it into cable modem. stable internet last night and wireless signal appears good enough.

yes tplink is being used to provide wireless capability to open sprinkler. they call it client mode. I haven't dug into the tplink/opensprinkler issues yet. I actually have ethernet cable run out side but no connector crimped on. If I can't get the tplink to work ill order a crimper and connectors.

 

[mingus2112]

Excellent. Glad you got it all working. "Client mode" sounds to me like routing is disabled, so you're good to go! Slow clap, by the way, for having RJ45 jacks in your rooms. I always prefer a wired connection when possible, even though wireless has reached a pretty terrific point.

-James

Thanks for the help everyone. moved wireless router to basement and plugged it into cable modem. stable internet last night and wireless signal appears good enough.

yes tplink is being used to provide wireless capability to open sprinkler. they call it client mode. I haven't dug into the tplink/opensprinkler issues yet. I actually have ethernet cable run out side but no connector crimped on. If I can't get the tplink to work ill order a crimper and connectors.

 

[wssix99]

That's not true at all. The router would still be handing out ip addresses and advertising itself as the default gateway, which would disrupt traffic.

Give it a try some time. If you don't use the WAN jack, every home wireless router I've come across from Linksys and D-Link goes dumb and just acts like a switch.

For years, it was a really nice trick as many home routers were less money than switches.

 

[HenryAZ]

I used to assign static IP addresses, but switched because - in most cases, software dependent - a reservation is self documenting. As in "what the hell is that address used for".

More importantly, from a long-term administration point of view, is that a DHCP reservation is still a DHCP client. IOW, DHCP hands out certain other information to each client in addition to its IP address, such as the DNS server to use, default gateway, network mask, etc. If, for some reason down the road, you need to change the DNS server, for DHCP clients, you change it in only one place, the DHCP server. All clients, those with reservations and those getting random addresses, will acquire the new DNS server address.

When you configure devices with static IP's, you will have to go around to each one to change the DNS info now, and you invariably forget to do one or two obscure ones, then wonder why they are not working right.

 

[mingus2112]

This.

Seems like quite a few of us are in IT! Makes me feel a little more at home!

More importantly, from a long-term administration point of view, is that a DHCP reservation is still a DHCP client. IOW, DHCP hands out certain other information to each client in addition to its IP address, such as the DNS server to use, default gateway, network mask, etc. If, for some reason down the road, you need to change the DNS server, for DHCP clients, you change it in only one place, the DHCP server. All clients, those with reservations and those getting random addresses, will acquire the new DNS server address.

When you configure devices with static IP's, you will have to go around to each one to change the DNS info now, and you invariably forget to do one or two obscure ones, then wonder why they are not working right.

 

[will gilmore]

Home network is working well. I have the one router right after the modem that is giving out IP addresses. I set up another router lan-lan which dhcp off which seems to be working well.
I still cant get the tplink/open sprinkler working. It seems like the tplink is assigning its own ip adresses. I connected an ethernet cord from my computer to the tplink and turned off the wifi on my computer. My computer said it's ip address was 192.168.1.100 while the router address was 192.168.1.150 (what I assigned from the main router). I could not access web using tplink in "client" mode.

Can anyone recommend good ethernet crimping tools / supplies? Just need to do the one right now but you never know...

 

[Bloodystumps]

Can anyone recommend good ethernet crimping tools / supplies? Just need to do the one right now but you never know...

As far as a good crimper this one has worked well for me and it has the built in continuity tester with a remote for room to room. http://www.homedepot.ca/product/cri...4-in-1-tool-cuts-strips-terminates-and/411180


it does both RJ45 and RJ11 and like I said has the tester so it was worth it for me to spend the little extra, besides it's a tool so i don't need to justify what I spend.

 

[ddawg16]

On a related note.......

I've been dealing with wireless issues for several months on my Linksys wireless router....after it did a firmware update.

I was able to isolate it to a wireless issue only by confirming that wired devices had not issue.

It ended up being the security config. When the firmware updated, the router went to WPA/WPA2 Mixed Personal. Changing it to just WPA2 Personal solved the problem.

 

[will gilmore]

Couldn't get the tp link to work. Broke down and bought a rj45 crimper so now opensprinkler is wired to network. I assigned an IP from the router just in case. Thanks for the help everyone!