Two network problem

stolzy

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I seem to have two networks in my house. The Wifi (with a Mesh system )works fine. I also have a number of devices connected by ethernet via PowerLink and similar devices. Things on the Powerlink network can't see devices on the WiFi network, even though they're all connected to the same (PlusNet) router/modem/hub. A MacPro that has both ethernet and wifi can see everything.

I'd have though the PlusNet box should route between the two networks?
 
The powerlink devices aren't operating on a different IP Range to the devices connected to the PlusNet hub are they? For example 192.168.0.x versus 192.168.1.x
 
First off, confirm what the 2 networks are by checking the IP address of devices attached to each.

On a PC, what you can do is open a CMD window (dos prompt), then run IPCONFIG

This does not change anything, justs lists out a load of details. You need to find in there what your IP address is, probably titled "IPc4 Address" and something like 192.168.xxx.xxx

on a network, you would expect that the first 3 numbers (everything up to the final decimal point) would be the same. IF you have 2 networks, that will not be the case.

(sorry if I'm teaching granny to suck eggs).

I'm not familiar with PowerLink or PlusNet, but it could be that it gives 2 IP ranges, one for the wifi connections, and one for the cabled connections. If so, and you are right - it should be able to route between them - there may be a setting in the configuration screen to set the IP ranges, and you could set them both the same.

I had a similar problem, and it ended up being too many cables between the cabled network and a wifi booster - I had connected them together with 2 cables (in parallel if you like), and the poor wee booster took it upon itself to support 2 network ip addresses.

Merv.
 
The IP addresses for the ethernet-connected devices are of the 192.168.1.nn form as expected (router 192.168.1.254)

However the IP addresses for wifi-connected devices are 10.0.0.nn (router 10.0.0.1). All devices on both connections are getting their IPs by plain DHCP.
10.0.0.1 and 192.168.0.1 are both pingable.

So I'm guessing that is where the issue is. The wifi-connected devices are getting their IPs from different servers, but where/what/how.

Question is what to do about it?
 
Sounds like you’ve effectively got 2 subsets that can’t see each other

If you have access to the WiFi router by web interface, see if you can give it a static ip address that doesn’t conflict with anything on the network (eg 192.168.1.253) then specify the DHCP range, if you can set for example 192.168.1.100 - 110, as long as that does not conflict with the range set in the ADSL router
 
The router appears to show 'normal' IP addresses for devices connected by ethernet and wifi (with 192.168.1.254 as the router)
However, when you check the IP addresses on the devices they are of the form 10.0.0.n (with 10.0.0.1 as the router)

Thanx all for chipping in BTW:thumb2
 
Your wifi is on a different subnet, so something in the wifi setup is acting as a router on 10.0.0.nn, giving out addresses and routing all traffic to the default gateway on 10.0.0.1, that gateway is then routed to 192.168.1.254.

Your wifi access points aren't access points, but routers. Nothing wrong with that, unless you have some pressing need to communicate between devices on the wifi and the wired sections.
 
Aha, progress!

There is a pingable WAP 10.0.0.1.
I'm presuming that this is handing out IP addresses to wifi devices.

I think it's one I installed for guests, but I'm buggered if I can (physically) find it. I can open a window to it in a browser, but I've no idea of the login credentials.
 
Thanks for the collective wisdom.

I have a Netgear Orbi Mesh system (as well as a couple of other APs). One of the Orbi devices was in router (rather than plain AP) mode meaning the DHCP server was on and handing out IP addresses to wifi-connected devices. Thee 10.0.0.n addresses were then translated by the main PlusNet router to normal 192.168.nn IP addresses.

System now rebooting and I think everything will be hunky dory now
 
It's a pity you don't have a "one-time IT professional" - living locally.......... :augie

:D
 
Having two dhcp servers is going to need sorting out. You want your main internet router doing that job, and everything additional for Wi-fi having its dhcp service turned off. They’ll broadcast the dhcp request once you connect to them and pass the reply back to the client, and all will be well. Consider having a fixed range of x.x.x.2-64 for you to set up stuff that’s not going out of the house (cameras, Nas, desktops) and set those up manually. Let dhcp deal with all the phones & laptops.

The mesh thing might be routing from it’s subnet to the wired port connected to your real router, but establishing a route back to it from your main router is likely not in place/easy to set up.
 
Its sorted.

I installed the Orbi system a year ago, not realising that, the default was for them to have DHCP server turned on. All worked fine as far as internet access was concerned, it was nly when I needed to move a file from a wifi-connected device to an ethernet-connected device that I reaslised they couldn't see each other on the LAN.
It's a pity you don't have a "one-time IT professional" - living locally.......... :augie

:D
Maybe you keep current on redundant fields that you left a decade or more ago.

Some of us prefer to move on to new pastures from time to time.
 


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