Linn Forums

klimaxer · (This post was last modified: 2012-07-02 17:32 by klimaxer.)

So - I have a dreadful case of undiscoverablitis.

On and of this has been happening for ages and I am pretty much at the end of my tether to be honest.

I have Infinity broadband with a BT homehub 2. This is connected via a switch to my network. I have homeplug setup, with the switch being connected to the mains via a D-link homeplug, then I use a wireless access point DLink downstairs. This is the main wireless point I connect to.

Whenever I set everything up - it works great. I have 3 DSi's and a Renew on the network. One is plugged straight into the hub - the others are on the homeplugs.

After a few minutes of being connected the homeplug devices drop out of view from Kinsky and Konfig. Sometimes you can see them in one and not the other - but if you reboot konfig or kinsky at this stage they disappear. The one plugged into the hub does not.

The odd thing is that they still have their IP addresses, and you can log into them directly - they just can't be seen by Konfig or Kinsky (desktop) - not at all.

This is absolutely infuriating me, as I go to the Iphone and can't even see my players - but I know they are connected. Sometimes it even happens whilst they are playing - so they are fully functional - just not visible.

Any ideas to save my sanity folks?

Thanks

UPDATE:

This seems to be linked to the latest Beta upates. I tried to update one of my DSI's but the update failed earlier today. Weirdly then everything on the network disappeared. I have just got everything back, and tried the update again - same thing happened again.

I now have the folowing situation:

Windows network view and router software can see all devices and they have IP addesses / are visible in the DHCP tables.

BUT - Konfig and Kinsky cannot see them.

UNLESS - I open songbook lite on my iphone and clear / rediscover. Then they all appear. UNTIL - I try to update again and it all goes Pete Tong again.

This is really weird. Devices clearly on the network cannot be seen y Kinsky desktop or Konfig (if I type the IP addresses in I can control them through the interface).

Bloody IT!

klimaxer · 2012-07-02, 16:21

(2012-07-02 15:18)klimaxer Wrote: So - I have a dreadful case of undiscoverablitis.

On and of this has been happening for ages and I am pretty much at the end of my tether to be honest.

I have Infinity broadband with a BT homehub 2. This is connected via a switch to my network. I have homeplug setup, with the switch being connected to the mains via a D-link homeplug, then I use a wireless access point DLink downstairs. This is the main wireless point I connect to.

Whenever I set everything up - it works great. I have 3 DSi's and a Renew on the network. One is plugged straight into the hub - the others are on the homeplugs.

After a few minutes of being connected the homeplug devices drop out of view from Kinsky and Konfig. Sometimes you can see them in one and not the other - but if you reboot konfig or kinsky at this stage they disappear. The one plugged into the hub does not.

The odd thing is that they still have their IP addresses, and you can log into them directly - they just can't be seen by Konfig or Kinsky - not at all.

This is absolutely infuriating me, as I go to the Iphone and can't even see my players - but I know they are connected. Sometimes it even happens whilst they are playing - so they are fully functional - just not visible.

Any ideas to save my sanity folks?

Thanks

Briain · (This post was last modified: 2012-07-02 17:36 by Briain.)

Hi

I note that you mention one is plugged into the Hub. First thing to do where there is a Homehub is to plug one of its Ethernet ports into one of the the switch ports, then plug everything else (including your homeplug links and DS's) into the switch ports. The reason for that is that the Homehub can cause problems for traffic between its swith ports. It shouldn't, and I've no idea why it does (maybe some poorly implimented QoS or whatever) but its something I've found with a few folks, and thus something worth changing first (to see if it helps).

Bri

pdcman · 2012-07-02, 20:00

I think that all BT routers should be given to the guy in America who try's to liquidise everything. It's one of my fantasy's to see these horrible, ugly, unreliable excuse for a router being shredded to a million pieces. Big Grin

Seriously, get rid of the thing and buy a decent moden/router. 95% of your problems with the network will disappear. I've done this for a number of friends and colleagues which solved all of their problems; yes, even those unmentionable ones......

Ahhh, time for some Zero 7.

Briain · (This post was last modified: 2012-07-02 20:48 by Briain.)

Hi

I'm not sure a out the latest effort (Hometub 3) but the Hometub 2 was pretty poor and the Hometub 1 was a total dire disaster. I'd like to hope they've sorted it out for the current model, but I have no information about it and thus can't comment.

With the previous ones, attaching everything to a switch usually solves all the issues (in ther words, have no traffic flowing through the Hometub's internal switch and you should be okay) but I must admit, I simply don't like them after all the hassles folks had with the Hometub 1 (my trust would have to be re-earned). Fortunately, as far as I am aware, BT don't mind you installing a proper device (they send your the ADSL user ID and password in the opening email) so I just used my Draytek, and the Hometub 1 was redeployed in more appropriate location; the local land fill site.

If you use a switch, your internal traffic (NAS -> DS, etc) won't go anywhere near the Homehub as the switch handles it all for you. If things are vanishing off the network, it could be that the Homehub's DHCP server is falling over (so when the DS requests an address refresh after 12 hours - or a multiple thereof - it's not getting it). If it is that, the answer would be to get a new router, but there is a tempory fix (if you are adventurous). You can allocate your NAS with a fixed IP address, then turn on the NAS's DHCP server, then go into the Hometub and turn off it's DHCP server. I set a forum members network up like that and always intended fitting a new router, but it worlde fine and I left it (for well over a year). He eventually moved home, so he is now back on a conventional scheme (using his new ISP's new router as a DHCP server).

It is an immediate option, it saves spending money on a new router and it only takes minutes to set it all up (if you do, just remember to reboot everything so they get addresses from the new DHCP server in the NAS) but ultimately, if the Hometub is genuinely going faulty, then a new router probably makes sense.

Bri Smile

sdick3 · 2012-07-02, 20:40

I had similar problems with my setup, which has two switches to connect different rooms.
The problem was the ports connecting the switchs were doing a broadcast storm filter to limit broadcast traffic accross the link.

I turned it off and it works fine now.

Visoflex · 2012-07-03, 11:01

I've recently switched to BT Infinity and along with the FTTC modem, had a BT Home Hub 3 installed.

Beforehand, I had read so many horror stories about them, I was really nervous about it. However, since installation, all my connections have been rock solid. In addition, I used to get a lot of problems when using the iPad getting "the address could not be found because the server is not connected" (or some such garbage.) Whether this is because of the faster internet speed or the hub, I don't know, but it has taken a turn for the better.

eamonnb · (This post was last modified: 2012-07-04 13:52 by eamonnb.)

hi klimaxer

Sorry to hear you're having these frustrating network problems.

It sounds like your homeplugs are the cause of the problem.

Try connecting all your DS devices directly to the hub, or to a switch that is connected directly to the hub, thereby eliminating the homeplugs from the DS network. Then see if your discovery issues persist.

I appreciate that this may be logistically problematic for you, requiring you to move products from room to room, but it's worth doing, temporarily, just to establish the root cause of this annoying problem.

Let me know your findings.

Good luck.

Eamonn

SeeDee12 · 2012-07-04, 21:31

+1 on the home plugs causing the issue, especially if there are multiple plugs in use. If you are stuck to using these make sure that they go directly into the wall socket and no power bar or cable in-between.

Rufus McDufus · 2012-07-05, 10:06

+2 on Homeplugs - I had endless problems with network discovery when I had Netgear homeplugs. I installed cat5e cables last year, discovery problems gone.

You can get really cheap gigabit unmanaged switches. I got a 4 port one off Amazon last year for £15 and it works perfectly - better in fact than my Netgear 16 port one which cost £120 and needs power cycling every few weeks as all those packets get a bit much for it. I don't have much luck with Netgear.