Some PC names have disappeared from Network list on each P2

[raymondjpg]

Yes, the modem is now by itself and attached to the new 16-port switch. The switch is a TP-LINK model and it is ironical that a TP-LINK access point at the end of the line has lost its ability to provide wifi. We have family members living with us at the moment and they are not happy.

Three things:

1. If, as it appears, the modem is a Huawei HG658 provided by iinet, and the only network device on your LAN handing out DHCP leases:
a) Log into the Huawei (default login admin|admin) and check under Basic|LAN that DHCP is enabled and that the Start IP address and End IP address have the same first three numbers as that in the LAN Host Settings (above the DHCP menu - from what was said earlier 192.168.1) and the fourth number something away from the LAN host IP 192.168.1.1. The range must be sufficiently large to accommodate all the devices on your network and if your 16 port switch has more than enough ports for your devices then a range of say 192.168.1.10 to 192.168.1.30 should be more than sufficient.
b) Reboot the Huawei under Maintenance|Device in the menu, or power cycle it.

2. Reboot/Restart all devices on your LAN.

3. Check in the Huawei under Status|LAN|Ethernet which devices on your LAN have been assigned which IP address.

While some folk on the TransACT and iinet forums appear to be satisfied with the DHCP capability of the Huawei HG658 I have had some difficulties with mine assigning leases where the IP pool has been set down among where I have assigned static IP addresses. If you are not assigning static addresses I would hope that you do not have that problem.

Two other things:

1. You cannot reserve IP addresses in the Huawei. You are limited then to DHCP from the Huawei, if it works properly, or set up static addresses on devices in your LAN.

2. You can assign any IP address you like to the Huawei without compromising its VOIP capability. So if you really prefer a 192.168.0.x network that is perfectly OK. Just bear in mind that if you do you would need to change the LAN Host Setting and DHCP Start IP and End IP addresses accordingly.

[stony41]

Thanks very much, raymondjpg, for your advice on my scrambled iP addresses.

I have been out of town and also when in town I have been focusing on hammering iiNet about our VoIP phone. We are now in the 6th month of unsatisfactory telephony. Believe it or not, the latest setback is the recent advice from iiNet that the porting of our number back from Telstra (which shouldn't have been involved, as we would have opted to keep our old number, if we had been asked) has been deemed a failure and now these two incompetent oufits now have to do it all again.

I do need to get into the Huawei and set a range as you have described. You have outlined just what to do, which is great. For sentimental reasons I am probably going to reinstate 198.168.0.x. The jumbled 0 and 1 addresses seem to have affected my P2s more than my PCs, both in terms of the PVRs themselves and also WizFX and YARDWiz capability. Just enough is working for me to get by.

[stony41]

Well, I have settled on 1 addresses, although not long ago all network addresses were 0. I have now managed to get iP scanners to show all my PCs but only one of my P2s. WakeMeOnLan used to show everything it could find but now shows this reduced list since I removed all listings and rescanned. Other scanners are similar. Heck, things such as my Marantz receiver (which has online ability) got a mention when WakeMeOnLan showed everything on the network.

My TP-LINK access point gets a mention, but it is now useless, much to the chagrin of relatives who like to use our wifi.

My Beyonwiz network experience has dimmed drastically. All my four P2s used to show my four network PCs (and my little laptop if it happened to be plugged into the network), allowing file replay wherever I liked. One P2 now can't be bothered to show any PCs, while the other three show two PCs but can only open one. Beats me why this has suddenly happened.

The disease has extended to WizFX and YARDWiz. WizFX is just about useless now and YARDWiz can find only one P2. I am nearly reduced to copying to a atick and taking it to a PC for editing.

All this started when a so-called tech from iiNet got into my modem, but he may be blameless.

Meanwhile, while Internet is still going strong, iiNet stiil haven't fixed our VoIP phone which has worked only one-way since June. At present people can ring in but we cannot ring out.

So it's a bit of a mess. When the VoIP is finally fixed, I will probably need to get a network expert in to see if things can be brought back to how they were. It's beyond me at present.

[IanSav]

Hi Stony41,

So it's a bit of a mess. When the VoIP is finally fixed, I will probably need to get a network expert in to see if things can be brought back to how they were. It's beyond me at present.

I think you are looking at this the wrong way around. Get your network expert to fix your network now and you will probably find that your VoIP problems will also go away. All the issues appear to be network related and things will never get better if the network is broken.

Regards,
Ian.

[stony41]

Ian

The VoIP issue is squarely with iiNet. They have admitted that they need to fix things their end. The scores: TransACT until June 100%, iiNet since June 50%. At present we cannot ring out but callers can ring in. Back in June the reverse applied. The Canberra Times has just outlined a similar epic battle former ACT politician Ted Quinlan has had with iiNet. But it is no consolation that we are not alone.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Ian

The VoIP issue is squarely with iiNet.

All well and good (bad), but you've reported that your non-VoIP devices can't be seen/contacted -

• Your TP-LINK access point no longer works
• One of your P2s sees no PCs, the other three P2s list only 2 of your 4 PCs, but only one PC can be browsed
• YARDWiz can only contact one P2

Can you even ping your P2s from all 4 PCs?
What about your access point?

I'd be getting that 13 year old network kiddie in

[stony41]

No need for the 13yo. My PCs, printers and external drives are all behaving as dutiful Win 10 network citizens, despite M$'s 1607 update. It is just the Beyonwizes that are now playing up, for whatever reason.

But workarounds are available. If I want to extract files for editing on a PC (or at the moment from only three of my four PCs!) I have found that I can use both YARDWiz and WizZilla (but not WizFX which is now dead as a dodo). The only provisos are that I can only enter the addresses of the P2s and that I need to do this every time. No permanent listing of P2s is now possible. All very strange and just what has happened is not clear.

The P2 in the bedroom is the worst case, as it cannot find PCs. Or, more accurately, it does find two PCs but then says that they are not available. So I will need to use a stick to transfer files for editing on a PC, not that I do that much on this machine. But the inability to view files that are stored on the network is a drawback. I will have to read books!

I will be getting someone in and will report if things are fixed. But I am focusing on hammering iiNet about VoIP.

[prl]

...
But workarounds are available. If I want to extract files for editing on a PC (or at the moment from only three of my four PCs!) I have found that I can use both YARDWiz and WizZilla (but not WizFX which is now dead as a dodo). The only provisos are that I can only enter the addresses of the P2s and that I need to do this every time. No permanent listing of P2s is now possible. All very strange and just what has happened is not clear.
...

YARDWiz (via the getWizPnP commandline program) uses the WizPnP protocol to discover Beyonwizes on the network. WixPnP is a cutdown version of the uPnP protocol, and it uses IP multicast to find the devices.

If, for some reason, your router doesn't support multicast, WizPnP discovery won't work through the router. Similarly, if your switches don't support Ethernet multicast, then WizPnP discovery won't work through the switches.

It's also possible that the multicast code in getWizPnP has been broken by newer versions of Windows (it was compiled on Win7), though if that were the case there may have been more complaints about it not working.

[raymondjpg]

It is just the Beyonwizes that are now playing up, for whatever reason.

I'd be taking another look at those wizes to make sure they are configured for DHCP and not fixed IP addresses in the network setup.

I will be getting someone in and will report if things are fixed.

Probably a good idea, but a lot of your problems would appear to be fixable if you were to be able to reserve IP addresses for your various devices on the network. If you don't want to use fixed IP addresses, an expert should be able to advise how to reintroduce your Netgear router and set it up as your principal DHCP server on your LAN. Alternatively you could invest in a Fritz Box to replace that Huawei HG658.

But I am focusing on hammering iiNet about VoIP.

I'd put your issue with VOIP down to iiNet CSRs having little idea, if any, about the VDSL2 network. Over the years I have learned to ask iiNet to either put me through to TransACT or at least consult with them. They should send a tech out to your place to troubleshoot and fix your issues, even if they are at iiNet's end, because they need to interact with folk in Canberra who know what they are doing. At the very least get onto the Whirlpool forums and try and identify from the iiNet and TransACT threads which iiNet tech to contact about VOIP issues and "Whim" them.

[stony41]

You are 100% correct about iiNet's limited knowledge of the VDSL2 network, raymondjpg. The transfer of responsibility for the network from TransACT was tragic, and our VoIP case is a prime example of the consequences. Despite recent email advice that VoIP is finally fully available to us, it clearly isn't and the 'experts' in South Africa or elsewhere are having yet another look.

I will be now suggesting to them that the Huawei HG658 modem may well be faulty. I did reject the first (and possibly the second) HG658 installed onsite by a orange-overalled Visionstream technician. No onsite service from iiNet unfortunately, but I will insist that iiNet installs it remotely with me looking on.

If VoIP doesn't improve quickly, with or without a HG658 replacement or alternative, I see no other solution than to revert to a landline.

A networking expert friend has helped iron out a number of network issues. The P2s are now all working well, except for one that refuses to honour +15 sec and -15 sec settings. I don't know if this fault can be corrected, but I have just taken delivery of a T2 that will take the P2's place. A son-in-law will be happy to take over the P2. He has more need of a 2TB hard disk than I do.

[MrQuade]

A networking expert friend has helped iron out a number of network issues.

Excellent news on that front though .

[Grumpy_Geoff]

...
A networking expert friend has helped iron out a number of network issues. The P2s are now all working well, except for one that refuses to honour +15 sec and -15 sec settings. I don't know if this fault can be corrected, but I have just taken delivery of a T2 that will take the P2's place. A son-in-law will be happy to take over the P2. He has more need of a 2TB hard disk than I do.

There are two skip setting menu areas - one for recorded programs and one for 'media' files (Setup/Misc./PVR, and Setup/Misc./File Player). Have you adjusted both?

[IanSav]

Hi Stony41,

The P2s are now all working well, except for one that refuses to honour +15 sec and -15 sec settings. I don't know if this fault can be corrected, but I have just taken delivery of a T2 that will take the P2's place.

Did you make the changes in the correct place in the settings? There are two sets of skip settings one for the "PVR" and the other for the "File Player".

Regards,
Ian.

[IanSav]

Hi Geoff,

*SNAP*

Regards,
Ian.

[raymondjpg]

I will be now suggesting to them that the Huawei HG658 modem may well be faulty. I did reject the first (and possibly the second) HG658 installed onsite by a orange-overalled Visionstream technician. No onsite service from iiNet unfortunately, but I will insist that iiNet installs it remotely with me looking on.

Just a thought about the Huawei HG658 VOIP. I had to replace my Huawei last week because in the process of clearing my gutters, water found its way into the roof cavity and Murphy had positioned a ventilation grill smack over the modem/router.

Anyway in setting up the VOIP I was stumped until I found that the VOIP password was different from that for the VDSL2 login password. They emailed it to me about 18 months ago and I hadn't written myself an installation note like I usually do.

So if your Huawei is not faulty then follow the procedure as outlined at https://iihelp.iinet.net.au/Setting_up_ ... oIP)#toc_3 and remember to use the VOIP password they sent you separately by email under SIP Account settings. I found that I was unable to copy and paste this password, and that it was necessary to enter it manually.