The Home Networking Megathread - Yes the OP is out of date

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The Home Networking Megathread - Yes the OP is out of date

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Crossposting from stupid/small questions. The router is a brand new TP-Link Archer C7 v3

Is there something that can block all wifi signals but one, but without just drowning them out?

Nothing in my classroom will connect to a wifi except the school's lovely guest account. The signal strength on the failing wifis is -23 to -40 db because they're like, line of sight right next to me. It doesn't matter though, trying to connect prompts for a password (and the password is always invalid, even if I turn off security). This also happens to my phone tethering, which isn't associated with the school at all.

Wired connections work perfectly, my laptop just has an internet connection without drama. Bluetooth peripherals also work perfectly Any ideas?

Things I've tried in the haunted room, in both 5ghz and 2.4. I tried disabling wps and wmm as well, no change:

Default ssid and password: no dice on MacBook Pro, an old android phone, iPad mini, iPhone 5S or a chromebook. Just baffling invalid password errors.

Custom ssid with new password, wpa2: same devices, same errors (these range from "get closer to the router" to "invalid password")

Trying to tether to my iPhone over wifi: same errors on all devices

Connecting to open school guest account: connection with intermittent problems, but no error messages or weird password prompts, signal strength is around 60-95 throughout the room.

Connecting to router wifi at my house 200m from the school: perfectly normal behavior

Connecting to my iPhone over wifi at home: normal again.

Any ideas? It's a science lab but there's no mad science poo poo going on in there at all, just a bunch of drawers full of beakers at this point.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2017 06:11

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 16, 2024 03:18

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

CrazyLittle posted:

A Faraday cage.

But then other signals wouldn't pass through, right? And the signals I'm messing with are inside the cage 😱

# ¿ Feb 7, 2017 02:43

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I ran a scan from my computer and it popped out quite a few signals, but is 25-30 signals sufficient to prevent connection to a 31st?

Here's the scanner output:

# ¿ Feb 7, 2017 05:55

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Thanks for the awesome response. I'm concerned with the tempwifi signals, they're the ones that won't allow a connection from devices running win 7, chrome OS, android, iOS or MacOS. The same errors (move closer/invalid password/"cannot connect"/-3905 in terminal) pop up if I broadcast my phone as an AP. Nobody knows how to login to NSD61 and northlands guest is garbage that won't allow a bunch of services I need. Those two signals, and the unbroadcast ones, came with the school and nobody knows anything about them except the IT guy 300km away. When I ask, everyone "just uses the open one". :psyduck:

# ¿ Feb 7, 2017 23:45

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

flosofl posted:

I completely glossed over those. Signal strength is good for ~~both~~ 5GHz band. Signal strength on 2.4GHz seems low if it's physically near where you are. Channel selection on 2.4Ghz looks like it'll cause contention with BSSID 06:18:0A:79:31:DB. Based on the RSSID values, RF traffic on 79:31:DB is probably hogging the majority of the duty cycles based on where the measurements are taken Your AP is going to spend more time on CTS/CTR (Clear to Send/Receive) than actual traffic. Channel 1 or 11 would be better choices and maybe nudge the antenna gain a bit if your AP is physically closer. 5GHz channel looks good since no other 5GHz would overlap bases on your dump.

I notice the locale on the 5GHz (802.11a only? wow) is set to US and the 2.4GHz is blank. Everything else is set to Canada. CA and US locales are *usually* interoperable, but there may be some manufacturers that go "NO. Your locales must be uniform to the region you are in". Have you tried setting one of the clients to US region and trying? Or can you get into that AP and set the locale to CA?

Other than that, I'm at the end of my rope as far as how much I can help without some remote tools and access to the configs/logs/etc.

The locale also stood out to me, and it doesn't have the dropdown to change it. But, my phone has the correct locale when it's an AP and nothing connects to that either so I don't know. You gave me some good stuff to ask the IT guy when he comes through tomorrow though, so thanks.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2017 02:36

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

My haunted network saga continues. The big-deal IT guys came by to fix a related problem where chromebooks wouldn't connect to their bespoke network, and I asked why no other AP but the established ones would connect anywhere in the building. He told me that they had "beam filtering" or something like that, so any unrecognized APs around wouldn't be able to connect even if they're completely separate from the building network.

I've never heard of anything like that, and my googling hasn't helped me. Is this a thing that exists (he said it was best, and fairly standard, practice)? All the hardware around seems to be those Cisco internal antenna things but none of the Cisco documentation mentions anything like that that I could see.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2017 07:38

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

So should I use the same SSID for 2.4 and 5ghz connections or what?

# ¿ Mar 8, 2017 01:01

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

My TP-Link C7 v2 frequently fails to connect to Samsung devices or they can�t get an internet connection. Some laptops encounter this issue as well. Like Dells and a Lenovo IIRC.

Our printer, a Brother MFC-L2750DW also can�t connect to it wirelessly reliably, and scanning over WiFi has never worked.

However, a google chromecast, two MacBooks, two iPhones and iPads, PS4, our LG TV and an assortment of WiFi dongles for RPis all work flawlessly.

What gives?

# ¿ Jul 22, 2019 00:11

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Both, I have a single IoT thing stuck on 2.4, and the RPis, TV and PS4 do fine on it. All the other things stay on 5 the whole time. The space is just a 2 bed apartment.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2019 00:21

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Why do you need special wire if it�s going to be buried?

# ¿ Jul 23, 2019 23:29

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

VelociBacon posted:

Because he's white or is there some hidden nazi thing I don't see?

The haircut. It is a nazi haircut.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2019 19:56

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Lambert posted:

This is getting silly. It's a pretty common haircut.

🤔

# ¿ Jul 27, 2019 21:37

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Just a quick question here. I have a pihole and an old 10/100 switch. I've run out of gigabit ports so I'm looking to move stuff over to the slow switch like my printer and other slow things. Can the pihole do without gigabit ethernet or will it slow down the whole network?

# ¿ Jul 13, 2020 22:59

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Wacky Delly posted:

All raspberry pis before the 4 run the ethernet over the USB2 bus. So they won't get more than about 300mb/s even on a gigabit network.

Edit: I realize that doesn't answer your question. DNS traffic isn't huge. I doubt if it'd have much of an affect.

I guess I�ll switch it out and see! That�s what I thought too. I don�t know exactly what dns does but it can�t be that much overhead, right?

And yeah, always running pihole plugged in.

# ¿ Jul 14, 2020 03:27

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

If I want to share internet with my neighbours but don�t want them to have access to all the devices on my network, what do I do to separate their �half� of the network?

# ¿ Nov 9, 2020 06:11

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

H110Hawk posted:

What exactly are you using today? Make, model, and os if custom. For example my old ddwrt router had this out of the box as an easy to setup thing. Others it's either impossible or very hard.

Just a TP-Link Archer C7v2 (AC1750) with the latest firmware. I could probably switch over to the all-in-one that my ISP left, but I immediately switched that to bridge mode and never looked back.

# ¿ Nov 10, 2020 03:49

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

CaptainSarcastic posted:

I have an Archer C8 and it has the option to set up a Guest network.

A quick search indicates the C7 should have that functionality, too:

https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/649/

I was thinking of just running a long cable either through the hallway or outside into their router, since the coverage between walls kind of sucks. Doesn�t seem like the guest network setting covers anything but WiFi.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2020 17:38

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Kind of having a weird issue here with a new Wireguard install. Has anyone successfully gotten it to work so that you can access other devices on the host LAN, like say a computer's SMB share (provided that computer is not the Wireguard host device)?

# ¿ Dec 1, 2020 21:09

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

GigaFuzz posted:

Are the clients connecting to the VPN on a different subnet to the host LAN? Is there a route back from the host LAN to the VPN one? You may either have to add a route to VPN subnet, or use NAT on the VPN clients to pretend to be on the host LAN.

I think this did it. I needed to add a route from 10.6.0.1/24 to 192.168.0.1/24.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2020 03:26

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

tuyop posted:

I think this did it. I needed to add a route from 10.6.0.1/24 to 192.168.0.1/24.

Oh interesting! The only place I go these days is my girlfriend�s place, and her subnet is 192.168.0.x as well. When I try the WireGuard VPN from within her network and try to access services or computers on my LAN, it times out. I assume this is because we have the same subnet and my client devices don�t know which 192.168.0.10 to connect to, for instance.

How are you supposed to get around that, or what are the terms I should be looking for.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2020 16:02

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

KS posted:

Re-IP one of the networks to a different subnet. I suggest something in 172.16.0.0/12 since it so rarely conflicts with work VPN.

Alternatively, turn off split tunnel VPN -- that will tunnel 100% of your traffic through the VPN tunnel rather than just the 192.168.0.0 space that's the destination of your wireguard tunnel.

Thanks, I looked up the split tunneling settings and my client setting says AllowedIPs 0.0.0.0 for IPv4, doesn�t that mean all IPs go through the tunnel?

# ¿ Dec 7, 2020 16:45

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

withoutclass posted:

I think you could also have the other devices connect to the wireguard host with their own client IPs, so then they would be directly accessible.

Turned out just listing 192.168.0.0/24 as an allowed IP did it. Can anyone suggest a primer or manual on how these IP address wildcard things work?

I think /8 and /24 correspond to some kind of subnet mask (255.255.0.0 and 255.255.255.0 respectively?) but I just don�t really understand the differences or implications of one vs the other.

# ¿ Dec 8, 2020 00:54

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Fragrag posted:

I bought a house and I want to install a robust wired network setup while it's being renovated. Are there any blatant faults in my following design? I'm not sure running cables through the walls is possible so I'm a bit worried of how thick the bundle of 5 CAT6 would be if I have to run it through the floor.

What�s with the outlet in the attic?

# ¿ Dec 13, 2020 00:25

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

BonoMan posted:

Good selling point for when you sell too

Yeah even those like, wall bridge things (just a cat 6 outlet on each side of a wall connected together, don�t know what they�re called) would be awesome just in case things.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2020 00:51

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

The latest C7 is very good for the price, though.

I mean, in my time setting a friend�s up. I still have my old V2 and it handles all I throw at it very well. Still getting updates too!

# ¿ Dec 18, 2020 20:34

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

BrianRx posted:

I'm not sure if this question is within the scope of this thread, but it all involves accessing things on my home network : )

I am looking to backup my 2015 Macbook Air (10.14.6) to "remote" storage on a PC I own. The PC is running Windows 10 Pro and the storage medium is an empty HDD that can be reformatted if needed. I really don't need a full system backup of the Macbook, just a few important files. I've tried to do this manually through Google Drive as I'm paying for 100GB of storage there, but the upload time is impractical due to the size of the files. Ideally, I'd like a solution that uploads backups of my laptop every day while it's in use (as I likely won't leave it running overnight) to the PC HDD. It would be great if I could restore using the same tools, but it isn't required as long as I can access the files physically in case of emergency.

Is this possible a) at all, b) with the equipment I have, and c) with open source/libre software? Or am I making this much more complicated than it is?

May be outside the scope of the thread, but it depends on if you're looking for a really feature-rich setup or if you just want a folder backed up. Do you need versioning?

If you don't need versioning and you just want these files in one place, check out syncthing https://syncthing.net. It's not perfect but you can then get some support for versions of those files (in case of accidental deletion or whatever) using Windows' File History feature.

If you want a crazy feature-rich solution, check out Nextcloud. It's essentially the same as Google Drive but free and running on your own hardware.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2020 00:16

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I posted awhile ago about this issue. What are the troubleshooting steps for a device not connecting to the internet through my AP?

In this case, a Samsung A7 and my TP-Link AC1750v2. Used to have a pihole running a DNS ad blocker but that�s been taken out of the loop recently so I don�t think it�s the DNS settings on the router, that�s just 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 now.

We�ve tried:
Resetting all involved devices
Assigning a static IP to the device (and ARP binding for kicks)
Setting dns settings in the device

To add to the fun, this friend uses the same router but the V5 one at home and it works great. What else should I try and why does this happen with some Samsung stuff and this router?

# ¿ Jan 2, 2021 15:00

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

CaptainSarcastic posted:

I assume other devices can access the router fine, right?

A quick search turned up this page that goes through Samsung A7 troubleshooting from the obvious to less obvious, so maybe it can help? https://thedroidguy.com/fix-samsung-galaxy-a7-cannot-access-internet-wi-fi-network-troubleshooting-guide-1079557

Oh yeah, everything else works fine with the router, from smart bulbs to raspberry pi�s to Windows and Mac laptops. I had another friend with a Samsung phone that had a lot of trouble with our router as well so I�m assuming it�s their specific chipset or whatever, but I�ll look into that next time, thanks!

# ¿ Jan 3, 2021 07:48

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Kind of a weird situation here. I use wireguard hosted on a Raspberry Pi 3 to get on my network and access computers, services and files.

Occasionally in the last month, it hasn't worked. I get a connected message on the wireguard client on my phone or laptop, but I can't SSH or VNC into any computer on the network or access any of the services running. DNS (which is a pihole running on the same device as WG) also stops working on the connected device.

However, if I have Parsec running on my desktop, I can sign into that as long as I'm not connected through the VPN. Then I can reboot my router through the desktop web browser and everything works perfectly. I can also access all the stuff I'm not able to on Wireguard. So, I have a few questions:

Why does the wireguard connection fail but the parsec connection works fine?
What could be causing this weird intermittent issue? My router is kind of old, think I bought it in 2017, would that be related? It seems like a Wireguard problem primarily, though.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2021 15:48

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

tuyop posted:

Kind of a weird situation here. I use wireguard hosted on a Raspberry Pi 3 to get on my network and access computers, services and files.

Occasionally in the last month, it hasn't worked. I get a connected message on the wireguard client on my phone or laptop, but I can't SSH or VNC into any computer on the network or access any of the services running. DNS (which is a pihole running on the same device as WG) also stops working on the connected device.

However, if I have Parsec running on my desktop, I can sign into that as long as I'm not connected through the VPN. Then I can reboot my router through the desktop web browser and everything works perfectly. I can also access all the stuff I'm not able to on Wireguard. So, I have a few questions:

Why does the wireguard connection fail but the parsec connection works fine?
What could be causing this weird intermittent issue? My router is kind of old, think I bought it in 2017, would that be related? It seems like a Wireguard problem primarily, though.

Nobody? Guess I�ll grab a router and see!

# ¿ Jun 8, 2021 14:07

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Can anyone talk about the advantages of ipv6? I just always turn it off.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2021 03:01

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I was using an Asus RT-AX86U since 2020 but I've moved and the Bell "Giga Hub" is the default modem and router. They won't put it into bridge mode for me and instead, if I want to use my own hardware, I have to configure my router to connect with PPPoE and turn off all the routing functions of the giga hub.

The issue is that even if I use the credentials they gave me and any combination of ports and cords, all I get is a "DATO Packet timeout" error on my Asus router. Some digging turns up some known issues with PPPoE and my router model. I tried flashing an open source firmware to see if that would help, but no luck there. Weirdest thing is it definitely worked fine for a few hours, then just failed and never functioned again. The Asus just reads "Disconnected".

So, are there any routers with good mesh systems that are known to work well with PPPoE or should I just play ball with Bell's hardware and get some of their stupid mesh pods that they rent?

# ¿ Oct 6, 2023 15:20

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

El Grillo posted:

Is there a general recommendation for a non poo poo WiFi router these days?
Need to replace the lovely one that our ISP gave us, it's reached the point where the internet service is cutting out fairly regularly and the thing keeps needing to be reset to bring it back.

At my last place a housemate set us up with Google nest WiFi hubs, which might be easiest. Are they a decent option, or stupidly overpriced?
Only real requirement is high speed (we have good fiber net speeds).

Searching around I�ve decided to go with mikrotik as the main router and access point brand for the house. But a goon has generously offered his two netgear r7000s with openwrt for shipping so those are indoor ap�s and the router will be microtik with all the other network stuff in the basement (or is the attic better?). Thinking a hEX PoE router https://mikrotik.com/product/RB960PGS

# ¿ Oct 12, 2023 01:13

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Silly Newbie posted:

Wait whomst the gently caress is using PPPoE to the home in 2023?

I�ve been told by Bell that this is the only way I can use my own hardware with my fiber connection.

Except I�m pretty sure the credentials they gave me don�t work and nobody has been able to correct them

# ¿ Oct 19, 2023 13:01

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Perplx posted:

You can see your username in the bell modem and you can reset the password for it on the bell site.

Feeling stupid but where?

# ¿ Oct 20, 2023 01:53

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Perplx posted:

On the mybell.bell.ca site after you login, the username is also beside the internet tab and under "Settings" there is "Change modem access password".
I'm not sure if automatic but you can set the username and password on the modem webpage , under "Service health" and click on Internet.

Super weird talking to Bell all morning. Five different techs! One told me flat that they wouldn�t do this (let me connect with my own router), the second was about to configure mybell for me when the call dropped, and the third told me that I can�t have a mybell account.

The fourth got me a little farther and I reached someone who knew some background about why this might be an issue.

Then the last person I reached told me I may need a mobility account because the pppoe credentials they gave me just haven�t worked.

I have an xxxx@ns.aliant.net as the username they gave me. Everything everywhere else says I should have that b1xxxx number. But only like 35% of the people at Bell seem to know what a b1xxxx number is. I have no access to the bell app or anything. I need a phone anyway so I�ll check that out but it just sucks.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2023 18:33

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

KS posted:

There are some underlayments that have metallic backing that might mess you up, but in general not a problem.

I have 4 APs mounted on my basement ceiling to serve my first floor and have no problem getting gigabit+ speeds from them.

Trying this now and it�s been really tricky getting reliable signal, actually. Do you have any more details that might be key?

My flooring appears to be softwood on top of subfloor. I have an AP at the SW (Bell �gigahub� router) and NW (ASUS ax86u in AP mode with Ethernet to the Bell) corners. They�re either screwed to the joist or sitting on ducting. I can�t seem to get consistent wireless throughput on the network above 200 megabits.

Wired devices get the speed of the switch and cord so the network is fine otherwise

# ¿ Nov 29, 2023 21:56

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 16, 2024 03:18

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Real quick one:

Can this PoE switch, a TP-Link TL-SG1005P https://a.co/d/aoP31nV

Be powered by this switch, a Yuanley that pushes 48v? https://a.co/d/bgiTxFU

Why? I just finished running cat 6 cables from my basement to the attic and separate cables down into the rooms upstairs. There�s just no power in the attic so I was hoping to power the switch with PoE.

Edit: think I answered my own question. The term seems to be �PoE in� a la this one https://a.co/d/flD9mb9

tuyop fucked around with this message at 21:31 on Mar 23, 2024

# ¿ Mar 23, 2024 21:26

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The Home Networking Megathread - Yes the OP is out of date