Network oddity ?

[Jethro_uk]

Smart TV, connected via no name router and powerline adapter to main network. Happily sees DLNA server and streams media from there as well as internet (iPlayer, YouTube etc).

Router blows.

I dig around, find an old BT Hub3 router. Plug it in, configure it as previous router (duplicating SSID and password from dead router). Happily streams media from internet (iPlayer, YouTube etc). However, for some reason that is clearly subtle, it doesn't seem to find the DLNA server until I have explicitly gone to iPlayer or something.

Running the TVs network diagnostics reports all OK.

The TiVo that is also going through the router is fine (but doesn't run DLNA client).

Flicking the network and router on/off doesn't seem to do anything.

Plugging the TV into the PLA adapter finds the DLNA server immediately.

So why is *this* router not serving up the DLNA server ?

The router is configured not to DHCP and all firewall and standby options are off.

[No Name]

The Router needs to support uPNP protocol

Officially known as Universal Plug 'n' Play but colloquially known as Universal Plug 'n' Pray!

[Jethro_uk]

It claims it does and is enabled ...

I've also had a 2Wire router in exactly the same position and that worked perfectly ...

[T i m]

I'll admit to not reading so far that deeply but don't some routers default to not allowing inter-LAN-port traffic, or some interport traffic (Wireless / port separation) and could that be on (long shot, can't think of anything else as I also used old routers similarly).

Cheers, T i m

[Jethro_uk]

No idea.

part of the oddity is that it *seems* that once the TV has accessed the internet (which is immediately available with no issues) then it manages to see the internal DLNA server. Suggesting it's "something" with the router.

I find it amusing that it takes longer these days, with apps needing to "initialise" etc etc that it takes longer to actually go from switch-on to viewing than it did in the 70s when you had to wait for the CRT *and* the receiver valves to warm up.

[Theo]

I wonder if turning on DHCP will help. It may be the DLNA/UPnP server needs to 'know' your client exists. When you power up the client has a static IP so doesn't talk to anyone else, so the server is oblivious. When you start talking to the internet, suddenly the router is aware of you (has to do NAT for you). It's possible that a DHCP request will have a similar result. ('know' in this sense might mean an ARP mapping, a DNS entry, or so other piece of state that is retained when you do DHCP)

Just guesswork really...

Theo

[Jethro_uk]

But AIUI the DLNA server advertises it]'s presence every few seconds which any client should be able to see.

Just for lolz, if I use the TVs inbuilt WiFi to connect to my main (not the BT Hub) router then all works as before.

So my conclusion is there's something subtly different about the BT router. I know, like Virgin, they have a penchant for rolling their own firmware for routers rather than using what's shipped ?

[Theo]

Can you explain how you're using the BT Hub? I don't follow the mix of wifi and ethernet here?

Do you have: Internet -> WAN:main router:LAN -> ethernet -> LAN:BT Hub:wifi -> TV

where :LAN is a LAN port on the box? Or is the BT Hub being a wifi client to the main router?

You aren't using the WAN port on the BT Hub are you?

Theo

[Jethro_uk]

OK ... I have

DLNA server + PC + PC + PC

all go into my Main Router which is connected to my Virgin Modem and internet. It's this router doing all the DHCP.

One port of that router goes into a PLA.

In another room, another PLA goes into my repurposed BT router. This is just basically acting as a switch - no DHCP, and no WAN.

Dangling off that router are my TV, Blu Ray, and TiVo, all of which can access the internet (iPlayer etc) with no trouble.

However like this, the TV has stopped seeing the DLNA server. Which it used to. Or rather it's become very erratic and *seems* to need to have connected to the internet to "wake up" the connection.

[T i m]

Wouldn't that be counterproductive then?

I though that when a client goes online it broadcasts for a DHCP server and the first one to respond (or in the scope) replies, providing the client with an ip address? In a domestic setup this would be typically the main Internet facing router?

This would be if you are using your 'DHCP from the local router' option but I didn't think that's what the OP was doing?

Follows.

Well, the mechanics around what *should* work isn't, what might be happening in this scenario might be. ;-)

I'm assuming that the OP is only interconnecting the local ex-router to the client and main router via it's hub/switch ports, not any WAN port (I don't know that router but some ADSL routers had both ADSL modems and RJ45 WAN > Modem ports (as per my Fritzbox Fon Wan)?

Cheers, T i m

[John Rumm]

So everything has a static IP?

Have you got the DLNA server and the client on separate lan segments (e.g. one on wifi, one on ethernet)?

Can a PC on the same network see the DLNA server (or is it the DLNA server)?

Can you ping it?

[Theo]

It would, as we now understand the situation. As previously described it was unclear - it sounded like the main router had DHCP disabled and things were using static IPs. In that case, I could imagine not interacting with the DHCP server (which often does DNS, etc) might cause issues.

I wouldn't be wanting two DHCP servers on the network, that could cause Fun.

Theo

[Theo]

OK, that's quite different from how you explained to begin with. The BT hub is just being a plain switch - no WAN, no wifi. DHCP/etc is being done by the Main Router.

This is puzzling because most routers attach their all ports via a VLAN tagged switch. That means the default config is all the LAN ports are all switched together, in hardware. The traffic doesn't go via the CPU to go from one LAN port to another (although it is possible to configure VLANs to do it that way, when it is less efficient).

Unless something is blocking broadcast traffic across the switches? But I can't think what. And in that case DHCP wouldn't work.

I wonder if the problem is something else entirely...?

Theo

[Brian Gaff (Sofa)]

There might be a firmware update to fix that. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa)]

Yes I know. There are also huge delays in some streamed stuff. I can imagine the coverage of the end of the world being missed due to latency. Brian

[T i m]

Agreed.

I have done that using two different scopes then at least you can see which you are getting your DHCP from (however illogical they seem to be). ;-)

Each would also (as you say) give the right DNS and gateway info.

When I use (recycled)routers or additional AP's I also set *their* ip address to static and outside the DHCP range(s).

Cheers, T i m

[Jethro_uk]

There aren't 2 DHCP servers running - just one in the main router.

[Jethro_uk]

Which is what I've done here. My main router dishes out addresses.

192.168.10.2-192.168.10.150 and the BT Hub is 192.168.10.254

[Jethro_uk]

No, but only one DHCP server

The server is wired into the main router which has a PLA through to the lounge and goes into the second router

When it's on I can ping the TV from the server even though as it is "refusing" to see the DLNA server.

[Jethro_uk]

Unfortunately the old router bit the dust, so I can't sway it back in to see if the issue goes away. And I really CBA to dig out a 2Wire one and set it up just for this.

It's not impossible that something else has happened that I'm not aware of. But the only thing I know that has changed is the lounge router.