SmartSDR not starting everytime

Mike KD2CJJ

LOL.... If you want to be narrow minded in the help you get, then dont ask for help in the first place!  Just keep what you got and live with it!

KY6LA_Howard

Make sure you shut off all the GREEN power savings function in the switch

Joe WD5Y

Thanks Howard, I will check this. I did go into the router and reserve the MAC address but same issue. The wn2500rp (extender / switch) is new so just getting into those settings as it looks like it definitely is the culprit not allowing the IP address transfer. I do know there are not any adjustments to lease dhcp lease time, etc. What I don't understand is why the other devices plugged into the extender get ip addresses ok. I did have another wireless bridge in this spot but very very slow, it was a DD-WRT converted linksys router, this handled the IP address assignment fine to the flex but not good at all if remote is an option. Anyway, I appreciate the help very much with this as I am not well versed when it comes to networking issues as it is easily seen. 73's Joe WD5Y

Jim Gilliam

I am not sure I understand your lash up...Are you wirelessly connecting your switch to your router? You are using the switch to connect to the Flex?

Jim, K6QE

Joe WD5Y

I have a netgear router (r7000) then the wireless extender (wn2500rp - access point) with wired connections that the flex and pc plugs into. The PC gets IP address fine. If I could hardwire into the router I would definitely bypass all of this but there is no way, has to be wireless in my situation. 73's Joe WD5Y

Jim Gilliam

Dale KB5VE

I got the same treatment as Joe is getting here when I pointed out a issue with the 260x graphics card. I was told others had one working and it had nothing to do with the 6500, I was setting it up wrong, I needed to make changes in the registry, even Flex said the card should work. I put a problem out and asked for help .

Well if you will look in the flex support site you will now see that Flex advises this card will not work with the Signature series! So when someone ask for help I do not see it being narrow minded, in fact it might not be Joe who is narrow minded. We must all pull the blinders off and realize even Flex radios have issues as all others do, but working together we can help each other solve the issue.

Walt - KZ1F

It sounds like you have multiple dhcp services.

Joe WD5Y

Thanks for the reply Walt.I thought so too but the extender does not have the dhcp as an option. I have it working with an older (ddwrt) router setup as a bridge into the same router, never an issue with the flex getting an IP address. I am trying to get something with better speed in place. I have taken the original extender back and purchased another one, we will see what happens with this one, what is puzzling a PC tied into the same location as the flex never has an issue. 73's Joe WD5Y

Jim Gilliam

The picture above is my Amped extender which runs 600 mw. Using the stock antennas the extender was very unstable with varying conditions because I am about 200 feet from my router going through several walls. Using one of the antenna ports with the parabolic antenna and pointing it at the router made a very useful stable extender.

Joe WD5Y

Thanks Jim, will check that out. I am within probably 50' of the router just no way to get hardwire to connect due to roofline and such. The new extender is supposed to have better range than the older one as well, we will see. Thanks, Joe WD5Y

Walt - KZ1F

I tried setting up a second netgear as an extender some years back. It never worked really well but it was a stock netgear router. It may well have not worked well because I hadn't shut off the checkbox saying act as dhcp server. Similarly, make sure Windows isn't trying to be the dhcpd server.

It would be nice if there was a way to query the 6000 box to see where it was connected to. The fact you got a 169 address means it wasn't connected to the router. Ah, the way to tell is bring up the router's http server app, generally 192.168.0.1/admin then query 'connected devices. Then do the same on the extender and, I bet, you'll see it conected, if not to both, alternately to one of the other. In other words, when the ip address is 169 the router won't show it as being connected, I am willing to bet. I think this gets into the difference between a hub and a switch. My understanding is with a hub all 4 (or more) connections get all the packets and it's up to the ip endpoint to ignore those ip packets not destined for it. In a switch, I believe, each connection sees only those packets destined for it. My point here is where you say both the pc and the radio are connected to the same device, the pc is seeing the radio as if it were directly connected to it. Does the PC have wifi card? If so try having the pc connect via wifi. Also consider an AC wireless router as they have much better distance (and speed) than type N or G. You said you thought the extender was a switch? Why? I'd guess it acts more like a hub, as that would fit the hypothesis above. Netgear has a 1900AC and a 1750AC. Neither is expensive.

Something else you could consider where the distance is 50'. if it's an inside distance you could get an electician to route cat-6 between the walls. If it is outside you could dig a trench and do the same or run fiber and put a fiber to ethernet media converter at both ends. That'll fix the speed issue and remove the necessity for the extender. You could also run the fiber like clothesline at 12' off the ground, building to building. Again, that would be if it's outside. I think Tim's idea has value.

Also, if it's inside, put the cable modem and initial router in the middle of the house cutting the distance (radius) to 25'.

Walt

Jim Gilliam

Also, the Amped not only runs a lot of power (relatively speaking) it has a 4-port bridge so you can connect the Flex to one of the ports and have a great extender besides. For me it has been win-win-win-win-win. I use my printer on one of the ports as can be seen from the photo.

Jim

Jim Gilliam

The "new high range extender" can be bologna. Unless the new extender has a better receiving antenna, no electronics is going to improve your throughput appreciably. You HAVE to be able to Receive/transmit a better signal. Every ham knows the secret to a good signal is a good antenna!

Jim, K6QE

Walt - KZ1F

Jim, I've never seen anyone put an external ant on their router. A friend of mine and wife moved to Golden Colorado in around 2002, and fashioned a WiFi ant to link to a home's WiFi on the adjacent ridge. No lack of imagination there.

Joe WD5Y

The extender I have is an ex6200. It has the Ethernet bridge as well. One thing I wasn't sure of is if I have something going on with the PC that is in the same room with the flex because it is the only other device that is direct connect to the extender bridge. The bridge noted originally above is the same that I had issues with so hopefully this new one will work. Thanks and 73's Joe WD5Y

Jim Gilliam

I got the idea from various people on YouTube who fabricated Mickey Mouse antennas out of milk cartons, etc. I though of Old Dundee when he was approached by some New York **** with a knife, and he took his knife and said "Now this is a knife mate" Well this is an antenna, mate!

Jim, K6QE

Walt - KZ1F

I understand the concept of bridge in connection to virtual ip addresses in a virtualized world. I do not understand the concept of a bridge in relation to a hub or switch. Are you sure your use of bridge is not a synonym for hub, the the 5 port netgear unmanaged switch where unmanaged switch = hub, i.e. GS1105? I suspect what's happening is your PC sees the radio just as if it were directly connected to it not to the router acting as dhcpd. Now I think of it, my laptop is also connected to the gs105 along with the radio and I never experienced what you are seeing. But my gs105 is directly connected to my router. The more I think about this Joe I think Tim has the correct idea. In other words, I think what Tim said is completely consistent with my hypothesis...or visa versa.

Joe WD5Y

I did try connecting the PC and radio into a hub and the hub connected into the extender, same issue, very confusing. I was thinking that the PC would see the radio through the hub as well. Joe WD5Y

Phil M0VSE

Switches 'are' bridges, that is what differentiates them from hubs (not that you really see network hubs anymore). A bridge/switch is a device that maintains a table of what MAC addresses are connected to what port and only forward packets to the port that they know contains the device with the correct MAC address (other than broadcast traffic which is forwarded to all ports).

Back to the original problem, I suspect that the wireless bridge is filtering broadcast traffic between the wired and wireless domains or is simply not forwarding them fast enough. Once it has the MAC address in its lookup table, it is likely then successfully forwarding the DHCP broadcast (and the response from the DHCP server) but this only happens if the Flex is rebooted. I wonder how many retries the Flex will make to get an IP address before it gives-up and uses a link-local address? Windows will keep trying to get an IP address which is probably why the PC is working but I guess the Flex doesn't?

My personal take is that Wireless bridges are second only to powerline adaptors in devices that I don't want to see on a network but I guess that isn't what you want to hear?

73 Phil

Joe WD5Y

I with you on that but for me it is a necessary evil hi hi. I have a ddwrt converted router (bridge) that works but very very slow, that is why I went with the newer extender. It sounds like the flex retry ability of the IP address may be the problem, I may be in trouble with the new extender as well. Not sure but what would happen if I had the PC and flex connected to a hub and the hub connected to the extender but powered the extender up after the hub? Probably a dumb question but asked anyway. 73's Joe WD5Y

Jim Gilliam

Have you tried hooking everything up temporarily in the proximity of the router to be sure it is not quality of signal that is causing the problem.

Joe WD5Y

No not yet but will give it a try also. Thanks, Joe WD5Y