Hi

I was sitting on my Windows 11 PC working with a Raspberrypi zero W
through VNC when there suddenly was a nettwork problem. Could not
access the Raspbewrypi via VNC, could not even ping it. It turned out
that I had lost all internet connection on the PC. The PC is connected
to the router via ethernet and wifi. The router delivers both wifi and
ethernet. Both connections now on the PC are now marked with "No
internet connection". I have restarted PC and router to no avail, and
can't find any obvious reasons to this new behaviour. Ethernet cable
is changed and connected to another port on the router, no cure.
Deactivating of Bitdefender antivirus does not help.
Some more strange things:
- I can unplug the ethernett cable from the PC and plug the end that
was in the PC into a Raspberrypi 4 and have interntt access.
- My 2 mobile phones are having wifi internet connection via the same
wifi connection from router with SSID 12Com that the PC says has "no
internet connection".
- I have a wifi-extender getting its in-signal from the router-wifi.
The wifi from router has SSID 12Com, and the wifi-extender passes it
on with SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC has internet connection when connected
to 12Com_EXT1!
- I have a laptop running Windows 10 that has been working fine as
late as yesterday with wifi-internet connection via 12Com, but when i
started the laptop to test after the trouble with the PC, it also says
"No internet connection".
- On my mobile phone connected to wifi with SSID 12Com I can share the
wifi. The PC has intenet acces when connected to the shared connection
from mobile!
....and no new Windows updates on laptop or PC.

So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4 gets
fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.

I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.

Best regards
--
Jesper Kaas - jesperk@neindanke.online.no

Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:
[...]
> So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
> via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
> wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
> internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4 gets
> fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.
>
> I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.

No real suggestions, but I do also have very similar problems since
about five days (November 22).

'No internet access' or failures/hangs in browser(s) on Windows 11
laptop. Windows 10 laptop works fine, but has not been rebooted. Cisco
cable modem/router has been restarted, no change.

I normally 'fix' the failures using the troubleshooting tool offered
in the browser or by right-clicking the network icon on the Taskbar and
selecting 'Diagnose network problems' which starts the 'Let's help you
get connected' troubleshooting tool (which most of the time restarts the
Wi-Fi network adaptor).

A question in return: Does by any chance the Windows Spotlight feature
also no longer work for you (i.e. the changing landscapes/paintings on
the Lock screen)?

My Lock screen/sign-in screen does no longer show changing landscapes/
paintings, but only a static picture (probably called 'Windows Bloom').
I've tried many 'fixes' found by Google searches, but none fix my
occurence of the problem.

If you don't have the Windows Spotlight problem, just ignore that
part. I might come back to it in a seperate thread when I've run out of
exotic things to try.

On 27.11.2023 20:04, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:
> [...]
>> So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
>> via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
>> wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
>> internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4 gets
>> fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.
>>
>> I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.
>
> No real suggestions, but I do also have very similar problems since
> about five days (November 22).
>
> 'No internet access' or failures/hangs in browser(s) on Windows 11
> laptop. Windows 10 laptop works fine, but has not been rebooted. Cisco
> cable modem/router has been restarted, no change.
>
> I normally 'fix' the failures using the troubleshooting tool offered
> in the browser or by right-clicking the network icon on the Taskbar and
> selecting 'Diagnose network problems' which starts the 'Let's help you
> get connected' troubleshooting tool (which most of the time restarts the
> Wi-Fi network adaptor).
Tried, but no usefull help here.
>
> A question in return: Does by any chance the Windows Spotlight feature
> also no longer work for you (i.e. the changing landscapes/paintings on
> the Lock screen)?

>
> My Lock screen/sign-in screen does no longer show changing landscapes/
> paintings, but only a static picture (probably called 'Windows Bloom').
> I've tried many 'fixes' found by Google searches, but none fix my
> occurence of the problem.
>
> If you don't have the Windows Spotlight problem, just ignore that
> part. I might come back to it in a seperate thread when I've run out of
> exotic things to try.

Thanks for your reply.

It could be a problem with conflicting IP-adresses. When I shut the
laptop off, there was a message about that. The system log had an error
message concerning IP 0.0.0.0 and gave a mac-adddress that is that of
the wifi-extender.
I have had a fixed IP on the PC for many years, 10.0.0.8. When I build a
new PC recently I wnated to give it 10.0.0.9, but it is not possible to
set fixed IP in Win11. So I set it in the router by defining the
mac-address of the PC to get 10.0.0.9.
I logged into the router from a Raspberrypi and removed the static IP
for the PC. My wifi sitting at the PC , then said that she lost
internet-connection. A moment later there was internet working on the
ethernet to the PC. But that did not last long.
Right now the PC has internet connection with wifi to the wifi-extender
on wifi 12Com_EXT1.
I will turn off the wifi-extender. Hope that helps.

Best regards

On Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:57:47 +0100, Jesper Kaas
<kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 27.11.2023 20:04, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>> Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:
>> [...]
>>> So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
>>> via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
>>> wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
>>> internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4 gets
>>> fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.
>>>
>>> I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.
>>
>> No real suggestions, but I do also have very similar problems since
>> about five days (November 22).
>>
>> 'No internet access' or failures/hangs in browser(s) on Windows 11
>> laptop. Windows 10 laptop works fine, but has not been rebooted. Cisco
>> cable modem/router has been restarted, no change.
>>
>> I normally 'fix' the failures using the troubleshooting tool offered
>> in the browser or by right-clicking the network icon on the Taskbar and
>> selecting 'Diagnose network problems' which starts the 'Let's help you
>> get connected' troubleshooting tool (which most of the time restarts the
>> Wi-Fi network adaptor).
>Tried, but no usefull help here.
>>
>> A question in return: Does by any chance the Windows Spotlight feature
>> also no longer work for you (i.e. the changing landscapes/paintings on
>> the Lock screen)?
>
>>
>> My Lock screen/sign-in screen does no longer show changing landscapes/
>> paintings, but only a static picture (probably called 'Windows Bloom').
>> I've tried many 'fixes' found by Google searches, but none fix my
>> occurence of the problem.
>>
>> If you don't have the Windows Spotlight problem, just ignore that
>> part. I might come back to it in a seperate thread when I've run out of
>> exotic things to try.
>
>Thanks for your reply.
>
>It could be a problem with conflicting IP-adresses. When I shut the
>laptop off, there was a message about that. The system log had an error
>message concerning IP 0.0.0.0 and gave a mac-adddress that is that of
>the wifi-extender.
>I have had a fixed IP on the PC for many years, 10.0.0.8. When I build a
>new PC recently I wnated to give it 10.0.0.9, but it is not possible to
>set fixed IP in Win11. So I set it in the router by defining the
>mac-address of the PC to get 10.0.0.9.
>I logged into the router from a Raspberrypi and removed the static IP
>for the PC. My wifi sitting at the PC , then said that she lost
>internet-connection. A moment later there was internet working on the
>ethernet to the PC. But that did not last long.
>Right now the PC has internet connection with wifi to the wifi-extender
>on wifi 12Com_EXT1.
>I will turn off the wifi-extender. Hope that helps.
>
It looks fine after turning off the wifi-extender. Maybe the extender
hands out ip-adresses that conflicts with some from the router? The
extender had a setting for DHCP that I turned off when I installed it
about a month ago. Must play with that tomorrow. But it has been
working fine for a month with one device connected. Today I had maybe
4 new devices on the extender. That must have triggered the trouble.

Best regards
--
Jesper Kaas - jesperk@neindanke.online.no

On Mon, 27 Nov 2023 22:20:20 +0100, Jesper Kaas
<jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:

>On Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:57:47 +0100, Jesper Kaas
><kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 27.11.2023 20:04, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>> Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:
>>> [...]
>>>> So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
>>>> via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
>>>> wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
>>>> internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4 gets
>>>> fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.
>>>>
>>>> I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.
>>>
>>> No real suggestions, but I do also have very similar problems since
>>> about five days (November 22).
>>>
>>> 'No internet access' or failures/hangs in browser(s) on Windows 11
>>> laptop. Windows 10 laptop works fine, but has not been rebooted. Cisco
>>> cable modem/router has been restarted, no change.
>>>
>>> I normally 'fix' the failures using the troubleshooting tool offered
>>> in the browser or by right-clicking the network icon on the Taskbar and
>>> selecting 'Diagnose network problems' which starts the 'Let's help you
>>> get connected' troubleshooting tool (which most of the time restarts the
>>> Wi-Fi network adaptor).
>>Tried, but no usefull help here.
>>>
>>> A question in return: Does by any chance the Windows Spotlight feature
>>> also no longer work for you (i.e. the changing landscapes/paintings on
>>> the Lock screen)?
>>
>>>
>>> My Lock screen/sign-in screen does no longer show changing landscapes/
>>> paintings, but only a static picture (probably called 'Windows Bloom').
>>> I've tried many 'fixes' found by Google searches, but none fix my
>>> occurence of the problem.
>>>
>>> If you don't have the Windows Spotlight problem, just ignore that
>>> part. I might come back to it in a seperate thread when I've run out of
>>> exotic things to try.
>>
>>Thanks for your reply.
>>
>>It could be a problem with conflicting IP-adresses. When I shut the
>>laptop off, there was a message about that. The system log had an error
>>message concerning IP 0.0.0.0 and gave a mac-adddress that is that of
>>the wifi-extender.
>>I have had a fixed IP on the PC for many years, 10.0.0.8. When I build a
>>new PC recently I wnated to give it 10.0.0.9, but it is not possible to
>>set fixed IP in Win11. So I set it in the router by defining the
>>mac-address of the PC to get 10.0.0.9.
>>I logged into the router from a Raspberrypi and removed the static IP
>>for the PC. My wifi sitting at the PC , then said that she lost
>>internet-connection. A moment later there was internet working on the
>>ethernet to the PC. But that did not last long.
>>Right now the PC has internet connection with wifi to the wifi-extender
>>on wifi 12Com_EXT1.
>>I will turn off the wifi-extender. Hope that helps.
>>
>It looks fine after turning off the wifi-extender. Maybe the extender
>hands out ip-adresses that conflicts with some from the router? The
>extender had a setting for DHCP that I turned off when I installed it
>about a month ago. Must play with that tomorrow. But it has been
>working fine for a month with one device connected. Today I had maybe
>4 new devices on the extender. That must have triggered the trouble.
>
Testing this morning confirms that something has gone wrong with the
extender. Internet access disappears shortly after it is powered up,
and reappears when unplugged.
The following is from a forum where a guy describes the exact same
problem i have, and solves it by bying another brand of extender.
https://community.tp-link.com/us/home/forum/topic/614778?replyId=1284906

My extender worked flawlesly for about a month before the problem
came. It is a TP-Link WA850RE, it was dirt cheap; apparetly too cheap
:-) I will try and reconfigure it, and if still bad, buy another
brand.

Best regards

--
Jesper Kaas - jesperk@neindanke.online.no

On 2023-11-27 3:57 p.m., Jesper Kaas wrote:
> On 27.11.2023 20:04, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>> Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:
>> [...]
>>> So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
>>> via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
>>> wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
>>> internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4 gets
>>> fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.
>>>
>>> I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.
>>
>>    No real suggestions, but I do also have very similar problems since
>> about five days (November 22).
>>
>>    'No internet access' or failures/hangs in browser(s) on Windows 11
>> laptop. Windows 10 laptop works fine, but has not been rebooted. Cisco
>> cable modem/router has been restarted, no change.
>>
>>    I normally 'fix' the failures using the troubleshooting tool offered
>> in the browser or by right-clicking the network icon on the Taskbar and
>> selecting 'Diagnose network problems' which starts the 'Let's help you
>> get connected' troubleshooting tool (which most of the time restarts the
>> Wi-Fi network adaptor).
> Tried, but no usefull help here.
>>
>>    A question in return: Does by any chance the Windows Spotlight feature
>> also no longer work for you (i.e. the changing landscapes/paintings on
>> the Lock screen)?
>
>>
>>    My Lock screen/sign-in screen does no longer show changing landscapes/
>> paintings, but only a static picture (probably called 'Windows Bloom').
>> I've tried many 'fixes' found by Google searches, but none fix my
>> occurence of the problem.
>>
>>    If you don't have the Windows Spotlight problem, just ignore that
>> part. I might come back to it in a seperate thread when I've run out of
>> exotic things to try.
>
> Thanks for your reply.
>
> It could be a problem with conflicting IP-adresses. When I shut the
> laptop off, there was a message about that. The system log had an error
> message concerning IP 0.0.0.0 and gave a mac-adddress that is that of
> the wifi-extender.
> I have had a fixed IP on the PC for many years, 10.0.0.8. When I build a
> new PC recently I wnated to give it 10.0.0.9, but it is not possible to
> set fixed IP in Win11. So I set it in the router by defining the
> mac-address of the PC to get 10.0.0.9.
> I logged into the router from a Raspberrypi and removed the static IP
> for the PC. My wifi sitting at the PC , then said that she lost
> internet-connection. A moment later there was internet working on the
> ethernet to the PC. But that did not last long.
> Right now the PC has internet connection with wifi to the wifi-extender
> on wifi 12Com_EXT1.
> I will turn off the wifi-extender. Hope that helps.

Easy problem to solve: disable any fixed IPs on the router. I've had
this same issue with extenders and the router not properly
communicating, and Windows also making up its own mind as to what IP it
should use. It happened when my ISP's technician decided that I needed
yet another extender (I already had two here) to strengthen the signal
going to our WiFi-connected doorbell. The result was that the Linksys
extender he provided me didn't get an IP conflict if my laptop connected
to _it_, but no Internet if I connected to any of my D-Link extenders or
the router itself. If I completely disconnected the new extender, things
ended up working again. Even if things are configured correctly, you
can't prevent certain devices from deciding that they want an IP which
should have been reserved for a particular device.

--
RabidPedagog
TG: @RabidPedagog
3 out of 4 Communists agree: using Linux is preferable to being murdered

On 2023-11-28 9:06 a.m., RabidPedagog wrote:
> On 2023-11-27 3:57 p.m., Jesper Kaas wrote:
>> On 27.11.2023 20:04, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>> Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:
>>> [...]
>>>> So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
>>>> via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
>>>> wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
>>>> internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4 gets
>>>> fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.
>>>>
>>>> I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.
>>>
>>>    No real suggestions, but I do also have very similar problems since
>>> about five days (November 22).
>>>
>>>    'No internet access' or failures/hangs in browser(s) on Windows 11
>>> laptop. Windows 10 laptop works fine, but has not been rebooted. Cisco
>>> cable modem/router has been restarted, no change.
>>>
>>>    I normally 'fix' the failures using the troubleshooting tool offered
>>> in the browser or by right-clicking the network icon on the Taskbar and
>>> selecting 'Diagnose network problems' which starts the 'Let's help you
>>> get connected' troubleshooting tool (which most of the time restarts the
>>> Wi-Fi network adaptor).
>> Tried, but no usefull help here.
>>>
>>>    A question in return: Does by any chance the Windows Spotlight
>>> feature
>>> also no longer work for you (i.e. the changing landscapes/paintings on
>>> the Lock screen)?
>>
>>>
>>>    My Lock screen/sign-in screen does no longer show changing
>>> landscapes/
>>> paintings, but only a static picture (probably called 'Windows Bloom').
>>> I've tried many 'fixes' found by Google searches, but none fix my
>>> occurence of the problem.
>>>
>>>    If you don't have the Windows Spotlight problem, just ignore that
>>> part. I might come back to it in a seperate thread when I've run out of
>>> exotic things to try.
>>
>> Thanks for your reply.
>>
>> It could be a problem with conflicting IP-adresses. When I shut the
>> laptop off, there was a message about that. The system log had an
>> error message concerning IP 0.0.0.0 and gave a mac-adddress that is
>> that of the wifi-extender.
>> I have had a fixed IP on the PC for many years, 10.0.0.8. When I build
>> a new PC recently I wnated to give it 10.0.0.9, but it is not possible
>> to set fixed IP in Win11. So I set it in the router by defining the
>> mac-address of the PC to get 10.0.0.9.
>> I logged into the router from a Raspberrypi and removed the static IP
>> for the PC. My wifi sitting at the PC , then said that she lost
>> internet-connection. A moment later there was internet working on the
>> ethernet to the PC. But that did not last long.
>> Right now the PC has internet connection with wifi to the
>> wifi-extender on wifi 12Com_EXT1.
>> I will turn off the wifi-extender. Hope that helps.
>
> Easy problem to solve: disable any fixed IPs on the router. I've had
> this same issue with extenders and the router not properly
> communicating, and Windows also making up its own mind as to what IP it
> should use. It happened when my ISP's technician decided that I needed
> yet another extender (I already had two here) to strengthen the signal
> going to our WiFi-connected doorbell. The result was that the Linksys
> extender he provided me didn't get an IP conflict if my laptop connected
> to _it_, but no Internet if I connected to any of my D-Link extenders or
> the router itself. If I completely disconnected the new extender, things
> ended up working again. Even if things are configured correctly, you
> can't prevent certain devices from deciding that they want an IP which
> should have been reserved for a particular device.

Correction: he provided me a TP-Link extender.

--
RabidPedagog
TG: @RabidPedagog
3 out of 4 Communists agree: using Linux is preferable to being murdered

On 28.11.2023 15:24, RabidPedagog wrote:
> On 2023-11-28 9:06 a.m., RabidPedagog wrote:
>> On 2023-11-27 3:57 p.m., Jesper Kaas wrote:
>>> On 27.11.2023 20:04, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>>> Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:
>>>> [...]
>>>>> So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
>>>>> via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
>>>>> wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
>>>>> internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4 gets
>>>>> fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.
>>>>>
>>>>> I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.
>>>>
>>>>    No real suggestions, but I do also have very similar problems since
>>>> about five days (November 22).
>>>>
>>>>    'No internet access' or failures/hangs in browser(s) on Windows 11
>>>> laptop. Windows 10 laptop works fine, but has not been rebooted. Cisco
>>>> cable modem/router has been restarted, no change.
>>>>
>>>>    I normally 'fix' the failures using the troubleshooting tool offered
>>>> in the browser or by right-clicking the network icon on the Taskbar and
>>>> selecting 'Diagnose network problems' which starts the 'Let's help you
>>>> get connected' troubleshooting tool (which most of the time restarts
>>>> the
>>>> Wi-Fi network adaptor).
>>> Tried, but no usefull help here.
>>>>
>>>>    A question in return: Does by any chance the Windows Spotlight
>>>> feature
>>>> also no longer work for you (i.e. the changing landscapes/paintings on
>>>> the Lock screen)?
>>>
>>>>
>>>>    My Lock screen/sign-in screen does no longer show changing
>>>> landscapes/
>>>> paintings, but only a static picture (probably called 'Windows Bloom').
>>>> I've tried many 'fixes' found by Google searches, but none fix my
>>>> occurence of the problem.
>>>>
>>>>    If you don't have the Windows Spotlight problem, just ignore that
>>>> part. I might come back to it in a seperate thread when I've run out of
>>>> exotic things to try.
>>>
>>> Thanks for your reply.
>>>
>>> It could be a problem with conflicting IP-adresses. When I shut the
>>> laptop off, there was a message about that. The system log had an
>>> error message concerning IP 0.0.0.0 and gave a mac-adddress that is
>>> that of the wifi-extender.
>>> I have had a fixed IP on the PC for many years, 10.0.0.8. When I
>>> build a new PC recently I wnated to give it 10.0.0.9, but it is not
>>> possible to set fixed IP in Win11. So I set it in the router by
>>> defining the mac-address of the PC to get 10.0.0.9.
>>> I logged into the router from a Raspberrypi and removed the static IP
>>> for the PC. My wifi sitting at the PC , then said that she lost
>>> internet-connection. A moment later there was internet working on the
>>> ethernet to the PC. But that did not last long.
>>> Right now the PC has internet connection with wifi to the
>>> wifi-extender on wifi 12Com_EXT1.
>>> I will turn off the wifi-extender. Hope that helps.
>>
>> Easy problem to solve: disable any fixed IPs on the router. I've had
>> this same issue with extenders and the router not properly
>> communicating, and Windows also making up its own mind as to what IP
>> it should use. It happened when my ISP's technician decided that I
>> needed yet another extender (I already had two here) to strengthen the
>> signal going to our WiFi-connected doorbell. The result was that the
>> Linksys extender he provided me didn't get an IP conflict if my laptop
>> connected to _it_, but no Internet if I connected to any of my D-Link
>> extenders or the router itself. If I completely disconnected the new
>> extender, things ended up working again. Even if things are configured
>> correctly, you can't prevent certain devices from deciding that they
>> want an IP which should have been reserved for a particular device.
>
> Correction: he provided me a TP-Link extender.
>
Thanks for your reply RapidPedagog. Sounds interesting.

This afternoon I tried to install new firmware on the extender. Not
possible, since internet access is needed, and shortly after the
extender is powered up, internet disappears from both wired and wi-fi
network. I then reset the extender and configured in from scratch.
Worked OK for an hour, then my wife complained about missing internet. I
unplugged the extender, and ta-da, internet access reestablished.

I was going to write the supplier about it when I saw your message. I am
very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11. So I have on the
router defined reserved IP's based on MAC-adresses. In fact, the router
seems by itself to keep the same address on a gadget, even if a
reservation is not defined.
IP's are fine to have for access to whatever you are going to do with a
gadget.
But I will try to delete all the reserved IP's on the router as you
suggest. That will be my last try for a fix, before the extender is
returned to the supplier.

Best regards

On 2023-11-28 16:11, Jesper Kaas wrote:
> On 28.11.2023 15:24, RabidPedagog wrote:
>> On 2023-11-28 9:06 a.m., RabidPedagog wrote:
>>> On 2023-11-27 3:57 p.m., Jesper Kaas wrote:
>>>> On 27.11.2023 20:04, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>>>> Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no> wrote:
>>>>> [...]
>>>>>> So to sum up: My PC and laptop suddenly does not get internet acces
>>>>>> via my local wifi with SSID 12Com, but do when connected to a
>>>>>> wifi-extender sending 12Com on as SSID 12Com_EXT1. The PC says "No
>>>>>> internet access" to ethernet from the router, but a Raspberrypi 4
>>>>>> gets
>>>>>> fine internet access via the same ethetnet cable.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I got no more ideas now, but there must be some obvious reason.
>>>>>
>>>>>    No real suggestions, but I do also have very similar problems since
>>>>> about five days (November 22).
>>>>>
>>>>>    'No internet access' or failures/hangs in browser(s) on Windows 11
>>>>> laptop. Windows 10 laptop works fine, but has not been rebooted. Cisco
>>>>> cable modem/router has been restarted, no change.
>>>>>
>>>>>    I normally 'fix' the failures using the troubleshooting tool
>>>>> offered
>>>>> in the browser or by right-clicking the network icon on the Taskbar
>>>>> and
>>>>> selecting 'Diagnose network problems' which starts the 'Let's help you
>>>>> get connected' troubleshooting tool (which most of the time
>>>>> restarts the
>>>>> Wi-Fi network adaptor).
>>>> Tried, but no usefull help here.
>>>>>
>>>>>    A question in return: Does by any chance the Windows Spotlight
>>>>> feature
>>>>> also no longer work for you (i.e. the changing landscapes/paintings on
>>>>> the Lock screen)?
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>    My Lock screen/sign-in screen does no longer show changing
>>>>> landscapes/
>>>>> paintings, but only a static picture (probably called 'Windows
>>>>> Bloom').
>>>>> I've tried many 'fixes' found by Google searches, but none fix my
>>>>> occurence of the problem.
>>>>>
>>>>>    If you don't have the Windows Spotlight problem, just ignore that
>>>>> part. I might come back to it in a seperate thread when I've run
>>>>> out of
>>>>> exotic things to try.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for your reply.
>>>>
>>>> It could be a problem with conflicting IP-adresses. When I shut the
>>>> laptop off, there was a message about that. The system log had an
>>>> error message concerning IP 0.0.0.0 and gave a mac-adddress that is
>>>> that of the wifi-extender.
>>>> I have had a fixed IP on the PC for many years, 10.0.0.8. When I
>>>> build a new PC recently I wnated to give it 10.0.0.9, but it is not
>>>> possible to set fixed IP in Win11. So I set it in the router by
>>>> defining the mac-address of the PC to get 10.0.0.9.
>>>> I logged into the router from a Raspberrypi and removed the static
>>>> IP for the PC. My wifi sitting at the PC , then said that she lost
>>>> internet-connection. A moment later there was internet working on
>>>> the ethernet to the PC. But that did not last long.
>>>> Right now the PC has internet connection with wifi to the
>>>> wifi-extender on wifi 12Com_EXT1.
>>>> I will turn off the wifi-extender. Hope that helps.
>>>
>>> Easy problem to solve: disable any fixed IPs on the router. I've had
>>> this same issue with extenders and the router not properly
>>> communicating, and Windows also making up its own mind as to what IP
>>> it should use. It happened when my ISP's technician decided that I
>>> needed yet another extender (I already had two here) to strengthen
>>> the signal going to our WiFi-connected doorbell. The result was that
>>> the Linksys extender he provided me didn't get an IP conflict if my
>>> laptop connected to _it_, but no Internet if I connected to any of my
>>> D-Link extenders or the router itself. If I completely disconnected
>>> the new extender, things ended up working again. Even if things are
>>> configured correctly, you can't prevent certain devices from deciding
>>> that they want an IP which should have been reserved for a particular
>>> device.
>>
>> Correction: he provided me a TP-Link extender.
>>
> Thanks for your reply RapidPedagog. Sounds interesting.
>
> This afternoon I tried to install new firmware on the extender. Not
> possible, since internet access is needed, and shortly after the
> extender is powered up, internet disappears from both wired and wi-fi
> network. I then reset the extender and configured in from scratch.
> Worked OK for an hour, then my wife complained about missing internet. I
> unplugged the extender, and ta-da, internet access reestablished.
>
> I was going to write the supplier about it when I saw your message. I am
> very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
> where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
> of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
> to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
> any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
> not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11. So I have on the
> router defined reserved IP's based on MAC-adresses. In fact, the router
> seems by itself to keep the same address on a gadget, even if a
> reservation is not defined.
> IP's are fine to have for access to whatever you are going to do with a
> gadget.
> But I will try to delete all the reserved IP's on the router as you
> suggest. That will be my last try for a fix, before the extender is
> returned to the supplier.

What do you people understand as "WiFi extender"?

I don't have any, so I can not check.

Are these devices handling out IP addresses, having a DHCP server of
their own?

Having two such server conflict and can kill a LAN. So each one has to
be isolated from the other. Typically meaning using different IP
segments on each side.

Example: the router side could be 192.168.1.0/24, and the extender
192.168.2.0/24, and a second extender 192.168.3.0/24

Meaning that each extender becomes a router with routing functions.

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:11:50 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:

>I am
>very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
>where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
>of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
>to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
>any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
>not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11.

It's not only possible, it's done via the exact same approach that's been used
since at least Windows XP. Open the relevant network adapter's properties,
select IPv4 properties (or IPv6, if applicable), and enter the IP address,
subnet mask, default gateway, and (optionally) DNS information. Done.

I have no constructive comments regarding the extenders. When I get asked to
help with wireless network issues and I see one or more extenders, I either
remove them and place them where the owner isn't likely to find them, or I bow
out gracefully. There are other, much better, ways of solving such problems.

On 2023-11-28 19:38, Char Jackson wrote:
> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:11:50 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I am
>> very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
>> where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
>> of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
>> to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
>> any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
>> not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11.
>
> It's not only possible, it's done via the exact same approach that's been used
> since at least Windows XP. Open the relevant network adapter's properties,
> select IPv4 properties (or IPv6, if applicable), and enter the IP address,
> subnet mask, default gateway, and (optionally) DNS information. Done.

You only have to find out first in the router which is the DHCP pool,
and use an address that is not in the pool.

> I have no constructive comments regarding the extenders. When I get asked to
> help with wireless network issues and I see one or more extenders, I either
> remove them and place them where the owner isn't likely to find them, or I bow
> out gracefully. There are other, much better, ways of solving such problems.
>

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:38:03 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
wrote:

>On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:11:50 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>I am
>>very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
>>where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
>>of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
>>to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
>>any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
>>not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11.
>
>It's not only possible, it's done via the exact same approach that's been used
>since at least Windows XP. Open the relevant network adapter's properties,
>select IPv4 properties (or IPv6, if applicable), and enter the IP address,
>subnet mask, default gateway, and (optionally) DNS information. Done.

I have set fixed ip's on windows pc's connected to chemical analyzers
at work many times. Did it exactly like you describe above, worked a
charm. I also did it at home many years ago, no problem. But recently
with my old Win10 PC and new Win11 PC, it was simply not possible. Not
in Win10, not on Win11. It always ended with Windows starting an
errorhunting that ended setting the network adapter back to DHCP.
There awere 2 other ways to set static IP, one was via Windows
Settings, but the settings menu has changed recently, and I can't find
it now.
I had always set a mark in the box "Validate settings at close"
I just now again tested setting static ip on Win11: Enter ip-address
for the PC, netmask, gateway and DNS-servers. Click OK, Close, this
time without setting a mark in box "Validate setings". And big wonder:
Windows accepted the settings, also after a reboot. So now I have a
fixed IP on the PC and wil tru that out.
>
>I have no constructive comments regarding the extenders. When I get asked to
>help with wireless network issues and I see one or more extenders, I either
>remove them and place them where the owner isn't likely to find them, or I bow
>out gracefully. There are other, much better, ways of solving such problems.
Nice :-) What would you suggest instead of extender? I have seen
mesh-systems recommended. I have no idea how it works, and it is
expensive. My TP-link extender was very cheap, like 30 dollars.

I have only tried this TP-Link WA850RE. Needed it for a birdboxcamera
in the garden. It can work either by feeding it via cabled ethernet,
or placing it in the outskirts of the main wi-fi's range, where it can
pick up the wi-fi and pass it on with a different SSID and probably
other channel. I have used the last method. It has one interesting
setting, DHCP with possibilities Auto, On or Off. It was On from the
facttory. I turned it off, and set it up and it worked with no
problems for aproximately a month, until it started giving problems on
both cabled net and wi-fi. I tested changing the DHCP setting on
extender first to "On" and got problems imidiately. Then to Auto, and
after an hour I had the problem again. Unpluged the extender and
problem solved.
Then I read RapidPedagogs reply about removing all static IP's. Did
that, and there has been no trouble for some hours. With the extenders
DHCP set to "Auto" it hands out IP-adresses above 10.0.0.200 and up.
The main router is set to hand out DHCP in the range 20 to 199, so
theoretically there should be no problems.
The first problem, yesterday, came after I had been fiddeling with 3
raspberrypi's connected to main wifi and a fourth connected via the
extender for half a day. At that time one raspberrypi had been
connected via the extender and working fine for a month.

For now the extender is plugged in with nothing connected, exept for
occasionaly a mobile phone for testing. The only static ip on the net
is a pc.
I keep my fingers crossed :-)
Thank you for the comments

Best regards

--
Jesper Kaas - jesperk@neindanke.online.no

On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:26:39 +0100, Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no>
wrote:

>On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:38:03 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
>wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:11:50 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>I am
>>>very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
>>>where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
>>>of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
>>>to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
>>>any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
>>>not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11.
>>
>>It's not only possible, it's done via the exact same approach that's been used
>>since at least Windows XP. Open the relevant network adapter's properties,
>>select IPv4 properties (or IPv6, if applicable), and enter the IP address,
>>subnet mask, default gateway, and (optionally) DNS information. Done.
>
>I have set fixed ip's on windows pc's connected to chemical analyzers
>at work many times. Did it exactly like you describe above, worked a
>charm. I also did it at home many years ago, no problem. But recently
>with my old Win10 PC and new Win11 PC, it was simply not possible. Not
>in Win10, not on Win11. It always ended with Windows starting an
>errorhunting that ended setting the network adapter back to DHCP.
>There awere 2 other ways to set static IP, one was via Windows
>Settings, but the settings menu has changed recently, and I can't find
>it now.
>I had always set a mark in the box "Validate settings at close"
>I just now again tested setting static ip on Win11: Enter ip-address
>for the PC, netmask, gateway and DNS-servers. Click OK, Close, this
>time without setting a mark in box "Validate setings". And big wonder:
>Windows accepted the settings, also after a reboot. So now I have a
>fixed IP on the PC and wil tru that out.

Excellent. I'm not sure why 'Validate' was choking, but it's good to see that
you're able to set a static IP now, if you want to.

>>I have no constructive comments regarding the extenders. When I get asked to
>>help with wireless network issues and I see one or more extenders, I either
>>remove them and place them where the owner isn't likely to find them, or I bow
>>out gracefully. There are other, much better, ways of solving such problems.
> Nice :-) What would you suggest instead of extender? I have seen
>mesh-systems recommended. I have no idea how it works, and it is
>expensive. My TP-link extender was very cheap, like 30 dollars.

I don't know the details of your situation, so in no particular order I'd look
at running Ethernet cables to where you need connectivity, terminating at a
standard RJ-45 port. That way, you could directly connect a single device, or
connect multiple devices via a switch, or connect an Access Point (AP) if you
need WiFi in that area. If you can't run cables, consider accomplishing the same
thing via coax cables that may already be in place. Here in the US, most houses
have coax TV cables strung throughout the house. You can put Ethernet onto those
cables with a pair of MoCA adapters. Mesh WiFi units also work very well and are
typically able to dedicate an entire wireless band for backhaul, or they can use
your Ethernet cabling if available. Mesh tends to work very differently, and
much better, than WiFi extenders.

>I have only tried this TP-Link WA850RE. Needed it for a birdboxcamera
>in the garden. It can work either by feeding it via cabled ethernet,
>or placing it in the outskirts of the main wi-fi's range, where it can
>pick up the wi-fi and pass it on with a different SSID and probably
>other channel. I have used the last method. It has one interesting
>setting, DHCP with possibilities Auto, On or Off. It was On from the
>facttory. I turned it off, and set it up and it worked with no
>problems for aproximately a month, until it started giving problems on
>both cabled net and wi-fi. I tested changing the DHCP setting on
>extender first to "On" and got problems imidiately. Then to Auto, and
>after an hour I had the problem again. Unpluged the extender and
>problem solved.

It would be very helpful to know precisely what problems you encountered. You
don't have to share the details here, but you should know what a set of valid
networking parameters looks like so that you can compare that to what you see
when there are problems.

If your LAN consists of a single subnet, then you definitely want only one DHCP
server. You don't want IP conflicts or incorrect default gateway or incorrect
netmask, to name just a few things that can go wrong.

I think you mentioned earlier that you enable both wired and wireless
connections at the same time, which is something that I never do. I'd pick one
and stick with it.

>Then I read RapidPedagogs reply about removing all static IP's. Did
>that, and there has been no trouble for some hours.

That smells like you assigned a static IP that was already in use, or perhaps an
IP that was later also handed out by your DHCP server. That situation is easily
remedied, but you first have to recognize if it's the case.

>With the extenders
>DHCP set to "Auto" it hands out IP-adresses above 10.0.0.200 and up.
>The main router is set to hand out DHCP in the range 20 to 199, so
>theoretically there should be no problems.

Yeah, don't do that. One DHCP server per network segment is all you need.

>The first problem, yesterday, came after I had been fiddeling with 3
>raspberrypi's connected to main wifi and a fourth connected via the
>extender for half a day. At that time one raspberrypi had been
>connected via the extender and working fine for a month.
>
>For now the extender is plugged in with nothing connected, exept for
>occasionaly a mobile phone for testing. The only static ip on the net
>is a pc.
>I keep my fingers crossed :-)
>Thank you for the comments

On 29.11.2023 03:33, Char Jackson wrote:
> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:26:39 +0100, Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no>
> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:38:03 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:11:50 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I am
>>>> very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
>>>> where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
>>>> of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
>>>> to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
>>>> any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
>>>> not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11.
>>>
>>> It's not only possible, it's done via the exact same approach that's been used
>>> since at least Windows XP. Open the relevant network adapter's properties,
>>> select IPv4 properties (or IPv6, if applicable), and enter the IP address,
>>> subnet mask, default gateway, and (optionally) DNS information. Done.
>>
>> I have set fixed ip's on windows pc's connected to chemical analyzers
>> at work many times. Did it exactly like you describe above, worked a
>> charm. I also did it at home many years ago, no problem. But recently
>> with my old Win10 PC and new Win11 PC, it was simply not possible. Not
>> in Win10, not on Win11. It always ended with Windows starting an
>> errorhunting that ended setting the network adapter back to DHCP.
>> There awere 2 other ways to set static IP, one was via Windows
>> Settings, but the settings menu has changed recently, and I can't find
>> it now.
>> I had always set a mark in the box "Validate settings at close"
>> I just now again tested setting static ip on Win11: Enter ip-address
>> for the PC, netmask, gateway and DNS-servers. Click OK, Close, this
>> time without setting a mark in box "Validate setings". And big wonder:
>> Windows accepted the settings, also after a reboot. So now I have a
>> fixed IP on the PC and wil tru that out.
>
> Excellent. I'm not sure why 'Validate' was choking, but it's good to see that
> you're able to set a static IP now, if you want to.
>
>>> I have no constructive comments regarding the extenders. When I get asked to
>>> help with wireless network issues and I see one or more extenders, I either
>>> remove them and place them where the owner isn't likely to find them, or I bow
>>> out gracefully. There are other, much better, ways of solving such problems.
>> Nice :-) What would you suggest instead of extender? I have seen
>> mesh-systems recommended. I have no idea how it works, and it is
>> expensive. My TP-link extender was very cheap, like 30 dollars.
>
> I don't know the details of your situation, so in no particular order I'd look
> at running Ethernet cables to where you need connectivity, terminating at a
> standard RJ-45 port. That way, you could directly connect a single device, or
> connect multiple devices via a switch, or connect an Access Point (AP) if you
> need WiFi in that area. If you can't run cables, consider accomplishing the same
> thing via coax cables that may already be in place. Here in the US, most houses
> have coax TV cables strung throughout the house. You can put Ethernet onto those
> cables with a pair of MoCA adapters. Mesh WiFi units also work very well and are
> typically able to dedicate an entire wireless band for backhaul, or they can use
> your Ethernet cabling if available. Mesh tends to work very differently, and
> much better, than WiFi extenders.

The house is built in 1960, so no cables here except for 230v AC. I need
5V DC and net outside. 5V DC is easy to supply, but I did not want to
stretch cable for the net access. Therefor the attempt with a cheap
wifi-extender.
Glad to hear that mesh actually works good. I was halfway thinking it
just was a new way of getting money up your pockets. I will keep it in mind.
>
>> I have only tried this TP-Link WA850RE. Needed it for a birdboxcamera
>> in the garden. It can work either by feeding it via cabled ethernet,
>> or placing it in the outskirts of the main wi-fi's range, where it can
>> pick up the wi-fi and pass it on with a different SSID and probably
>> other channel. I have used the last method. It has one interesting
>> setting, DHCP with possibilities Auto, On or Off. It was On from the
>> factory. I turned it off, and set it up and it worked with no
>> problems for aproximately a month, until it started giving problems on
>> both cabled net and wi-fi. I tested changing the DHCP setting on
>> extender first to "On" and got problems imidiately. Then to Auto, and
>> after an hour I had the problem again. Unpluged the extender and
>> problem solved.
>
> It would be very helpful to know precisely what problems you encountered. You
> don't have to share the details here, but you should know what a set of valid
> networking parameters looks like so that you can compare that to what you see
> when there are problems.
I am not quite sure what networking parameters you refer to. What i saw
when in trouble, was a on the PC messages from Win11 saying about both
the ethernet card and the wireless connection 12Com "No internet
access". And there really was no internet access. I could connect the
PC's wi-fi to the wi-fi from the extender (12Com_EXT) and get internet
access. Problem stopped when AC was cut for the extender.
>
> If your LAN consists of a single subnet, then you definitely want only one DHCP
> server. You don't want IP conflicts or incorrect default gateway or incorrect
> netmask, to name just a few things that can go wrong.
Yes. When installing the extender at first (just following the set up
instructions) i saw that it handed out an IP address by itself. Looked
at the extenders settings, and changed DHCP-setting from either On or
Auto to Off. Then i got ip-addresses looking like they were from the
routers DHCP pool. Left it at that for about a month until the trouble
began 2 days ago.
>
> I think you mentioned earlier that you enable both wired and wireless
> connections at the same time, which is something that I never do. I'd pick one
> and stick with it.
Well, I think wired works best for printer and TV, and wi-fi is needed
for a lot of things. Phones, charger for car, hifi whatever. Even got a
dishwasher with wi-fi, but turned it off after testing :-) Right now the
router shows around 10 things connected via wi-fi.
>
>> Then I read RapidPedagogs reply about removing all static IP's. Did
>> that, and there has been no trouble for some hours.
>
> That smells like you assigned a static IP that was already in use, or perhaps an
> IP that was later also handed out by your DHCP server. That situation is easily
> remedied, but you first have to recognize if it's the case.
>
>> With the extenders DHCP set to "Auto" it hands out IP-adresses above 10.0.0.200 and up.
>> The main router is set to hand out DHCP in the range 20 to 199, so
>> theoretically there should be no problems.
>
> Yeah, don't do that. One DHCP server per network segment is all you need.
Right. That's why i first set DHCP to Off on the extender, but still ran
in to trouble. So now I try the extender with Auto, and it looks like
the extender hands out ip's above the range of the pool on router. If it
works fine, else drop the extender.
>
>> The first problem, yesterday, came after I had been fiddeling with 3
>> raspberrypi's connected to main wifi and a fourth connected via the
>> extender for half a day. At that time one raspberrypi had been
>> connected via the extender and working fine for a month.
>>
>> For now the extender is plugged in with nothing connected, exept for
>> occasionaly a mobile phone for testing. The only static ip on the net
>> is a pc.
>> I keep my fingers crossed :-)
>> Thank you for the comments
>
Still no problem with intarnet on the PC.
Did a little testing with the extender set to Auto for DHCP:

- WS850RE powered on, no clients connected:
Router shows hostname TL-WA850RE, IP 10.0.0.200, macadresse as shown on
the thing, status online
- WS850RE with one phone connected:
New line added in router: Hostname empty, device type android-dhcp-12,
ip 10.0.0.20, mac-adresse as the phones, status offline
- WS850RE with two phones connected:
Router shows the same as with one phone connected

Internet acces on both phones, phones show ip's 10.0.0.200 and
10.0.0.201, and that is what is shown in the app Tether that is used to
manage WA850RE.

On 29.11.2023 12:22, Jesper Kaas wrote:
> On 29.11.2023 03:33, Char Jackson wrote:
>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:26:39 +0100, Jesper Kaas
>> <jesperk@neitakk.online.no>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:38:03 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:11:50 +0100, Jesper Kaas
>>>> <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I am
>>>>> very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
>>>>> where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital,
>>>>> most
>>>>> of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
>>>>> to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
>>>>> any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC.
>>>>> Its
>>>>> not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11.
>>>>
>>>> It's not only possible, it's done via the exact same approach that's
>>>> been used
>>>> since at least Windows XP. Open the relevant network adapter's
>>>> properties,
>>>> select IPv4 properties (or IPv6, if applicable), and enter the IP
>>>> address,
>>>> subnet mask, default gateway, and (optionally) DNS information. Done.
>>>
>>> I have set fixed ip's on windows pc's connected to chemical analyzers
>>> at work many times. Did it exactly like you describe above, worked a
>>> charm. I also did it at home many years ago, no problem. But recently
>>> with my old Win10 PC and new Win11 PC, it was simply not possible. Not
>>> in Win10, not on Win11. It always ended with Windows starting an
>>> errorhunting that ended setting the network adapter back to DHCP.
>>> There awere 2 other ways to set static IP, one was via Windows
>>> Settings, but the settings menu has changed recently, and I can't find
>>> it now.
>>> I had always set a mark in the box "Validate settings at close"
>>> I just now again tested setting static ip on Win11: Enter ip-address
>>> for the PC, netmask, gateway and DNS-servers. Click OK, Close, this
>>> time without setting a mark in box "Validate setings". And big wonder:
>>> Windows accepted the settings, also after a reboot. So now I have a
>>> fixed IP on the PC and wil tru that out.
>>
>> Excellent. I'm not sure why 'Validate' was choking, but it's good to
>> see that
>> you're able to set a static IP now, if you want to.
>>
>>>> I have no constructive comments regarding the extenders. When I get
>>>> asked to
>>>> help with wireless network issues and I see one or more extenders, I
>>>> either
>>>> remove them and place them where the owner isn't likely to find
>>>> them, or I bow
>>>> out gracefully. There are other, much better, ways of solving such
>>>> problems.
>>> Nice :-) What would you suggest instead of extender? I have seen
>>> mesh-systems recommended. I have no idea how it works, and it is
>>> expensive. My TP-link extender was very cheap, like 30 dollars.
>>
>> I don't know the details of your situation, so in no particular order
>> I'd look
>> at running Ethernet cables to where you need connectivity, terminating
>> at a
>> standard RJ-45 port. That way, you could directly connect a single
>> device, or
>> connect multiple devices via a switch, or connect an Access Point (AP)
>> if you
>> need WiFi in that area. If you can't run cables, consider
>> accomplishing the same
>> thing via coax cables that may already be in place. Here in the US,
>> most houses
>> have coax TV cables strung throughout the house. You can put Ethernet
>> onto those
>> cables with a pair of MoCA adapters. Mesh WiFi units also work very
>> well and are
>> typically able to dedicate an entire wireless band for backhaul, or
>> they can use
>> your Ethernet cabling if available. Mesh tends to work very
>> differently, and
>> much better, than WiFi extenders.
>
> The house is built in 1960, so no cables here except for 230v AC. I need
> 5V DC and net outside. 5V DC is easy to supply, but I did not want to
> stretch cable for the net access. Therefor the attempt with a cheap
> wifi-extender.
> Glad to hear that mesh actually works good. I was halfway thinking it
> just was a new way of getting money up your pockets. I will keep it in
> mind.
>>
>>> I have only tried this TP-Link WA850RE. Needed it for a birdboxcamera
>>> in the garden. It can work either by feeding it via cabled ethernet,
>>> or placing it in the outskirts of the main wi-fi's range, where it can
>>> pick up the wi-fi and pass it on with a different SSID and probably
>>> other channel. I have used the last method. It has one interesting
>>> setting, DHCP with possibilities Auto, On or Off. It was On from the
>>> factory. I turned it off, and set it up and it worked with no
>>> problems for aproximately a month, until it started giving problems on
>>> both cabled net and wi-fi. I tested changing the DHCP setting on
>>> extender first to "On" and got problems imidiately. Then to Auto, and
>>> after an hour I had the problem again. Unpluged the extender and
>>> problem solved.
>>
>> It would be very helpful to know precisely what problems you
>> encountered. You
>> don't have to share the details here, but you should know what a set
>> of valid
>> networking parameters looks like so that you can compare that to what
>> you see
>> when there are problems.
> I am not quite sure what networking parameters you refer to. What i saw
> when in trouble, was a on the PC messages from Win11 saying about both
> the ethernet card and the wireless connection 12Com "No internet
> access". And there really was no internet access. I could connect the
> PC's wi-fi to the wi-fi from the extender (12Com_EXT) and get internet
> access. Problem stopped when AC was cut for the extender.
>>
>> If your LAN consists of a single subnet, then you definitely want only
>> one DHCP
>> server. You don't want IP conflicts or incorrect default gateway or
>> incorrect
>> netmask, to name just a few things that can go wrong.
> Yes. When installing the extender at first (just following the set up
> instructions) i saw that it handed out an IP address by itself. Looked
> at the extenders settings, and changed DHCP-setting from either On or
> Auto to Off. Then i got ip-addresses looking like they were from the
> routers DHCP pool. Left it at that for about a month until the trouble
> began 2 days ago.
>>
>> I think you mentioned earlier that you enable both wired and wireless
>> connections at the same time, which is something that I never do. I'd
>> pick one
>> and stick with it.
> Well, I think wired works best for printer and TV, and wi-fi is needed
> for a lot of things. Phones, charger for car, hifi whatever. Even got a
> dishwasher with wi-fi, but turned it off after testing :-) Right now the
> router shows around 10 things connected via wi-fi.
>>
>>> Then I read RapidPedagogs reply about removing all static IP's. Did
>>> that, and there has been no trouble for some hours.
>>
>> That smells like you assigned a static IP that was already in use, or
>> perhaps an
>> IP that was later also handed out by your DHCP server. That situation
>> is easily
>> remedied, but you first have to recognize if it's the case.
>>
>>> With the extenders DHCP set to "Auto" it hands out IP-adresses above
>>> 10.0.0.200 and up.
>>> The main router is set to hand out DHCP in the range 20 to 199, so
>>> theoretically there should be no problems.
>>
>> Yeah, don't do that. One DHCP server per network segment is all you need.
> Right. That's why i first set DHCP to Off on the extender, but still ran
> in to trouble. So now I try the extender with Auto, and it looks like
> the extender hands out ip's above the range of the pool on router. If it
> works fine, else drop the extender.
>>
>>> The first problem, yesterday, came after I had been fiddeling with 3
>>> raspberrypi's connected to main wifi and a fourth connected via the
>>> extender for half a day. At that time one raspberrypi had been
>>> connected via the extender and working fine for a month.
>>>
>>> For now the extender is plugged in with nothing connected, exept for
>>> occasionaly a mobile phone for testing. The only static ip on the net
>>> is a pc.
>>> I keep my fingers crossed :-)
>>> Thank you for the comments
>>
> Still no problem with intarnet on the PC.
> Did a little testing with the extender set to Auto for DHCP:
>
> - WS850RE powered on, no clients connected:
>     Router shows hostname TL-WA850RE, IP 10.0.0.200, macadresse as
> shown on the thing, status online
> - WS850RE with one phone connected:
>     New line added in router: Hostname empty, device type
> android-dhcp-12, ip 10.0.0.20, mac-adresse as the phones, status offline
> - WS850RE with two phones connected:
>     Router shows the same as with one phone connected
>
> Internet acces on both phones, phones show ip's 10.0.0.200 and
> 10.0.0.201, and that is what is shown in the app Tether that is used to
> manage WA850RE.
>
No, this wi-fi extender will not work for my purposes. With DHCP set to
Auto I had two phones connected to it, and both had full internet
access. Very good. But when i connected a raspberrypi to the extender
and tried to get access to it via VNC from the PC (which has internet
from the main router), VNC could not show the screen. I want to send
videostream from the raspberry to the "home net", and need to be able to
do maintenance/changes on the raspi from time to time.

Jesper Kaas wrote:

> this wi-fi extender will not work for my purposes.

do you know if it works as a bridge (same subnet as main router), or a
router (different subnet)?

if the former you should disable DHCP on the extender, if the latter
enable DHCP.

On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:22:28 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 29.11.2023 03:33, Char Jackson wrote:
>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:26:39 +0100, Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:38:03 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:11:50 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I am
>>>>> very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
>>>>> where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
>>>>> of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
>>>>> to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
>>>>> any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
>>>>> not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11.
>>>>
>>>> It's not only possible, it's done via the exact same approach that's been used
>>>> since at least Windows XP. Open the relevant network adapter's properties,
>>>> select IPv4 properties (or IPv6, if applicable), and enter the IP address,
>>>> subnet mask, default gateway, and (optionally) DNS information. Done.
>>>
>>> I have set fixed ip's on windows pc's connected to chemical analyzers
>>> at work many times. Did it exactly like you describe above, worked a
>>> charm. I also did it at home many years ago, no problem. But recently
>>> with my old Win10 PC and new Win11 PC, it was simply not possible. Not
>>> in Win10, not on Win11. It always ended with Windows starting an
>>> errorhunting that ended setting the network adapter back to DHCP.
>>> There awere 2 other ways to set static IP, one was via Windows
>>> Settings, but the settings menu has changed recently, and I can't find
>>> it now.
>>> I had always set a mark in the box "Validate settings at close"
>>> I just now again tested setting static ip on Win11: Enter ip-address
>>> for the PC, netmask, gateway and DNS-servers. Click OK, Close, this
>>> time without setting a mark in box "Validate setings". And big wonder:
>>> Windows accepted the settings, also after a reboot. So now I have a
>>> fixed IP on the PC and wil tru that out.
>>
>> Excellent. I'm not sure why 'Validate' was choking, but it's good to see that
>> you're able to set a static IP now, if you want to.
>>
>>>> I have no constructive comments regarding the extenders. When I get asked to
>>>> help with wireless network issues and I see one or more extenders, I either
>>>> remove them and place them where the owner isn't likely to find them, or I bow
>>>> out gracefully. There are other, much better, ways of solving such problems.
>>> Nice :-) What would you suggest instead of extender? I have seen
>>> mesh-systems recommended. I have no idea how it works, and it is
>>> expensive. My TP-link extender was very cheap, like 30 dollars.
>>
>> I don't know the details of your situation, so in no particular order I'd look
>> at running Ethernet cables to where you need connectivity, terminating at a
>> standard RJ-45 port. That way, you could directly connect a single device, or
>> connect multiple devices via a switch, or connect an Access Point (AP) if you
>> need WiFi in that area. If you can't run cables, consider accomplishing the same
>> thing via coax cables that may already be in place. Here in the US, most houses
>> have coax TV cables strung throughout the house. You can put Ethernet onto those
>> cables with a pair of MoCA adapters. Mesh WiFi units also work very well and are
>> typically able to dedicate an entire wireless band for backhaul, or they can use
>> your Ethernet cabling if available. Mesh tends to work very differently, and
>> much better, than WiFi extenders.
>
>The house is built in 1960, so no cables here except for 230v AC. I need
>5V DC and net outside. 5V DC is easy to supply, but I did not want to
>stretch cable for the net access. Therefor the attempt with a cheap
>wifi-extender.

I'm sure there's a scenario where extenders work, to an extent, but it's
probably only in a lab setting. In the real world, I think they're an awful
choice, sort of on par with using the electrical wiring in the house for
Ethernet, what we call powerline networking here in the States.

If you feel like you have no choice but to use an extender, consider building
your own by putting two Access Points (APs) back to back, connected to each
other by Ethernet. One AP would be configured to act as a client to your main
WiFi, while the other device would be allowed to operate as an AP, but on a
different channel. That solves the main problem with an extender, that they use
a single channel, alternating between receiving and transmitting. Instead of
using APs for your homemade extender, you can frequently save money by using a
pair of WiFi routers after configuring them to work as APs. If you go the DIY
route, be sure your equipment can act as a WiFi client. You may need 3rd party
firmware to get that capability.

At best, the above is still no match for a wired connection or even a mesh
connection, but those options may cost more up front.

>Glad to hear that mesh actually works good. I was halfway thinking it
>just was a new way of getting money up your pockets. I will keep it in mind.
>>
>>> I have only tried this TP-Link WA850RE. Needed it for a birdboxcamera
>>> in the garden. It can work either by feeding it via cabled ethernet,
>>> or placing it in the outskirts of the main wi-fi's range, where it can
>>> pick up the wi-fi and pass it on with a different SSID and probably
>>> other channel. I have used the last method. It has one interesting
>>> setting, DHCP with possibilities Auto, On or Off. It was On from the
>>> factory. I turned it off, and set it up and it worked with no
>>> problems for aproximately a month, until it started giving problems on
>>> both cabled net and wi-fi. I tested changing the DHCP setting on
>>> extender first to "On" and got problems imidiately. Then to Auto, and
>>> after an hour I had the problem again. Unpluged the extender and
>>> problem solved.
>>
>> It would be very helpful to know precisely what problems you encountered. You
>> don't have to share the details here, but you should know what a set of valid
>> networking parameters looks like so that you can compare that to what you see
>> when there are problems.
>I am not quite sure what networking parameters you refer to. What i saw
>when in trouble, was a on the PC messages from Win11 saying about both
>the ethernet card and the wireless connection 12Com "No internet
>access". And there really was no internet access. I could connect the
>PC's wi-fi to the wi-fi from the extender (12Com_EXT) and get internet
>access. Problem stopped when AC was cut for the extender.

When you see a message like, "No Internet access", that's not very helpful for
troubleshooting and determining a root cause. Most people have no issues with
their LAN setup, and those people won't need to care about their subnet,
netmask, default gateway, DNS entries, etc. But since you're having some
problems, you might need to take some notes so that you can compare a working
connection to a non-working connection.

I assume you have a router that's acting as your Internet gateway, so you'd log
in to that device to get your LAN subnet, your netmask, the LAN IP of the
router, the DNS entries, etc.

Let's say your LAN subnet is 10.0.0.0 with a netmask of /24, sometimes written
as 255.255.255.0. Then you'd know that valid LAN IP addresses go from 10.0.0.1
thru 10.0.0.254. Scratch the LAN IP of the router from that list because it's in
use (by the router), and scratch the IPs of any statically assigned IP
addresses, making sure each of those is outside of the DHCP pool. Check the DHCP
pool settings to make sure it's more than big enough to handle all of your
devices. If your DHCP pool is too small, you could use up each of the IP
addresses in the pool and subsequent IP requests would be denied, which is a
potential reason for 'no Internet access'. Be aware that DHCP-assigned IP
addresses have a lease period, so if you have devices coming and going all day
you can quickly exhaust your DHCP pool. IP addresses won't be eligible for DHCP
reassignment until their current lease expires. You can adjust the lease period.
I've seen lease defaults as high as 7 days, which seems ridiculous, but 1 day
(24 hours) is more common. If your router shows pool exhaustion as a culprit,
expand the pool or reduce the lease time to, perhaps, 12 hours, or even less.

On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 20:34:59 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:

>No, this wi-fi extender will not work for my purposes. With DHCP set to
>Auto I had two phones connected to it, and both had full internet
>access. Very good. But when i connected a raspberrypi to the extender
>and tried to get access to it via VNC from the PC (which has internet
>from the main router), VNC could not show the screen. I want to send
>videostream from the raspberry to the "home net", and need to be able to
>do maintenance/changes on the raspi from time to time.

Setting the extender DHCP to Auto may have the effect of creating a new subnet.
That would be the first thing I'd check. You know what the subnet parameters are
for your main LAN, so compare that info to what you see on a PC that's connected
to the extender. If the subnets are different, that's not the operational mode
that you want. There's a use case for that, but probably not for you.

>So I set the extender back to Off for DHCP and left it at that, with
>nothing connected to it. A few hours later internet access was lost on
>the PC.

That's the perfect time to run ipconfig and ping to see what the problem is.

>When I get the time for it must see if it is possible to find
>what causes the error, but have no idea where to search, except in the
>system logs. Last time this error occured, the laptop had a message
>about IP-collision.

That can certainly cause the problem you're describing. IP conflicts most often
happen when there are two or more DHCP servers on the same LAN segment or where
there's a mix of dynamic (DHCP) and static IP address assignments. Sometimes
people manually assign an address from the DHCP pool. Some routers check whether
an IP address is in use before they assign it, but most don't. It may be up to
you to double check the DHCP pool against any static assignments.

If you have a lot of devices on your LAN, consider using a scanner to make a
list of the currently active devices. I use Angry IP Scanner but there are many
others and they all work about the same. You tell it the subnet to scan and then
turn it loose. A few moments later it gives you a list of what it found. Maybe
something is using an IP address that you don't remember configuring.

>The system log then had a message about IP 0.0.0.0
>and the mac-address of the extender. Ping from comandline on the PC
>would not run, gave a message about network error.

The clues sound like an IP conflict.

On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 19:37:38 +0000, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

>Jesper Kaas wrote:
>
>> this wi-fi extender will not work for my purposes.
>
>do you know if it works as a bridge (same subnet as main router), or a
>router (different subnet)?
>
>if the former you should disable DHCP on the extender, if the latter
>enable DHCP.

Agreed.

On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 19:37:38 +0000, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

>Jesper Kaas wrote:
>
>> this wi-fi extender will not work for my purposes.
>
>do you know if it works as a bridge (same subnet as main router), or a
>router (different subnet)?
>
>if the former you should disable DHCP on the extender, if the latter
>enable DHCP.

The extender has settings for DHCP, Off, Auto, On. Working in On and
Auto mode it supplies IP-adresses, and things connected to it is on a
separate subnet. In Off-position there is only one net, but then the
internet access on my PC (connected by ethernet to the router) is cut
soooner or later.

Best regards
--
Jesper Kaas - jesperk@neindanke.online.no

On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 14:18:09 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
wrote:

>On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 20:34:59 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>No, this wi-fi extender will not work for my purposes. With DHCP set to
>>Auto I had two phones connected to it, and both had full internet
>>access. Very good. But when i connected a raspberrypi to the extender
>>and tried to get access to it via VNC from the PC (which has internet
>>from the main router), VNC could not show the screen. I want to send
>>videostream from the raspberry to the "home net", and need to be able to
>>do maintenance/changes on the raspi from time to time.
>
>Setting the extender DHCP to Auto may have the effect of creating a new subnet.
>That would be the first thing I'd check. You know what the subnet parameters are
>for your main LAN, so compare that info to what you see on a PC that's connected
>to the extender. If the subnets are different, that's not the operational mode
>that you want. There's a use case for that, but probably not for you.
The main net has gateway 10.0.0.138, the mask is 255.255.255.0. The
DHCP-pool is 10.0.0.20-10.0.0.199. When set the Extender to Auto or On
and connect somthing to it, it gives ip-adresses like 10.0.0.200. When
extender is set to Off for DHCP it gives ip-adresses like 10.0.0.29,
which is in the pool for the main routers DHCP-pool. When I look at
the adress 10.0.0.201 given by the extender it looks like the same net
as the main net, but it is not, since I cannot get access to a
raspberrypi connected to the extender from a PC on the main net. There
is something strange here. The nets look the same looking at the
ip-adresses, but they work as created from two different routers. So
it looks like something "secret" is going on between the extender and
the main router :-)
>
>>So I set the extender back to Off for DHCP and left it at that, with
>>nothing connected to it. A few hours later internet access was lost on
>>the PC.
>
>That's the perfect time to run ipconfig and ping to see what the problem is.
Will do next time it happens
>
>>When I get the time for it must see if it is possible to find
>>what causes the error, but have no idea where to search, except in the
>>system logs. Last time this error occured, the laptop had a message
>>about IP-collision.
>
>That can certainly cause the problem you're describing. IP conflicts most often
>happen when there are two or more DHCP servers on the same LAN segment or where
>there's a mix of dynamic (DHCP) and static IP address assignments. Sometimes
>people manually assign an address from the DHCP pool. Some routers check whether
>an IP address is in use before they assign it, but most don't. It may be up to
>you to double check the DHCP pool against any static assignments.
>
>If you have a lot of devices on your LAN, consider using a scanner to make a
>list of the currently active devices. I use Angry IP Scanner but there are many
>others and they all work about the same. You tell it the subnet to scan and then
>turn it loose. A few moments later it gives you a list of what it found. Maybe
>something is using an IP address that you don't remember configuring.
Well, by now there are 12-15 things connected to the main router. The
router makes a fine listing of them. I have been through that list
some times, and see no colisions of IP-adresses. Only ip-address
outside the pool 20-199 is my PC that has static ip 10.0.0.9.
>
>>The system log then had a message about IP 0.0.0.0
>>and the mac-address of the extender. Ping from comandline on the PC
>>would not run, gave a message about network error.
>
>The clues sound like an IP conflict.
--
Jesper Kaas - jesperk@neindanke.online.no

On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 14:05:18 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
wrote:

>On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:22:28 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 29.11.2023 03:33, Char Jackson wrote:
>>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:26:39 +0100, Jesper Kaas <jesperk@neitakk.online.no>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:38:03 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:11:50 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I am
>>>>>> very keen on fixed IP's. Used to have it on nearly everything at work,
>>>>>> where we had hundreds of chemical analyzers spread over a hospital, most
>>>>>> of which had a web interface. As retired at home it still is practical
>>>>>> to have fixed IP's on the most used gadgets. But I don't think I have
>>>>>> any "really" fixed IP's anymore, that are defined on the gadget/PC. Its
>>>>>> not possible to set fixed IP in Windows 10 and 11.
>>>>>
>>>>> It's not only possible, it's done via the exact same approach that's been used
>>>>> since at least Windows XP. Open the relevant network adapter's properties,
>>>>> select IPv4 properties (or IPv6, if applicable), and enter the IP address,
>>>>> subnet mask, default gateway, and (optionally) DNS information. Done.
>>>>
>>>> I have set fixed ip's on windows pc's connected to chemical analyzers
>>>> at work many times. Did it exactly like you describe above, worked a
>>>> charm. I also did it at home many years ago, no problem. But recently
>>>> with my old Win10 PC and new Win11 PC, it was simply not possible. Not
>>>> in Win10, not on Win11. It always ended with Windows starting an
>>>> errorhunting that ended setting the network adapter back to DHCP.
>>>> There awere 2 other ways to set static IP, one was via Windows
>>>> Settings, but the settings menu has changed recently, and I can't find
>>>> it now.
>>>> I had always set a mark in the box "Validate settings at close"
>>>> I just now again tested setting static ip on Win11: Enter ip-address
>>>> for the PC, netmask, gateway and DNS-servers. Click OK, Close, this
>>>> time without setting a mark in box "Validate setings". And big wonder:
>>>> Windows accepted the settings, also after a reboot. So now I have a
>>>> fixed IP on the PC and wil tru that out.
>>>
>>> Excellent. I'm not sure why 'Validate' was choking, but it's good to see that
>>> you're able to set a static IP now, if you want to.
>>>
>>>>> I have no constructive comments regarding the extenders. When I get asked to
>>>>> help with wireless network issues and I see one or more extenders, I either
>>>>> remove them and place them where the owner isn't likely to find them, or I bow
>>>>> out gracefully. There are other, much better, ways of solving such problems.
>>>> Nice :-) What would you suggest instead of extender? I have seen
>>>> mesh-systems recommended. I have no idea how it works, and it is
>>>> expensive. My TP-link extender was very cheap, like 30 dollars.
>>>
>>> I don't know the details of your situation, so in no particular order I'd look
>>> at running Ethernet cables to where you need connectivity, terminating at a
>>> standard RJ-45 port. That way, you could directly connect a single device, or
>>> connect multiple devices via a switch, or connect an Access Point (AP) if you
>>> need WiFi in that area. If you can't run cables, consider accomplishing the same
>>> thing via coax cables that may already be in place. Here in the US, most houses
>>> have coax TV cables strung throughout the house. You can put Ethernet onto those
>>> cables with a pair of MoCA adapters. Mesh WiFi units also work very well and are
>>> typically able to dedicate an entire wireless band for backhaul, or they can use
>>> your Ethernet cabling if available. Mesh tends to work very differently, and
>>> much better, than WiFi extenders.
>>
>>The house is built in 1960, so no cables here except for 230v AC. I need
>>5V DC and net outside. 5V DC is easy to supply, but I did not want to
>>stretch cable for the net access. Therefor the attempt with a cheap
>>wifi-extender.
>
>I'm sure there's a scenario where extenders work, to an extent, but it's
>probably only in a lab setting. In the real world, I think they're an awful
>choice, sort of on par with using the electrical wiring in the house for
>Ethernet, what we call powerline networking here in the States.
>
>If you feel like you have no choice but to use an extender, consider building
>your own by putting two Access Points (APs) back to back, connected to each
>other by Ethernet. One AP would be configured to act as a client to your main
>WiFi, while the other device would be allowed to operate as an AP, but on a
>different channel. That solves the main problem with an extender, that they use
>a single channel, alternating between receiving and transmitting. Instead of
>using APs for your homemade extender, you can frequently save money by using a
>pair of WiFi routers after configuring them to work as APs. If you go the DIY
>route, be sure your equipment can act as a WiFi client. You may need 3rd party
>firmware to get that capability.
>
>At best, the above is still no match for a wired connection or even a mesh
>connection, but those options may cost more up front.
>
>>Glad to hear that mesh actually works good. I was halfway thinking it
>>just was a new way of getting money up your pockets. I will keep it in mind.
>>>
>>>> I have only tried this TP-Link WA850RE. Needed it for a birdboxcamera
>>>> in the garden. It can work either by feeding it via cabled ethernet,
>>>> or placing it in the outskirts of the main wi-fi's range, where it can
>>>> pick up the wi-fi and pass it on with a different SSID and probably
>>>> other channel. I have used the last method. It has one interesting
>>>> setting, DHCP with possibilities Auto, On or Off. It was On from the
>>>> factory. I turned it off, and set it up and it worked with no
>>>> problems for aproximately a month, until it started giving problems on
>>>> both cabled net and wi-fi. I tested changing the DHCP setting on
>>>> extender first to "On" and got problems imidiately. Then to Auto, and
>>>> after an hour I had the problem again. Unpluged the extender and
>>>> problem solved.
>>>
>>> It would be very helpful to know precisely what problems you encountered. You
>>> don't have to share the details here, but you should know what a set of valid
>>> networking parameters looks like so that you can compare that to what you see
>>> when there are problems.
>>I am not quite sure what networking parameters you refer to. What i saw
>>when in trouble, was a on the PC messages from Win11 saying about both
>>the ethernet card and the wireless connection 12Com "No internet
>>access". And there really was no internet access. I could connect the
>>PC's wi-fi to the wi-fi from the extender (12Com_EXT) and get internet
>>access. Problem stopped when AC was cut for the extender.
>
>When you see a message like, "No Internet access", that's not very helpful for
>troubleshooting and determining a root cause. Most people have no issues with
>their LAN setup, and those people won't need to care about their subnet,
>netmask, default gateway, DNS entries, etc. But since you're having some
>problems, you might need to take some notes so that you can compare a working
>connection to a non-working connection.
When you talk about subnet parameters do you mean, as you write above,
netmask, gateway and eventually DNS-servers? The main net has netmask
255.255.255.0, gateway 10.0.0.138, DNS 208.67.222.222 and
208.67.220.220. The subnet the extender has when set to On or Auto is
not possible to see, you can just see that the ip's it hands out are
in the same form as for the main net.
>I assume you have a router that's acting as your Internet gateway, so you'd log
>in to that device to get your LAN subnet, your netmask, the LAN IP of the
>router, the DNS entries, etc.
Sure I have been into the routers settings and list of connected
devices many times. The DHCP pool is set to 20-199, and it has a
maximum of 32 connected devices. The only static IP is 10.0.0.9, so
outside the pool.
>
>Let's say your LAN subnet is 10.0.0.0 with a netmask of /24, sometimes written
>as 255.255.255.0. Then you'd know that valid LAN IP addresses go from 10.0.0.1
>thru 10.0.0.254. Scratch the LAN IP of the router from that list because it's in
>use (by the router), and scratch the IPs of any statically assigned IP
>addresses, making sure each of those is outside of the DHCP pool. Check the DHCP
>pool settings to make sure it's more than big enough to handle all of your
>devices. If your DHCP pool is too small, you could use up each of the IP
>addresses in the pool and subsequent IP requests would be denied, which is a
>potential reason for 'no Internet access'. Be aware that DHCP-assigned IP
>addresses have a lease period, so if you have devices coming and going all day
>you can quickly exhaust your DHCP pool. IP addresses won't be eligible for DHCP
>reassignment until their current lease expires. You can adjust the lease period.
>I've seen lease defaults as high as 7 days, which seems ridiculous, but 1 day
>(24 hours) is more common. If your router shows pool exhaustion as a culprit,
>expand the pool or reduce the lease time to, perhaps, 12 hours, or even less.
The router has a list of connected devices with hostname, type,
IP-address, mac-address, status (online or ofline). I have never seen
more than 30 devices on that list. If a device goes offline it stays
in the list, and if reconnevted, it gets the same IP as before. I do a
little "cleaning" in the list from time to time. Removed all offliners
this morning, and now have 20 devices in the list.
>
>Be aware that LAN access is required before Internet access will be possible, so
>if you lose Internet access the first thing you'd check is whether you still
>have LAN access. I use the command line tools ping and ipconfig to get a quick
>look at what's going on. If ipconfig suddenly shows that you have a 169.254.x.x
>IP address, you know that DHCP failed and you definitely won't have LAN access
>or Internet access. If ipconfig shows that your IP, netmask, gateway, and DNS
>are reasonable, try pinging your LAN gateway IP, which is probably your router.
>If you can successfully ping your gateway, try pinging an Internet address. I
>use 8.8.8.8 because it's easy to type.
Thank you, will take a note of the above for later use when trouble
creeps up. When the trouble came 2 days ago I got quite hot in the
head, because i could not at all understand what was going on.
>The key to troubleshooting network issues is to familiarize yourself with how
>things look and work when you aren't having problems. Then when a problem crops
>up, you'll be able to see what has changed. There's no magic involved.
>
>>> If your LAN consists of a single subnet, then you definitely want only one DHCP
>>> server. You don't want IP conflicts or incorrect default gateway or incorrect
>>> netmask, to name just a few things that can go wrong.
>>Yes. When installing the extender at first (just following the set up
>>instructions) i saw that it handed out an IP address by itself. Looked
>>at the extenders settings, and changed DHCP-setting from either On or
>>Auto to Off. Then i got ip-addresses looking like they were from the
>>routers DHCP pool. Left it at that for about a month until the trouble
>>began 2 days ago.
>
>Got it, but you'll need to dig in and see what 'trouble began' really means.
>
>>> I think you mentioned earlier that you enable both wired and wireless
>>> connections at the same time, which is something that I never do. I'd pick one
>>> and stick with it.
>>Well, I think wired works best for printer and TV, and wi-fi is needed
>>for a lot of things. Phones, charger for car, hifi whatever. Even got a
>>dishwasher with wi-fi, but turned it off after testing :-) Right now the
>>router shows around 10 things connected via wi-fi.
>
>At the router, definitely enable both wired and wireless if you need to. I only
>meant at the various PCs and other devices on your LAN. Pick a connection type
>and disable the others, is my advice. Windows won't try to use two connection
>types simultaneously, but I still wouldn't leave both enabled, especially if
>you're trying to troubleshoot something.
Good. I have had both wifi and eternet active on the PC, and wondered
if there was any point in it. Wifi is turned off now, but was on when
the truble started.
>
>>>> Then I read RapidPedagogs reply about removing all static IP's. Did
>>>> that, and there has been no trouble for some hours.
>>>
>>> That smells like you assigned a static IP that was already in use, or perhaps an
>>> IP that was later also handed out by your DHCP server. That situation is easily
>>> remedied, but you first have to recognize if it's the case.
>>>
>>>> With the extenders DHCP set to "Auto" it hands out IP-adresses above 10.0.0.200 and up.
>>>> The main router is set to hand out DHCP in the range 20 to 199, so
>>>> theoretically there should be no problems.
>>>
>>> Yeah, don't do that. One DHCP server per network segment is all you need.
>>Right. That's why i first set DHCP to Off on the extender, but still ran
>>in to trouble. So now I try the extender with Auto, and it looks like
>>the extender hands out ip's above the range of the pool on router. If it
>>works fine, else drop the extender.
>>>
>>>> The first problem, yesterday, came after I had been fiddeling with 3
>>>> raspberrypi's connected to main wifi and a fourth connected via the
>>>> extender for half a day. At that time one raspberrypi had been
>>>> connected via the extender and working fine for a month.
>>>>
>>>> For now the extender is plugged in with nothing connected, exept for
>>>> occasionaly a mobile phone for testing. The only static ip on the net
>>>> is a pc.
>>>> I keep my fingers crossed :-)
>>>> Thank you for the comments
>>>
>>Still no problem with intarnet on the PC.
>>Did a little testing with the extender set to Auto for DHCP:
>>
>>- WS850RE powered on, no clients connected:
>> Router shows hostname TL-WA850RE, IP 10.0.0.200, macadresse as shown on
>>the thing, status online
>>- WS850RE with one phone connected:
>> New line added in router: Hostname empty, device type android-dhcp-12,
>>ip 10.0.0.20, mac-adresse as the phones, status offline
>>- WS850RE with two phones connected:
>> Router shows the same as with one phone connected
>>
>>Internet acces on both phones, phones show ip's 10.0.0.200 and
>>10.0.0.201, and that is what is shown in the app Tether that is used to
>>manage WA850RE.
--
Jesper Kaas - jesperk@neindanke.online.no

On 2023-11-29 23:21, Jesper Kaas wrote:
> On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 14:18:09 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 20:34:59 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> No, this wi-fi extender will not work for my purposes. With DHCP set to
>>> Auto I had two phones connected to it, and both had full internet
>>> access. Very good. But when i connected a raspberrypi to the extender
>>> and tried to get access to it via VNC from the PC (which has internet
>> >from the main router), VNC could not show the screen. I want to send
>>> videostream from the raspberry to the "home net", and need to be able to
>>> do maintenance/changes on the raspi from time to time.
>>
>> Setting the extender DHCP to Auto may have the effect of creating a new subnet.
>> That would be the first thing I'd check. You know what the subnet parameters are
>> for your main LAN, so compare that info to what you see on a PC that's connected
>> to the extender. If the subnets are different, that's not the operational mode
>> that you want. There's a use case for that, but probably not for you.

> The main net has gateway 10.0.0.138, the mask is 255.255.255.0. The
> DHCP-pool is 10.0.0.20-10.0.0.199.

Notice that the gateway is smack in the middle of the DHCP-pool range.

You could use a mask like 255.255.0.0, set the dhcp pool to the entire
10.0.1.* range.

> When set the Extender to Auto or On
> and connect somthing to it, it gives ip-adresses like 10.0.0.200.

And there you have the collision.

> When
> extender is set to Off for DHCP it gives ip-adresses like 10.0.0.29,
> which is in the pool for the main routers DHCP-pool. When I look at
> the adress 10.0.0.201 given by the extender it looks like the same net
> as the main net, but it is not, since I cannot get access to a
> raspberrypi connected to the extender from a PC on the main net. There
> is something strange here. The nets look the same looking at the
> ip-adresses, but they work as created from two different routers. So
> it looks like something "secret" is going on between the extender and
> the main router :-)

You also need to look at the mask. Use "ipconfig".

....

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

On 2023-11-29 12:22, Jesper Kaas wrote:
> On 29.11.2023 03:33, Char Jackson wrote:
>> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:26:39 +0100, Jesper Kaas
>> <jesperk@neitakk.online.no>
>> wrote:

....

>
> The house is built in 1960, so no cables here except for 230v AC. I need
> 5V DC and net outside. 5V DC is easy to supply, but I did not want to
> stretch cable for the net access. Therefor the attempt with a cheap
> wifi-extender.

You could look at PoE, power over ethernet. The same cable uses two
wires for DC power for things like cameras. It needs a different type of
switch to put the power in the cable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_over_Ethernet

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 23:59:38 +0100, "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid>
wrote:

>On 2023-11-29 23:21, Jesper Kaas wrote:
>> On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 14:18:09 -0600, Char Jackson <none@none.invalid>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 20:34:59 +0100, Jesper Kaas <kaasjesper0@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> No, this wi-fi extender will not work for my purposes. With DHCP set to
>>>> Auto I had two phones connected to it, and both had full internet
>>>> access. Very good. But when i connected a raspberrypi to the extender
>>>> and tried to get access to it via VNC from the PC (which has internet
>>> >from the main router), VNC could not show the screen. I want to send
>>>> videostream from the raspberry to the "home net", and need to be able to
>>>> do maintenance/changes on the raspi from time to time.
>>>
>>> Setting the extender DHCP to Auto may have the effect of creating a new subnet.
>>> That would be the first thing I'd check. You know what the subnet parameters are
>>> for your main LAN, so compare that info to what you see on a PC that's connected
>>> to the extender. If the subnets are different, that's not the operational mode
>>> that you want. There's a use case for that, but probably not for you.
>
>> The main net has gateway 10.0.0.138, the mask is 255.255.255.0. The
>> DHCP-pool is 10.0.0.20-10.0.0.199.
>
>Notice that the gateway is smack in the middle of the DHCP-pool range.

Bingo. Great catch.

>You could use a mask like 255.255.0.0, set the dhcp pool to the entire
>10.0.1.* range.
>
>
>> When set the Extender to Auto or On
>> and connect somthing to it, it gives ip-adresses like 10.0.0.200.
>
>And there you have the collision.
>
>> When
>> extender is set to Off for DHCP it gives ip-adresses like 10.0.0.29,
>> which is in the pool for the main routers DHCP-pool. When I look at
>> the adress 10.0.0.201 given by the extender it looks like the same net
>> as the main net, but it is not, since I cannot get access to a
>> raspberrypi connected to the extender from a PC on the main net. There
>> is something strange here. The nets look the same looking at the
>> ip-adresses, but they work as created from two different routers. So
>> it looks like something "secret" is going on between the extender and
>> the main router :-)
>
>You also need to look at the mask. Use "ipconfig".
>
>...