Network connection issues and drop-outs

[pirateghost]

Let's straighten this out.

What is your network layout?
Is your ISP modem actually a router too? Do you have multiple IP addresses on your account? Are some of your device's connecting to a neighbor and not your network? Are your devices that can't communicate with the other devices with that public IP wireless devices that are connecting to the wrong WiFi?

 

[bigdog989]

Let's straighten this out.

Thanks for your persistence pirateghost

My setup is rather simple, a modem/router in one with two WiFi networks come from it (2.4ghz and 5ghz) as well as the HTPC and NAS attached by gigabit.

I think I may have uncovered the root of my problems though, my iPhone!!!!

For some reason it connects to a domain that is not on my local network (vi.bigpond.net.at <--this is hosted by my ISP), not sure how its done it but see the attached picture.
Connecting to this domain makes it invisible to the rest of my network.
The iPhone using an invalid IP makes my router go crazy and some other devices start to get invalid IP's as well. Then the router slowly dies. (strangely the internet still works on all devices most of the time though)
If I force the iPhone to have a fixed IP on my network I don't seem to have all the problems, at least so far.

Why this is happening, I don't know. I can't tell if its my modem/routers fault, my ISP or iPhone...

 

[rogerh]

Is it possible that the iPhone is connecting to a cellular network and trying to share it around your LAN? Do iPhones have DHCP servers? If they do, I'd disable it and tell it not to share it's own WAN connection.

 

[Ericloewe]

Is it possible that the iPhone is connecting to a cellular network and trying to share it around your LAN? Do iPhones have DHCP servers? If they do, I'd disable it and tell it not to share it's own WAN connection.

I don't think any phone does that over an existing WiFi network.
Typically, it's only done with peer-to-peer networks started by the phone.

 

[bigdog989]

Is it possible that the iPhone is connecting to a cellular network and trying to share it around your LAN? Do iPhones have DHCP servers? If they do, I'd disable it and tell it not to share it's own WAN connection.

The pic I posted was taken when I had the cellular network turned off on my iPhone, so I doubt that, plus my phone is with a different company

 

[rogerh]

I don't think any phone does that over an existing WiFi network.
Typically, it's only done with peer-to-peer networks started by the phone.

We don't know all the details, perhaps some of the OPs devices have wired connections to his LAN and WiFi to the phone? Perhaps they are both using the same subnet data and DHCP packets are leaking across? It must be either the iPhone or his router allowing inappropriate settings.

 

[rogerh]

I assume the two different band WiFi networks on the router have the same settings? And share the same DHCP server?

 

[bigdog989]

I assume the two different band WiFi networks on the router have the same settings? And share the same DHCP server?

Yes. It's a fairly typical network besides from the FREENAS server.

I'm no networking genius but it seems to me like my ISP's DHCP server are leaking into my network some how.

Interestingly this all started to happen around the time I updated my phones OS and when my ISP started to offer a new service called 'Telstra Air' (basically setting up a hotspot for other Telstra customers to use from your connection, with a special modem/router) I didn't sign up for it but maybe they had to make changes to network settings on there end that have effected my router/modem

 

[rogerh]

The thorough, though not necessarily the quickest, solution is to convert your ISPs router to some form of bridging mode and run a firewall like pfSense to block broadcast packets at the WAN interface and run DHCP for your network. Whether you would then have to get a separate WiFi access point I am not sure, but I would.

 

[Rainwulf]

Sounds like something odd is in that router. That ip address on your phone should NOT be given out by a fully working DHCP server, which points to the dhcp service on the router going haywire.
There is some bizarreness going on in that router, and having a publically routed IP on an internal device, especially if its advertising any network services like DHCP will be causing massive issues.
Time to get that router looked at. Perhaps save your settings, default to factory, flash to latest firmware and start from scratch.

 

[bigdog989]

The thorough, though not necessarily the quickest, solution is to convert your ISPs router to some form of bridging mode and run a firewall like pfSense to block broadcast packets at the WAN interface and run DHCP for your network. Whether you would then have to get a separate WiFi access point I am not sure, but I would.

It shouldn't be this difficult :/ my modem/router wasn't the cheapest it shouldn't be having these issues... :(

Time to get that router looked at. Perhaps save your settings, default to factory, flash to latest firmware and start from scratch.

I've upgraded the firmware and reset to factory setting and started from scratch but it made no difference. But as I mentioned above, fixing the IP on my iPhone has solved the problem it seems for now...
For the first time everything else is running smoothly which is great i guess :)

 

[Rainwulf]

That's really weird. The phone has to be getting it from SOMEWHERE. Is your router telstra supplied?

 

[bigdog989]

That's really weird. The phone has to be getting it from SOMEWHERE. Is your router telstra supplied?

Yeah :/
The router/modem I purchased myself for its higher spec WiFi, the ones my ISP sells are overpriced pieces of crap
I have recently noticed on the router manufacturers forum that other users of the modem AND Telstra are having similar issues
I assume the same thing is happening to them...

 

[Rainwulf]

I have to think there is some kinda of bizarro back door action into the router, or even DNS poisoning. which.. i dont honestly.. i cant think of how this happens. I have telstra myself and none of these issues, but i use my cable modem in bridged mode into an IPfire box, so yea telstra wont be screwing with that. What are your DNS options in the router? forwarded or specified?

 

[bigdog989]

I have to think there is some kinda of bizarro back door action into the router, or even DNS poisoning. which.. i dont honestly.. i cant think of how this happens. I have telstra myself and none of these issues, but i use my cable modem in bridged mode into an IPfire box, so yea telstra wont be screwing with that. What are your DNS options in the router? forwarded or specified?

that sound like a pretty fancy setup haha, thats all a bit beyond my knowledge.

As far as i know the router obtains the DNS servers from telstra when it connects and then when a pc connects via DHCP it tells the pc to forward the DNS to the routers address 192.168.1.1 and the router handles the rest