Phone not seeing network devices, 2 routers same SSID

Dooby691 · Jun 22, 2017

Hi, I have a problem that happens sometimes but not always.

I have 2 Sky routers, ones connected to main phone/broadband line then an ethernet cable runs from that to a second router which has 3 devices connected. Another cable runs from the first/main router to a network switch with 3 devices connected to it.

My phone automatically connects to the router with the strongest signal fine but every now and then my phone can't see the devices which are on the switch connected to the first/main router.
And this only happens when my phone is connected to the first/main router. If i turn wifi off on phone and reconnect it still cant see them, but if I walk towards the second router my phone connects to that I can see all the devices. I can then walk between both routers and all the devices stay visible.

The problem only seems to appear when I turn wifi on and connect to the first/main router first, but 80% of the time it sees them fine when connecting to the first router first.

Every device has a static ip.

Any idea on why it's happening and is there anything I can do to stop it happening?
Thanks.

nigelivey · Jun 22, 2017

When you say second router is it routing or is it just an L2 switch and access point?

Dooby691 · Jun 22, 2017

The first/main router has dhcp server checked with a starting ip address outside of the static ip's that i'm using. The routers ip address is setup as 192.168.0.1

The second router has dhcp turned off and has an ip of 192.168.0.2 so is that classed as a switch and access point?

It's just happened now and it can't see devices on either router or switch (mostly when it happens it can see ones on second router but not the first)

Can't work out if it's a router setting wrong or phone somehow connecting differently each time.

The routers are both Sky sr101 with mode set on auto and channels set on 3 and 12.

The Paladin · Jun 23, 2017

you need to set the second router to AP mode when connected to a primary router to not cause interference.

Dooby691 · Jun 23, 2017

The mode option is just to set wifi mode 54g auto, performace, lrs, and 802.11b.
Surely disabling DHCP makes it go into AP mode?

Should both routers show all devices attached or only the main one?
I've got 4 devices on atm
Phone through wifi (connected to router 1)
PC through switch (connected to router 1)
Raspberry pi (through switch connected to router 1)
Raspberry pi (connected to router 2)
I'm logged into router 2 atm and in attached devices it only shows router 1 (192.168.0.1) and my PC but not the raspberry pi's.
My phone and router 1 can see all devices (atm), if I connect my phone to router 2 it can still see everything.
Just that randomly when it connects to router 1 first it can't see any devices until it connects to router 2.

The Paladin · Jun 23, 2017

Surely disabling DHCP makes it go into AP mode?

nope

routers has a AP mode usually found in the advanced options of your menus. which sky router make/model is it?

nigelivey · Jun 24, 2017

Dooby691 :

Are they connected LAN to LAN ports on each device or are you using a WAN port? Ave you completely disabled the firewall on the second router?

Dooby691 · Jun 25, 2017

HI sorry for late reply,
It's a SR101 router, There doesn't seem to be an option to turn firewall off, can only add ports to let traffic in.

I found a post on a sky forum which does mention the other mode but might not be how I need it setting up due to the other problems i'm now getting listed below.

I had already done most of what it said (I've kept the same SSID name on both routers so phone connects automatically) and have now changed the mode on router B to NOT ADSL only (which then asks you to plug a modem into router), and router A to DSL Only and added the MAC address reservation.

The NOT ADSL mode is called WANOE, still can't find an option that says AP.

Problem now is I can't connect to router B's settings through web browser when connected to router A, also can't see devices connected to router B when connected to router A and vice versa.
Also can't get any internet on devices connected to router B

MAY BE IMPORTANT! I've just found out after unplugging one cable from router A that it's wired differently to what I thought it was, which might be causing all the problems?
Router A has cable from green port to the network switch and a cable goes from the switch to the green port on router B.
Could that be causing the problems?
Should they only be connected router to router and not router / switch / router?

Just tried moving the cable in router A (green port) to a port that's not green but the outcome is the same.

SKY FORUM POST:
Router A is our main router connected to the internet
Router B is our 2nd router for sole Wifi access.

Turn off WIFI on your computer and connect Router B via Ethernet
Give your computer a STATIC IP for Router B
Connect to Router B 192.168.0.1
Turn off DHCP on Router B
Change IP of Router B to 192.168.0.254 (I use this and it works fine but technically any ip will do you just want it to be out of range of the other devices on your network)
Note down Ethernet MAC address for Router B.
Change Router B from AUTO to the other setting which is NOT ADSL only (sorry working from memory here)
Change Channel number (there are 13 channels availiable, so choose a channel the furthest away from the channel Router A is set to, you may want to scan the area with another device to use the best channel you can with minimal other routers in your area)
Change WIFI SSID to Router A's SSID and add either an extra number to the end of the SSID to distinguish from Router A, now called Router A2

Reboot Router A2 and connect to it's new IP to check settings. Check wifi is also broadcasting and that you can connect to Router A2 (192.168.0.254)

Now connect to Router A via ethernet

In Router A (192.168.0.1) , change the setting from AUTO to ADSL ONLY
Add in Router A2's MAC address into the DHCP reservation table.
Connect Ethernet cable to ANY ETHERNET PORT OTHER THAN THE ONE WITH THE GREEN LABEL on Router A
Connect other end of ethernet cable to the ETHERNET PORT WITH THE GREEN LABEL on router A2"

nigelivey · Jun 25, 2017

Dooby691 :

HI sorry for late reply,
It's a SR101 router, There doesn't seem to be an option to turn firewall off, can only add ports to let traffic in.

I found a post on a sky forum which does mention the other mode but might not be how I need it setting up due to the other problems i'm now getting listed below.

I had already done most of what it said (I've kept the same SSID name on both routers so phone connects automatically) and have now changed the mode on router B to NOT ADSL only (which then asks you to plug a modem into router), and router A to DSL Only and added the MAC address reservation.

The NOT ADSL mode is called WANOE, still can't find an option that says AP.

Problem now is I can't connect to router B's settings through web browser when connected to router A, also can't see devices connected to router B when connected to router A and vice versa.
Also can't get any internet on devices connected to router B

MAY BE IMPORTANT! I've just found out after unplugging one cable from router A that it's wired differently to what I thought it was, which might be causing all the problems?
Router A has cable from green port to the network switch and a cable goes from the switch to the green port on router B.
Could that be causing the problems?
Should they only be connected router to router and not router / switch / router?

Just tried moving the cable in router A (green port) to a port that's not green but the outcome is the same.

SKY FORUM POST:
Router A is our main router connected to the internet
Router B is our 2nd router for sole Wifi access.

Turn off WIFI on your computer and connect Router B via Ethernet
Give your computer a STATIC IP for Router B
Connect to Router B 192.168.0.1
Turn off DHCP on Router B
Change IP of Router B to 192.168.0.254 (I use this and it works fine but technically any ip will do you just want it to be out of range of the other devices on your network)
Note down Ethernet MAC address for Router B.
Change Router B from AUTO to the other setting which is NOT ADSL only (sorry working from memory here)
Change Channel number (there are 13 channels availiable, so choose a channel the furthest away from the channel Router A is set to, you may want to scan the area with another device to use the best channel you can with minimal other routers in your area)
Change WIFI SSID to Router A's SSID and add either an extra number to the end of the SSID to distinguish from Router A, now called Router A2

Reboot Router A2 and connect to it's new IP to check settings. Check wifi is also broadcasting and that you can connect to Router A2 (192.168.0.254)

Now connect to Router A via ethernet

In Router A (192.168.0.1) , change the setting from AUTO to ADSL ONLY
Add in Router A2's MAC address into the DHCP reservation table.
Connect Ethernet cable to ANY ETHERNET PORT OTHER THAN THE ONE WITH THE GREEN LABEL on Router A
Connect other end of ethernet cable to the ETHERNET PORT WITH THE GREEN LABEL on router A2"

To correct the above post there are not 13 channels to choose from, there are 13 channels but you want to select non overlapping channels so you can have 1,6 or 11.

Dooby691 · Jun 25, 2017

Yeah I've always used 3 and 11, seems to work well.
I've put all settings back to how I had them before as couldn't connect to internet using the WANOE option.

So what do you think is causing the original problem? not having an AP option, not being able to turn Firewall off or wiring the routers together with the switch in the middle? Or all 3?

And would adding a firewall rule to allow certain inbound traffic on the second router help?

nigelivey · Jun 27, 2017

It sounds very much like you had connected router 2s WAN port to router1s LAN port thus creating a second network, not extending the first.

Search

Phone not seeing network devices, 2 routers same SSID

Dooby691

Prominent

nigelivey

Splendid

Dooby691

Prominent

The Paladin

Polypheme

Dooby691

Prominent

The Paladin

Polypheme

nigelivey

Splendid

Dooby691

Prominent

nigelivey

Splendid

Dooby691

Prominent

nigelivey

Splendid

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page