update on network issue..

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11-30-2020, 02:45 PM
SparkyCoog

update on network issue..

A couple of months ago, I mentioned that it appeared the networking scheme had changed in a house: my processor is on 192.168.10.70 but when I connected to the house's wifi like I had done for the last 5 years at least, I couldn't find the processor and found that the laptop was using the 192.168.50.x scheme. I wasn't sure whether it was a VLAN or the AV guy had changed the whole house and just forgot to let me know and somehow his remote control was still working. Oh and he was off the job after let's just say some "Drama".

Today I actually got to talk to him and according to him, the wireless network is set up to 192.168.50.x but the wired devices like my lutron processor is set up to 192.168.10.x so as long as I manually type in the lutron's processor address, it SHOULD still find it. Obviously it didn't... So my question is why?

Having been on this forum for a few years now, one of the most common gripes with both HWQS and Ra2 has been processors not showing up on the designer software. When it's brought up, the blame game begins: First with the victim blaming with things like "Did you use WIFI?! That's not recommended even though it's almost 2021 and pretty much every IOT device uses it with no issues!". Then comes the blame game on Windows and the router, etc. and we're asked to turn off all the firewalls, and connect directly, etc.

So before we get in the blame game, if everything is set up correctly in the network, is there a reason why one subnet can't talk to another subnet? I'm pretty sure they're using a Ubiquiti network there and I'm assuming the guy who set it up knows what he's doing. Everything else in the house seems to talk to each other but since HWQS relies on the mythical multicast, is this setup preventing multicast from working?

I haven't had a chance to go back to the house but I COULD find the network closet and connect via wired ethernet and then end up in the same subnet but am trying to get some ideas of what situations cause the processor to not be found.
12-01-2020, 08:04 AM
johnmax

I dunno I just think when it comes to Lutron's network connectivity it just plain sucks. We do mostly super large residential systems and usually own the network, with several vlans on a typical site with Crestron, NVX video, surveillance cameras, and the client network (Wi-Fi, wall jacks, etc). For the most part I rarely have issues nowadays but again we also manage the network so its usually setup right for us. As long as inter-vlan routing is setup and the Lutron device vlan access is available or tagged from the wireless network you are connecting to I would think you are good. While I must say I normally wouldn't have any Lutron equipment reachable from the client's wireless network, I am hoping they setup a separate wireless network for technicians to reach their necessary equipment.

Can you open a command prompt on your computer when connected wirelessly and are you able to ping the Lutron processor's IP address? If not then I would say its a network issue. If you can ping it then its probably Lutron's crappy software. Maybe the network person can create a hidden SSID for you that would put you on the same network as the Lutron.
12-01-2020, 03:26 PM
SparkyCoog

I didn't try pinging (I don't think) but i did type in the IP address in the browser to see if the page with XML would pop up and it didn't. They have version 13.2 so it should have popped up. Oddly enough, last time I was there for unrelated electrical work, I used the Home+ app which nobody else uses except for me and it was able to connect just fine.

Regardless, the problem is resolved now...I spoke with the network guy and I have 3 choices now...I can either sit on a bucket in a closet and connect to one of the ports in the switch; I have remote access working again too; or, my favorite, he set up a special access point just for me in one corner of the house and it should put me back on 192.168.10.x. Apparently there are a bunch more VLANs in the house---this is a ridiculously large and connected house.
12-01-2020, 09:37 PM
randyc

Is it a nice bucket??

A 50.x network isn't natively going to talk to a 10.x network. You will need a high-end router set up correctly. And you will need communication to go both ways.
06-26-2021, 11:55 AM
lmaugustin

You won't be able to connect from a laptop on the 192.168.50.x network to the Homeworks processor on 192.168.10.x unless someone has configured a router to route traffic between those two networks. I'm not sure why you have multiple networks. In most residential setups I don't find that's it's worth the complexity. In commercial settings where you need to create isolation between teams for security or other reasons, sure. But most homeowners are like you in that they expect everything on their home network to talk to everything else on their home network. No need for multiple VPNs. I also find that for most places an 8 bit subnet (192.x.y.z) is not enough devices anymore. If your installer is using multiple subnets because you're running out of IP addresses, they should just use one big 10.x network. I am now using 16-bit subnets everywhere (10.x prefixes, 64K = 65536 IP addresses). If a person has multiple homes, I use a different 10.x network for each home and VPN them together. (e.g. 10.1.0.0, 10.2.0.0, 10.3.0.0, etc.) But each home is one subnet with a max of 65536 IP addresses. I will say that the one exception to the multiple VPN rule is for a guest WiFi network. If the homeowner wants a guest WiFi network, that sits on it's own VPN for security. Bottom line, I'd tell your installer to put everything on one subnet and stop making things so complex.
10-15-2021, 07:11 PM
SparkyCoog

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmaugustin

You won't be able to connect from a laptop on the 192.168.50.x network to the Homeworks processor on 192.168.10.x unless someone has configured a router to route traffic between those two networks. I'm not sure why you have multiple networks. In most residential setups I don't find that's it's worth the complexity. In commercial settings where you need to create isolation between teams for security or other reasons, sure. But most homeowners are like you in that they expect everything on their home network to talk to everything else on their home network. No need for multiple VPNs. I also find that for most places an 8 bit subnet (192.x.y.z) is not enough devices anymore. If your installer is using multiple subnets because you're running out of IP addresses, they should just use one big 10.x network. I am now using 16-bit subnets everywhere (10.x prefixes, 64K = 65536 IP addresses). If a person has multiple homes, I use a different 10.x network for each home and VPN them together. (e.g. 10.1.0.0, 10.2.0.0, 10.3.0.0, etc.) But each home is one subnet with a max of 65536 IP addresses. I will say that the one exception to the multiple VPN rule is for a guest WiFi network. If the homeowner wants a guest WiFi network, that sits on it's own VPN for security. Bottom line, I'd tell your installer to put everything on one subnet and stop making things so complex.

Well this is a very large house with around 48 security cameras (I think around 6 of them are on top of trees Tony Montana style) with 4 live monitors which are always on and are placed throughout the house in places where the homeowner usually hangs out in - gym, breakfast area, bedroom, office, etc. I think that's one network. Then they have the video distribution stuff for the TV which is stuff I never deal with but it's the classic rich people home deal of having a giant TV and projectors with just a single remote that does everything they need. Plus all the audio for all the rooms. Then there is the regular data for the computers and ipads and such. I think my Lutron stuff is on the same network as the TV stuff.

I honestly can't tell if there is a need to separate everything out or this is a job security type of deal. I know that after the falling out, they had to make up quick because it would be super expensive to get someone else to come in and get up to speed. The good news for me is that that dude does not touch anything that is 120V and lighting so he does his thing and we do our thing, and then he connects his thing to our thing and we all stay with our strengths.