Superhub 2 DHCP problems

[Mallinky]

A very occasional problem over the years is now becoming very regular and unworkable.   Our wireless devices are being assigned IP addresses in the 192.168.1.n range (instead of 192.168.0.n).  These devices then get 'no internet connection'

DHCP is enabled with the range 192.168.0.2 to 254. Lease Time is 10 minutes.  I seem to remember seeing a setting a while back, where the ...1.n range was allocated to the Guest networks (though can't find that setting now!)

I now have to configure device IP addresses manually and Reserve them in DHCP.

I'm planning on getting a new router anyway (from another provider!) but just wondering what makes it fail in this way.

Software   V2.01.15 
Hardware 1.03

[legacy1]

Do you have HomePlug - Network Via Mains?

[Mallinky]

Yes - a Netgear one. I'm guessing that's relevant!

[jem101 · Accepted solution]

Yes; because almost certainly it is 'bridging' your home network to a neighbour's who also has a compatible Powerline adapter, effectively when one of your devices sends out a DHCP request, there is a good chance that your neighbour's router is picking it up first and assigning it an address on its range instead.

Now all of these PL adapters should have a means of setting a unique 'passphrase' on them so that they can only talk to devices with the same passphrase set. You'll need to check through the documentation to see how to do this.

[legacy1]

MI5 is like “we couldn't of dreamed it be so easy to get on someone's network!”.

[Mallinky]

Thanks for the clear reply - though I'm not sure I fully understand the 'how'!

The Powerline supports wired connections only. You're saying that just by plugging the Powerline into my router, the router will essentially 'merge' with any other it finds via Powerline. DHCP will then disregard SSIDs and passwords to grab an IP address from wherever it can? 

I'm sure I used the Powerline's security button to generate a random encryption key - but that was many years ago. Maybe that got reset, while a neighbour recently got one and/or a more powerful router.  Madness! 

[legacy1]

Easy way to test unplug it.

[Mallinky]

I did just that - unplugged both ends of my only Powerline.  I cleared all network settings on the device and confirmed they were clear.  I re-connected and it still gives me an invalid IP address 192.168.1.n ☹️

[legacy1]

Change the wifi password and SSID on the hub 

[Roger_Gooner]

In some buildings such as apartments with a shared power supply neighbours who use powerline adapters of the same make can have a problem because these adapters have the same passkey - which means that they are on the same LAN. If so all you have to do is encrypt your network by pressing the security key on both adapters for more than two seconds to securely auto pair them.