Networks·41,468 discussions

DHCP IP address assignments by primary router and wireless extender

I have a very specific question that probably demonstrates my lack of networking knowledge. First, here’s the equipment relevant to my issue: a Netgear R7960P wireless router, TP-Link RE450 wireless extender (with an ethernet port), and a DirecTV HR34/700 receiver. The TP-Link extender is connected wirelessly to the Netgear router and via an ethernet cable to the DTV receiver. Everything seems to be operating correctly at the moment but the DTV receiver loses its internet connection frequently and requires a reboot to reconnect. Today when I tried to troubleshoot I noticed something that I don’t understand. The Netgear router DHCP assigns IP addresses in the 192.168.1.2 – 254 range, very standard. The TP-Link extender had been assigned 192.168.1.3, which I then reserved for it on the Netgear admin utility, no problem. However, the Netgear admin utility says the DTV receiver has an IP address of 192.168.0.254, which is outside of the Netgear DHCP range. When I look at the network info on the DTV receiver itself, it shows it’s IP address as 192.168.1.12 and has a different MAC address than shown on the Netgear admin page. Even weirder, the TP-Link extender shows it’s not connected to any clients (on a TP-Link app I use to control it), despite the fact that the DTV receiver says it does have an IP address and is definitely connected to the internet. In summary, the DTV receiver has an internet connection despite the extender indicating it doesn’t have any clients and the Netgear router showing an IP address for the receiver that’s outside of the router’s DHCP range and different than the IP address shown on the receiver itself (which is in the DHCP range). If someone could explain what’s going on, I’d appreciate it!!

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All I can offer is a line from Highlander.

In reply to DHCP IP address assignments by primary router and wireless extender

“There can only be one.” when it comes to a DHCP server on a LAN. One per LAN. Now if there are more than one LAN then there can be more than one result for IP assignments and even MAC addresses.

Why? -> MAC Address Randomization.

Also some extenders and other router gear don’t pass up the MAC addresses so I can’t count on that info getting to the host router.

-> I read your post twice and can’t find what is broken. I see there some areas about “how does this work” but it’s an extender which I find to be haphazard in operations to the point our office will not sell or support such. We will field Access Points, Powerline and the wireless versions of such because extenders continue to be problematic. You don’t want folk to think you are the cause of their network problems.

Excellent answer, Kurgan!

In reply to All I can offer is a line from Highlander.

That was exactly the info I was looking for. You’re right, everything is operating correctly (for now) but I could not figure out the discrepancies between the IP addresses listed for the same device in two different locations, and the fact that the TP-Link utility was showing no clients connected to the extender. I’ve heard that extenders can be pretty ‘haphazard’ but thought that a mainstream manufacturer like TP-Link would be more reliable. Anyway, thanks very much for the info and enjoy Highlander next time it’s on!

Recently I learned that the actor that played Kurgan.

In reply to Excellent answer, Kurgan!

Is the voice for Mr. Krabs.

Indeed…

In reply to Recently I learned that the actor that played Kurgan.

And Clancy Brown has been in a ton of other stuff too, but if you have Highlander and SpongeBob on your resume you’re doing pretty damn well.

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