NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
JordonMusser
Jun 23, 2021Aspirant
RBK20 WiFi cant connect to Wired devices
I am trying to ping a wired connection with a device on the WiFi and it doesn't work. I am using the ORBI in AP mode, with a FIOS router for DHCP. Everything else works fine, I just can't con...
CrimpOn
Jun 23, 2021Guru - Experienced User
JordonMusser wrote:I am trying to ping a wired connection with a device on the WiFi and it doesn't work.
I am using the ORBI in AP mode, with a FIOS router for DHCP.
Everything else works fine, I just can't connect directly to a computer that is on the wired network from one on the wireless. In this case I need my phone to connect to my smart home controller.
I regularly ping devices on my Orbi network and have been surprised to learn that some of them do not respond to ICMP (ping) requests.
My Nest Mini, for example, happily responds to ping, but my Echo Dot does not. In a similar fashion, I was frustrated that a Windows computer would not respond to ping until some nice forum member pointed out that the Windows Firewall default is not to respond. Once I told the Firewall ping was OK, my testing got a lot easier.
Does this home controller respond to ping when a computer that is wired to the same FIOS taht the home controller is wired to?
JordonMusser
Jun 23, 2021Aspirant
actually. no, I didn't even think to try that. That doesn't work as well. So it appears it may be a router problem and not orbi?
I can access the home controller using their service, so I know its accessible (if I run my phone on 4G LTE i can reach it via the service)
- CrimpOnJun 24, 2021Guru - Experienced User
JordonMusser wrote:actually. no, I didn't even think to try that. That doesn't work as well. So it appears it may be a router problem and not orbi?
I can access the home controller using their service, so I know its accessible (if I run my phone on 4G LTE i can reach it via the service)
Most Internet of Things (IoT) devices create a link to the "Cloud" (this is not a security breach because the link comes from inside the LAN to the cloud, not from the outside)
I would expect that the smartphone app would work when the phone is connected to Orbi WiFi. (Mine certainly do, and I have about a dozen).
On the question of ICMP (ping), that would be something the home controller company could answer. "Does it, or doesn't it?"
- JordonMusserJun 24, 2021Aspirant
The device is a solid state windows PC, and has worked for 7 years+. This problem only came up after I upgraded my network to ORBI for wifi, and a new main (fios) router.
Looks like it may be in the router, not sure!
I can connect to the PC from a computer on a VPN, or connected to 4GLTE. Just not on the local network.- CrimpOnJun 24, 2021Guru - Experienced User
JordonMusser wrote:This problem only came up after I upgraded my network to ORBI for wifi, and a new main (fios) router.
This may be a consequence of having two routers (FIOS and Orbi), which is often described as a Double NAT situation.
https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
If the PC is connected directly to FIOS, it will get an IP address from the FIOS router.
Devices connected to the Orbi will get an IP address in a different subnet from the Orbi router.
WiFi devices will "know" that the FIOS subnet is "out the internet port of the Orbi" (somewhere) rather than on the Orbi subnet. So packets go to the FIOS which directs them to the PC. When the PC responds, however, FIOS has no idea where to find the private IP space that the Orbi created.
This can be verified by finding the IP addresses of the PC, the Orbi, and the WiFi device.
If this is the case, common solutions include:
- Connecting the PC to the Orbi rather than to the FIOS
- Putting the Orbi into Access Point (AP) mode