I am using the HughesNet Dish Router to communicate w/ various ESPs & Arduinos installed
in structures on my property. Everything is ok until a power blip causes the router to restart.
After initializing it establishes communication with the microcontrollers and assigns their addresses. These addresses typically change after a reboot.
According to HughesNet Support I need to pay for a "business class" membership to get these
addresses locked in. It is a PITA having to search for the controllers through the HughesNet HT2000 WiFi web portal to determine the new addressing.
Options?
A. Can I get another router that will lock in these address values and be done with it? And would there be any issue establishing a link between the new router and the HughesNet unit since API notifications from the controllers need web access? Beyond reassigning the new network name/address in the controller code would any provision need to be made for passing API notifications through Router A to Router B to the web?
Last but not least, what routers are recommended that have a good WiFi range/coverage area and still don't break the bank so to speak?
B. Get a UPS for the HughesNet router? $$$?
I don't know about your router, but most will allow you to assign or 'bind' a mac address with an IP address. When the router reboots, it knows what addresses go to which mac address...
If this isn't available, might ask them how to use a static ip device on their system. I have a laser that is static only IP and I bind it in the router, so it will always stay the same.
Being the money making capitalists they are they (HughesNet) want to charge me extra for "binding" the MAC addresses. Akin to banks thinking it is "cute" charging us $3-$4 for using an
"out of network" autoteller. Lol
Would be a pain to do it, but you should be able to set static IP addresses in the ESP and Arduino code (would need to be in the same subnet as the router, and outside the DHCP range). As the previous posted mentioned, most routers let you assign static IP leases for local devices.
I would suspect customer support for Hughes assumes you are referring to a static IP address for the router itself, which is usually limited to business accounts for most ISPs (although over the last decade I always get the same external IP address for my cable modem after every reboot, on a consumer account).
If you can disable the router portion of the Hughes HT2000 and use an external router, it should be no problem at all to set up static leases.
Indeed, I wonder if there isn't a misunderstanding of what you're asking for. To have a static IP on the Internet side of your router typically comes at an extra cost. What you do on your home network should not.
Home routers typically allow assigning a fixed IP to a particular MAC address, that is the IP is assigned to a specific device. It may not be trivial to figure out how to do this, of course.
Alternatively one can assign a static IP on the device side as long as one is careful not to use the address range the router is using for DHCP (the dynamic address protocol). It's common in my experience for the range x.x.x.100 to x.x.x.149 to be used for DHCP in home routers, so I've put static IP devices above x.x.x.150.
Finally, on an avahi enabled network, one can find devices by hostname.
I'm gonna call HughesNet Tech Support tomorrow and get clarification
on whether I can set static IP addresses in their router, without opening my wallet. Lol
Ok, I have a screenshot of the HughesNet HT2000 WiFi Router portal screen
where you can assign local devices specific addresses. I tried this earlier this year
and had issues with it for reasons my old age is preventing me from remembering.
This seems like the right area to do what I an wanting.
No ... static IP with customer service refers to their up/down link (WAN).
Your router has a "modem" that connects to the WAN ... the other side connects to the NAT which manages the LAN (customer.) The LAN typically has a range configured for DHCP on the LAN devices. For DHCP in-range devices , most routers permits "static DHCP" which uses the device MAC (one-by-one): thus returning the same address for every unique MAC listed. Devices not listed in the MAC table are provided dynamic DHCP.
Customer service will not have a clue. First-level tech support may not have a clue. Usually, smarts start with end-level tech support
I just finished talking to HughesNet Tech Support.
The LAN DHCP table in their router setup web page portal is where you can add MAC addresses/devices but they are in fact dynamic, not static. For $9.95 month you can pay to get static address capability. I can use the feature but if a power blip or anything causes the router
to reset it can change the address assignments of your devices. You then must reassign the devices all over again. Bummer.
"This page allows you to reserve a local LAN IP address for a specific device. Please follow the user manual of your device to find its MAC address. Once you have the MAC address, you may enter the address on this page and then enter the IP address that you would like to be assigned to that device."
So now its time to decide on a UPS or 2nd router as I am not paying HughesNet $120 a year for static IPs.
Then what good is it..? If you can't associate an IP with a mac address it would seem to be useless menu ... what else could you use it for?
I have a similar screen for my Linksys and it works fine for my static laser IP....
Did you try entering the data and see what happens?
The problem with that, there are lots of devices out there are static only, meaning you could not use them with your provider... I find that hard to believe....
It works until the router burps for any reason. Funny thing is I have an ESP32 in my
wife's "She Shed" and whenever the router re-initializes it always assigns that particular
ESP as address number 2. The others are always different.
I did tell the HughesNet rep to pass along how providing static IP addressing for residential
customers at no additional cost would be a good product selling point. I doubt they will ever consider it though. $$$$
It's whole purpose is to ensure these IP address are not issued via DHCP, so it should not change any of these IP addresses...
The ISP spends more money and time with static IP, so they charge you for it... Usually it's common for a business to have a static IP... that way it can be looked up easily in a data base and it's address doesn't have to be updated...
I agree. Assigning local IP addresses directly (based on MAC address rather than DHCP) is the most basic feature of every household router I have ever come across. I can't believe that this functionality is not available.
Are you saying the page shown in post #8 does not work?
For a static WAN address (Public IP address)... well that is something quite different.
No argument there.... to me they should not even have that LAN DHCP assignments
page visible to residential customers if we cannot properly utilize it... or at least have
a disclaimer attached that states "Oh, by the way, this feature costs 10 bucks more a month...lol
Just to be clear... are you saying that if you use that page to assign IP addresses based on MAC address, then if the router is restarted those details are lost?
That does not make sense... are you sure the rep you spoke to has a clue about what they are talking about?
Yes it works. UNTIL the router reinitializes due to a problem such as a power interruption.
According to the tech at HughesNet the table is cleared, the router assigns the devices as it
sees fit and you are obliged to reenter the assignments if you want to reference them as you
previously had them configured.
