Help with network connection problem needed

guzzbuzz

Neil_Jones wrote: »

If the underground cable works fine when it connects to the computer in the "shed" directly but not when you connect it to the switch and then to a computer that implies you have a faulty switch.

If the cable had an issue it would not work when connected directly to the computer. The fact it works rules that principle out.

The other possibility is: You have connected a cable from one port on the switch to another on the same switch. You don't need to do that, in fact the lights would constantly flicker on the switch if that was the case and it would knock all the connections out.

What are the lights doing on the TP-Link switch? Remember you only need two cables, the buried one and the one to the laptop in the "shed". Nothing else.

As to cable runs of 100m+, it's not a hard limit, it can be flexible, it depends on the quality of the internal cables. The longer the cable the more the signal fades. For really really long runs fibre optics are going to be better but its cheaper just to use multiple switches in a domestic setup should you live in a mansion or something like that

Thanks

Underground cable works fine when connected directly to laptop in shed. 60mps on speed test.

Definitely havent connected one port on switch to another.

Set up is : Underground cable > plugged into TP Link switch > another, smaller, cat5 cable plugged into switch and then laptop...does't work

(i have tested this same, smaller, cat5 cable in the house and it works)

guzzbuzz

stragglebod wrote: »

Faulty switch, or faulty port on the switch. Or maybe it only accepts connection to the router on port 1.

The TP link switch definitely works, as i've tried it in the house by plugging it into the SKY Router.

It worked on different ports in the house, tried a few and all seem fine.

guzzbuzz

psychic_teabag wrote: »

As a test, you could put the new switch inside, at the other end of the long cable. So you'd have
laptop (outside) -> long cable -> switch (indoors) -> short cable -> router.

If that doesn't work., take the laptop indoors and plug it directly into the switch. I can't be bothered enumerating all the various working and non-working combinations, but that ought to reveal something.

Also have to consider tests at a slightly lower level to see if packets can go in one direction but not the other. Testing connectivity requires that packets get through in both directions, of course. But eg maybe the switch is able to receive packets along the long cable, but doesn't have sufficient power to transmit (whereas laptop and router do).

ETA: I notice a feature of the switch is to reduce power based on detected cable length. So it's trying to get away with as little power as it thinks necessary. Maybe it's getting that wrong. I wonder if you can turn that feature off.

Thanks, didnt know that about the switch, in regards to the detected cable length. Maybe that's what its doing?! I guess the only way to know wuld be to contact TP - LInk directly?

How do you run tests at a lower level to work out if the TP-Link switch is only receiving packets and doesn't have enough power to transmit them?

As for the first suggestion, that's not possible because the cat5 cable from the house to the shed has already been buried into the ground and throw brickwork etc (i know i know....i did tell him to test all this before the builders did that!)

guzzbuzz

stragglebod wrote: »

I know it shouldn't but it's easy to eliminate the possibility but yes I agree it's most likely to be a faulty switch.

Switch definitely works in the house.

Set up: Unplugged the big long cat5 cable from Sky router. Inserted smaller cat5 cable into sky router, then into the TP-Link switch. Then ran another cat5 cable from TP-Link switch into the laptop

Works fine and internet speed is good. 60-70Mps

guzzbuzz

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

Still worth speaking to the manufacturer as per post#3
They are the experts on their switch.....
.....rather than logical diagnosis at arms length by us with limited/confusing piecemeal descriptions and suck it and see thoughts!


It does sound like the switch is struggling with line length...maybe cos it is too long.....maybe too much loss for the switch.....maybe switch not working properly...maybe....maybe......


Ask the people who know their own equipment or their community forum. What is there to loose doing that?

Ok thanks mate, i will do that next! And report back..

guzzbuzz

Robisere wrote: »

Is the Cat 5 cable your mate ran underground, an external or internal cable? I had a similar problem at a mate's house. The Cat 5 was an ordinary cable as used indoors, swapped it for an External Cat 6 cable and it worked. He just dug a trench (not deep) and ran the cable, through a plastic pipe. I'm thinking there was damp/condensation.

External cable, 75M should be plenty:
https://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/cat6a-cable/9588-external-cat6-utp-ldpe-rj45-patch-leads.html#/81-length-75m

Unless you have the tools and capability to buy correct length of raw cable, then fit the ends.

Cable is a cat5e

They did use raw cable and fit the ends themselves

Chino

guzzbuzz wrote: »

Cable is a cat5e

Presumably the cable that your friend has was purchased from a trustworthy retailer/distributor and manufactured by a reputable manufacturer and wasn't just the cheapest cable he could find on Ebay/Amazon (just because the cable might be marked "Cat 5e" doesn't mean it is...).

psychic_teabag

guzzbuzz wrote: »

Thanks, didnt know that about the switch, in regards to the detected cable length. Maybe that's what its doing?! I guess the only way to know wuld be to contact TP - LInk directly?

I guess so. Unfortunately, because switches tend to be plug and play, they wouldn't usually need to provide any kind of network persona themselves for configuration.

How do you run tests at a lower level to work out if the TP-Link switch is only receiving packets and doesn't have enough power to transmit them?

Sorry, can't really help there, since I use linux. There's a tool called wireshark which lets you view individual frames going in and out. I think it's available for windows too.

Oh, and it would be easier using a computer at both ends of the setup, if you have access to a second laptop.

A TCP connection can only be established on top of a working bidirectional network. UDP works on a unidirectional network, though it does need to figure out the ethernet address of the recipient which, of course, requires that both directions are working. (It uses the "arp" protocol.) On linux, you could preseed the mac address of the remote end, to save having to rely on discovery.

If you can access the dhcp logs on the router, one test would be to simply see if the DHCP requests arrived from the laptop to the router. (DHCP is yet another low level protocol.) The laptop would send out a request asking for an IP address, and the router would send out an offer. So I'd be looking to see which of these packets got through and which got lost.

As for the first suggestion, that's not possible because the cat5 cable from the house to the shed has already been buried into the ground and throw brickwork etc (i know i know....i did tell him to test all this before the builders did that!)

I don't understand... I wasn't suggesting moving the cable. Just bringing the switch inside and plugging the (inside) end of the long cable into the switch rather than the router. And then the laptop to the shed end of the long cable.


Coming back to the LEDs on the TP switch - you say there are no LEDs lit other than the power LED. That's certainly a probkem since it indicates that the switch did not detect a device (the router) at the other end of the long cable. And if nothing lit up when plugging in the laptop to the switch, that would certainly seem to point to a problem with the switch. Though you report it does work when everything is plugged together in the house, using short cables.

mancman3

You need to login to the tplink router in a web browser at 192.168.x.x (full address on back of router and username and passed) and setup a static ip. On the tplink disable DHCP Server and enter the default router IP of the sky router which will be something like 192.168.0.1 with a subnet of 255.255.255.0 and that should work.

Obviously if only using wired connection then disable wan and wireless otherwise setup wpa/2 and a preshared key for security

stragglebod

mancman3 wrote: »

You need to login to the tplink router in a web browser at 192.168.x.x (full address on back of router and username and passed) and setup a static ip. On the tplink disable DHCP Server and enter the default router IP of the sky router which will be something like 192.168.0.1 with a subnet of 255.255.255.0 and that should work.

Obviously if only using wired connection then disable wan and wireless otherwise setup wpa/2 and a preshared key for security

I was just about to post something like 'I wouldn't take networking advice from someone who can't tell the difference between a switch and a router' - but then noticed the OP has referred to a 'TP-Link router' a couple of times.

OP, it's definitely just the switch you linked to, there's no router other than the main Sky router?