Vodafone router with Velop mesh for WiFi

[bruce_miranda]

I have the following set and something recently has changed which is causing me grief.

This is the connection chain.

OR FTTP Modem - Vodafone Router - Unmanaged Switch - Velop Nodes.

The Vodafone router is plugged into an Unmanaged switch using one of the Ethernet ports. WiFi on the Vodafone router has been switched off. 

The Velop nodes are all plugged into the Unmanaged switch via ethernet cables. This means that the Velop Nodes are operating with a wired backhaul. 

What is happening now is that if any client connects via the main WiFi connection on the Velop, they are connected to WiFi but without Internet. e.g. the client gets an IP address of 192.168.168.100

But if any client connects to the Guest WiFi they get Internet but then they are on another subnet range. e.g. IP address is 192.168.3.158

What I think is happening is that the Guest Network NATs the clients to the Node IP address. The Node is sitting on the LAN and hence has Internet access. All my other wired devices have Internet access.

So what is stopping my WiFi clients from getting Internet access and being put into the same Subnet as the Vodafone router and getting an IP from the DHCP pool? e.g. 192.168.1.x

[bruce_miranda]

When I look at the NAT table on the VF Router, I can see the Velop nodes each having 100s of connections each. Which is probably all the Velop Guest WiFi clients.

[Jayach]

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[Jayach]

So from what you say, the main Wi-Fi on the Velop is running as an access point, and the Guest Wi-Fi is running as a router.

Seems odd to me, but I did say earlier I can't see how an access point could run two Wi-Fi networks.

@Jayach wrote:

If its bridge mode is the same as access point, it shouldn't be doing any NAT. Having said that, I'm not sure how an access point could run two networks.

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[bruce_miranda]

Well what can I say, that is how a Velop works. I am now at the point where I am prepared to just install OpenWRT on these things and be done with the Velop firmware that is driving me nuts.

[Jayach]

It shouldn't matter that the guest network is running as a router (apart from the usual problems with NAT), and it was obviously working before, so what has changed?

I can't see it being a problem with the Vodafone router, and I'm not acquainted with the Velops, but that must be where the problem is.

Do they have a forum, and have you tried asking there?

[HappyNomad]

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@bruce_miranda wrote:

I have the following set and something recently has changed which is causing me grief.

This is the connection chain.

OR FTTP Modem - Vodafone Router - Unmanaged Switch - Velop Nodes.

Probably not a lot of help…  I originally bought three Velop nodes but had a slightly dissimilar setup:

FTTC to Vodafone THG3000 Hub with: 

• 1 x Fully populated Linksys 8 port unmanaged switch 
• 2 x Smart Home Hubs (Hive & Hue)
• 1 x Raspberry Pi running Pihole

… which all worked rather well for me apart from the pitiful Wifi range (TFG3000 in extension on the wrong side of the original thick external wall).

To address the Wifi range, I added 

• Velop Node #1 in bridge mode wired through the wall to the THG3000
• Nodes #2 and #3 connected wirelessly to Node #1

Wifi range duly improved but I could never get anything connected to the switch to work remotely - only via another wired device - so I bit the bullet and swapped out the THG3000 for a Linksys 4 port mesh router (MR8300) and a standalone modem.
I now have a four node mesh with the MR8300 mesh router as the primary node (node #1) with node #2 wired to it and nodes #3 and #4 still connected wirelessly.

The still fully (but slightly differently) populated 8 port switch, the Raspberry Pi and one smart home hub are connected by wire directly to the mesh router (Node #1) as before and the whole thing just works properly and well across the whole property.  Very little user intervention in the three years or whatever since I set it up which suits me.

I think you'd just need to exchange your THG3000 for a Velop router (or even another Node) for a complete mesh setup.

[Jayach]

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@HappyNomad wrote:I think you'd just need to exchange your THG3000 for a Velop router (or even another Node) for a complete mesh setup.

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I think that was @bruce_miranda's original plan, but they want to continue using the Vodafone VoIP service.

See their other post: Landline phone with own router on FTTP - Community home (vodafone.co.uk)

[bruce_miranda]

What I am going to try is loading OpenWRT on one of the Velop nodes and use that as my main Router, instead of the VF Router. See if that works and then go from there.

[Jayach]

Sounds like a plan. Doesn't explain why it was working, but now isn't.

Don't you hate it when a problem is unsolved.

[bruce_miranda]

OK something weird is going on now. Bought a TP Link Deco XE75, when I put that to AP mode the exact same thing happens I.e. Main WiFi no Internet but Guest WiFi works!!

The TP Link does work as a router if I remove the Vodafone router.