Router Settings

[Anonymous]

Just bought a FVP-5000T. When I connect directly (Ethernet Cable) to my Netgear DM200 router, it works perfectly. Netflix, On Demand, iPlayer etc all work fine.

However, when I connect it to my home network some network functionality is lost.

Netflix, On Demand, iPlayer, Guide (historical) don’t work.

What is odd is that Network Connection Status shows all is fine. Link to router and internet both OK.

Check New Software works, and I was able to download the latest version.

I can use the Live TV app on my iPhone to watch live TV.

I have a Ubiquiti Unifi network setup, including a Unifi Security Gateway, that uses the Netgear DM200 in modem only mode. All my other devices have no problems with this setup. My Apple TV box streams Netflix without any issues.

I have tried WiFi, ethernet over mains and direct ethernet connections to my Unifi Switch to no avail.

I have tried manually setting the IP address and DNS settings.

I can only assume that my Gateway is blocking some type of traffic.

I found this link that suggest a solution to some problems:

Potential solution

However, this is a complex manual process that I don’t want to attempt without some reassurance that it will fix this problem. Any thoughts please? Thanks, Anthony

[Anonymous]

Interesting! I have been trying to find a definitive reason for some time why FVP devices sometimes don’t work correctly over the internet. Normally this relates to wifi connections through ISP supplied routers. But you have introduced a new dimension. If it works when directly connected to your router then the FVP is fine. I guess you are right and your security gateway is blocking access. I agree that the potential solution you have identified is very daunting and I too wouldn’t want to go down that path without some assurance that it works, particularly as the article applies to a different streaming device. I suggest you connect directly to the Netgear router until someone pops up with further advice.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, direct connection to the Netgear modem is only a temporary option when testing as it means I can’t have the rest of my home network connected to the internet. Therefore I have to find a solution. There must be some difference in protocol for different services on the FVP box. Presumably the authors of the software will know what that is?

[Anonymous]

OK I understand. You are saying that you have to operate the Netgear in router mode rather than modem only. I don’t know why you need to use a security gateway but unless critical for some reason (as opposed to a ‘nice to have’) you might run the whole network with the Netgear in router mode until you find a confident solution.

There should be no difference in protocol for FVP services – except, according to the solution post you reference, the Unifi device doesn’t allow multicast traffic. Which begs the question – why does your apple TV work?

It might be useful if you could post a more detailed description/picture of your network please.

This is going to be tricky to diagnose and solve – have you contacted Unify to ask their opinion? However, I have looked at the detail of the posted solution and it might look complicated but always worth a try – you ought to be able to take a configuration backup and restore it in the event that you run into trouble.

[Anonymous]

Tried connecting the FVP directly to the gateway, bypassing the switch. No difference. Tried following the solution I posted the link to. No difference. Although I did reconnect my old T1000 and 4 on demand was able to show the adverts, but hung when trying to stream the programme. iPlayer just hung.

I have to use the Unifi gateway, as it is integral to the operation of all the Unifi Switches and Access points I have.

I can use iPlayer on my iPhone and iPad, so it is something specific about how the FVP accesses on demand services.

[Martin Liddle]

mcdonald_ajr – 49 mins ago  » 

I can use iPlayer on my iPhone and iPad, so it is something specific about how the FVP accesses on demand services.

If it is like the earlier Humax boxes then all access to on demand is via a Humax portal (I have never quite understood why).

[Anonymous]

Do you know the IP address of the humax portal? I will need to add that to my firewall.

[Anonymous]

Quote:

If it is like the earlier Humax boxes then all access to on demand is via a Humax portal (I have never quite understood why).

It is not quite like that. The Humax Portal is used to check new software and for remote recording etc. My FVP goes to many different servers to update the EPG and for other things internal to its mysterious workings.

Quote:

Do you know the IP address of the humax portal? I will need to add that to my firewall.

I can do that – but my monitor is not running at the moment. If you can read wireshark network traces send me a PM and I will send you an example.

Thinking about your symptoms again –

Quote:

Netflix, On Demand, iPlayer, Guide (historical) don’t work.

I think it may well be a firewall problem – in which case you may find the list of addresses useful. The fix you reference was for multicast traffic as read it. If the backward EPG doesn’t work you haven’t even got to the streaming stage .

[Anonymous]

Quote:

Do you know the IP address of the humax portal? I will need to add that to my firewall.

I now have monitoring running and the humax portal is at 168.63.40.83:80. It occurred to me that if you have a firewall issue then the Unify device would maintain a log of firewall block activity – have you checked that?

It may also be a DNS issue – please can you post a picture of the network status screen from the FVP – you said that it reported network status OK.

[Anonymous]

telnet 168.63.40.83 80 connects OK over my router from a Raspberry Pi on the network.

[Anonymous]

So far so good. So its not the humax portal blocked in the firewall. Now we are back to an issue that we have seen in other scenarios – using the gateway as a DNS server. Please can you try setting the Wired connection manually (not DHCP) to use some well known external DNS server IP addresses – either open DNS or the DNS servers for your ISP. Just a hunch at this stage as I don’t know the reason why the HUMAX is fussy about this – but worth a try when you have time please.

[Anonymous]

Already tried that. No joy. What I did try was bypassing the Unifi router by setting my Netgear modem up as a router again to check the path to the router (via power line and switch). As expected that worked. What was odd was that when I reverted to the Unifi router, it continued to work for a while, until I power cycled the Humax.

Then it struggled to even use DHCP to get an address, used the default 169 one. Had to directly connect the Humax via long Ethernet cable to the switch, bypassing the power line adaptors for DHCP to work again.

I suspect multiple problems here are confounding the issue. I’ve spend approx 30 hours on this this week, and think I will give up, return the new Humax, and try a different manufacturer’s box.

I have 20 devices connected to my UniFi network plus 2 switches, 3 Wireless access points, 4 power line adapters. My devices range from home built Arduino brewery controllers, Raspberry Pi multi room synchronised hifi and web streaming radio, web servers, NAS, Apple TV, Amazon Echo, printer, voice controlled switch. All use the network without any issues. My old YouView T1000 has the same issues as this 5000T so I can only assume there is something odd in the way the Humax is set up.

I hate admitting defeat, but can’t redesign my home network around one box!

Thanks for all your help anyway, much appreciated.

[Martin Liddle]

mcdonald_ajr – 16 hours ago  » 

Already tried that. No joy. What I did try was bypassing the Unifi router by setting my Netgear modem up as a router again to check the path to the router (via power line and switch). As expected that worked. What was odd was that when I reverted to the Unifi router, it continued to work for a while, until I power cycled the Humax.

Then it struggled to even use DHCP to get an address, used the default 169 one. Had to directly connect the Humax via long Ethernet cable to the switch, bypassing the power line adaptors for DHCP to work again.

What make and model of power line adaptor are you using?

[Anonymous]

TP-LINK AV1200

However most of my tests were done with a temporary long Ethernet cable to eliminate them as a potential contributor to the problem.

[Anonymous]

Quote:

What was odd was that when I reverted to the Unifi router, it continued to work for a while, until I power cycled the Humax.

I have seen this in the early days (last January) – often I needed to reboot the router to get things to work again only to find that internet access failed again after some arbitrary time. Just to confirm please that you are setting the FVP to use Wired manual configuration with DNS servers set to some valid external DNS server addresses? I ask because you said

Quote:

Then it struggled to even use DHCP to get an address

Next question…

Quote:

until I power cycled the Humax.

Do mean power off at the mains? Or in and out of standby?

Quote:

I have 20 devices connected to my UniFi network plus 2 switches, 3 Wireless access points, 4 power line adapters. My devices range from home built Arduino brewery controllers, Raspberry Pi multi room synchronised hifi and web streaming radio, web servers, NAS, Apple TV, Amazon Echo, printer, voice controlled switch.

Now I understand why you are using a Unify Gateway Firewall!

Quote:

My old YouView T1000 has the same issues

New information – very useful. It certainly does seem to be a quirk in the way HUMAX have implemented IP protocols. I am still working on the basis that there is an issue with the way some networks handle DNS caching and correct implementation of TTL rules upstream. I know for certain that the FVP knows the names of a range of servers that it uses but over time the IP addresses of those servers change – particularly NETFLIX – presumably for load balancing. Slowly I am trying to recreate the problem under controlled conditions with Wireshark captures running but have not had success yet. All I can say is that my FVP now works perfectly consistently with a wired connection through powerline adapters through a Draytek 2862 router/firewall.

I am sorry that you feel the need to ditch the FVP as it is a very good piece of kit but I understand that one can waste too much time trying to chase obscure problems.

[Author]

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