Tips/Techniques Geek Needs Computer Geek Help

[TorontoBuilder]

A few more geek questions for the Geeks.

After 6 hours of combined phone calls, my provider called again this morning and is trying to tell me that I don't need to know what my fixed IP parameters are. My system will automatically detect them and use them.

They said I should set my router for DHCP on the Provider side (Internet WAN) even though it's really fixed. I tried that, and it does seem to work. For now at least, I am getting the fixed address I pay for. Time will tell if that will continue to work.

However, my Spidey senses are not happy. I have some 50 odd years of network experience. I've always thought that fixed IP assignments need to be set on both sides of any TCPIP communication - that applies to both internal and external networks.

For an internal network, you reserve an IP address in the router's DHCP assignment table, AND you set that address in the actual device too. Yes, it will often work just setting the address in reservations, BUT NOT ALWAYS. Sometimes the device will remember a previous address and the two will fight each other. I've learned that the hard way.

The external network is no different.

I also note that my router has a number of different WAN settings: Automatic IP, PPPoE, and Static IP. Automatic IP is what is normally used by most customers. But if static IP is a choice, and since that is what I have, why do they insist that I use Automatic IP instead?

I should add that choosing Fixed IP Presents a screen that asks for the information I asked them for and also says I need to get this info from my provider.

I've had a fixed IP connection for most of the last 30 years. I've always been given the setup info by my provider. That includes my current provider when I first signed up.

Why has that changed? Did it really change? Why don't they know those settings?

Most importantly, does anyone know how I can find these settings on my own? To repeat they are:

Fixed IP Address - I have this.

Subnet Mask ?
Default Gateway ?
Primary DNS ?
Secondary DNS ?

I'm not so worried about the DNS other than being able to request changes. I often find that external DNS locations are not up to date with the latest and greatest domain names and/or that some names get blacklisted (including my own domains for God only knows why). Changing or updating a local DNS is fast and easy. Changing Google's DNS takes forever and an eternity. So I prefer to use my provider's DNS. It's sad that they don't even seem to know they have one!

Count yourself lucky, you have the best ISP in the province from a customer service standpoint.

ps perhaps a ethernet line surge protector should be in your future

 

[Susquatch]

Count yourself lucky, you have the best ISP in the province from a customer service standpoint.

Yes, they are highly rated. And God bless them they did try. And did it nicely too! They just didn't know the answer.

ps perhaps a ethernet line surge protector should be in your future

Here is the thing. I lost so many tower radios in the past that my previous provider actually installed two lightning arrestors - a decoy rod above the radio to a huge grounding rod, and a surge unit in the ethernet line at the base of my tower. At first, they gave me free lightning insurance. Then they dumped my insurance so I dumped them and went to TekSavvy. TekSavvy does not provide insurance but they do look after their side of the hardware no matter what happens. Since then I have replaced 3 routers including the latest. And they have replaced 2 radios. That's the main reason I like a small cheap router as the first device in the sequence. If I were smart, I'd prolly buy 2 or 3 of them.

 

[Dabbler]

If I were smart, I'd prolly buy 2 or 3 of them.

hot spares!