Question Bypassing an ARUBA router to control the LAN IP addresses?

[ineuw01]

In our community room, the ISP installed an ARUBA 4 port commercial router with 200/200mb bi-directional traffic, by cable or Wi-Fi.

This was a gift to the community by the ISP, and changes cannot be asked for, or expected. I have no access to the router to assign fixed IP addresses to our equipment, because Aruba's business model is a paid service.

My concern is if another router like a Smart/RG, etc. can handle these speeds? We don't want to lose their high quality Wi-Fi.

I see two possibilities:

1. Replace the router, use the same LAN IP and hope that the ISP will not.
2. Add another router to one of the ARUBA ports for the fixed IP addresses on cable, but disable the WiFi of the 2nd router.

Any suggestions? Please.

 

[kanewolf]

In our community room, the ISP installed an ARUBA 4 port commercial router with 200/200mb bi-directional traffic, by cable or Wi-Fi.

This was a gift to the community by the ISP, and changes cannot be asked for, or expected. I have no access to the router to assign fixed IP addresses to our equipment, because Aruba's business model is a paid service.

My concern is if another router like a Smart/RG, etc. can handle these speeds? We don't want to lose their high quality Wi-Fi.

I see two possibilities:

1. Replace the router, use the same LAN IP and hope that the ISP will not.
2. Add another router to one of the ARUBA ports for the fixed IP addresses on cable, but disable the WiFi of the 2nd router.

Any suggestions? Please.

200Mbit is not a significant challenge for most routers. You probably should be asking some different questions...
How many clients does this network support? A community room might have room for 20 people or 200. That is different hardware.
Does this router supply network to other areas?
If you add another router, who is responsible for support?
Does this Aruba router supply WIFI (my guess is yes), then you have to contend with WIFI interference.
Does "our equipment" need to be isolated from the general use network ?
Can "our equipment" function with double NAT ?
Just a few ideas off the top of my head ...

 

[bill001g]

You pretty much have to change the configuration on aruba router or replace it in some way.

The aruba router thinks it owns all the IP addresses on the lan subnet. It has to know somehow that you assigned fixed IP or it might reassign the same IP. The aruba router must assign these if you need them to be assigned to say a mac adderss or it needs to ignore them if you are manually going to configure them on some device.

If you add a second router then both will attempt to give out the same IP addresses.

Best is to try to find a way to configure the aruba router this is a extremely common thing to do.

 

[ineuw01]

Thanks for the replies. Today I discovered some additional info. Our current service is 480/480mbits, and the maximum number of users are 200. — Our actual number of users at one time is 15-20 max.

To save time, managing and assigning LAN IP's and ports in a single router is the best choice. But, getting access to manage the ARUBA router is currently not possible.

My choices are still the same as before, and a 2nd router subjugated to the first, is the best way to go. I am no longer concerned about the user load.

Since the ARUBA router is fixed at an unchangeable 192.168.0.1, the 2nd router will be set at 192.168.1.1 to serve both WiFi, and the fixed IP addresses on cable.

 

[bill001g]

That will work. You need to connect the WAN on the new router to one of the LAN port on the aruba. This will give your 2 separate networks. You need to be aware that devices that connect to aruba will not be able to access devices you connect to the new router without lots of messing around. Both will have internet access.

It will be simpler from a support to have all the users connect to the new router and use the aruba basically as a modem. Best if you can turn off the wifi on the aruba but if it is not actually being used then it won't interfere with the wifi on your new router.

15-20 users is actually a lot depending on what they are doing. 4k netflix uses 30mbps so if all of them are doing that it would consume your 480. Then again if it currently works the new router is not going to be any different.

 

[ineuw01]

Much thanks for all this information. I will post the results after the weekend. If nothing else, it will probably get the ISP's attention.

 

[ineuw01]

Windows has the software specific to my needs. It can set a fixed IP. I need to install it and see how it works without having router access.

 

[Ralston18]

Windows has the software specific to my needs. It can set a fixed IP. I need to install it and see how it works without having router access.

Not sure what software that may be....

Are you able to provide more details?

What specific software, source, how installed, and configured?

The concern being that that software may cause more problems than solutions.

If you are attempting to work around some ISP router or the second router requirements that may end badly.

Best case being that only the target computer is affected. Worst case being you take the network(s) down.

I suggest holding on installing that software. More needs to be known.

 

[ajohnson30]

To me it seems like you are overcomplicating things. Yes the aruba router may be managing all the ip addresses on the 192.168.0.1 network, but usually it is handing out a "range" of 100 or so addresses from this network that it manages, like 192.168.0.100 or 192.168.0.51, meaning you could use 192.168.0.11 thru 192.168.0.49, or 192.168.0.201 thru 192.168.0.230 or something like that. I'm just making these numbers up, but you said you only had 15-20 users max, so some of these addresses should be available and should work.

 

[ineuw01]

Thanks for the questions. I presented the situation as simply as possible, because I understand the difficulty of imagining an unfamiliar configuration.

The software is Brother's BRAdmin4.0.exe for printer administrators. I want to connect and monitor our Brother printer server from my computer offsite. It's configured with the WiFi IP address of 192.168.0.128, which we are not allowed to change, but I know that it's not a fixed IP address, and I want to affix this. That is what I am trying to do with the software.

Printing through a public desktop or WiFi is the most important service we provide the community. This service is used by everyone from every imaginable hardware. The printing software is CUPS in both Windows and Linux.

Fixing the IP addresses for wired hardware is foreseen and to do that, I plan on using a second router set to 192.168.1 or any other number. No WiFi on the secondary router.

 

[Ralston18]

This:

"It's configured with the WiFi IP address of 192.168.0.128, which we are not allowed to change,

Meaning that that the printer is using a Static IP address reserved for the printer on the router via the printer's MAC - correct?

That Static IP address being 192.168.0.128 - correct?

If you look at the printer's configuration page(s) what IP address is the printer using? What subnet mask? Do you have the printer's MAC?

 

[ineuw01]

I have the printer's MAC address, the router's MAC address, but whether 192.168.0.128 is a fixed IP address, it's not known. Unless the ISP or Aruba affixed this. Some months ago, during a Brother update, the IP changed to 192.168.0.141 but was reset to .128 and remained so ever since.

LAN and WiFi IP is 192.168.0.128
Printer MAC: 1C:BF:C0:F5:9B:E8
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

The issue of the fixed IP is what confused me all along because there is no access to the ISP tech service. Everything is monitored automatically. However, at this point, I want to see what the reaction will be when I try to make changes. I cannot do anything until 11pm EST. I am sure it will wake something up.

 

[Ralston18]

Are you able to print out the printer's configuration pages?

The pages should list the current network configuration settings and IP address.

Also look in the router's logs. Some routers retain a list of connected and disconnected devices with MAC's and IP addresses being shown. You may be able to discover/verify the printer's IP in that manner.

Be the IP address Static or DHCP. Overall, the printer should be configured with a Static IP.

It would likely be difficult to remotely manage a printer whose IP address is changing.

 

[ineuw01]

I was hoping to reply much quicker, but more urgent commitments came my way.

All the printer documentation is available, but that is not the issue.
The only solution would be is replace the ISP's Aruba router, and get a fixed IP. Thanks for your help.