# DECA - somebody's getting an extra IP address?



## wb6jao (May 9, 2007)

Here's an interesting problem. I just installed a Whole Home system with an HR-34 and HR-20; with a SWIM, DECA, with a DECA adapter for the HR-20. Everything works fine.

Only curiosity so far is that an extra IP address is now being requested from my DHCP server. It's from MAC Address: 00:11:25:83:58:19 (FWIW, IBM is the manufacturer.). I can identify every device on the network, traced every cable, and nothing else is new. This device must be part of the new installation. So what is it? I see all my other devices on my LAN as they were before, I see the HR-20 and HR-34. I haven't found any connected devices with that MAC address. None of my devices are spoofing that address.

Anybody have a clue? Does something in the DECA set up request an additional address?

Regards,
Bill 

Oh, And no - a neighbor didn't sneak in and connect an Ethernet cable to "borrow" my high speed service.


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## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

No IBM MACs here and I have 6 DECA boxes on my LAN.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

wb6jao said:


> Here's an interesting problem. I just installed a Whole Home system with an HR-34 and HR-20; with a SWIM, DECA, with a DECA adapter for the HR-20. Everything works fine.
> 
> Only curiosity so far is that an extra IP address is now being requested from my DHCP server. It's from MAC Address: 00:11:25:83:58:19 (FWIW, IBM is the manufacturer.). I can identify every device on the network, traced every cable, and nothing else is new. This device must be part of the new installation. So what is it? I see all my other devices on my LAN as they were before, I see the HR-20 and HR-34. I haven't found any connected devices with that MAC address. None of my devices are spoofing that address.
> 
> ...


A neighbor with a wireless printer? Or other wireless device? Do you have fixed IP address for your receivers? Does the IP address of the strange device look "normal"?


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## wb6jao (May 9, 2007)

It's not a wireless address. It's wired. An yes, it looks normal. nothing out of the ordinary - except for the DECA setup. Traced every wire - there are no unaccounted for physical devices - just that extra DHCP assigned IP address. And yes, all my IP Addresses are DHCP assigned - no need to bother with Static addresses here.


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## STEVEN-H (Jan 19, 2007)

wb6jao said:


> It's not a wireless address. It's wired. An yes, it looks normal. nothing out of the ordinary - except for the DECA setup. Traced every wire - there are no unaccounted for physical devices - just that extra DHCP assigned IP address. And yes, all my IP Addresses are DHCP assigned - no need to bother with Static addresses here.


remove one device at a time from network and see when it goes away


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

You might try posting in an HR34 thread, to catch those who might have missed the inquiry here. (I have what you do except, importantly, an HR34...)

Or, well, are you in a witness protection program? Swept for bugs?


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## wb6jao (May 9, 2007)

STEVEN-H said:


> remove one device at a time from network and see when it goes away


I was trying to avoid the "remove one device at a time" chore by asking if anyone figured this out already... I've got my wired network spread around the house and it would take a while. Also, my PC is way across the Lan from the router and I'd have to do a jury rig to let me see what was still attached (IP wise)... So no go.


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## wb6jao (May 9, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> You might try posting in an HR34 thread, to catch those who might have missed the inquiry here. (I have what you do except, importantly, an HR34...)
> 
> Or, well, are you in a witness protection program? Swept for bugs?


 No, no bugs (except that spider that lives above my equipment rack). If nothing turns up, I'll re-post on another thread. I'm trying not to be annoying


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

So what address is the CCK using?


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## wb6jao (May 9, 2007)

veryoldschool said:


> So what address is the CCK using?


I don't have a Cinema Connection Kit (the CCK?) per se. I have a DECA Broadband adapter connecting the DirecTV setup to my router and a DECA Connected Home Adapter on the HR-20. Both have different MAC addresses than the one I mentioned as the problem and none have an IP address assigned.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

wb6jao said:


> I don't have a Cinema Connection Kit (the CCK?) per se. I have a DECA Broadband adapter connecting the DirecTV setup to my router and a DECA Connected Home Adapter on the HR-20. Both have different MAC addresses than the one I mentioned as the problem and none have an IP address assigned.


Pull the cable between the BB DECA and the router. Then check which IPs are still active.


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## wb6jao (May 9, 2007)

veryoldschool said:


> Pull the cable between the BB DECA and the router. Then check which IPs are still active.


I have to pull my the rack out to do that. Which entails getting the rack rails out of the barn, etc., etc. a lot of work.

So if that's the only way to diagnose this - it won't happen today

So thanks all - but I'm going to have to dig into this when I have more time.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

wb6jao said:


> I have to pull my the rack out to do that. Which entails getting the rack rails out of the barn, etc., etc. a lot of work.
> 
> So if that's the only way to diagnose this - it won't happen today
> 
> So thanks all - but I'm going to have to dig into this when I have more time.


"If" the DECA networking is pulling an IP from a MAC address, going into the coax menu will show the MAC addresses on the network.

On HR34 press both guide & right arrow [at the same time] and when you see the menu with Coax on the left, select it and you'll see something like this:


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## wb6jao (May 9, 2007)

Thanks, I'll check out the coax menu! That's the kind of info that will help me figure this out


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

wb6jao said:


> Thanks, I'll check out the coax menu! That's the kind of info that will help me figure this out


another point - ban the MAC address at the router and see what stops working


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

wingrider01 said:


> another point - ban the MAC address at the router and see what stops working


That's probably the easiest way to troubleshoot the issue.

- Merg


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## wb6jao (May 9, 2007)

Thanks everyone,

After a few hours of debugging last night, I found it. Turns out not to be a DirecTV devices after all. Sorry for the false alarm.

There was an automatic software update to another box on my network that munged up it's MAC address (the manufacturer code of the MAC it's now using is entirely different than what it used to be). Since it happened approximately the same time as the upgrade to my DTV system - I was off chasing wild geese.

FYI - it was my OOMA VOIP device. The upgrade to my DTV system took it from a setup with an HR20 and a 1st Gen Sony TIVO SAT-T60, to a whole home environment with the SWM, DECA, HR-34 and HR-20.

Regards,
Bill


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Thanks for the update; glad you solved it. 

A bit sideways, anyone know how to put in friendly names on a Netgear 3400? It picks up some names, but never certain ones, such as my receivers.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> Thanks for the update; glad you solved it.
> 
> A bit sideways, anyone know how to put in friendly names on a Netgear 3400? It picks up some names, but never certain ones, such as my receivers.


If you are just using DHCP to assign IP addresses, I don't think you can assign friendly names. I believe the only way to do it is to use Reserved DHCP since in that way you can specify the name of the device.

- Merg


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## samrs (May 30, 2004)

*LAN Computers

This area of the screen continually updates to show all DHCP enabled computers and devices connected to the LAN side of your router. The detection "range" is limited to the address range as configured in DHCP Server. Computers that have an address outside of this range will not show. If the DHCP Client (i.e. a computer configured to "Automatically obtain an address") supplies a Host Name then that will also be shown. Any computer or device that has a static IP address that lies within the detection "range" may show, however its host name will not. *

This is what my router says about friendly/host/netbios names.

The manual for your netgear router says basicly the same thing.

All the devices on my network provide a name except for my Droid Charge. This bugged me enough to do a little research. The issue was never resolved.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Thanks, gents. I have more to learn, but I can say that for sure, my computers, all of which have distinct names, and are in the range, often don't show their names. I have read most of the Netgear documentation.

Curious as to why static IPs in the range won't show their names when given one.


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

veryoldschool said:


> "If" the DECA networking is pulling an IP from a MAC address, going into the coax menu will show the MAC addresses on the network.
> 
> On HR34 press both guide & right arrow [at the same time] and when you see the menu with Coax on the left, select it and you'll see *something like this.*


Yes, and for the HR34 at least, I'd put a definite emphasis on the "something like this." Since for some reason the HR34 does not display other friendly names of DECA nodes for the coax network test, besides its own. Only the MAC addresses of them.

I know this is normal for older receivers with DECA dongles and for CCKs, but even my sister's HR24 just displays a MAC address on the HR34 test screen.

Nor does the HR24 display a friendly name for the HR34 when the coax network test is run from it. Only the MAC address for the HR34 shows as well.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

HoTat2 said:


> Yes, and for the HR34 at least, I'd put a definite emphasis on the "something like this." Since for some reason the HR34 does not display other friendly names of DECA nodes for the coax network test, besides its own. Only the MAC addresses of them.
> 
> I know this is normal for older receivers with DECA dongles and for CCKs, but even my sister's HR24 just displays a MAC address on the HR34 test screen.
> 
> Nor does the HR24 display a friendly name for the HR34 when the coax network test is run from it. Only the MAC address for the HR34 shows as well.


The friendly names can be "iffy" even without a 34 in the mix.


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