Lorex 2K Doorbell will not connect to Router

[#1]

Hi I need some help please.

I've bought a Lorex 2k Doorbell which will not connect to my router, latest version i think, over WIFI on either 2.4 or 5ghz even with the firewall disabled. It will connect to my Deco M5 Mesh network, running in router mode, on both 2.4 and 5ghz. In device details within the Lorex app it appears to have been allocated an IP address of 192.168.68.116. Note the different Deco M5 subnet.

Using an IP Config tool/software on my PC I cannot connect to this IP address, nor will it connect using this IP address to Blue Iris software which I use to run all my CCTV cameras, this doorbell has RTSP so can be added to Blue Iris as another camera.. Also this doorbell has Alexa compatibility but that also is not working fully which again I believe is due to subnet communication problems. Basically it cannot see anything on subnet 68.

I know that I can convert the Deco M5 mesh to "Access Point Mode" so that it acts as a WIFI extender only, never tried it, but I would expect to have to reconnect all the other devices on this Mesh Network, not something I want to do. However that does not address the problem of why the doorbell will not connect to the Plusnet router which I think would be still a problem if I used the DECO M5 as just a WIFI extender.

Any clues what to try next or is it a case of change the router to an after market one. Not something I want to do as getting the port forwarding for Blue Iris to work took almost a week when I joined Plusnet. Still no answer why port 81 does not work or even appear to exist on this router. 

[#2]

@Cossie   Welcome to the forum.

Have you separated the 2.4 and 5GHz bands on the Plusnet hub? See https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/2-4ghz-and-or-5ghz-best-practice/m-p/1351966#M840

[#3]

@Cossie if the Deco is in router mode and using a local subnet of 192.168.68.x then you will not be able to connect to anything on that subnet from a device that's not connected locally to the Deco. So attempting to connect to the Lorex from your PC, which I assume is connected to the PlusNet router, will not work.

This is true of any router. If you look at this from the aspect of the main PlusNet router, it has a local subnet of (probably) 192.168.1.x, so any access to an IP in that range, it knows is local and attempts to access via the LAN. Any address out of that subnet, will get directed at the default gateway i.e the PPP connection to the internet. In the situation where you're attempting to access 192.168.68.x , it will still go out via the PPP but of course, its a non routable address and so will get nowhere. The only way to circumvent this, is if the router provides the ability to set static routes, so you could tell it that 192.168.68.x is via the LAN, and not many consumer routers provide such facilities.

The solution is your case is to use the Deco in access point mode. In this configuration, its not acting as a router and so all devices connected to both the main router and the Deco are in the same local subnet.

but I would expect to have to reconnect all the other devices on this Mesh Network, not something I want to do

I dont see why you would need to reconnect all the devices. As long as you keep the Deco SSID and password the same when you switch it to access point, then all the devices should reconnect. If they are using DHCP then they should get a new IP from the main router, if they are using static IP's then of course you WILL need to change them.

[#4]

@MisterW 

I assume that this is an example of why you should not double NAT?

I was coming at it from the other angle, probably because people tend to incorrectly refer to the hub one as a router. I assumed that @Cossie  was trying to connect the door bell wirelessly to the hub one.

[#5]

I assume that this is an example of why you should not double NAT?

It certainly is. Basically, routers do what it says on the tin, they route between the LAN and WAN!. That means that only devices connected to the internal network can use local LAN IP addresses. If you wish to connect from the outside, then you either need some static routing (which may still not be possible) or access using the WAN IP and port forwarding in the router to the local device.

[#6]

@Baldrick1 

The Lorex app gives you a list of all the available WIFI networks each one by separate frequency. In my cash this eight, two for the Plusnet router and two each for three Deco M5 that I have.

What I did was disable the 5ghz on the router and then connect to the 2.4ghz channel and the other way around, neither worked.

[#7]

@Cossie the default SSIDs on the PlusNet routers tend to have '_' characters in them IIRC. Clutching at straws here but  I've seen some devices which cant cope with 'strange' characters in Wifi SSIDs. Try changing the SSIDs on the PlusNet router to something simple.

[#8]

@MisterW 

Until Wednesday last week I'd never heard of Subnets, I certainly know about them now.

Nor did I know about the Deco M5 "access point mode", I've not had the time nor been brave enough to try it yet. That's next on the list. I hope it works as you suggest because there is well over a dozen devices to reprogram if not.

What I have done is take it to work today as I remembered we have a standard BT Fibre Broadband connection that we use as a backup just in case our main pipes fail. This has the BT version of the Hub5 on it and at home I have the Plusnet version. Worked first time on both 2.4 and 5. So its definitely the way Plusnet have programmed this router that is blocking it from connecting to the doorbell. 

[#9]

@MisterW 

Thanks for the suggestion regarding SSIDs, but I not sure I would know how to do that or what a can of worms it would open if I did it wrong. 

[#10]

This has the BT version of the Hub5 on it and at home I have the Plusnet version. Worked first time on both 2.4 and 5. So its definitely the way Plusnet have programmed this router that is blocking it from connecting to the doorbell. 

@Cossie  the firmware on the Plusnet Hub One is pretty much the same as the BT Home Hub 5, however I suspect your office  actually has a Business Hub 5 which has different firmware.

Thanks for the suggestion regarding SSIDs, but I not sure I would know how to do that or what a can of worms it would open if I did it wrong. 

I dont have a Hub One to hand to check but you said you'd alreddy tried disabling each wifi band and I would have thought that the SSID ( Network name) would be on the same page.

[#11]

Should be able to change the SSID here:

Navigate in a web browser to 192.168.1.254.
Sign in
Click Advanced Settings

Enter your Hub admin password when prompted (unless you've changed it, you'll find the default password on the settings card)
Continue to Advanced Settings.
Click on Wireless.
Change the name of the 'Wireless SSID' 
Save the changes.

[#12]

@MisterW 

Thanks for suggestion about changing the Deco M5 to "access point mode", it worked as you described.

The SSID did not change and it would appear that the connected devices are still working, not checked them all yet. However the doorbell is now on an IP address allocated by the router when connected to the Deco M5. More importantly I have now be able to add it to Blue Iris as another camera so I can use that to record 24/7 video.

It works very well in terms of notifications to my phone, almost instant, but its still a work in progress on the desk and not fully installed so that might change when I'm at the other end of the garden and connected via another extender.

Now to find an appropriate transformer to power it, currently by USB, needs 16-24vac 30va and replace my 12v doorbell with a 16v one. Think I've found what I need. Most important is to get the Alexa skill running so that it chimes via the five Alexa devices I have. If I can get this to work then I could do away with the replacement doorbell. 

[#13]

@dvorak 

Thanks for the instructions, I'll have a look and see if I'm brave enough to give it a try.

[#14]

@Cossie if it's all working there's no need to change anything.

In fact if you've got the mesh in access point mode it's probably worth turning the wifi off on the hub one