topic Re: EE routers and DHCP in Broadband & Landline

EE routers and DHCP

huggons — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 09:50:12 GMT

Wondering if anyone can assist please.

Since getting Heatmiser smart heating controls a few years ago, which consist of a Heatmiser NeoHub, that connects directly to my EE router with a ethernet cable and a wireless Heatmiser thermostat, I have been facing lots of issues with the smart heating controls.

Heatmiser suspect that the issue is with the EE router and DHCP release times.

This has been the same issue over the years and I have had the exact same issue when connecting the Heatmiser NeoHub with an ethernet cable to the white EE smart hub 2 router and the EE smart hub plus router and the EE smart hub pro router, over the years.

Can anyone comment on the DHCP release time for the routers and have any thoughts if this could indeed be the underlying issue, as Heatmiser support suspect?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Steve

Re: EE routers and DHCP

Mustrum — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 09:59:31 GMT

@huggons sounds like total bs.

Does the Heatmiser your the router WiFi or does it have its own or use some other method to talk to each other?

Re: EE routers and DHCP

huggons — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:00:45 GMT

Thanks.

The Heatmiser NeoHub plugs into the router with an ethernet cable and this is the only way for it to connect.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

chistery — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:05:22 GMT

Can you move to a static IP instead and see if that helps, or a manually assigned DHCP IP?

DHCP should be verifying that the device is offline before releasing an IP, it doesn't just release it. If a device still responds, it will renew the IP and you shouldn't have any interruption to the connection.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

huggons — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:06:25 GMT

Thanks.

How can this be setup with the EE smart hub pro router?

Re: EE routers and DHCP

Mustrum — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:06:35 GMT

@huggons yes, but you also said "and a wireless Heatmiser thermostat"

But I do not follow why DHCP release times would cause an issue, it is a feature every router has. Have they asked to use a static IP, or use the same IP?

Re: EE routers and DHCP

huggons — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:08:41 GMT

Thanks.

Heatmiser said that they suspect that the DHCP release time in the EE router was causing the issue and I would need to look into how to change it, to prevent it from causing the issue.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

Mustrum — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:13:28 GMT

@huggons I don't have a recent EE router, but going to the advanced section and on the netwoek map, clicking or right clicking on the IP /Name of the Heatmiser may give the option of always use this IP - or at least it does on some.

But if they are giving you no other reason then I would thing it is BS.

What issues are you having, and are they consistant?

Re: EE routers and DHCP

huggons — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:24:08 GMT

Thanks.

Intermittent issues, with no pattern, rhyme or reason, which doesn't help.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

Mustrum — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:28:10 GMT

So DHCP happens on a regular basis, so if it was an issue you would expect a regular pattern.

Just been looking at Trustpilot reviews, people either love it or hate it, not so much inbetween. But like you issues not some much related.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

huggons — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:37:21 GMT

I have set the EE smart hub pro router, to always use this IP address, in admin/my network/address table, for the Heatmiser NeoHub device. I will let Heatmiser know and see how it goes.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

huggons — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:50:58 GMT

No sure why devices show like the is the router admin...

Re: EE routers and DHCP

chistery — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:57:57 GMT

If the MAC is not changing, and the device is up and connected, the DHCP lease shouldn't expire.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

huggons — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 11:04:09 GMT

Thanks.

Will see how it goes now after setting to "always use this ip address"

Re: EE routers and DHCP

JimM11 — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:22:57 GMT

@huggons Quick look at the Neo Hub, this is by far the biggest RED issue that i see for sure and from there blurb.

" Local Control (In case of loss of Broadband Connection)
Should the internet connection fail, the heating system
can still be operated within the home by using the
thermostat keypad. As soon as the internet connection is
restored, your neoHub will automatically logon to the
Cloud Server re-enabling app control

Anything you see on the EE Web interface, just take it with a pinch of salt, info is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

Huggons1 — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:38:24 GMT

Thanks.

Going to speak with Heatmiser again this afternoon. Will be interesting to hear their thoughts and to see if changing the router settings to "always use this ip address" is the solution.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

JimM11 — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:55:41 GMT

@huggons Certainly worth a try, have all my devices set as static ip's on the EE Router, apart from the ones that drift in and out, visitor's son, his wife, grand daughter and all her many friends that visit that's just far too hard to keep up with when they are all apple, hide change the mac's and up to all the dodge's etc,

Re: EE routers and DHCP

Huggons1 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:54:16 GMT

Observation update.

Early hours of the morning, I lost the Heatmiser heating system controls. The Heatmiser NeoHub is on a fixed IP address in the EE smart hub pro. I looked in admin of the EE smart hub pro and it wasn't seeing the Heatmiser NeoHub was connected to the ethernet port. After powering off and on the router and the NeoHub, the router now see's the NeoHub is connected.

Any ideas as to why this is happening?

Re: EE routers and DHCP

JimM11 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 09:05:22 GMT

@Huggons1 Not a EE Pro user, but you have been fighting this Ethernet connected module for a while now, if it was me i would look to put a lower specked Ethernet switch before the EE Nic port, as they are all 2.5Gb/s ports it may just help steady the comm's between the two units, up to you now, have found that the Tp-Link TL-SG105S seems to help a lot, if you wish to power it from the USB port, i use the Lindy 70266 USB A Male to DC-Plug Adapter 3.5mm/1.35mm cable connector, there is a power supply with the unit, Ethernet cable required if you don't have a spare lying around just to patch through.

Re: EE routers and DHCP

Huggons1 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 09:25:16 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion, really helpful and I appreciate it

I have spoken to both Heatmiser and EE today. Heatmiser say that the NeoHub is designed to save data by, I guess going offline every so often. They suspect that the EE smart hub pro is then blocking the NeoHub when it requests the connection. It did seem odd that the smart hub pro didn't see the device connected, until I rebooted it.

The gentleman I am dealing with at EE was very helpful and will check and confirm if it is possible that the smart hub could even do this, to a device directly connected through an ethernet port.