OpenWRT on the Vodafone / Huawei HG556a

Stiofain2006 · 12-11-2013 09:46PM

Hi JT
Back at it. I tried just pressing the RESTART button repeatedly after switching on the router. After a while the power led indocator on the front of the router started to flash very fast. I tried to go into 192.168.1.1 at that point but no joy.

I then noticed that the link you sent me contained more instructions. I set the static IP and Subnet. I downloaded the recvudp.exe utility software. When I power cycled the router I got a message from the utility saying "Msg from 192.168.1.1: Please" and it stopped at that. I should have got one that said ""Msg from 192.168.1.1: Please press button now to enter failsafe" attached.

I then pressed the restart button I repeatedly (up to one minute as per the advice in the link) but no joy. Tried the same with the wifi button on the side and a button I found above the ADSLsocket on the back of the router. No joy

Any other advice or anything you think I am doing wrong?

jt72 · 12-11-2013 10:11PM

What IP address do you have when you're reconnecting?

It must be something in the range of 192.168.1.2-254, and it will most likely have to be statically assigned.

Do you have the HG556a connected to anything else on one of the LAN ports? I had a new router that was 192.168.1.1 as well and I had to disconnect it each time I was going into recovery.

Stiofain2006 · 12-11-2013 10:37PM

Ok so I used Winscp to SFTP into it using the password that I knew was right. I was able to telnet from there and execute the necessary commends. It then dawned on me that I needed to set the cpu ip addy to 10.0.0.21 rather than a 192.168.1.1. Once I did that I was able to log in normally via the LuCI interface (something so basic that I had been overlooking the whole time)

Thx for your help JT. I would have given up had you not help me along.

Now back to doing what I wanted to do in the first instance. Perhaps you can help me with that

I have a complicated home network. I have UPC modem in the attic (only place UPC advised thet couldput it). I have it wired to a netgear WNR 2000 router in my bedroom. FRom there I have homeplug running off that router out to my garage. I want to connect the vodafone router to the homeplug in the garage to bring wireless connectivity out there (I want this vodafone router to act as a wireless extender/gateway/bridge -not sure what the correct terminology is). If you could provide any advice on what settings I need to input on the vodafone router or my other router for that matter to make this happen.

Thx again for your help

jt72 · 12-11-2013 10:55PM

No problem helping out...

It should be as simple as first setting up the IP address on the HG556a (done?), setting up it's Wifi, and then plugging the Ethernet from your homeplug in the garage to one of the LAN ports. The HG556a is bridging LAN and WiFi by default in the load I have.

Is your network like this?
UPC Modem (Bridged?) -> WNR 2000 -> Homeplug <-> Homeplug (garage) <-> HG556a

Stiofain2006 · 12-11-2013 11:03PM

Thanks - I'll try that now and revert in a few mins - I thought I might have to enter some details

My network is more like

UPC Modem with 192.168.1.1 address (wired) -> WNR 2000 with 10.0.0.1 -> Homeplug <-> Homeplug (garage) <-> HG556a

jt72 · 12-11-2013 11:12PM

My HG556a is in a similar role. I have it in my attic to provide better wifi. It is connected via Ethernet to my router and simply bridges the rest of the network.

Do you have any devices hooked up directly to the UPC modem besides the WNR2000?

If not, you might consider getting your modem bridged if you can. It looks to me like you have double-nat like this:

Public Internet -> UPC Modem (NAT) -> WNR 2000 (NAT) -> bridged network/wifi/homeplug

Stiofain2006 · 12-11-2013 11:27PM

I plugged it in to the homepug in the garage and brought my iphone out with me to test. I could see the network but it would not connect. I then noticed it was giving the iphone a 169.XXX.XXX.XXX ip addy which I believe means there is a conflict.

How do I go about getting my modem bridged? Yes I think the way you have described it more accurate

jt72 · 12-11-2013 11:57PM

169.x.x.x probably means you aren't getting a DHCP lease.

I'm not a UPC customer, so I'm not sure how you go about it. For now it's not a big deal.

I would do some more testing inside before heading to the garage.

You should be able to do these things. Tell me where it falls down.

1. Plug in the HG556 into your router, lan port to lan port. Then plug in a PC/laptop into one of the other HG556 ports and get an IP from your router.

Router <-> HG556 <-> Wired PC/Laptop

2. Plug in the HG556 into your router, as above. Connect to the wifi on the HG556 and get an IP from your router

Router <-> HG556 <-> Wifi

3. Plug in a laptop into the Homeplug and get an address from your router

4. Plug in the HG556 into the Homeplug and plug in a laptop into the other LAN port on the HG556

Router <-> Homeplug <-> HG556 <-> Wired PC/Laptop

5. If your wifi worked in 2, and you can get an IP in 4, your wifi should work in the garage now.

Sam Russell · 13-11-2013 12:06AM

@stiofain2006
I have two working Huawei HQ556a which I can sell you for a small amount. PM me if you are interested. I am about to put them on adverts.ie

Stiofain2006 · 13-11-2013 10:30PM

Ok. It's official - I'm an idiot. Before I started to follow the steps you outlined I said I would reflash the router with the firmware. That did not work for some reason. Thats neither here nor there

Then I accidently (in so far as I did not know what I was doing) hit delete for the only active connection on the lan page - what an idiot (See screenshot).

Now I cannot reconnect via lan and I cannot enter failsafe becasue the router has a 10.0.0.X ip addy and I think the failsafe one is searching for a 192.168.1.1 addy to kick in.

Can you see any way back for me?

jt72 · 13-11-2013 10:57PM

Disconnect the HG556a from your router.

Failsafe gives the HG556a a 192.168.1.1, and you'll have to set your PC to 192.168.1.2 or something similar to access it via an Ethernet cable. You don't have to listen for the messages except for troubleshooting, just ping 192.168.1.1 until you get a response.

That's the way back.

You don't have to reflash the firmware, you can reset the settings instead:
http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/generic.failsafe#in.failsafe.mode

Stiofain2006 · 14-11-2013 07:47PM

Sweet JT72 - I'm back in business. Thanks a lot. I ignored the fact that I was not getting a message by way of the recvudc.exe utility. I followed instructions here on how to telnet (http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/910.enabling-telnet-client-in-windows-7.aspx). Was able to enter failsafe. Entered "firstboot" and got back to equivalent of OpenWrt factory settings. Right time to do this right!!

jt72 · 14-11-2013 11:56PM

Good to hear. I've been using mine the way you plan to use yours and it's been good. We didn't really have to change the firmware from Vodafone's to do just this though! But I have other things I want to try...

Stiofain2006 · 15-11-2013 12:49AM

Ok. I followed all the steps you laid out inside the house and had success with all of them. When I moved to the garage it did not work.

So I plugged the home plug into a laptop in the garage and I saw I was getting a 10.0.0.xx address and could access the Internet no problem. I then plugged the homeplug into the hg556a and I was able to connect to it both wired and wirelessly. When I did this I got a 192.168.1.xx IP address and when I looked at the system tray icon it looks like its connected but I am not getting any Internet access.

Strange that it is working inside the house but not out in the garage. I get the feeling that I need to change something in the hg556a router settings.

The other thing I noticed was that when I was testing inside the house the hg566a was showing a 10.0.0.xx address whereas in the garage it was showing a 192.168.1.xx address.

Any suggestions?

jt72 · 15-11-2013 01:33AM

You might want to give your HG556a a static IP in the 10.0.0.x range, and turn off the DHCP server that runs on it.

Under Network->Interfaces - choose to Edit your LAN connection.

Change the IP address to something you can use on the 10.0.0.x network. At the bottom of the same page, there should be a checkbox to disable DHCP for that interface as well.

Stiofain2006 · 16-11-2013 12:18AM

So if I hook the homeplug to the hg556a router (lan port to lan port) and at the same time stick a lan from another port on the hg556a to the laptop I get internet. However if I then plug the lan out of the laptop and switch to wifi I can connect to the router but I get a 169.169 address. I also noticed that the subnet changes from 255.255.255.0 to 255.255.0.0 => See screenshot attached

jt72 · 16-11-2013 12:24AM

169.254.x.x is link local. You didn't get that IP from anywhere, your laptop assigned it in the absence of getting a DHCP response.

You could test this inside without homeplug.

Stiofain2006 · 16-11-2013 12:37AM

Making some progress. now getting a 10.0.0.169 (I don't know if the 169 at the end is significant) when I connect wirelessly to the hg556a (the hg556a has the homplug in it). But I am not getting internet - See sys tray screenie overlaid

I would also highlight that I do not have a tick in the box "disable dhcp" at this point. I was trying it this way as it did not work earlier. I will try again now with it ticked - will report back in a few

jt72 · 16-11-2013 12:40AM

Do ipconfig /all instead.

It will say what your DHCP server is. If it's not the main router it's not working.

Stiofain2006 · 16-11-2013 01:04AM

Ok - when its wired it looks this. So its the main router

Stiofain2006 · 16-11-2013 01:10AM

Ok - when its wireless it looks this. Does not show DHCP server

Strange!!

jt72 · 16-11-2013 01:18AM

Stiofain2006 wrote: »

Ok - when its wireless it looks this. Does not show DHCP server

Strange!!

Sounds like the HG556 isn't bridging wifi and network.

Set your IP on laptop manually and ping the hg556 and then the router.

jt72 · 16-11-2013 01:22AM

jt72 wrote: »

Sounds like the HG556 isn't bridging wifi and network.

Set your IP on laptop manually and ping the hg556 and then the router.

Try that both connected to lan and wireless on hg556

Stiofain2006 · 16-11-2013 01:25AM

I'll try that. Here is also the results for dhcp turned off both wired and wireless

You don't live near co clare by any chance - I'd nearly pay for help at this point

jt72 · 16-11-2013 01:35AM

Stiofain2006 wrote: »

I'll try that. Here is also the results for dhcp turned off both wired and wireless

You don't live near co clare by any chance - I'd nearly pay for help at this point

No, in Cork... Sorry

I take tips though!

You don't want DHCP on the hg 556. It's not going to help at all.

Stiofain2006 · 16-11-2013 01:35AM

I had np pinging hg556 or router via lan. I could not connect to either while on wireless

Stiofain2006 · 16-11-2013 01:36AM

I had np pinging hg556 on router via lan. I could not connect to either while on wireless

jt72 · 16-11-2013 01:39AM

Stiofain2006 wrote: »

I had np pinging hg556 or router via lan. I could not connect to either while on wireless

Which image did you flash, where did you get it?

Like I said, even back in the house, the wifi isn't bridged, meaning the hg556 isn't connecting the wifi and ethernet ports together...

It should by default do that.

Stiofain2006 · 16-11-2013 07:43PM

I got it here

http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/brcm63xx/openwrt-HW556-squashfs-cfe.bin

I noticed on the official openwrt page for the hg556a that the wifi bridge is disabled as default. Should I change this? If so where?

jt72 · 16-11-2013 08:31PM

You are stuck at step 2 from my list awhile ago.

I think they just mean wifi itself is disabled by default, which is true.

I installed a different build, the image with luci built in listed on the Wiki page.

OpenWRT on the Vodafone / Huawei HG556a

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