DMZ not working

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Blayer98
Anarki
Posts: 95

DMZ not working

Post#1 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 6:54 pm

Hi there,

Currently having an issue where games that require port forwarding/DMZ are not working.

I have DMZ’ed the Dreamcast IP but Planet Ring will never update and show the current player list or update the tables...

I have to connect via another router, and then connect that router to my main one.

I cannot DMZ my Dreamcast due to my main router (TalkTalk HG633) not displaying the Dreamcast whatsoever, only the Pi, as the Dreamcast doesn’t have a MAC address assigned to it.

I have a TP Link router which is what I’m using for Dreamcast games, and my previous DreamPi version 1.6 had some issues but I was able to get online and Planet Ring worked fine sometimes with occasional drop outs, now on 1.7 I can’t seem to get features that require port forwarding or DMZ to work at all, even with the IP being DMZ’ed.

I know I’ve made threads in the past about this but I’d really like to try and figure out what’s going on. Unfortunately some people have been rude in the past and told me to “get another router” which simply isn’t possible, I don’t pay for internet in my household and I wouldn’t be allowed to do so anyway...

I really would like to get all of this sorted, I shouldn’t need to be having headaches over this...

I also cannot find out my IP address through Quake III Arena, I live in the U.K. and only have access to a PAL copy. I tried a NTSC copy and the internet functions were stripped out and I was never told about it...

Blayer98
Anarki
Posts: 95

Re: DMZ not working

Post#2 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 7:12 pm

Ok, so I found out that what I have to do is DMZ my Dreamcast on my TP Link router, and then I also have to DMZ the TP Link router on my HG633 router which is ridiculous! If anyone knows of a much easier way to do this I’d really appreciate it!

If I remember correctly, I did have some issues where the connection would drop out and the player list and room would also disappear/become full all of a sudden. I don’t know if this was due to DreamPi 1.6 not being fully optimised for Wi-Fi compared to 1.7 (according to Kazade’s blog post from 2 years ago)

User avatar
SEGA RPG FAN
Developer
Posts: 601

Re: DMZ not working

Post#3 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:19 pm

Is each router trying to act as a DHCP server? That's not recommended, only one device on your network should do that. It's even worse if they're creating separate subnets.
PSO Dreamcast 100% Legit: Eda FOmarl, Automaton HUcast

Blayer98
Anarki
Posts: 95

Re: DMZ not working

Post#4 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:24 pm

SEGA RPG FAN wrote:Is each router trying to act as a DHCP server? That's not recommended, only one device on your network should do that. It's even worse if they're creating separate subnets.


Oh, that’s not recommended? DCHP is enabled by default though so I didn’t realise that it could cause problems... what would happen if I disabled DCHP on the TP Link router? I’m not sure exactly what would happen... I need DCHP I think on my main router but idk, I’ve never messed with it and Idk if I should in case it ends up screwing a ton of my devices connected to it over... I should probably test out disabling DCHP on the TP Libk router at some point tomorrow.

User avatar
SEGA RPG FAN
Developer
Posts: 601

Re: DMZ not working

Post#5 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 10:24 pm

Just about all routers have DHCP enabled by default but if you have multiple routers you should disable it on all but the main router. It shouldn't break anything, but you may need to reconnect/power cycle devices connected to the second router for them to pick up the main router as the DHCP server.
PSO Dreamcast 100% Legit: Eda FOmarl, Automaton HUcast

Blayer98
Anarki
Posts: 95

Re: DMZ not working

Post#6 » Wed Sep 23, 2020 2:07 am

SEGA RPG FAN wrote:Just about all routers have DHCP enabled by default but if you have multiple routers you should disable it on all but the main router. It shouldn't break anything, but you may need to reconnect/power cycle devices connected to the second router for them to pick up the main router as the DHCP server.


Ah ok, I’ll try this and see if it works.

Btw, would settings on my second router apply to the main one with DCHP disabled on the second router? Such as DMZ, or opened ports? Nope they don’t, Planet Ring was again not showing the player list or updating the tables to not display as full.

Just tried disabling DCHP, I cannot connect to it with my iPhone anymore and I simply get “No Internet Connection.” Set a static IP on my second router via my main one and still nothing... I have also rebooted my iPhone and my second router but still nothing.

Looks like I’m going to have to completely format the router to factory default. Turns out I needed to plug the Ethernet cable into one of the other ports, not the internet one...

It was getting an IP address and subnet mask but it wasn’t the one used on my main router, and the router ip address was blank and never updated so...
Last edited by Blayer98 on Wed Sep 23, 2020 3:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

Blayer98
Anarki
Posts: 95

Re: DMZ not working

Post#7 » Wed Sep 23, 2020 3:22 am

Ok, I’ve tried everything but I simply cannot get the Dreamcast itself DMZ’ed on my main router. The MAC address for the Pi shows up but keeps showing up on the client list as disconnected and connected every few seconds, and it also does not display the ip address at all. My HG633 router only displays connections if they have a MAC Address with them, and since both the Pi and the Dreamcast essentially have the same one, I can’t DMZ the Dreamcast as it’s most likely detecting the Pi first and never changes. So I’m back to square one again, even with disabling DCHP!

So, I’ll have to ask once again does anyone know an easier method than the one I listed earlier? Having to DMZ the Dreamcast on another router and then DMZ’ing that router on my main one, is a pain!

If there isn’t, and literally no one has an answer, including Kazade himself if he’s still even active around here, then I’ll just have to use the setup I’ve put up and I will end up exposing the Pi as well, and if I can be bothered, instead simply port forward which will be time consuming as I have to port forward on BOTH devices...

I do have maybe another option. Try setting “Access Point” on my router, but I am concerned that issues may arise due to this.

SMiTH
Black Mesa
Posts: 1492

Re: DMZ not working

Post#8 » Wed Sep 23, 2020 5:39 am

i have never used dreampi.
but i would try simply buying a cheap used router that can be flashed with either dd-wrt or tomato firmware.
anytime i find cheap routers for around 5 bucks that I know can be flashed, i buy them.
dd-wrt is an excellent firmware and it allows you to do almost everything that an enterprise level router can do..
unless you want to learn cisco ios, this is the way to go.

here is a list of compatible routers:

https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices


setup the flashed router as a client bridge that connects to the main router through wifi.
this way you have dedicated wireless access (using bridged router) for the dreamcast/dreampi (using lan cable from dreampi to bridged router)





although this might be what you are currently doing with your 2 routers?

this thread might turn into a networking nightmare...
maybe others can chime in.

Blayer98
Anarki
Posts: 95

Re: DMZ not working

Post#9 » Wed Sep 23, 2020 6:39 am

I can’t do that unfortunately, I have to use Wi-Fi with my DreamPi and use a Ethernet connection from my second router to my main one...

Blayer98
Anarki
Posts: 95

Re: DMZ not working

Post#10 » Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:21 am

I have since tried the access point mode and even that is not working, my DreamPi is the only device showing up with the MAC address...

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