Verizon FiOS → Re: Different IP Addresses on the 9100EM *UPDATED /W STEPS*

Everyone, I just found the reason why I couldn't change the IP. And that my old DSL via my 327w was in fact DHCP (not PPPoE).

For whatever reason, the default lease type on the 9100EM is set to "static", despite the service being dynamic. The key to everything is changing it to what it should be, "dynamic".

Here are the steps:

My Network > Network Connections


Once here, you need to choose a connection that has IP distribution. In my case, it's "Network (Home/Office)" and "Broadband Connection (Ethernet)". I chose "Broadband Connection (Ethernet)". The Coax connection doesn't have IP distribution because of the MOCA settings.

Broadband Connection (Ethernet) Properties


Under the connection settings, you should see a clickable link to "IP Address Distribution". Click it.

IP Address Distribution


You'll now see all connections that contain IP distribution. Find "Connection List" in the center on the bottom and click it.

DHCP Connections


You'll now be viewing all the DHCP connections along with their lease types. In my case, the main device connected to the router is the center one. Choose your main device, and click on the pencil symbol (edit).

Main Device Settings


Simply uncheck the box next to "Static Lease Type" and hit "OK".

Your connection is now dynamic, as it should be (assuming you're not a VZ customer with a static-only connection).

Releasing the lease and obtaining a new one is also as it should be. Simply release the connection/lease, turn off the router, wait 30 seconds to 1 minute, reboot, and enjoy your new IP.

EDIT:
Hope that helps. I really have to thank you guys because I would've never researched any further had I not received the information I did.

Oops! I didn't explain it very well before. I'm referring to your screenshots in the following discussion.

Broadband Connection (Ethernet) is disabled because there is no connection to the ONT through that port. Broadband Connection (Coax) is how you're connected to the ONT. That's your WAN (Wide Area Network) connection. The DHCP servers maintained by Verizon upstream from the CO (Central Office) issues an IP address to your router when it boots up. That address has a 2-hour lease. When you click on Broadband Connection (Coax) in your first screenshot you can view the properties of that connection. Among other things, it will display the remaining lease time. You can click the button at bottom of that properties screen to edit Settings. That screen has a button that allows you to Release the WAN lease.

Network (Home/Office) is your LAN (Local Area Network). When you clicked the links to get to IP Address Distribution, note that Broadband Connection (Ethernet) shows Disabled. There is no connection there. Network (Home/Office) shows your router (not Verizon upstream) is controlling the DHCP addresses it hands out to your PC or whatever is connected locally. So when you click Connection List, you're looking at the addresses for the 3 PCs connected to your router LAN ports. Notice the Lease times there at 1400 minutes or more. The default lease time on a LAN connection is 1440 minutes (24 hours). Also notice the addresses: 192.168.1.2 and similar. Those are your LAN addresses.

By clicking the edit button for each LAN connection and changing it to Static, you are creating what's called in other circles a dynamic or DHCP reservation. If you set your PC to a true static connection and connected to the Actiontec, your PC connection would not show up in the Connection List because it is not a DHCP connection. Connection List only shows LAN connections made through your router's DHCP Server.

When you Release a WAN IP, then reboot your router after a power off, your router goes through the negotiation for a DHCP address from VZ's server upstream from you. Your WAN address is in a different range than your LAN addresses. My WAN address is 96.233.something-or-other. Yours may be in 72., 74., 96., 98., 173., or one of the other blocks VZ uses. The DHCP server that hands out the addresses controls lease time and other properties. VZ controls the WAN DHCP server, and you control your router's LAN DHCP server.

I admire your spirit, it's kind of like mine. I want to know what happens under the hood, so to speak, so I keep looking around, and ask questions about what I'm seeing. I want to understand how it works.

I hope my explanation made things a little clearer.

^ +1

You did not (and can not) change your WAN DHCP settings. As birdfeedr pointed out above, what you changed was the lease type of of one of the devices on your LAN.

As has been explained several times before, your LAN DHCP server and your WAN DHCP client are UNRELATED. Creating DHCP reservations for your LAN side devices has nothing, repeat nothing, to do with with your WAN side DHCP lease.

There is however, one setting that may help in getting a different IP address.

One of the problems that can occur when releasing your WAN DHCP lease is that the router will automatically attempt to obtain another DHCP lease. This is the reason the FAQs say to IMMEDIATELY disconnect the router after releasing the WAN DHCP lease. You can also accomplish the same thing the following:

• Click on the My Network icon
  
• Select Network Connections
  
• Select Broadband Connection (ethernet or coax as appropriate)
  
• Select Configure Connection
  
• Click on Quick Setup
  
• Uncheck Continuous Auto-Protocol Detection
  
• Apply
  

The explanation does help bird, I appreciate it. That's what was happening on my 327w too then because I know it had a lease time for a day too (the default 1440 on the LAN side).

And MF, thanks a lot! I was trying to figure out how to disable the router from renewing after I release so I don't have to turn it off everytime...just like how my 327w was was setup.

A few questions about this:Okay, so the WAN lease is what I need to release in order to obtain a new IP? And if so, the "Release" button in this shot is the button you were referring to right?



The only problem with that button and releasing from there is that when I do so, it gives me this on the main page:



And within a good 8 seconds, the "down" status changes to "connected", with the IP not even disappearing (as it does when I release via the Broadband Connection (Ethernet)). Now I unchecked what MF said...



...and it's still the same thing. In fact, the Continuous Auto Protocol detection seems to only affect the Ethernet settings (as it prevents the LAN lease from renewing automatically). And yet, the detection option is under the Coax settings. Is there anything I'm missing? When I release the WAN IP, shouldn't I obtain a new IP? And how long do I need to leave the router off when I release the WAN IP? Do I need to release both the LAN IP AND WAN IP?

You have a Westell, which is different than my Rev.A, so I'm winging it a little. But....

In your first screen, when you click Release then you get Down status on main screen, that is what should happen. I think that releasing a non-existent address on the Broadband Connection (Ethernet) page would make the IP disappear because there never was an address there to begin with.

Also, on the first screen, "Auto Detection" is related to MoCA settings. I'm not sure if it's WAN or LAN. Click it off, then click Apply. If you release your WAN IP, see if it stays off until you click Renew. If you get a connection in 8 seconds, that did not do what you wanted it to do, so click Auto Detection back on, then click Apply.

On your Quick Setup page, what are the options for the first three dropdown boxes? They should be related to picking up a WAN address. Protocol would likely be PPPoE or DHCP. Let the protocol stay on automatic. The first one, Broadband Connection Device WAN Interface would be related to Coax or Ethernet. Leave that to Auto.

It may be that in the end, you'll leave the settings on default, and understand you have an 8-second window to either power down the router or unplug the WAN connection (coax in your case) before the router renews its connection.

FWIW, if I had a temporary power failure that made my router reboot, or something that VZ did from the front end that forced a reboot, I think I'd want the router to automatically reconnect. VZ has been juggling their network around. A little while ago (the last week or two) my WAN IP changed from 96. block to 173., and now I'm back on 96.

Okay, here are the options for the dropdown boxes:



When I click off "Auto Detection", the connection is lost without me even pressing the release button. Not only does the WAN IP light go out, so does the "Internet" one. When I hit renew, nothing happens. I have to put "Auto Detection" back on in order to get my connection back. The "Continuous Auto Protocol detection" seems to have done nothing either, as the connection still renews itself.

If the case ends up being the short window of powering off the router, I'm fine with that. But how long do I need to keep it off? And about the Ethernet connection settings, how come when I release it, the "Internet" light goes out (not the WAN one), which leads to a new IP...well, sometimes anyway? If that's the case, doesn't that mean the WAN light doesn't have to go out in order to get a new IP?

Thanks again for the help.

It looks like your 8-second window before automatic renew is the time slot where you can power off or disconnect cable. How long to keep it off? Long enough to pull a new address. And that depends on network conditions.

And, for others reading this topic, be aware that VZ apparently has different DHCP systems deployed. For some, releasing a WAN IP then pulling a new one is easy and works as expected. For others, the old IP is very sticky, and comes back despite all attempts even by FSC. The stickier the old IP, the longer you need to keep it off.

As for what happens when you hit Release? Probably a two-step process: break the connection protocol, then break the physical connection link. Coax release -- internet light goes out, then coax WAN light goes out (almost simultaneous), 8 second time delay, coax WAN light comes back on, internet light comes back on.

Same thing happens when you hit Ethernet release, except the Ethernet WAN light wasn't on to begin with and won't come on because that's not how you connect to the ONT. The DHCP protocol is common to both coax and ethernet interfaces.

The interface connection is on a different layer than the protocol. Think of it as *how* to carry the info vs. *what* to carry. More Fiber could give a better description of layers than I.

That's the thing though, when I release through the Coax settings, the only light that goes out for the 8 second period is the Coax WAN light, NOT the Internet light. The Internet light seems to be reservered for releasing through the Ethernet settings, as it goes off when (and only when) I release through the Ethernet settings.

In order to pull a new IP, do I need both the Coax WAN and Internet lights to shut off, or can it be one or the other? And if so, which one?

Oops! Since I have an Actiontec Rev.A, and an older ONT that's ethernet only, I'm not able to make statements from empirical evidence. You, sir, have blown my theory out of the water with a direct hit!

Ok, you said you pull a new address sometimes by releasing the address under Broadband Connection (Ethernet). Can you pull a new address by releasing under the Broadband Connection (Coax)? Try to test both methods using the same conditions except for the specific Release button.

None of this should be a shock, for a Westell with Verizon firmware.

The DSL side has had IP release problems with Westells, since the 6100s were introduced to the Ex GTE areas where connection protocol was DHCP. Those and succeeding Westell modem/routers, reconnect so quickly that MAC address cloning was considered part of the process, in lieu of expiring the existing lease. You'll recall the two separate methods for restoring connectivity after bridging.

That's not to recommend cloning for the 9100, as it seems to have a reconnect delay built into it, before it reconnects.

All of that being just the way it is, calls into question the motives of the OP, to find the mechanics of, rather than the understanding of, the process by which he can dump one IP and secure another IP, and to return to the internet, in the most rapid fashion possible.

lol, oh how I wish I had an older (seemingly easier) setup. I definitely cannot pull a new IP by simply releasing via the Coax settings. However, I have found that if I setup two different pages (tabs or new windows) and have the Ethernet setting in one, and the Coax in the other, I can release from both settings one right after the other. Through this method, both the Coax WAN and Internet lights turn off. And sometimes the router status actually changes to "DHCP IP Address Released", and it does not try to obtain a new address/lease. When it does that, I simply wait a few minutes or however long I feel is enough, and then I hit "renew". For some reason, I can't recreate this at the moment though. It seems to happen when I release through both settings, but again, I can't recreate it at the moment. I'll try to get you a screenshot so you can see what I mean.

[EDIT]

Speak of the devil, I just got it. And this time, I was able to get the following status without the Coax WAN light turning off. So again, the Internet light seems to be the key.



@John

As far as the means behind all of this, I simply would like to maintain the same ability I had with my DSL service. My old router was a Westell as well, a little older of course, but it renewed/released like a champ.

[EDIT 2]

Forgive this second edit, but I just found out how to change the status to "DHCP IP Address Released". I changed the Protocol Mode (in Quick Setup) to "Dynamic Routed IP" instead of "Auto Detection", as that's what the connection is. Now, each time I release via the Ethernet settings, it changes the status to "DHCP IP Address Released" instead of automatically renewing. I think with Auto Detection as the Protocol Mode, the router simply looked for the protocol versus knowing it, and that's what caused the auto-renewing.

When I release via the Coax settings, I still get the "Down" status for 8 seconds or so before it auto-renews, so the Ethernet settings seem to be the best method, despite no connection via Ethernet WAN. But just to be safe, from now on, this is the process I'll follow:

- Release via Ethernet settings
- Wait as needed
- Renew via Coax settings (Coax WAN light will turn off for a good 8 seconds before turning back on; keep in mind, the Internet light will remain off and the status of the router will remain "DHCP IP Address Released" until I renew via the Ethernet settings)
- Renew via Ethernet settings

It seems effective so far, though the waiting time varies, as you mentioned.

Where are you located?

I'm in the Los Angeles area.

And I think I've finally perfected the method, lol. I've tried it a good 25 times now, and I've obtained a new IP each time.

Before following the steps below, make sure "Protocol Mode" (in Quick Setup) is set to "Dynamic Routed IP" instead of "Auto Detection".

How to get a new IP on the Westell 9100EM (connected via Coax):

- Open two browser windows (NOT tabs)
- Login to router on both windows
- Go to "My Network" on both windows
- Open "Broadband Connection (Ethernet)" in one window, "Broadband Connection (Coax)" in the other
- Go to "Configure Connection" for both (in each window)
- Hit the "Release" button for "Broadband Connection (Ethernet)"
*Internet light will turn off*
- Quickly switch over to the other window (Alt+Tab always works nicely)
- Hit the "Release button for "Broadband Connection (Coax)"
*Coax WAN light will turn off; both the Internet and Coax WAN lights will now be off*
- Wait until the Coax WAN light comes back on
- Quickly press the "Renew" button in the window for "Broadband Connection (Ethernet)"
- Enjoy your new IP

I just tried that and it worked for me.