Device I'm using now is not "connected".

[ve3nrt]

I'm using a device on my network right now and it is working fine. It is set up as a fixed address. I called the device "Maxwell" when I set up the fixed IP but now it is listed by its MAC address, and editing doesn't allow me to change it. The device is also listed as an offline device by the web interface, and isn't listed at all in the port forwarding drop down.

As I said in the title, the device is working and has access to my local LAN and the Internet. The device is set up with a fixed IP. It responds to connections at its IPV4 address.

Question is how do I make the Ignite modem recognize that the device is on line? Is the problem because the device isn't requesting an address from the modem?

Chris

***Edited Labels***

[ve3nrt]

After waiting 24 hours the web interface tells me that the device is there, but port forwarding in the Home Connect app doesn't show it on the available devices dropdown.

My previous modem, now about 10 years old, took 2 minutes to set up port forwarding. I'm at 24 hours and counting on the Ignite modem. Maybe it will figure it out eventually.

[ve3nrt]

So now the app shows an entry under "Raspberry Pi" with the correct Ethernet (CAT 5E, not wifi) address 10.0.0.5. I edited it and called it "Maxwell". It promptly went off line. 10 minutes later its back on line and I set it up to port forward. The port forward addition completes and it is now listed, except that it shows up as 10.0.0.110 and it went off line again. There is no device on 10.0.0.110. The device is still listed in the modem web interface as being on-line.

Another bizarre feature is that to get at the port forwarding for an wired ethernet device, I have to go through the "Wi-Fi" menu on the app.

I'll try summarize this experience.

1. Make a change, the device goes off line for minutes or hours.
2. Device names are different on the modem web interface to what appears in the app.
3. Configuration of wired devices on the app is done in the Wi-Fi menu
4. Port forwarding to a device lists the device on a different IPV4 address to that which is shown on the app's device list or the modem web interface.
5. The device name on the modem web interface cannot be edited after fixed IP address setup, and often appears as the MAC address. Once it set up, the modem will change the name to the MAC address for no apparent reason.
6. Devices can appear on-line in the modem web interface and off-line in the app.
7. Port forwarding cannot be configured to point to an IP address, just a device name and it gets the IP address wrong (See #4).
8. All the while, the device is working and on-line to the LAN, and I'm logged into it via SSH.

The Homeconnect app leaves much to be desired.

[ve3nrt]

Still working on this. Advised to do a factory reset on the modem, which means setting everything up again. Then advised by tech support that port forwarding is not supported, they're not set up to help with port forwarding, and to have a good day.

[-G-]

@ve3nrt There are a number of things that could potentially cause a connected device to appear as unconnected in HomeConnect.

The one that most likely applies to your case is the one documented here: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/xfi-port-forwarding?linkId=157975356

XFI PORT FORWARDING AND IPV6
At this time, xFi only supports port forwards to be set up for devices with an IPv4 address. If the device is connected to your network, but not showing as an available device in the dropdown, it could be because it’s using an IPv6 address.

For dual stack devices (has both an IPv4 and IPv6), check with the device manufacturer on how to disable the IPv6, or set the IPv4 as “Preferred."

It's also important that your device connects to the network and obtains its IPv4 address using DHCP.  Configure a Reserved IP Address for its MAC address.  Do not configure the device with a hard-coded static IPv4 address.

[ve3nrt]

Thanks @-G- . It turns out that a factory reset fixed the problem. It only took 2 hours to reconfigure everything. Now port forwarding goes to the same address that the device list says it is on, and things are beginning to work again. It had nothing to do with IPV6 - all port forwards were on IPV4. I once had the device on a hard-coded IPV4 - static IP vs. "Reserved" IP. It was my former DHCP server, before I found out I couldn't have one any more, so it had to be on a static IP, but I changed it some time ago.

Another frustration was that the modem web interface logged me out at least 20 times, often right in the middle of updating settings and once immediately after I'd logged in successfully. Maybe all the good programmers are working on AI 🙂

[ve3nrt]

Now the modem is reporting the device offline, even though it is forwarding to it, and the Homeconnect app no longer lists it as available for port forwarding so I can't add any more ports - at least not right now.

Does anyone know what makes the modem declare a device off line? I've got no idea. It seems random to me.

[-G-]

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@ve3nrt wrote:

Now the modem is reporting the device offline, even though it is forwarding to it, and the Homeconnect app no longer lists it as available for port forwarding so I can't add any more ports - at least not right now.

Does anyone know what makes the modem declare a device off line? I've got no idea. It seems random to me.

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See my previous post.

Another weird thing that can happen is that the device suddenly gets assigned a different IPv4 address through DHCP.  The device shows as being offline and the port forward breaks.  The really weird thing is that this glitch only seems to trigger after Port Forwarding gets enabled.

https://forums.xfinity.com/conversations/xfinity-app/port-forwarding-in-xfi-has-the-right-device-but...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Comcast_Xfinity/comments/nbfhqp/port_forwarding_in_xfi_has_the_right_device...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Comcast_Xfinity/comments/11rds6t/xfi_port_forwarding_reserving_the_wrong_ip...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Comcast_Xfinity/comments/ye211d/port_forwarding_reserved_ip_address_showing...

I really don't know what else to say.  The Ignite Gateways do the basic stuff just fine but as soon as you get into more advanced configurations, a ton of bugs start revealing themselves.

[ve3nrt]

I have a high-numbered port forwarded to one of my computers to allow a friend to save files there periodically. Once the connection reaches the computer it is remapped to port 22 for sftp.  It usually works well, but twice in the last 6 weeks it has stopped working. If I delete the forwarded port and recreate it, it resumes. leading me to believe that the problem is in the modem itself. Local access to that port on that computer continues to work. All the other forwarded ports in the low range continue to work as well.