Very disappointed with Brennan b2 behaviour

[P G]

I’ve had my b2 for about 3 months and after the usual teething problems, I have been pleased with it. Everything has been working well, no problems. 

However, having had the b2 switched off for two weeks (back switch …power off) when I came to demonstrate the b2 to a friend last night, the IU app and connection app on my iPad would not connect. It just kept saying , unable to connect with Brennan b2….re scan? …unable to connect. 

What’s happend ?  Ive not altered any settings …I haven’t done anything with the b2 …the Internet is working fine with no issues. The b2 has not been moved or touched in any way since it last worked. I haven’t altered any settings on the iPad or changed anything on the iPad or internet or the b2, yet the iPad refuses to connect with the b2. 

I’ve moved the usb Ariel about, connected it to an extension tried all sorts ….it simply won’t respond. 

If this is going to keep happening I will have to re think things. I had been enthusiastically describing the Brennan to my friend and you can imagine the embarrassment when it refused to connect. 

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi,

Is your B2 showing an IP number?

If so is that IP number the same as it was before. If not then make sure you are connecting to the CURRENT IP number, (and see if you can fix the IP number on your Router).

If it IS showing the same IP number as before, see if it will play the radio using the front controls. If it will then there is nothing wrong with the B2 it is a problem with your Router/ipad.  If it will not play the radio then there is a problem with your Router.

It is important to understand that the B2 is a passive partner in connecting to things it is your house Router that is the active device. Dont assume that if things are not working, it is the B2 that is at fault.

Fred

[P G]

Fred,

Thank you so much for very quick reply …without this helpful forum and the good people on it owning the b2 would be tricky. 

Okay,  I will look at what you’ve suggested and I take the point that the problem is perhaps internet and not the b2 ….but I didn’t expect this I have to admit.

I’ll post again when ive checked your advice. 

[Rob Harriman]

Further to Fred's comments:

If your IP address for your B2 has not changed and when you test things afterwards your B2 is still not working then it may be that you have a corrupted SD card.

I say this because you mentioned you powered the B2 down via the on/off switch on the back, but not that you had pressed the play/stop button and waited until the front panel stopped showing 'saving' before doing this.  It depends on whether the B2 was doing something when you powered off.

2 key rules with the B2 are:

1) the above and

2) Never ask the B2 to do more than 1 thing at a time.

Hopefully Fred's suggestion is on the money and that your card is not corrupt.  If it is you can buy a new one from the B2 web site or reflash it yourself if you're tech savvy. Instructions are also on the B2 web site.

Rob

[Daniel Taylor]

Lately, I've been tripping over the use of the word "fix" in regard to a possibly changing IP address.  I suspect that the usage here is to hold the IP steady without changing.  But the usual interpretation of fix means to repair.  In the case of a changing IP address, nothing is broken and it does not need to be repaired.  However, routers do have a setting where you can get it to always assign the same iP address to a specific connected device.

As I'm in the US, I acknowledge that it's quite possible that in the UK using fix in this context may not be as unclear as it would be in the US.  But doesn't fix also mean to repair in the UK?

In the interests of clarity, I recommend that we not refer to fixing the IP address.  Or maybe I'm the only one having a problem. ;o)

[P G]

Yes ! The IP address has changed ! I never knew this could happen or why it happens. But thanks for this tip.  I’ve got the IU working on the iPad but only by entering the iPad address into the browser direct. 

The iPads IU Apps seem to be stuck on my old IP address and I can’t change it. 

How do I manually change the iPad address on the iPads IU ? 

I’ve tried doing it manually but it still searches for the old one instead. 

[JFBUK]

Hi,

the IP address is dynamically allocated by the router on your home network.

There is a way to make the router always allocate the same IP address.

The exact instructions will depend on your router so if you post the make and model someone may be able to walk you through the process,

Clearing the browser cache may help with the app.

Instructions can be found here

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/clear-cache-iphone-ipad/

John

[JFBUK]

Hi Daniel,

US and UK - two peoples divided by a common language :)

I find it better to talk about a "reserved" IP address. 

This is actually what you configure the DHCP server to do - reserve you the same IP address for a device/MAC address every time it connects to the network.

and no, its does not mean the IP address is a bit shy :)

John

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

😀 😀

In the UK you can indeed "fix" a broken car, BUT you can also "fix something down" (depends on context) - another word for glue could be a

 "fixative" .

Fred

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi lectr,

What is the make and model of your router, we will see if we can tell you how to " reserve "😂 an IP address for you or this issue will drive you mad in the long term.

Fred

[Rik]

Yes, Daniel, ‘Fix it’ here might just mean ‘get it sorted out’, not necessarily repaired.😂

[Daniel Taylor]

Most of the time it's difficult to tell who's from UK and who's from US.  But from time to time it sort of jumps out at you.

It took me a little while to get used to "getting a problem sorted."  In the US, sorting is what you do with your laundry.  But now I try to sort problems quite regularly.

Then there's spelling.  No matter whether I exhibit behaviour or behavior, I'm sure to get it wrong. ;o)  I should probably just adopt British spelling.  Most US Americans (I can't speak for the Canadians) can't spell to save there/their/they're lives, so they wouldn't notice.

[P G]

Hello Fred w,

Okay, thanks for the offer of stabilising the IP address.

The router is ZyXEL via John Lewis broadband …no other info regarding date etc but it’s about 5-6 years old.

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi,

your ZyXEL seems a very complicated Router and after a good Google toll, the best I can find to help you is this

https://mysupport.zyxel.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021941779--ZyWALL-USG-Port-Setup-and-DHCP-Server

Assuming that this relates to your Router, I could manage to do this BUT perhaps you would do better to update your Router (you say it is 5-6 years old) to a more modern one. (I think this would be too difficult for an average user!!).

You could do this by purchasing one yourself or you could contact your ISP provider and ask for a new, more up to date box - it IS time they upgraded you.

Fred

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Just to help this is the bit that does the job

[P G]

Fred…thank you so much for your time and effort …I am most grateful to you, you certainly have gone the extra mile for me. !

Okay, I’ve looked at the link and it’s scary ! I dare not touch any of this. I will contact my service provider and tell them the problem and if a new router is available. 

I’m sure you could work all this out but I’m loathe to mess with my internet as should I do something wrong I’m high and dry with no access for help.

If I get the new router what would be the procedure  then ? Would I be able to do it ? 

But on average, how often does the ip number change and why does it change? 

I think it’s a big overlook that it’s not mentioned anywhere in the manuals or general help. 

Without your input I would still be stuck, struggling and unconnected. 

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Regarding your router I do agree with you..... It would be very difficult to steer you through changing your router (assuming I have found the correct manual!!)

More modern router have this functionality and (I think it is easier to manage these).

However your comment " I think it’s a big overlook that it’s not mentioned anywhere in the manuals or general help. " is not really accurate, 

see this extract from the Brennan Web pages - it IS mentioned!

As I said above it is the Routers job to provide IP numbers for devices attaching to it - most of the time devices do not care what IP number is assigned (and this is also true for the B2!)

It is just that when using the B2 you need to know the CURRNET IP number assigned to it to be able to get to it (which is quite normal too). Sort of if you were a Trumpet player, you would have to know/remember where your trumpet

was before you could get it and play it. 

Fred

[Steve Woolaway]

Hi: I can't compete with the fantastic contributions of the amazing people on here.But let me give you what will be a bit of reassurance based on my experience.I had the original Brennan JB7 (still do) which was faultless but of course no internet/UI capability. I bought one pf the early B2s as soon as I knew of it, and I loved it and still do.

However, here's my point. When I first got the B2 I had a BT Homehub router which needed regular reboots for whatever reason. Nearly always a reboot meant a different IP address being assigned so the existing bookmark wouldn't connnect until it was updated to the changed IP address. The frustration of that was softened a bit by the understanding that was the router's fault, not the B2's fault. I never got round to asking the router to reserve the IP address (i.e 'fix it') as I didn't want to be logging in as an admin to my router. I lived with it because of the facilities of the B2.

Nearly 3 years ago I replaced the Homehub with a BT Smart Hub with a couple of mesh discs. In that entire time I have not needed to reboot the router once, hence the IP address never changes, so my bookmark always works, and my Brennan never drops the connection. I can leave the B2 alone for a couple of weeks sometimes and when I go to the UI and ask for some music it wakes up pretty instantly and just plain works. Paradise. 

Remember that the vast numbers of B2 lovers do not post on here neither do they need to.It is a great piece of kit that gets new features regularly. The SONOS capability is a stunning thing to demonstrate.

Keep your faith in the B2 being what you thought it ws when you bought it, give it a stable wifi environment which it needs (but so does your phone, IPAD etc) and it will become a joy!

Hope that helps!

[P G]

Thanks Fred and Steve …I’ve changed the title of the thread (I hope) as I now realise it’s the internet connection and it’s workings rather than the Brennan but put it this way, I know a damn sight more now than I did a few days ago thru this forum. 

I must have the seen the ip section in the manual but skipped thru it as I was sorting thru other teething problems and besides, it’s only relevant when something goes wrong …like most stuff.  

But maybe they ought to highlight a warning and make it more noticeable that sooner or later ..you will loose connection with IU (and explain  why in basic wording ) rather than have to find out the hard way like me just as I was demonstrating (or trying too) the unresponsive B2 to a friend. I now have to write to him to explain exactly why it wasnt  working. 

[JFBUK]

Hi,

as Fred suggest you should contact your ISP , John Lewis Broadband, about the issues and its possible they could help configure your router by logging in to it remotely.

If they offer to replace the router then if an engineer comes out to install then the engineer would be able to help.

John

[Ray Dion]

Appreciate Steve's answer. As long as you keep the router and the B2 powered on you will pretty much always have the same IP address. I however noticed in the original post that B2 had been powered off for three months. IP addresses are kept the same based on leased time. The router has a setting that says if I don't here from the client for X hours or days, then I will release the hold on their IP address and assign it as needed. This allows you a reboot and still get the same IP back. That means anytime you turn off a box (not just the B2) for longer than the allocated time it is possible, maybe probable, that you will get a different IP address because some other piece of equipment took the one you had or the algorithm used by the router to chose IPs decided to give you a different one.

I would add one other thing that might be worthwhile. If you use the WIFI and then switch to hard wired, your MAC address is different. This means that if you reserved an address for you WIFI, it will not transfer to your wired connection unless you go in and configure the router by removing the WIFI reservation and replacing it with the wired connection. I have both reserved as two sequential IPs. You only use ONE of the connections at a time. Confusion will reign if you try to keep them both active. You can keep this because the number of addresses available probably well exceeds the number of devices you want to connect.

[Philip Davies]

Hi all - I know that this may be obvious bit no one said it yet...  if you use the brennan iphone app, then you just need to rescan for the brennan ( the icon is top right ) and this will find the latest IP address each time you ask it to search.  For various reasons way to complicated to explain I cant fix (reserve) the IP address here at the moment and it is moving about. I just close the app, restart it and then search for the brennan each time it is power cycled and find the latest IP address its living on.  

As others have said, once allocated if the B2 stays on and the router stays on, it should not change. More modern and more expensive  routers try to remember the allocations even when rebooted, but older & cheaper ones dont.  There are very few that simply wont let you reserve but just in case you have one of those, this should help you and saves bending down and squinting at the screen which not all of us want to do :-)