Topic: Trouble with my ObServer IP Re-Starting after Internet Drop

[MrM1]

Everytime my Internet drops or I restart the modem/router the ObServer IP drops connection to Weather Underground and is not reporting.  I have to physically unplug and restart the ObServer IP to get it to reconnect.   Unfortunately out here in the woods,  this Internet drop is a couple times a week.  Is this normal behavior for the ObServer IP ... or is there a setting that will override this so it will connect once the internet connection is re-established? 

[galfert]

There is a bug in the ObserverIP if you are using a DHCP address. It won't properly renew an IP after the lease expires. It also will not pick up a IP when powered up if the Ethernet link is not up. When power returns from an outage the ObserverIP reboots instantly in like less than 30 seconds. Most network routers take around 3 minutes to power up. The ObserverIP only asks for a DHCP address 6 times within seconds of being powered up and then it quits asking for an IP address. So if the network is not up which would be the case when power is returning to a network then the ObserverIP does not get an IP address and just sits there like a dummy.....for 20 minutes. Then around the 20 minute mark it might decided to reboot and then it could possibly get an IP address.

So always make sure the network is up first. Then make sure the Ethernet cable is plugged in to the ObserverIP (while powered off), and then lastly power on the ObserverIP and it will get an IP address then. But I still don't recommend this approach....better to use a static for now.

Long story and all of that doesn't matter. Here is the bottom line. DHCP address with ObserverIP does not work so only use a static IP on the device. It isn't good enough to just make a DHCP reservation on the router. You actually need to enter a static IP into the ObserverIP. Be sure to either reduce the DHCP address scope on the router or set a reservation so that you don't end up with an IP conflict on the network.

This is a known issue that I discovered and reported to Ambient within the last month. I've also been put in touch with Fine Offset and I have been working on getting this resolved with them. They get it. But because of how limited the ObserverIP is in resources this may not ever get fixed. It just may be good enough to leave it the way it is now where after 20 minutes it will reboot and then it will pull a DHCP IP address. But the trouble doesn't end there. If your DHCP lease is configured on your router to expire every day then you have a potential outage every day when the lease expires as it also will not renew automatically...instead it just lingers and then falls off the network and then eventually reboots.

More info here:
https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=34948.msg359069#msg359069

[MrM1]

This has been happening with firmware 4.1.3.  I have just today updated to firmware 4.4.9 because I am going to be getting the new 2902 array (is that the "name" of the newest array that is included with the WS-2000 system?).  What device do I use for the new array?  I read somewhere to use the WS-1600-IP?  Not sure as there is none of the new ones in the drop down of the 4.4.9 firmware settings IP Tools settings.

So are you saying change the drop down in the Station (4.4.9) on the Local Network tab from:
- Receive Automatically (DHCP)
TO
-Static

And that will "fix" my issue?

[galfert]

This DHCP issue is in every firmware version released thus far. They didn't know about it till I brought it to their attention and therefore the device has never been programmed to actually use DHCP properly. What they have for DHCP works but not very nicely I think.

Yes, the outdoor array is called WS-2902-ARRAY

Yes, select WS-1600-IP as the station type to set as the station type when using the WS-2902-ARRAY.

You can't just change the network settings on the ObserverIP from DHCP to Static. You do that and set it to Static, but then you need to fill in the numbers that correspond and fit according to your local network (based on your router's configuration). I suppose that requires some networking experience. And you also need to concern yourself with your router in setting up the DHCP so that you don't end up with an IP conflict based on the static that you choose.

So yes if you do all of those things in the process of configuring it for static your problems will be fixed.

[wase4711]

how do you update the firmware?
thanks

[galfert]

how do you update the firmware?
thanks

On the ObserverIP software support page where you download the newest firmware there is also a link to download the IP Tool program for Windows and Mac. The IP Tool program is what is used to upgrade the firmware on the ObserverIP. It automatically finds the ObserverIP on the network and then lets you select the firmware you downloaded where you saved it and then it updates the ObserverIP.

ObserverIP software support page:
https://www.ambientweather.com/observerip.html

But before you update the firmware be sure you take precautions to save everything in your configuration as everything will be erased and you'll have to reconfigure after a new firmware install. Basically follow these steps:
https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=34948.msg361572#msg361572

[wase4711]

thank you galfert

[dupreezd]

This DHCP issue is in every firmware version released thus far. They didn't know about it till I brought it to their attention and therefore the device has never been programmed to actually use DHCP properly. What they have for DHCP works but not very nicely I think.

I don't know, mine has been working with dynamic DHCP since I got it in 2015. OK, I am still on 4.2.1 as I need the telnet option.
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[galfert]

I'll have to test 4.2.1 which I've been meaning to check out anyway and see if the DHCP problem is present or not.

As for needing 4.2.1 because of the Telnet option.... I've got something totally new to hopefully reveal soon where you won't need Telnet. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch so I can't say more about it just yet. But I've good a good idea and hopefully it will work.

[galfert]

I've just tested 4.2.1 and it also has the DHCP bug. I really believe every version ever of the ObserverIP has had this issue since day one.

There are several possible reasons you may not feel it is a problem. It could be because your DHCP lease may be long (days or weeks). Then when it expires it reboots and you just don't notice it as it may be infrequent. Depends on what your DHCP lease time is set to on your router. But even still it actually keeps running with the existing IP after it expires for some time. It depends on the router if and when it wants to kick the device off the network because it doesn't have a valid lease. The fact is that the ObserverIP is not handling DHCP via industry standards. The ObserverIP it is doing its own thing and different networks may react differently to its non-standard way of running. Eventually when the ObserverIP gets kicked off the network then 20 minutes later it has a check loop to detect that it has fallen off the network and it reboots and then it grabs a new DHCP lease. This is just not the right way at all for any network device to be acting. A DHCP lease is actually supposed to be renewed at the half life of the lease. You can check with the DHCP server the status of leases and you can see when they renew. With the ObserverIP you can watch the lease half life come to be and it keeps running without renewal. Then at expiration time it also doesn't renew then. A proper DHCP server is supposed to drop that client address that choose not to renew (normally because it isn't on the network).

[dupreezd]

I am running DHCP on a Windows 2008 R2 server setup as a domain controller, set for 1 day lease. I also run a monitoring program (hostmonitor) which alerts me if any device drops of the network for more than 5 minutes. I might have received 1 or 2 alerts regarding the OIP but then it was due to it slowing down (bug). Since then I used the same program to reboot the OIP once a week.

[galfert]

Try setting the least time to a few minutes. Then watch the lease half life pass without a renewal (watch on Windows 2008 DHCP Server module). Then watch the lease expire and the ObserverIP still doesn't renew. It probably keeps running with the current IP but it really shouldn't. The fact that your router is not the DHCP server probably has to do with why you aren't having problems. But problems or not, the ObserverIP is still not acting right when it comes to DHCP.

[MrM1]

Once mine gets "kicked off" it stays kicked off until I restart the ObserverIP with one router.  My other station on another network does not stay kicked off.     I just went thru my first router (the one that is connected to the badge here below in my sig) and set the router so the ObserverIP has a static address ... I think.   Guess well see in a few days if it sticks.

[galfert]

I just went thru my first router (the one that is connected to the badge here below in my sig) and set the router so the ObserverIP has a static address ... I think.   Guess well see in a few days if it sticks.

What I think you have described above is not the same as setting a true "static" IP on a device. What I think you are describing is setting a reservation on the router's DHCP service. Sure a reservation is a way of setting a static address on the network but it the device still thinks it is using a dynamic IP handled by DHCP. In this case since the bug is in the ObserverIP of how it handles a DHCP lease (even if it is a reservation IP) it is necessary to actually configure the device with the static address and to not use DHCP even if it has a reservation. The action of making a reservation on the router's DHCP service is an important step to ensure no IP conflict results when you use a static address manually configured on a device. This way the DHCP service knows not to give that address to a different device on the network.

[MrM1]

I think that is what i did.  I set the device to static and set the IP address the the static IP address I assigned it to in the router.  It is working now and I will see how long it continues to work ... OR if it  gets kicked off again.