How to add more IP addresses to a network (or maybe that isn't the problem)

[NoxiousOdor]

My boss at work as tasked me to fix some network issues we have been having at work. Right now we have 6 desktops plugged in and we each have a cell phone that is trying to get on the wifi. Our problem is that our phones seem to randomly disconnect from the network and then sometimes (sometimes not) reconnect. I have never spent much time troubleshooting network issues so any help is appreciated.

 

From what I have read it seems like we may be out of ip addresses could this be the case or is it something else? Sorry I don't have more info, if you have a question I'll do my best to fill you in.

 

 

Edit: This task has been taken from me suddenly and given to people who don't work here . How would I have maybe fixed this for the sake of learning?

[Lurick]

How far away from the access point are you?

How many total devices (wired and wireless) do you have?

[Guest]

Could be a defective access point. There isn't much info to go on here, but running out of IP-Adresses probably isn't the problem here.

[NoxiousOdor]

Just now, Lurick said:

How far away from the access point are you?

How many total devices (wired and wireless) do you have?

We are all within 20 feet of the access point and we have about 1-15 devices at a time

[wickedperuvian]

Check you DHCP pool on whatever its hosted on (likely the wifi router) and verify you have big enough range to host that many devices.  It may also be over saturation of signal if you are in a offive area. might be worth testing by changing channels.

[wickedperuvian]

Another likely reason is two different dhcp services running, and ip conflicts between them giving out the same addresses. Either way, you need access to the router to figure out truly what the issue is.

[Lurick]

4 minutes ago, WhisperingKnickers said:

We are all within 20 feet of the access point and we have about 1-15 devices at a time

Yah, it's pretty unlikely that the subnet is too small but you can always check.

On one of the PCs if you to go the command prompt and type in "ipconfig", look for "Subnet Mask" and let us know what the 4 values are, it's probably 255.255.255.something.

[NoxiousOdor]

Just now, Lurick said:

Yah, it's pretty unlikely that the subnet is too small but you can always check.

On one of the PCs if you to go the command prompt and type in "ipconfig", look for "Subnet Mask" and let us know what the 4 values are, it's probably 255.255.255.something.

The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 if I am looking in the right place

[Lurick]

Just now, WhisperingKnickers said:

The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 if I am looking in the right place

Yah, that will give you 254 addresses and if you've got 15 devices then you're definitely not running out

 

A bad AP as others have said is possibly the culprit.

[wickedperuvian]

Just now, Lurick said:

Yah, it's pretty unlikely that the subnet is too small but you can always check.

On one of the PCs if you to go the command prompt and type in "ipconfig", look for "Subnet Mask" and let us know what the 4 values are, it's probably 255.255.255.something.

Pretty much what he said.  Still I seen some setup where whoever person who was fired from 8 years ago, configured a 255.255.255.248 subnet (the boss said we will never have that many users!) and now with smartphones..

 

but I digress.

Just now, WhisperingKnickers said:

The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 if I am looking in the right place

 

 

then yeah it isn't subnet. My next best guess is two different dhcp or a shit router/over-saturation of 2.5 ghz signal.

[NoxiousOdor]

1 minute ago, Lurick said:

Yah, that will give you 254 addresses and if you've got 15 devices then you're definitely not running out

 

A bad AP as others have said is possibly the culprit.

 

1 minute ago, wickedperuvian said:

Pretty much what he said.  Still I seen some setup where whoever person who was fired from 8 years ago, configured a 255.255.255.248 subnet (the boss said we will never have that many users!) and now with smartphones..

 

but I digress.

 

 

then yeah it isn't subnet. My next best guess is two different dhcp or a shit router/over-saturation of 2.5 ghz signal.

 

 

Out of curiosity I checked my ipv4 address on the computer I am at and it is at 192.168.1.250  would this pc be the 250th of 254 available? This network as been in place for several years maybe we could have used up the ips?

 

If it multiple dhcp services how do I look into that. I doubt it is an over saturation of the signal because we are in a small office in the middle of the mountains and there isn't much else around us

[Lurick]

1 minute ago, WhisperingKnickers said:

 

 

 

Out of curiosity I checked my ipv4 address on the computer I am at and it is at 192.168.1.250  would this pc be the 250th of 254 available? This network as been in place for several years maybe we could have used up the ips?

 

If it multiple dhcp services how do I look into that. I doubt it is an over saturation of the signal because we are in a small office in the middle of the mountains and there isn't much else around us

Well IP addresses handed out by a DHCP server have a lease time that will expire after a period of time unless the client says "I'm here, let me keep my address". My guess is, someone setup the DHCP server to start in the high range but still use a 255.255.255.0 subnet mask. You would have to check on the router, if that's doing the DHCP handouts, or a windows server or other box.

[wickedperuvian]

Are there any servers running in the environment? or is it strictly modem + router?

[NoxiousOdor]

1 minute ago, wickedperuvian said:

Are there any servers running in the environment? or is it strictly modem + router?

Strictly modem and router

[wickedperuvian]

3 minutes ago, WhisperingKnickers said:

Strictly modem and router

Then its down to (likely) a bad/cheap router or bad configuration on the router.

I am assuming when you mean random disconnects you mean disconnect from the network right? not disconnected from the internet?

[Lurick]

5 minutes ago, WhisperingKnickers said:

Strictly modem and router

Yah, I saw your edit.

I would have checked the router next and looked at the DHCP scope. Even though you have a subnet mask allowing for 254 devices, there is the ability, usually, to only use a part of that block for DHCP and have the other portion reserved. I would check and see if that's the case and if so, increase the block for DHCP allocation.

[NoxiousOdor]

1 minute ago, wickedperuvian said:

Then its down to (likely) a bad/cheap router or bad configuration on the router.

I am assuming when you mean random disconnects you mean disconnect from the network right? not disconnected from the internet?

Yes sorry I should have been more specific

[NoxiousOdor]

1 minute ago, Lurick said:

Yah, I saw your edit.

I would have checked the router next and looked at the DHCP scope. Even though you have a subnet mask allowing for 254 devices, there is the ability, usually, to only use a part of that block for DHCP and have the other portion reserved. I would check and see if that's the case and if so, increase the block for DHCP allocation.

Oh okay, there is still a chance I will end up dealing with this so I will keep that in mind. Thank you for your help I have actually learned quite a bit more than I knew before

[MWaldhauer]

I would say you hit the AccessPoint's max number of allow clients

[Levisallanon]

Could you please download an app on the phones to see your ipconfig personally I use "IP Tools" and check what kind of address you are getting here?
Maybe the previous administrator put the wireless network on a different vlan put this in a smaller subnet or send it to a seperate dhcp server with a smaller block