Octopus Mini no longer working

[ivan]

Anyone have any ideas what's wrong here? I changed broadband provider, which necessitated a different router (Vodafone). The new router has combined 2.4GHz/5GHz SSID which is a bit of a headache for connecting home automation stuff which is generally 2.4GHz.

Octopus Home Mini (for those who haven't come across it) is something that talks to the Smart Meter, and feeds the data into the router which sends it on to Octopus, which then makes the data available for the octopus App (so you can see what you're current usage is) and also allows me to import the data into Home Assistant (software that allows me to keep an eye on everything and to control stuff remotely). This worked perfectly with the old router, but sadly, this is no longer working - in the Octopus app, it is just saying 'waiting for data', and my Home Assistant Software gets a few of the parameters updated live (eg what the current electric rate is - either 25p main rate, or 7p), but none of the useful stuff - so it's definitely talking to Octopus and to my Hone Assistant software. If I login to my router, you can see it has a 2.4GHz wifi connection to the Octopus gadget, and the indicator LED on the gadget is white - which indicates a successful connection.

I've spoken to Octopus who have untied the unit and I've followed their instructions to Setup the gadget from scratch, but it's exactly the same - some data seems to get through to my Home Assistant, but most doesn't, and the Octopus App still says 'waiting for data' - emailed octopus again, but no reply - so I guess they're stuck too.

[dan_b]

Are you able to un-tie the combined SSIDs and give the 2.4GHz signal a different name?

[Kommando]

Does your new ISP use CGNAT instead of assigning a unique IP. address.to your router. Also ask Octopus what ports the Mini uses and make sure they are open on the router.

[ivan]

No, frustratingly the 2.4GHz signal can't be untied from the 5GHz. There is dropdown menu in the router settings, but I can only select the combined option. Spoke to Vodafone and they said that's the only option that's possible, though obviously the router user interface envisaged there being an option to select something else once upon a time.

Good thinking - I'll check what port the Home Mini works with. It might well be something to do with that - Ive discovered that my ethernet relay board no longer works (curl commands to port 30000) if I am wifi-connected to the router, but if I am wifi-connected to the hub that feeds the relay board, it seems to work - also coincidentally failed around the same time that the router was changed.

I've no idea whether Vodafone use CGNAT or not. Did a quick search with google and found one article saying they do and another saying they don't. Is it possible to see this from the router settings?

[Kommando]

Vodafone assign an IP address to your router and it should be in the WAN area, take this IP and do a whoisthis search, Cgnat IP's are shared between many users and a unique one is just for you. Cgnat IP's make it difficult but not impossible for LAN items to connect to external services.

Check your router settings:
Access your router's admin panel and find the WAN IP address.
Look for the CGNAT IP range:
If your WAN IP falls within 100.64.0.0 - 100.127.255.255, you are likely using CGNAT.
Compare with public IP website:
Check your public IP on a website like "whatismyip.com" and compare it to your router's WAN IP.

[Countrypaul]

Who was your previous ISP and do you still have their router? Some devices will not connect if the SSID has both 2.4 & 5 GHz. If you hve the old ISP router, you might be able to use that as a simple 2.4 GHz AP after disabling DHCP on it and ensuring its lan IP does not clash with you new router.But one thing at a time and check whether cgnat is the possible cause first.

[ivan]

OK, I checked the www.whatismyip.com/ and it gives the same result as the WAN IP in the vodafone router.

83.105.27.xxx (Im assuming it's a bad idea to put the full IP address on a public internet page?).

Does that mean I DON'T have CGNAT?

There is a setting called uPNP - would turning this ON help, or is that irrelevant to this problem?

In the Octopus FAQ it says: If you're a bit of a boffin, it's worth double checking that ports 123, 1883 and 8883 aren't blocked, you may need to check your firewalls and parental controls.

The vodafone router seems to be dumbed-down, even in expert mode. Found this setting: Static NAT/DMZ/Exposed Host but doesn't sound like a particularly good solution, if indeed it works at all. Seems to be a lot less in the way of settings compared to my previous router. I did wonder about setting up my previous router and connecting it to the new one.....but Mrs Ivan isn't keen on the growing number of internet devices on the kitchen windowsill as it is. If all else fails, I can try getting a 2.4GHz only wifi extender, and plugging it into the USB socket of the hub - so no extra cables to add to the current rats' nest!

[Kommando]

You are not on Cgnat, I never use the ISP provided router, you should be able to setup your old ISP's router to connect to Vodafone and your old ports be reopened.

[Countrypaul]

I notice on the Octopus web site that the OHM is is flagged as requiring 2.4 GHz and is not compatible with dual band. This could well mean that it is not compatible with the Vodaphone router - in most cases it is just the setup phase that causes problems (many WiFi switches for example) so turning off 5GHz whilst setting up allows hings to work. It is not clear what Octopus mean about dual band.

Ivan do you know what sort of router your oldone is - eg BT Home Hub 3, or Tiscali Siemens Gigaset SE587 ?and who was your old ISP. Whilst you have changed ISP has anything else changed, such as ADSL (copper line) to Fibre for example? Some ISP supplied routers will not work with other ISPs.

How long did you leave the OHM once it appeared connected to Ocotopus before realising it was not updating? The setup instructions and FAQ suggest it needs at least an hour.

[cojmh]

Hi Ivan,

I had big problems with my Nest Protect fire alarms when trying to run them on a network that used both 5GHz and 2.4GHz for wireless.

My solution was just to disable 5GHz for the particular network that the Nest devices were on. Worked straight away after that and I spent a good deal of time with Google support to find a different solution but nothing worked.

I realise that you are maybe not able to do this with your current router - but many be Vodafone and offer you a different router?

I have just ordered an Octopus Mini, so I will see when it arrives how it works.

Hope that helps.