Living with a rogue DHCP :(

[psy-q]

I've got a seriously complicated issue I'm trying to work out.

I have IPTV from Telus. They provide a crippled and annoying router for service. DHCP can not be turned off or the settop boxes will just not cooperate. It's easy enough to just run a switch off the uplink and split their router and mine off on to different LANs. I've done it and it's good.

However, that's not good enough for me. I need to be able to connect my LAN gear, wired, to the same copper as this IPTV. Basically I want media center gear on the same TVs as the IPTV. Wireless is out since it's a townhouse complex with WAY too much traffic.

VLAN seems like the right idea. I have a managed switch (Netgear GS108E) that can do it, but I'm trying to come up with a way of doing it that doesn't require a VLAN switch at the Network box and one on the receiving end to separate traffic (gear is not VLAN aware). I have no issues setting up static IPs on my gear to deal with 2 DHCPs, but how do I separate the traffic?

Suggestions? Ideas? Keeping in mind my VLAN knowledge is limited.

I have a D-link DIR-655, DIR-600L(AP), Netgear GS108E switch and about 5-6 D-link DGS-1005D switches

 

[devnull]

100Mbit ethernet can run on two pairs out of the four that UTP contains. You'd be able to have two separate network cables in one. You'd have to cut the connector off at each end and re-terminate or make splitters.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Ethernet-"splitter"/

This will let you connect IPTV boxes to your ISP supplied box and other devices to your D-Link.

Some people would consider this to be sketchy but if it works, it works.

The only other solution would be to run another ethernet cable.

 

[psy-q]

1I worked at it for hours last night. I got it connected using VLAN, but ended up having multicast issues from mixing the STB in with everything else. Looks like I'll have to put another managed switch on the other end and tag all my packets.

I like the split cable idea. Never occurred to me. Gigabit is in the plan though. Wouldn't splitting a cable in that way potentially cause crosstalk issues? Obviously being careful not to split colored pairs.

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

 

[devnull]

It's good enough for 100 megabit ethernet, but gigabit requires all four pairs.

 

[stevech]

If you're not using 1000BT (gigabit ethernet), then you can use these, or wire up your own equivalent:

http://www.cyberguys.com/product-search/?keyword=pair+splitter

With these, the cable must run between the two boxes and no where else. That is, a length of cat5 connects these two boxes together.
No switch permitted.

Two of these might come in handy when butting the cat5 to the splitter boxes short cable:
http://www.cyberguys.com/product-details/?productid=3208

lastly, all this stuff can be bought to mount in wall plates.

 

[psy-q]

Awesome, I had no idea those existed. Thanks!

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2