C4 User Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 3 hours ago, WholeHomeControl said: Successful ZigBee communication depends not just on the RF element, but it also depends on the network. This is because there are 3 separate processes in the command chain for ZigBee processing (Director, Zserver and ZAP), and these processes rely on the network to communicate with one another. Sometimes a networking problem might, for example, inhibit commmunication between Zserver and Director and result in commands being delayed or dropped. So, suppose there is a ZigBee issue. If your mesh were strong and RF environment clean, your dealer would look to the network as the possible culprit. This is where I have trouble seeing what you could readily do to categorically prove that the network is not at fault. If I were to have this situation, I can easily set up a monitor to log all traffic between devices to identify any dropped packets on any protocol and any port. So other than WiFi/zigbee interference, if the issue is network related (LAN, WLAN, VLAN, Router, Switches) it is relatively easy to identify the culprit. But as I said, any hardware that allows for advanced traffic monitoring and logging is what’s needed. Brand does not matter. i use sonicwall, and in over 12 years, I can say I have never had a network related issue that i was not able to identify and fix. And the times ( in the early days of C4) where my dealer wasn’t sure if issues were network related or not, I was able to log the traffic and prove that packets were not getting lost or hung up, and that there were not any network device conflicts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejn1 Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 10 hours ago, Wayne said: I am about to implement a full UniFi network in my new home with C4, can those that are running successful UniFi networks suggest an ideal setup with regard to C4, VLAN's etc for a large home installation. There are a few youtube videos walking through unifi vlan network setup. In the end, The thing to watch for is the IoT Vlan as you will likely have several of these connecting across VLANs to your C4 system. Unifi is setup initially for all VLANs to allow traffic to pass unlike most switches/routers. Personally, the most simple and stable set up is No Vlans like others have said, 2nd option is to limit to maybe security cameras and main network as cameras seem to be notorious for hackers to enter. The more complicated is to have a dogs breakfast of IoT devices that communicate with C4 or PCs or Phone Apps. Most will work with UNifi/C4 fine as there is a selection to allow all multicast to pass but occasionally one will pose a problem. For me, I found two problems with the IoT VLAN. 1) my HP wireless printers were not able to communicate with PC on another VLAN and 2) my BigAssFan driver could not be seen by the Control4 driver. Numerous other devices worked flawless. In the end, I was not expert and patient enough to fix the 2 items above so I simply just moved them over to the same subnet as Control4 and my PC. It fixed it but the tradeoff was I wasn't able to isolate those devices on the IoT VLAN. NEST, SMart TVs and many other devices integrated seamlessly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekohn00 Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 20 hours ago, WholeHomeControl said: On 5/16/2020 at 4:51 AM, Wayne said: I am about to implement a full UniFi network in my new home with C4, can those that are running successful UniFi networks suggest an ideal setup with regard to C4, VLAN's etc for a large home installation. What do you consider large? Keep it simple. Internet to Firewall to core switches. minimal amount of cascading switches. WAPs all hardwired no vlans one subnet (hopefully) 20 hours ago, WholeHomeControl said: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amr Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 On 5/16/2020 at 10:51 AM, Wayne said: I am about to implement a full UniFi network in my new home with C4, can those that are running successful UniFi networks suggest an ideal setup with regard to C4, VLAN's etc for a large home installation. I 2nd the keep it simple setup, I don’t run VLAN’s, I have /23 network, and am having USG, Domotz and Fingbox, also most of my IOT devices running on premise only, i.e. local no cloud at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekohn00 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 25 minutes ago, Amr said: I 2nd the keep it simple setup, I don’t run VLAN’s, I have /23 network, and am having USG, Domotz and Fingbox, also most of my IOT devices running on premise only, i.e. local no cloud at all! /23 probably isn't that simple for most people...... although I see a lot of benefits in device organization. /24 is far easier to manage (not really manage but maybe number). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amr Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 18 minutes ago, ekohn00 said: /23 probably isn't that simple for most people...... although I see a lot of benefits in device organization. /24 is far easier to manage (not really manage but maybe number). The only reason I had to go for /23 network is I do have more than 255 device in my network! Network got bigger when I expanded heavily in WiFi based sockets, lamps, strips and valves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cshepard Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Because Ubiquiti is not on C4’s approved network equipment list, the OP’s dealer is absolutely right in releasing themselves from responsibility for the network. If a dealer has to work with C4 tech support and TS feels there may be a network related issue with the system, TS will typically be less reluctant to help. It really can be a hurdle when dealing with TS. Having said that, UniFi is all we use network-wise these days (router, switches, & APs). We have probably 85-90 C4 systems running on UniFi networks. These range from one-room/one-remote setups to $100K+ systems. UniFi just works, and network hardware related issues with C4 are virtually non-existent. ChrisX0X 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinegration Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 We also use unifi without issues for all our projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekohn00 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 2 hours ago, Amr said: The only reason I had to go for /23 network is I do have more than 255 device in my network! Network got bigger when I expanded heavily in WiFi based sockets, lamps, strips and valves! Guess it does add up. No bad comments meant i was thinking of a change, maybe /22 for fun.....easy to sepreate dhcp, from static and other blocks and keep on same network. See how large I can go before the router blows up. Amr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amr Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 On 5/18/2020 at 5:02 AM, ekohn00 said: Guess it does add up. No bad comments meant i was thinking of a change, maybe /22 for fun.....easy to sepreate dhcp, from static and other blocks and keep on same network. See how large I can go before the router blows up. Of course am just explaining the reason behind the growth in network, my router doesn’t handle anything, USG is and also moved DHCP to My NAS as I do lots of reservations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Thank you to everyone who commented on my post on UniFi networking, it seems like there are no real issues when using it. (if setup correctly) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 16 minutes ago, Wayne said: Thank you to everyone who commented on my post on UniFi networking, it seems like there are no real issues when using it. (if setup correctly) they are meh. I have drivers for both but they have limited features https://www.blackwiredesigns.com/store/c4-unifi-nvr/ https://www.blackwiredesigns.com/store/unifi-protect/ - you can ONLY get video - NO snapshot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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