WDS Airport = headache with ProControl, C/24

[wolfdavis]

Here is an interesting problem...

I just picked up an Airport Express to expand the wireless network of an Extreme a little bit. I decided that the most effective way to make use of it was to use a wireless distribution system built into the airports. Also called WDS.

The instant that I turned on the WDS network and it was up and running, 2-ProControls and a C24 decided to spaz out. They stopped functioning as control surfaces and became pretty light shows and glitch festivals. The PTs system with the C24 actually crashed, but the two ProControl systems kept the software running, the surfaces were just temporarilly interupted until I unplugged the Airport WDS main base station. Then all was back to normal after a couple of restarts and setting up the new express on its own connection, rather than sharing one.

Anyone know what might cause a wireless distribution system to interupt the ethernet protocol of the digidesign control surfaces?

Any help or comments you may have would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Justin Davis
Rocky Mountain Recorders

[muzik333]

Justin,

My guess is that it's got to do with the IP addressing. Check how everything on the network is addressed. Did you turn off IP distribution in the AP config utility for the WDS? You can play with different addresses. 1.10 . . . or 1.168. . . whatever the usual choices are. I don't know if there is a way to find out what address your controllers are set to. Is everything going through the same wired router? Maybe you can split off the control surfaces with the airport network via two seperate routers, or a router and a hub coming off your main ISP box; one going to a router for your surfaces, one to another router, then to your main AP extreme. I'm just thinking out loud to maybe spark some new ideas for you to try. Good luck.

Eric

[wolfdavis]

Eric,
Thanks for the ideas and the open thought process. I like your brain storming.
Here is my setup for each of our control surfaces....
We have one router for the whole building, it is fed to a larger gigabit switch which thus feeds the whole building the WAN. We manage all of the computers on their own IP addresses and each of the base stations have been given thier own IP's to manage out wireless networks with DHCP automatic addressing. Each of the three base stations use independent DHCP standard addresses. (For now.) Once the LAN gets into the studios the network is switched and hubed to the control surfaces and the computers in that studio. So you can see where I am confused at how and why the control surfaces are getting any disruption.

The airport extreme is the only base station we have that will talk back to appletalk local area networks, this is the protocol we use for all of our printers on the network too. So in order to get our clients on a printable network I have to be able to feed them appletalk wirelessly. I do have the WAN and the LAN plugged into the extreme however... This maybe the solution... If I only feed on or the other to the WDS... I have some testing to do.

I'll be back... More input would be nice if you have it.
Thanks again!

[gomi]

I don't think the Pro-controls get assigned IP addresses.
It's using something else.

We get christmas treed control 24's everyonce and awhile too, usually due to network
problems (we have a large area network as well)

Our solution was to put a second ethernet card in our computers that fed directly (no router
no hub) to the control 24's and our procontrol packs are all plugged into a hub that is
going directly to our computer, so none of it is touching the actual network.

No problems since then.

[wolfdavis]

Interesting idea to put the ProControls and the C24s on their own independent ether card. I can actually test that next week. Here's hoping I have some open PCI slots!
Thanks,
Justin