Re-connect Matter Devices

I am replacing my router. I have a number of matter devices initially configured in Apple Home then into HE. All is ok.

But even tho the new router is set with the same SSID and Passwork apparently they cannot reconnect to the network without being reset and started over. This is according to the mfg.

So If I do that and re-connect them to Apple Home will they automatically re-connect to HE or will I also have to redo that? If anybody happens to know.

Answered my own question…NO.

Not only that, but even with same ssid and password, and security settings, most things won’t reconnect. According to TP Link even though everything is set the same it’s still a different network. GRRR. Spent over 4 hours getting everything back up.

I am guessing TP Link did not let you set your IP subnet and assign IP addresses manually to your devices. Is this correct? I say this because if your new system has allowed you to set your IP subnet the same as your old router like Unifi and some other manufacturers do, then manually enter in the devices MAC and IP from the old router before turning on your wifi, the matter devices would have connected and not have had to been reset.

I recently used this method with several matter over WiFi devices and it worked flawlessly. Never had to touch a device.

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I could set the subnet ,etc. I only have a few reserved ips. Vast majority of devices were dhcp. So to me it should have worked. But it didn’t. When I talked to TPLink support they told me it was still a different network and thus everything had to be reconfigured.

Just to clarify I haven’t set reserves ips for the matter devices. They have always worked fine on dhcp.

Yes the DHCP will work fine. However, the reason TP Link says it is a different network is because even though you set the subnet the same when the device connected to the WiFi it got a new IP address through the new DHCP server so the matter device thinks it isn't connected in the same system.

Systems like Unifi allows you to use the MAC ID to then give the device an IP address before you ever join it to your network. (When transferring from an old system). You can use the exact same IP address from the old network even though it is inside your DHCP range. It does not become a static IP but remains a DHCP since it is in the DHCP range. Then when the device connects to your SSID using the old password the system sees that MAC ID and says oh it has this IP I will give it that IP.

The device then says ok same wifi, same IP, I am on the same network. Doesn't require any resetting or further action.

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This is incorrect. I always keep the same SSID and password when I upgrade my router and never have an issue. Everything just reconnects. How would the devices know its a different router? (Hint, they wont).

Not sure what you did exactly, but your experience is not the norm.

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Well, I found the problem. Too late since I had already reconfigured everything. But apparently the new router had a different subnet mask as default. First time I ever ran across one that didn’t default to 255.255.255.0. The setting wasn’t obvious and I had to dig down thru settings to even find it. It wasn’t displayed with the dhcp settings for some reason. Anyway lesson learned.

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That should not have mattered, for devices to reconnect all the new router needs is the same SSID and password. The assigned IP's, DNS, Netmask and Gateway all get handed out by DHCP after they connect.

The different netmask possibly would mess with some thing in Hubitat that assume a /24 network, but only if the IP assigned to the devices was beyond the first 254 IP's in the range. The devices still should have connected to the Wifi though.

I don’t know. When I googled that question the answers I got seemed to indicate it would affect device connectivity to WIFI. At this point I’m just glad I got everything working.

As a note, my Apple pods all connected ok. My Wyze cameras didn’t. Our phones, tablets, computers were all ok. So it wasn’t everything.Just the items that were the hardest to reconfigure.

Did the Wyze cameras not connect to your wifi network at all when you made the change? I at the time had 14 Roku/Wyze cameras. Manually entered all the information including MAC and IP in the system before I turned on the WiFi. As stubborn as those things are they connected immediately that way. I have sense changed cameras and sold them all so I can't test. I did have a matter device that I had unplugged and had not been using before the switch. I did not manually enter the MAC or IP as I wasn't using it. I got it out this morning. Plugged it up and it would not connect. That was the only matter device that I didn't manually enter that information ahead of time and it is the only one that didn't connect immediately.

I am not saying this is your issue but I believe that for some reason there is something to that. I am not technical enough to understand it. Just wanted to post in case there is it may save some people time in the future.

There should not be a need to reserve ip’s for those devices. Never had any issues after a power outage or reboots, which could possibly assign different ip’s to a device.

If you are using DHCP they are getting the same IP back after those outages. What I am saying is not reserving static IP's. This is still using the DHCP server it is just telling the new system to give the device this IP inside the DHCP range.

I’m no expert, but I fail to see how the DHCP would necessarily give a device the same IP. The only way I know to tell a router what is to give a device is in reservation. Never seen any other way to enter that info in a router.

If the power outage lasts less time than the DHCP lease, the DHCP server should hand out the same IP address when a device reconnects.

DHCP reservations will guarantee the IP address doesn’t change even if the lease expires.

Right. But my point is, there is no need to reserve ips for every device. Even if it gets a different ip it still works. Or at least still connects to the WiFi which is not what happened in my case.

You are correct in 99% of the cases it doesn't make a difference. In theory it never should. I didn't assign IPs for everything just my smart home devices (hubs, matter, wifi, etc). Tvs, phones, tablets, etc I did not assign and they connected with zero issues.

I just know the one matter device I didn't assign because I wasn't using didn't connect when I tried my trial run yesterday. It very well could have been user error on my part and just a total coincidence. Actually, that is probably it. I am glad you got your stuff working.

This has been my experience as well, I've upraded my router two times in the last few months and each time everything (including my Matter devices) reconnected and worked. Definitely something odd in this experience, unfortunately, but glad things are working again for you, @j715.

From what I have been told by TP-Link it was the difference in the subnet mask that caused the issue. If I ever change routers again I will be sure to check that.

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