OK - my ISP has been giving me the runaround - and the media (copper) owner NBN (National Broadband Network) are even worse.
It’s never been ideal - but really started playing up in January 2024…
In January the ISP sent out an NBN “tech” (they’re ALL recent immigrants) with his trusty tool (some diagnostic thing they plug into the copper) and he determined my less than 6 month old TP-Link router was faulty (the model was on the ISP’s supported device list).
So - I took it back and got it replaced under warranty - only for it to exhibit the EXACT same symptoms. These recent immigrant “techs” are nothing but trained monkeys - I hope they’re paid in peanuts anyway… I’m not anti-immigration - but I am anti non-experts trying to masquerade as SMEs (subject matter experts).
The usual “fix” is to re-use the original piece of crap router the ISP supplied when I signed up to the NBN with this ISP (#MATE #LETSBEMATES) in January 2018 - a Netcomm NF18 or some such. But each time - that means rejigging a bunch of shit around (and it has the WiFi split into 2 AP’s whereas the TP-Link merges both 2.4 and 5 Ghz into a single access point).
Happened again late last week. NBN came out on Friday - did something (nothing really) and I hooked up the “newer” router and got online. For some reason NBN decided to send another “tech” out on Monday - he reckoned he did something to the phone jack to “fix” my issue - but - when I tried hooking up the TP-Link it NEVER sync’d the VDSL to the “node” (the technology is called “Fibre To The Node” - i.e. I am on copper to some junction box in my neighbourhood, that is then connected to an exchange via fibre) - so I hooked up the old Netcomm piece of crap (should only take <5 minutes - but it takes 10+ mins) and got online.
Needless to say - I got very little WFH done on Friday or Monday.
On Wednesday decided to bite the bullet and get my ISP to send me a new pre-configured router (it’s TP-Link brand).
So that means re-jigging ALL my network shit yet again - I still have my Cameras on the WiFi from the TP-Link. Joining them to another AP means a factory reset (yeah - that’s bullshit - I know! But that’s what the vendor state).
I have my main Linux desktop machine (Pop!_OS) “multi-homed”. i.e. it’s on two VLANs on my home ethernet (both IP addresses on the same NIC) - I also have a 5 port Gigabit switch interfacing everything (i.e. BOTH routers). I have my NAS on both VLANs too… I hit a few issues with that scenario - and realised I had DHCP running on BOTH routers - so weird shit like connecting a WiFi client onto an AP running on the Netcomm, was getting a DHCP lease from the TP-Link!
But - I’m getting fed up of this.
So - I’m going to use a big fat CIDR (/14 - i.e. netmask: 255.252.0.0) - so that it encompasses BOTH VLANs I’m currently using - and I can hopefully, slowly, piecemeal, move stuff over onto the new VLAN / CIDR. In a few cases, it will be just changing the subnet mask.
I’ll probably have the DHCP scope (on the new router) set for a range outside of what I’m currently using - but will have to remember to “isolate” the old devices (routers) - but - probably still within a Class C range (above CIDR gives a Class A network).
Above will give me 262,142 possible LAN addresses! I wonder if I’ll EVER run out 
?
Anyone see any potential drawbacks from having such a huge “SHOUTY!” broadcast scope?