Weird Connectivity Issue on WLAN vs LAN

[Ajaxster]

This is kinda a unique scenario and wierd problem but its still a problem nontheless and I'd love to hear if anyones found this issue themselves or knows how to fix this. I host my own web servers and stuff on my network which is all accessable through my domain. I had everything port forwarded through my ISPs router to my Nest Pro Router and then the nest pro forwarded to my servers and this worked no problem. However as I would play games I had a lot of connectivity issues due to the Double NAT, so I decided to put my ISP's router into Bridged mode and problem solved.

But doing so caused an insteresting issue where clients on my network that were on Wired LAN could no longer access my websites through my domain but the clients on the Wireless LAN could access everything no problem just like before. I'm guessing there is a weird firewall rule difference between the wireless and wired LANs that may be causing this? But with no way to configure your firewall or do any advanced configuration its really a pain, I'm at a loss.

Everything worked just fine before introducing the Nest wifi Pro. But now with just using the Nest for routing, my websites will not load on wired LAN. I just get Connection Timeouts, the traffic is clearly reaching my server but for whatever reason its not letting it come back. And if I am on both wired and Wireless then the wired takes precedence and it still doesnt work, but if its only wireless there is zero problem.

I tired all the usual restarting and such but no luck, tried flushing my DNS, renewing my leases etc. I can access everything by its private lan IP no issue but not through the public if I'm wired in on my own network, makes no sense. I do not want to attempt to reset the network as Port forwarding everything was a huge pain to do on my phone. Really wish they would give us an advanced Web UI and let the app do all the simple stuff. If anyones figured something out I'd love to hear it.

[olavrb]

How have you connected up it all, like this?

• Modem -> Primary Nest Wifi unit -> Unmanaged switch -> Other wired devices.

It could also be related to NAT loopback:

• https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Wifi/NAT-loopback-problem-on-Google-Nest-Wifi-pro/m-p/27...
• https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleWiFi/comments/yl5xej/issue_with_port_forwards
• https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/k8eqyn

[Ajaxster]

Hey Olavrb,

Yep thats about right, I shouldve included this in the original post but this is my topology

ISP Modem router combo in bridge mode  LAN port--> Nest Primary unit WAN port, then Nest primary unit LAN --> Unmanaged switch --> other wired devices including my other two Nest Pro routers acting as APs

I'll take a look at those loopback issues you linked, thanks.  

[Ajaxster]

Please correct me if I'm worng, but from reading through those links it seems that my issue at least stems from some sort of bug with the NAT loopback which in my case only appears to work for WLAN clients and not the Wired LAN clients. I could setup my own custom DNS for that to point directly to the server I suppose but I really wish it would just work the way its supposed too. So that means to fix it I either use my own DNS or wait till it gets patched? Unbelievable. Hopefully they fix it soon. I'll try out the DNS in the meantime.

[Ajaxster]

Setting Up local DNS on my PiHole did the trick, guess that'll do for now.

[olavrb]

NAT loopback with Nest Wifi seems buggy indeed. And it's hard to see a pattern IMO from what I've read. Has been buggy for years apperently. I'd not wait for a fix, is this functionality important to you, look for a different Wi-Fi system (or router and access points).

[Ajaxster]

Yeah to be quite honest I'm considering if I go through all the trouble of returning it and going with a comparable TP Link Deco system. I had chose the nest pro because of the Google ecosystem, smaller footprint of the units and because some of the features weren't blocked behind paywalls like tp link. But frankly I'm starting to wonder if I made the wrong choice lol. This is a fairly minor issue, but in researching this topic I've come to find the nest wifi products are of no shortage of issues and poor performance. Luckily I still have the packaging so I might consider it. Or maybe I'll look into an orbi system but they're a bit more pricey. Still on the fence.

[AbigailF]

Hey folks,

Thanks for lending a hand, @olavrb.
@Ajaxster, I'm happy to hear that the issue is now fixed. I wanted to follow up and see if you are still in need of any help. Please let me know if you are still having any concerns or questions from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further.

Thanks,
Abi

[Ajaxster]

Hello Abigail,

Let me be blunt with you. No, this issue is NOT fixed what so ever. This is a bandaid fix, no one should be expected to setup their own DNS server just to have loopback working on their wired clients. It is most certainly still a problem and I hope you can escalate this issue in some fashion or have this bug reported. This should not be an issue in a "Pro" model product to begin with. While setting up DNS did solve the issue for me, no one should have to experience this in first place. This is such a basic thing that should've just worked out of the box. So if there's anything you can do whatsoever to help get this patched in a future update I implore you to do so. If there is any other info you require from me please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you very much.

[RPGFreak68]

AMEN...fix this crap Google.  We spend $ to upgrade to the latest and you break a key feature!  It has been months of this not working.  WHEN WILL THIS GET FIXED?

[AbigailF]

Hello folks,

@Ajaxster, I wanted to check in and make sure that everything is working fine. Let us know if you need more help and we'll be here for you.
@RPGFreak68, I'm sorry to hear you're having an issue. Could you confirm the feature you're having issues with? Also, are you referring to the Nest Wifi Pro? We'll wait for your update.

Thanks for lending a hand, @Jeff.

Regards,
Abi

[Ajaxster]

Hello Abigail,

Problem still exists. I don't know what you were hopping to hear. There haven't been any updates that address the issue at least I was aware of. If anything the problems have recently gotten worse. Just trying it out now but now, even my wireless clients which used to work perfectly are also being affected occasionally being unable to reach my own domains within my network. And of course the wired clients are unchanged. Does not work without my own custom dns.

Thanks,

Anthony 

[jbsaff]

Today I returned my Nest WiFi Pro due to this issue. Unacceptable to get a newer device that has worse support, and no timeline or feedback on a resolution. 

[Ajaxster]

Wish I could've done the same, sadly when I had looked into it I was outside my return window since I purchased directly from the Google store. So I'm stuck with them. I have a very small semblance of hope that the new Google Home update could improve on a few things and they might address it but I highly doubt it. Oh well. It still works enough to not need to buy an entirely new system but man was it ever disappointing. 

[Jeff]

Hi jbstaff,

Sorry to see that you needed to go with a different option for your situation, but I understand your decision to do so. If you choose to come back and give things a try again, we'll always be happy to help out.

Hey Ajaxster,

Have you seen any improvements with the recent firmware updates, or are things still the same?

Thanks,
Jeff

[Ajaxster]

Hey Jeff,

So looking at my nest pros firmware I'm running version 1.63.327820 I don't see any obvious notifications for a new firmware update but Ive confirmed just now that with setting my wired client, in this case my PC, back to automatic DNS, so using the nest pro for DNS, it's unable to resolve my FQD to a site hosted inside my own network. So no change. 

Anthony 

[Jeff]

Hey Ajaxster,

That is the latest firmware release, so you're up to date and we can rule out firmware version being to blame. I'll keep looking into things on your behalf, but let me know if anything changes on your end in the meantime.

Thanks,
Jeff

[Ajaxster]

Thanks Jeff! Very much appreciated, Ill let you know. 

Anthony