Max Wifi connections RPI only or RPI + router

Danzuni

I have installed Moodlebox 3.9.0 and RPI 4B with 4GB RAM only allows 10 wifi connections (Case 1). When adding a router to the moodlebox, a dynamic IP is assigned to the LAN port of the RPI. (Case 2). It allows more than 30 Wi-Fi connections but the devices do not enter moodle but do to another service such as wikipedia (IP: port)
How can I make the devices connected to the router able to enter the moodle? Please More detail in the link or in the image

Moderator: I've edited the post to include the image.

Ratna

Danzuni You've done some thorough testing.
😀

First thing, as you know, the capacity of the wireless transmitter of the R Pi is limited: Reminder https://discuss.moodlebox.net/d/98-several-moodlebox-on-the-same-network/11. People have reported numbers between 7 and 25. So your 10 is not off-mark. (I am assuming that you use strong power supplies.)

About the two diagrams you presented: I don't know what you are trying to achieve and with what. Is the idea to spread R Pi based "wireless web servers" in a campus? Are they really MoodleBoxes, because it doesn't come with different web servers on different ports. Could you explain how you made them?

Danzuni

Hello Ratna. The case is only 1 classroom. In the classroom we have 30 students with their tablet. In all cases with only RPI I achieve 10 connections so I need to add a router so that the other (30) students can connect.

In the RPI we have moodle (default port 80) and wikipedia (port: 8008). In all cases and with different routers, all the students with their tablets connect to wikipedia of the RPI (IP_LAN RPI: 8008) but they cannot access moodle (moodlebox).

Ratna

Danzuni Hi, either we have a language issue or you evade my questions. I ask "Are they really MoodleBoxes". You say "In the RPI we have moodle". What does that mean? Are you talking about a MoodleBox or your a R Pi running Moodle installed otherwise?

But at least I have understood what you want to achieve: A wireless LAN where 30 students can reach your own web server, running Moodle and other sites.

Danzuni

Hello Ratna, The case is for rural single-teacher multigrade primary schools where there is only one classroom. The RPI is a suitable, mobile and economical solution. We apply video, PDFs, and diferents multimedia content in moodlebox. The students connect via wifi to the RPI with moodlebox. The RPI has installed moodlebox and wikipedia and all write google chrome: moodlebox.home and moodlebox.home: 8008 (wikipedia). In this situation I only get 10 wifi connections.

As we need more Wi-Fi connections (30 students), the router was connected to the LAN port (moodlebox dashboard provides an IP (eth0).

When the student connects to this router write IP_eth(0) and moodlebox does not respond but responds very well IP_eth(0): 8008 showing wikipedia.
I probe with RPI + moodlebox + wikipedia and RPI + moodlebox(only)
How can we connect to the moodlebox in this case through the router external?

Ratna

Danzuni Well the solution could be as simple as in moodle/config.php changing the line
$CFG->wwwroot = 'http://moodlebox.home';
to
$CFG->wwwroot = 'http://x.x.x.x';
where x.x.x.x is the IP address of MoodleBox's eth0.

Once that works, visit http://x.x.x.x/admin/tool/replace/ as user admin and make it search http://moodlebox.home and replace it with http://x.x.x.x. Here too x.x.x.x is your MoodleBox's eth0 IP address.

WARNING: A wrong search and replace can make the Moodle installation unusable! Read the warnings it brings. No responsibility from my part.

Ref. https://docs.moodle.org/310/en/Search_and_replace_tool

Danzuni

Ratna Thanks if it works as indicated. And I'll see how it behaves.
One more query could indicate that the IP (eth0) is fixed to avoid change by DHCP.

krause

Ratna
Hi Ratna, you should not change the $CFG->wwwroot to an ip address because the MoodleBox uses two different ip addresses ... one for the lan interface and one for the wifi interface.

For the access via wifi the MoodleBox uses 10.0.0.1. The dns server provides this ip address for the uri moodlebox.home. Therefor the $CFG->wwwroot must be 10.0.0.1 or moodlebox.home for wifi.

When you connect the MoodleBox to the lan or to the router you will get an ip address from the dns server of the lan or of the router. In my case I get 192.168.1.100 for the MoodleBox lan connection. If you set the $CFG->wwwroot to your lan ip address then you will be able to connect to the Moodle site via lan cable but not via MoodleBox wifi.

To get the Moodle site via both interfaces you need to setup the dns server for the lan connection. The dns should provide a static ip address and the domain name moodlebox.home for the MoodleBox. I send an answer for this problem here https://discuss.moodlebox.net/d/60-connect-an-access-point-to-the-moodlebox/7

Ralf

Ratna

Danzuni

How to assign the ethernet interface of the MoodleBox a fixed IP address?

The ethernet interface of Moodle is configured to fetch an IP address from a DHCP server, if one is available in the cabled network. I assume your router has the DHCP functionality too. So the cleanest method would be to tell the router to give the MoodleBox ethernet always the same IP address. Login to the routers web interface and go through its various menues. Usually one can deposit a MAC address and an IP address pair in the configuration.

P.S. This is a new question, which needs its own discussion.

P.P.S. All these are not MoodleBox specific. As I understand, you are doing a community service. That is why, I answered here directly rather than pointing to the appropriate forums. Hope, we don't annoy others.
;-)

Ratna

krause The OP does not use the wireless access point, which MoodleBox brings. He has an external access point connected to the LAN, which gives access to the class. The reason is, he class is too large for the MoodleBox's built-in access point.

krause

Ratna
With my settings all devices can access ... every device in the wifi "MoodleBox" and every device from the lan connection.

Ratna

krause I know how to move around the net. I also know that the original $CFG->wwwroot = ''moodlebox.home' has a reason. (I doubt the 10.0.0.1 suggesion.) No, I was talking to the OP, a suggestion for his special situation. And he has confirmed that my solution worked for him and also confirmed by Nicolas.

krause

Ratna
Ratna, please excuse me! I did not want to offend you.

I saw the picture and I thought that Danzuni wants to get some devices via the Moodlebox wifi and some other devices via the router wifi. And with my setting he will get the Moodle with the url http://moodlebox.home and the Wikipedia with the url http://moodlebox.home:8008.