topic Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure in Full Fibre

Strange apparent router authentication failure

Hiems89 — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:07:57 GMT

Yesterday I restarted my Plusnet TG582n router. The router itself had been operating fine, but I wanted to restart my whole system in the hope of settling other problems. Unfortunately, when I turned the router back on the Internet light came on red and I had no Internet connection. Repeated attempts, with waits of a minute with the router off each time, failed to get any other result. On my computer browser it showed a page indicating “Error 3: Not Connected”, with the link status “LocalDisconnect”, and stating that a red Internet light means “Connection failed”. Clicking on the Attempt to Reconnect button raised a “Connecting” dialogue box, but no connection.

I contacted customer services who reported no problem visible from the Plusnet end, and suggested a factory reset of the router, which did not help.

I had a spare unused, previously unopened, Plusnet 2704N router. After setting it up, I was able to get its browser page on my computer, which revealed that I had to switch it to Fibre mode (I am on the FTTP trial). After doing so, neither the Broadband nor Internet lights came on. The ethernet cable from the Openreach ONT is plugged into the ETH4 socket as instructed - this was also the case on the old router.

It appears that there is some sort of authentication problem. I confirmed with customer services that my Broadband username is my Plusnet member name plus @plusdsl.net and that my Broadband password is the same as my Plusnet member password. However, it would not accept the password. Indeed, it appeared to reset the password to the obscured six-character password previously in place (unless this is just how the page shows a missing password). I tried a factory reset together with Plusnet customer services adding its serial number manually to the Plusnet database, but this did not change the result.

At this point I tried going back to the old router. I got the same result as before (red Internet light), but I found that, in addition to the error page, I could also get to the router’s browser admin pages. Having done a factory reset (again together with a manual entry to the Plusnet database by a very patient customer services person), I found that I also had to input the correct Broadband username and password. This still did not give me a connection, but gave the Connection Information: “Link Status: Disconnected; Last Error Message: Authentication failed”. According to Plusnet customer services, I show up at the Plusnet end as having a connection/being signed in, even though there is no sign of that at my end.

I have since tried factory resets on both routers as well as restarting the ONT box (unplugging it and the router, waiting 30 minutes, and then plugging everything in again), and replacing the ethernet cables running between the ONT box and the router and out from the router. None of these efforts have resulted in any improvement.

I find it strange that two routers should give the essentially the same result. This seems to suggest that a router hardware problem is unlikely (though I am down to get a new router, just in case). In any event, I am now left without an Internet connection - except a weak and unreliable mobile connection (mobile reception inside the house is poor, despite having changed to a provider giving better reception, which shows how bad the previous one was) on a very limited 1G data plan. This is, to say the least, inconvenient, as I work from home.

If anyone has any suggestions for resolving this, I would be most grateful.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Baldrick1 — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 15:04:15 GMT

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from My Router to Full Fibre

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

minkey — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 08:17:16 GMT

@Hiems89

Have you tried authenticating with [username]@plus.net as that is how I authenticate? The @plusdsl never works for me even though that's what it says on the member page.

Jeff

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Hiems89 — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 10:25:27 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion @minkey. I would have tried it myself, but for having been told by customer services that @plusdsl.net was correct.

Unfortunately, your suggestion doesn't work for me. I suspect that I have the wrong password, but what has happened to it, I do not know.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

MisterW — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 10:41:11 GMT

I suspect that I have the wrong password, but what has happened to it

Can you login to the member centre ? it's the same password

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

RealAleMadrid — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:23:59 GMT

@Hiems89 Has your connection returned? There seems to have been some Openreach configuration error affecting a number of connections. Have a look at this thread...... https://community.plus.net/t5/Full-Fibre/FTTP-Fault/m-p/1888829#M18897

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

rechardrojee — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 16:16:29 GMT

@Hiems89, it seems I'm having similar auth problems. I've been on the Fibre Trial for a long time and was using the Technicolor modem as well, although in this last few days I was also switching to the full fibre product so I got sent and have also tried the new PN Hub 2 modem...my connection died last thursday night and is still not working...

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Gandalf — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 18:02:33 GMT

Hi @Hiems89,

I'm really sorry for the trouble you've had with your FTTP connection.

From what I can see everything points to the same issue as Here where there's an incorrect setting at our suppliers side, so I've added your account to my list and fired it off to our Duty Ops team to help with the investigation we're doing.

If your connection isn't fixed tonight, I'll be in touch with our suppliers helpdesk tomorrow with a view to pass my list onto the poor agent who takes my call. If I'm right and I'm 99.9% sure I am, then it should be an easy fix for them.

(I only have three connections not yet fixed in my list, so not a massive amount, but for me, even one is too much!)

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Gandalf — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 21:08:54 GMT

@Hiems89,

Happy to confirm our suppliers late night team have fixed the problem for you just this moment.

Could you check if you can get back online?

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

hquaint — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 14:34:58 GMT

I've got a similar problem, wonder if Gandalf can check my account to see if it would be the same fix?

I'm on FTTP, was on the trial since approx 2010, swapped to the Full Fibre product recently. Had an issue early in the month and having had everything working again for over a week, woke up Sunday morning to no internet connection. ONT looks fine, PON light is green and steady. Tried our old ASUS router plus new Hub 2 from Plusnet and neither getting an internet connection. PN password reset. Can sign into plusnet website with the password. Openreach came out yesterday and said they couldn't see anything wrong with the fibre, good light levels at the ONT and when they swapped the line from Plusnet to a test OR connection, we got an internet connection on the router, which adds evidence for it not being a problem with the router. Also tried doing factory reset on the Hub 2 router. OR engineer was onsite for 4 hours, spoke to their colleagues and also PN. OR view was the issue was on the Plusnet end. I'm going round in circles to PN support, who are sending out another OR engineer tomorrow, not sure what that can achieve.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Gandalf — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 15:07:04 GMT

Yeah sure... and fixed. I'm really sorry for the struggle you've had to get your FTTP service working again.

I've spoken with BT's Quality Assurance team for you and they've corrected the "BBVR" record in their systems so you should be able to get online once you've turned your router off then back on.

Although Openreach's diagnostics team are seeing your router is plugged into port 2 of the ONT whereas the service is provisioned on port 1. Could you confirm which port you're using?

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Hiems89 — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 15:28:57 GMT

Thank you @Gandalf, once again. That has got it working!

I have checked again, and my router is definitely plugged into Port 1 of the ONT. The ONT's lights agree.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Gandalf — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 15:31:42 GMT

Awesome glad to see that @Hiems89

Btw my previous post about the ONT was in reply to @hquaint

Let me know if there's anything else you'd need help with.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

hquaint — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 17:16:21 GMT

That has fixed our problem, thank you!

Hub 2 plugged into port 1 and switched on. Asus router plugged into port 2 but currently powered off.

Are you able to cancel the OR engineer for tomorrow morning or should I phone tech support to do that?

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Gandalf — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 19:12:27 GMT

@hquaint, excellent! I'm glad that you're back online now. The ASUS router in port 2 might have thrown OR's diagnostics team off a bit, but not to worry. Also sorry for the delay, as it looks like you've since phoned in and we've cancelled the engineer appointment. Let me know if there's anything else you'd need help with.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

RealAleMadrid — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 07:20:57 GMT

@hquaint Not sure why you have the ASUS router in port 2 of the ONT it's not going to work there. To use the ASUS as your router (you may not want to if it is old) remove the Plusnet Hub2 and put the ASUS in Port1 then set up a PPPoE connection on it with your Plusnet username and password and no VLAN id configured, that is done by the ONT.

The worrying thing about this fault is that neither Plusnet customer service or Openreach seem to know anything about it and waste hours of time looking for something when it is a configuration error in BT Wholesale's system. Why it has happened to a number of Plusnet customers is another unanswered question. Maybe other suppliers have had the same problem, who knows.🤔

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

hquaint — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:14:31 GMT

2 routers in hub was due to OR engineers and PN previously running tests and diagnostics, we’ve since connected ASUS to port 1 and all working fine.

My cancellation of the engineers visit also seems to have gotten lost in the system, an OR engineer turned up today with a job request to do a brand new install of fibre for a new customer. Back in early September when problems started, we were sent an ADSL copper engineer who apologised and said he couldn’t work on the system because he was only equipped for copper. He also thought there didn’t seem to be any problems on the premises and it was most likely to be a configuration issue. We’ve since been going round the houses until i started googling the issue and came across this post and Gandalfs kind solution.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

SpendLessTime — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:55:34 GMT

@RealAleMadrid wrote:

The worrying thing about this fault is that neither Plusnet customer service or Openreach seem to know anything about it and waste hours of time looking for something when it is a configuration error in BT Wholesale's system. Why it has happened to a number of Plusnet customers is another unanswered question.

That's the worry here too. Seems to have been customers who were FTTP Trialists but have they all move to Full Fibre causing the issue or were some still Trialists as the issue is more complicated?

As one of the trialists still, I'm wondering if this will hit me at some point.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

RobPN — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 10:00:59 GMT

@SpendLessTime wrote:

That's the worry here too. Seems to have been customers who were FTTP Trialists but have they all move to Full Fibre causing the issue or were some still Trialists as the issue is more complicated?

@SpendLessTime

To answer your question, I was affected and I'm still on the trial, also with a static IP if that's relevant.

Re: Strange apparent router authentication failure

Gandalf — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 10:07:15 GMT

@RealAleMadrid wrote:
The worrying thing about this fault is that neither Plusnet customer service or Openreach seem to know anything about it and waste hours of time looking for something when it is a configuration error in BT Wholesale's system. Why it has happened to a number of Plusnet customers is another unanswered question. Maybe other suppliers have had the same problem, who knows.🤔

@SpendLessTime wrote:

That's the worry here too. Seems to have been customers who were FTTP Trialists but have they all move to Full Fibre causing the issue or were some still Trialists as the issue is more complicated?

As one of the trialists still, I'm wondering if this will hit me at some point.

It is a rare issue, but once we knew there was a problem, we raised an incident straight away and we communicated it to agents. It did take longer than I’d have liked to identify the problem, but now we have done, our suppliers are investigating to learn what went wrong and to fix any remaining affected connections as soon as possible, which I’m told is genuinely a small number. Additionally we can put steps in place to hopefully stop the same issue from happening again in the future. Appreciate the worry though and I hope this provides some reassurance.

@hquaint wrote:
My cancellation of the engineers visit also seems to have gotten lost in the system, an OR engineer turned up today with a job request to do a brand new install of fibre for a new customer. Back in early September when problems started, we were sent an ADSL copper engineer who apologised and said he couldn’t work on the system because he was only equipped for copper. He also thought there didn’t seem to be any problems on the premises and it was most likely to be a configuration issue. We’ve since been going round the houses until i started googling the issue and came across this post and Gandalfs kind solution.

When I checked last night, the fault was cancelled in the supplier systems, but as the appointment was imminent for the next morning, I suspect the job had already reached the engineers workstack. When this happens it’s what’s known as “past point of no return”, so the job with the engineers likely wasn’t/couldn’t be cancelled.

Sorry again for the trouble you’ve had.