Technicolor TG582n: Connectivity to Gateway (172.16.12.152) failing

[#1]

Hello

Exchange: WMFER

Router: Technicolor TG582n

Ticket: #126278498

Yesterday we were unable to access the internet at all, so logged into the router and discovered it had failed the last internet connect test...
X Internet
    X Connectivity to Gateway (172.16.12.152)

Did the usual checks, and rebooted the router, same issue.

Contacted Plusnet via chat, a most helpful  [CSA Removed] confirmed 'We have had issues with some of our internal 'access rack' hardware which is mismanaging customer connections. This issue is currently under investigation.'
Was asked to switch off router for an hour, which we did (90 minutes), but same error.

I was then asked to do a tracert to a site we couldn't access and upload to ticket, as it may be a BT routing issue.

Tracing route to google.co.uk [216.58.213.163]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 79 ms 99 ms 98 ms dsldevice.lan [192.168.1.254]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 15 ms 15 ms 15 ms be3-3104.psb-ir01.plus.net [195.166.143.136]
5 16 ms 15 ms 15 ms 195.99.125.134
6 45 ms 17 ms 15 ms 62.172.103.27
7 * * * Request timed out. (all the rest timed out)

My issue is trying to get an update on the status of this problem, as the last CS agent I spoke to was unable to provide anything.

Thanks in anticipation any feedback forthcoming.

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat) CSA name removed as per Forum rules

[#2]

@bgiles

Just a quick question, but have you checked that the router hasn't lost your username and password or that you haven't changed your Plusnet member portal password recently.

The username should be in the format username@plusdsl.net and the password the same one you use to log onto the member centre.

If these are incorrect then you would get a ip address of 172.16.x.x  as the Radius servers couldn't log the router in.

[#3]

Hi SpendLessTime

Thanks for the quick response, I'm pretty sure I did check this yesterday, and the credentials were there.

If they weren't, surely either the Broadband or Internet status LED's would fail to turn green, because it would have failed to login?

I'll have to check again in the morning, but thanks for the tip.

[#4 · Accepted solution]

@CRT,

Is this possibly a 'stuck session' situation?  Is 'stuck session' on the standard CSA check list for this kind of problem?

[#5]

@Townman

After you mentioning a 'stuck session', I got one of my colleagues to switch off the router overnight.

This appears to have cleared the session, and they are back to normal. I'll do some checks to verify when I'm next there, so thanks for the tip.

I'll update the ticket, but leave it open until I have verified everything is back to normal.

Top service!

[#6]

Stuck sessions are generally very very rare, so wouldn't come up in standard troubleshooting really. Glad that it's sorted, but certainly seemed like an odd one.

[#7]

Something is still odd with our router, whilst things appear to be normal with regards to our internet access, the router is still showing a failed connection to the default gateway.

I can see that the gateway is specified in the configuration, and presume this is the Plusnet Radius Server.

What could be the reason, and would it be addressed by a router reset?

 Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Email/user name removed from a public forum.

[#8]

Interesting!

If it is working you must be connected to the gateway, there can be no doubt about that!  I suspect that the gateway does not respond to ping messages, which in terms of diagnostics is not helpful.  You might want to try pinging the gateway yourself.  A tracert to BBC.co.uk should show you passing through the gateway.

May be @bobpullen can confirm if the new network gateways do not respond to pings by design and what that might mean for support confusion arising from the misleading router status reports? 

[#9]

The first few hops over the BT network will not respond to ICMP probes as can be seen in the OP. I suspect that's what's causing the router to fail the gateway check.

Nothing to worry about as long as everything is working.

[#10]

@bobpullen,

My emphasis was by design?

If ping non-responsiveness was intended was the implication on diagnostics (manual and those built into the standard routers) actively considered?  Or is this another example of BT systematically removing access to any means of measuring the performance of their infrastructure, similar to their locked down stats hiding and no ping routers?

BT indifference is getting a tighter and tighter grip on PlusNet's ability to deliver superior performance.

[#11]

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@Townman wrote:

@bobpullen,

My emphasis was by design?

Well, it's not a 'feature' as such, but neither is it an oversight.

... was the implication on diagnostics (manual and those built into the standard routers) actively considered?  Or is this another example of BT systematically removing access to any means of measuring the performance of their infrastructure, similar to their locked down stats hiding and no ping routers?

Similar hops existed on the old network, it's just you didn't see them because they were encapsulated in an L2TP tunnel.

Edit: Incidentally, the diagnostic test for the Hub One seems to work OK:

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[#12]

@bobpullen,

You are usually so coy, therefore I guess this is an area of thin ice for you, so I'll stop asking questions for which the answer might be "We have no control over over our suppliers inhibition of useful end user diagnostic functionality".

Something not being an oversight must be something that was done by intent.  Indeed switching something off does make it not a feature as well. 

Sometimes not being able to offer a straight answer on things related to BT discloses more than no disclosure sought to hide.  

BT need to turn back to the light!

Edit in response to your edit - indeed but the hub one is answering a different question, one not tested by the TG582n - successful connection beyond the gateway.

[#13]

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@Townman wrote:

@bobpullen,

Something not being an oversight must be something that was done by intent.  Indeed switching something off does make it not a feature as well.

Edit in response to your edit - indeed but the hub one is answering a different question, one not tested by the TG582n - successful connection beyond the gateway.

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I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with what is being implied here. There are a lot of users still on TG582n, and many may still use the  'Connectivity Check' when they first encounter a problem.

Are we now saying that due to changes made at provider level with regards to ICMP probes, users of Plusnet supplied hardware, such as the TG582n, may well see the message about the failed connection to Gateway (172.16.12.152), and come to the same conclusion as I did, in that there is a problem with the service, when actually there isn't?

[#14]

Are we now saying that due to changes made at provider level with regards to ICMP probes, ...

I think it may be that previously the first hop at the IP level was a Plusnet gateway, and now that first hop is a piece of Openreach or BT Wholesale kit whose behaviour they don't have control over.

However the implications are exactly as you say for anyone using the 582N router.  Hopefully support have been made aware.