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Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

thecrius
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Registered: ‎23-03-2018

Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Good evening,

 

I've recently activated an "Unlimited Fibre Extra". Specifically the service went live on 21 June.

The first week are considered  "of assessment" even if I don't really understand about what. Anyway we didn't have any issue.

We received another email after that, stating that the service was now stable yada yada. From that moment we started experiencing some disconnections. Mostly in the late evening, lasting between 20 minutes and some hours. As they were happening during the night we didn't get much bothered and I decided to wait and see if they were just some random ones, maybe some remote testing or updates on the router triggered remotely.

 

Now it's starting to happen during the early evening and, most importantly, during the day. As we work from home, this is of course not acceptable.

 

A thing I noticed is that when these disconnections happens, the router behave in two different ways:

- Red led blinking, meaning it just lost contact with the backend at all and cannot detect the line (I'm putting it down roughly as I don't know the correct terminology in english).

- The router completely stop working, WiFi included, and does what it seems a sort of rebooting of the wireless service

 

I believe there are two different issues here, one related to the line, the other to the router's wifi.

The reason I think there is also a problem on the router wifi is that even when windows tells me that the wifi is connected but it can't detect internet access, I can't even reach the router itself on 192.168.1.254.

 

Screenshot 2021-07-12 142256.png

 

This is an extract of today's logs from the router, starting from midnight. Meanwhile I was writing this post, the router dropped connection and wifi a couple times already.

 

I've 2 other laptops, different brands and models, in this house and they all dropped so I doubt it's a device-related issues.

They are good quality laptops, meant for gaming, both just 1 year old or less, never had issues with the previous provider/router. The third one is an office one, again, received brand new less than 3 months ago. No previous issues.

 

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BD
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Thanks for getting in touch @thecrius and I'm sorry to hear you've been having connection issues as of recent. I can confirm when testing your connection from this side currently and shown by the graph below, the intermittent drops we've seen certainly hint there's something out of place somewhere.



On top of this, I can see currently we're only getting 28.9Mbps download to your router which looks to be falling below the 32.4 - 47.8Mbps download estimates we have for your line which also points to there being an underlying fault.

As our testing isn't bringing up any external faults or fault locations behind the drops and speed issues we're seeing then the first thing we'd recommend is running through a few internal checks your side first of all that will help us narrow down the cause of this issue further.


I'd recommend starting with basic checks here: http://goo.gl/p2tpvL
 

And if that doesn't help the next thing would be to rule your internal wiring out by plugging the connection into your test socket which is under the faceplate of your master socket and seeing if the drops stop and speeds look to increase. This rules out internal wiring, face plates and extension sockets as being the cause. How to locate the test socket and set your connection into it can be found here:
https://community.plus.net/t5/Library/Testing-From-The-Master-Socket/ba-p/1322242


Let us know how it goes and when you're in the test socket as we can re-test the connection from this side looking for change.

In regards to the wireless issues you've been seeing, I'd recommend firstly to run through my guide below on how best to adjust the settings to best suit your property along with how to split the 2 wireless frequencies which should help with the dropping connections.
Whilst you have an underlying fault present though it may be that some performance or connection issues you've been seeing are a result of the underlying problem so I would perhaps advise waiting until that issue is resolved before changing wireless settings as it could cause potential red herrings and further issues when doing so.

 

The guide below will show you how to log into the router and change the wireless channel as it's usually another router in the area on the same or similar channel that will be causing issues for both wireless frequencies. Before picking a channel I'd suggest downloading a free app on the android store called wifi analyzer (blue and white icon) which will scan your area for all the routers and show what channels they are on between 1-13. Although the above app isn't essential it helps you pick where your router would be best in terms of channels and saves a lot of time doing it via trial and error.
 

1) To connect to your Hub One, you will need to open a browser and go to 192.168.1.254 If you have any issues doing this via Wireless, we recommend trying to do it via Ethernet cable instead.
 

 2) You should come to a page with information about your connection, click 'Advanced Settings' at the top and it will ask you to sign in with a Password. This is located on the back of your router under 'Admin Password'
 

 3) Select the option for 'Wireless' followed by '5 GHz Wireless'. What we want to do to begin with is turn 'Sync with 2.4 GHz Wireless' to 'Off' and update the SSID to be different. The easiest way would be to add '-5G' to the end so it is identified as its own connection. Once this is changed, we will need to keep an eye on it for a day or 2 to see if the issue continues. If it does, the next step would be to change the wireless channel. Keeping in mind the original 2.4Ghz unchanged name network connection would be the best to connect your devices  to for a stronger signal.  
(When deciding which device goes on what frequency keep in mind that the 5GHz is designed for close range stationary devices and standard 2.4GHz the one which gets the wireless around your property further.)
 

4) Following the above guide to get to your 'Advanced Settings' page, you will need to change the settings within the 2.4 GHz Wireless tab and the 5 GHz Wireless tab.
 

5) Under the correct heading, you will need to find 'Channel Selection' on the list and change this from 'Automatic' to any one of the other channels, This can also need doing under '5 GHz Wireless' to cover both signals. Give it 3-4 hours of testing to see if the issue still persists and try to change the channel again if you see little or no improvement.

Let us know how it goes with both the underlying issues with troubleshooting as well as wireless issues as we'll be happy to help and provide further support moving forwards where we can.

 

thecrius
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Hello @BD , thanks for you answer, to reply to your instructions:

 


@BD wrote:


 

1) To connect to your Hub One, you will need to open a browser and go to 192.168.1.254 If you have any issues doing this via Wireless, we recommend trying to do it via Ethernet cable instead.

 

 2) You should come to a page with information about your connection, click 'Advanced Settings' at the top and it will ask you to sign in with a Password. This is located on the back of your router under 'Admin Password'
 

 3) Select the option for 'Wireless' followed by '5 GHz Wireless'. What we want to do to begin with is turn 'Sync with 2.4 GHz Wireless' to 'Off' and update the SSID to be different. The easiest way would be to add '-5G' to the end so it is identified as its own connection. Once this is changed, we will need to keep an eye on it for a day or 2 to see if the issue continues. If it does, the next step would be to change the wireless channel. Keeping in mind the original 2.4Ghz unchanged name network connection would be the best to connect your devices  to for a stronger signal.  
(When deciding which device goes on what frequency keep in mind that the 5GHz is designed for close range stationary devices and standard 2.4GHz the one which gets the wireless around your property further.)
 

4) Following the above guide to get to your 'Advanced Settings' page, you will need to change the settings within the 2.4 GHz Wireless tab and the 5 GHz Wireless tab.
 

5) Under the correct heading, you will need to find 'Channel Selection' on the list and change this from 'Automatic' to any one of the other channels, This can also need doing under '5 GHz Wireless' to cover both signals. Give it 3-4 hours of testing to see if the issue still persists and try to change the channel again if you see little or no improvement.

Let us know how it goes with both the underlying issues with troubleshooting as well as wireless issues as we'll be happy to help and provide further support moving forwards where we can.


 

I can run tests on an ethernet cable but the real world usage is going to be with a wireless as having an house fully wired is not something that really happens unless it's brand new and built with that in mind.

 

For point 3, separating the WiFi 2.4 and 5.0 has been the first thing I've done. So this is already the situation we are operating with. Specifically, one of my laptop is connected to the 5.0. The other one (office) to the 2.4 and my wife to the 2.4 as well.

All of them dropped when the WiFi had issues.

 

I have been already a customer of Plusnet and remember these same issue caused by the router/modem. As mentioned before, these are two different issues. The line have problems that need to be fixed by an Openreach engineer. Currently I'm testing and running at 14Mbps for example.

 

The wifi seems that is simply caused by a weak antenna of the router and there is nothing really that I can do beside move closer to the router or buy a decent router/modem and input the credentials for plusnet myself.

What Plusnet can do, it check that my line is verified by Openreach because as of now, it's in breach of agreement more often than not.

 

Just restarted the router and speed tested again:

Screenshot 2021-07-12 183423.png

 

Gandalf
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Thanks for getting back to us @thecrius 

I'm sorry for the issues with your connection. Looking at the wireless issues, I'd recommend changing the wireless channels as the 2.4GHz can be susceptible to interference. For the 5GHz, it may be worth posting in the topic Here and we'll update the firmware in your router, which may likely resolve the issues you're having on that frequency. 

With regards to the problem with your actual broadband connection dropping out, I'm afraid we can't arrange Openreach to check the line without booking an engineer visit, because line tests aren't showing an external fault. This doesn't mean there isn't an external fault, we'd just need to book an appointment to open a fault report with Openreach.

If you've carried out the troubleshooting steps Ben's given, I'd head on across to faults.plus.net to raise a fault with us. 

Let us know how it goes.

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet
thecrius
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Registered: ‎23-03-2018

Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Doesn't matter the frequency, both channels simply drops entirely when it happens. My wife laptop connect to the 2.4Ghz and it's literally in room beside the one in which the router is. Still drop and cannot connect back the same as mine, which is on the first floor, directly above the room with the router and connected to the 5Ghz instead.

Anyway, I requested a firmware update from that topic and opened a fault check request at the website.

I'll update this topic with the relevant changes.

bobpullen
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

@thecrius your firmware was updated at the beginning of the month. You can validate this by checking the footer at the bottom of the Hub Manager. You're looking for a version ending 289.1.1

Assuming you are running the latest version, then is there anything telling in the router's event log around the time of the problem?

Have things got worse/better/unchanged since the start of the month? 

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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thecrius
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi


@bobpullen wrote:

@thecrius your firmware was updated at the beginning of the month. You can validate this by checking the footer at the bottom of the Hub Manager. You're looking for a version ending 289.1.1

Assuming you are running the latest version, then is there anything telling in the router's event log around the time of the problem?

Have things got worse/better/unchanged since the start of the month? 


The firmware is updated at the latest version as far as I can see: 4.7.5.1.83.8.289.1.1

 

I posted an extract of the router logs from a day in which we had some WiFi and Line connectivity issues in my very first post, this is the link to it: https://pastebin.com/raw/NDRb1xBH

bobpullen
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

@thecrius nothing telling in those logs, other than the fact that devices are disconnecting/reconnecting (mainly) to the 2.4GHz radio.

At the time of writing it looks like you have a handful of devices connected on the 2.4GHz network with a healthy signal. Nothing connected to the 5GHz radio.

When was the last time the hub was rebooted and does the situation improve following a reboot?

I would expect a degree of disassociation/reassociation in the logs but not at the frequency you've shared.

My main priority here is to rule out an issue that has arisen since your firmware was upgraded. If the problem was evident before the event, then we can at least be confident that nothing new has been introduced with the latest update. Feedback from those running the latest build has been almost entirely positive, with many saying it has resolved their Wi-Fi instability issues Huh

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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thecrius
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

At the time I copied the logs, I was connected to the 5Ghz WiFi signal with one laptop. My other and my wife's one as well, was connected to the 2.4Ghz . Probably also our phones were connected to the 2.4.

 

All the devices simply couldn't connect. They either couldn't see the WiFi at all (android and windows 10) or connect but now really browse, not even reach the dashboard of the router,

The service has been activated the 21 June and I've noticed disconnections starting from 7 days top. Nothing before that.

 

I really don't know where to bang my head to start to understand why it happens.

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules.

bobpullen
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

In your logs, the stream of association attempts was on the 2.4GHz network which correlates with what you're saying.

There were just two or three 5GHz events in the entire list from what I recall. I'm interested in whether or not a reboot of the router restores service should this happens again, and in particular whether or not the issues are mainly isolated to one of the two bands (one easy way to visualise this is to use a working device to look at the network map in the hub interface and see which devices are associated with which bands) 

Your firmware was updated back on the 1st, so it sounds like the start of your problem doesn't strictly line up with when the software was updated.

It's worth keeping a log of issues you're observing, timestamps and which devices were affected and how. It's this sort of information that might help me try and narrow down what might be going on.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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thecrius
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Updating with a fresh new batch of logs after another "WiFi" crash.

Logs here: https://pastebin.com/JcUPX8cc

 

Not one device would be able to connect.

Even when connected to the WiFi and seeing the "Internet not connected" in Windows that should only limit me in browsing internet, not even making it impossible from reaching the dashboard. To me, just a software engineer, means that the router webserver itself, couldn't serve content. Now I don't know the inner working but just by observing the behaviour, it could be that until other services are up, you just cannot get server the dashboard.

 

Some screenshot of what I see from my laptop when these events happens.

 

Available WiFi during the "outage"Available WiFi during the "outage"

 WiFi 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz are separated. For a good time Windows just kept trying to reconnect.

 

WiFi 5Ghz ConnectedWiFi 5Ghz Connected

Connected finally, but no internet access. This state and the previous (connecting) kept looping for a good 5 minutes or more.

 

Can't reach even the dashboardCan't reach even the dashboard

 

Despite being connected, no access to 192.168.1.254

 

Cannot load, timeoutsCannot load, timeouts

 

Opened the developer console on chrome to see what's going on. Plenty of timeout from the router webserver.

 

Finally loading, missing assets (not served by the webserver) and list of connected devicesFinally loading, missing assets (not served by the webserver) and list of connected devices

 Finally load, assets are missing, just showing the device connected. Each of them unable to reach the router and, of course, internet.

 

 

Edit: Also, started experiencing high latency during the evening. Well, at least during the evening which is when I usually relax playing something online and I will notice the latency. The problem is not just high latency (tested with a psping) but also a good frequency of packet loss. Not many packets but 1 each 20-30 or so.

thecrius
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Bought a TP-Link VR600.

 

WiFi is much more stable now. Got a visit from an openreach engineer that after checking my house equipment told me, and I quote here: "For the disconnections, maybe buy a wifi extender". For line disconnetions. Impressive display of knowledge.

 

He told me that he had also switched cable on which I connect. And as a result now I much more disconnections.

Do I need to learn how to be an openreach engineer to fix my connection?

 

latest router log: https://pastebin.com/DuWpagkC

TheMightyAJ
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Hi @thecrius,

I'm sorry to hear that the connection is continuing to drop. I've raised a response regarding this via the open fault ticket on the account, here. Once you've had the chance to read and respond to the ticket, please update us on here and we'll pick this back up for review as soon as possible.

If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Alex H
 Plusnet Help Team
thecrius
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Just replied with three new dates in which another OR Eng can come in.
TheMightyAJ
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Re: Frequent disconnection both from the line itself and the wifi

Thanks for getting back to us @thecrius. I've updated your ticket to confirm the arranged engineer slot.

If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Alex H
 Plusnet Help Team