TP Link Archer VR900 ppp1 LCP down Disconnection

[#1]

For me i have a back up Asus rt66u that i use with a separate BT Modem, the connection is rock solid using that but not with this TP Link combined router modem, as far as i know DLM usually kicks in when you either have a fault on the line or your modem frequently disconnects / loses sync which is whats happening here
dick:quote

[#2]

Plusnet Rep can you check if there was a disconnection at 7:32am Weds 28th Oct as i briefly lost internet connection for 10 minutes while using the BT ECI Modem with my Asus router, my line had been stable the past few weeks before i connected the replacement TP Link back up on Saturday which was dropping frequently on Tuesday 27th Oct at around 1pm, im hoping its not now a mix of a dodgy router modem & internet faults suddenly taking hold to complicate matters

[#3]

Plusnet as in the post above, just had another connection drop at 3:40am Tues Oct 29th, this is using my back up Asus router & separate BT Modem (not the TP Link mentioned) which had been performing solidly the previous weeks until just now
Oct 29 03:40:15 kernel: ACCEPT  <4>ACCEPT IN=ppp0 OUT= MAC= <1>SRC=80.249.99.164 DST=212.56.104.145 <1>LEN=28 TOS=0x00 PREC=0xA0 TTL=58 ID=6913 PROTO=ICMP TYPE=8 CODE=0 ID=32800 SEQ=46748
Oct 29 03:40:16 kernel: ACCEPT  <4>ACCEPT IN=ppp0 OUT= MAC= <1>SRC=80.249.99.164 DST=212.56.104.145 <1>LEN=28 TOS=0x00 PREC=0xA0 TTL=58 ID=15706 PROTO=ICMP TYPE=8 CODE=0 ID=32800 SEQ=46749
Oct 29 03:41:18 pppd[405]: No response to 10 echo-requests
Oct 29 03:41:18 pppd[405]: Serial link appears to be disconnected.
Oct 29 03:41:18 pppd[405]: Connect time 1200.3 minutes.
Oct 29 03:41:18 pppd[405]: Sent 46816045 bytes, received 985973464 bytes.
Oct 29 03:41:18 dnsmasq[366]: read /etc/hosts - 5 addresses
Oct 29 03:41:18 dnsmasq-dhcp[366]: read /etc/ethers - 1 addresses
Oct 29 03:41:18 dnsmasq[366]: using nameserver 213.73.91.35#53 for domain local
Oct 29 03:41:18 dnsmasq[366]: using nameserver 85.214.20.141#53 for domain local
Oct 29 03:41:18 dnsmasq[366]: using nameserver 85.214.20.141#53
Oct 29 03:41:18 dnsmasq[366]: using nameserver 213.73.91.35#53
Oct 29 03:41:21 WAN Connection: Fail to connect with some issues.
Oct 29 03:41:24 pppd[405]: Connection terminated.
Oct 29 03:41:24 pppd[405]: Sent PADT
Oct 29 03:41:24 pppd[405]: Modem hangup

[#4]

I bought the VR900 modem router as well from Box. I have had it a week and haven't seen any of the disconnects the OP has seen however there seems to be a lot of other issues with it which started when I upgraded the firmware to 150909 including lock up's and poor wireless performance. The line speed is well down on what my previous modem(tp link wd9980) achieved. I am just wondering if there is issues with the latest firmware for this router. Not sure I won't to downgrade to check though.

[#5]

@Blackdog35 when i first got the VR900 i had an issue with the wifi throttling speed test results, i can't remember now what was the cause, at first i thought it was the power settings being set to maximum as lowering them increased speed on both the 2.4ghz & 5ghz wavebands but at the expense of decreasing the wifi signal, anyway after some fiddling i got it working on both at max power settings, ill let you know what i changed when i get the router back
I've just been notified that the technicians at Box have found a fault with the replacement VR900 i was sent which i found had the same sync issues as the first, however this unit also had another issue where you could not connect using the WPS feature so i dont think they tested any further, i did notice that but i deactivated WPS. Im giving it just one more chance with a 2nd replacement so ill see if the sync issues persist.
I was considering going for the ASUS DSL-AC68U but there are known issues with high CRC errors causing DLM to kick in http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18606945&page=94, however a new beta firmware has just been released which seems to make it more stable for some but only for those whose connection is fastpath and are on G.INP (dependant on the dslam being enabled at your BTOP cabinet).
Im curious if my line is on Interleave or Fastpath? however i don't think G.INP will be enabled on the BT network as its still being trialled, i do recall have G.INP being enabled in the VR900, maybe that was causing an issue with the modem losing sync?

[#6]

Hi
I've used TP-Link for a few years and never had problems with their stuff, always thought it was pretty good.
Since switching to Fibre i've used a VR900 on the latest firmware. I have experienced choke every 2-3 mins whilst playing games, VPN to work etc. BQM looks clean and there is no packet loss. PNet say line is fine apart from high amount of retrains which I'm told is where the modem loses sync with the cabinet very breifly, so breifly that the connection isn't closed/dropped. Seems very similar to the problems that you two are having, just not as severe? I don't think this is the first time I have read about connection drops on the VR900. Reviews on it seem to be pretty good though so I'm not sure if I should exchange it for a replacement or move away from TP-Link.
@shylok You can use a program called statPOSTer.jar to scrape the broadcom stats. I'm not sure if linking to it is allowed but if you google it a few forum pages on Kitz will come up. You will be able to tell if you are fastpath or interleave from these stats and if so what depth.
I've always stuck to Broadcom chips for as long as I can remember, I don't think the ASUS AC68U has a Broadcom, so that rules me out. There is a lack of VDSL modem routers on the market, or at least it seems competition isn't very high.
Hope this helps.
Dan

[#7]

@StingA try downgrading the firmware to see if it makes a difference, the ASUS DSL-AC68U has a Mediatek chipset apparently not as good as Broadcom, yeah i've seen that hack on Kitz to extract more line stats from the TP-Link which is very limited.
If this 2nd replacement is no better then i might be better using a hacked HG610 BT Modem (Broadcom chipset) with my Asus RT-N66U until more VDSL combined routers are released

[#8]

Quote from: Blackdog35

I've just received another replacement TP-Link Router, these are my wifi settings, im using ch6 on 2.4GHz but thats just what has the strongest signal for me in my enviroment, you can use auto, Transmit Power is at max, im on stock firmware for now until i know the router is ok

[#9]

Well im not having much luck with this 2nd replacement either as the same thing is happening again, the modem loses sync intermittently before it reconnects, theres a fundamental design fault with this Router somewhere, i notice it also gets quite hot due to inadequate ventilation, theres some trim covering the top vents, but who knows what it is? the same issue is persistent no matter of the firmware installed. I've given TP-Link a fair chance now & for £130 i want a router that is stable
17 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [IPCP ConfReq id=0xab <addr 195.166.130.142>]
18 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [IPCP ConfAck id=0x2 <addr 146.198.41.140> <ms-dns1 212.159.6.10> <ms-dns2 212.159.6.9
19 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [IPCP ConfReq id=0x2 <addr 146.198.41.140> <ms-dns1 212.159.6.10> <ms-dns2 212.159.6.9
20 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [IPCP ConfNak id=0x1 <addr 146.198.41.140> <ms-dns1 212.159.6.10> <ms-dns2 212.159.6.9
21 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [IPCP ConfReq id=0x1 <addr 0.0.0.0> <ms-dns1 0.0.0.0> <ms-dns2 0.0.0.0>]
22 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [CHAP Success id=0x57 ""]
23 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP EchoRep id=0x0 magic=0x1d70ac5]
24 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [CHAP Response id=0x57 <2fb18b497d1e1287561e118797ab2a9b>, name = "shylok@plusdsl.net"
25 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [CHAP Challenge id=0x57 <c3017f2f9d9c78f5bf5cab21f049f729e7cf34>, name = "JUNOS"]
26 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP EchoReq id=0x0 magic=0x924139d1]
27 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP ConfAck id=0x2 <mru 1480> <magic 0x924139d1>]
28 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x52 <auth chap MD5> <magic 0x1d70ac5>]
29 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x2 <mru 1480> <magic 0x924139d1>]
30 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Warning ppp1 LCP down
31 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Error ppp1 LCP down
32 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x52 <auth chap MD5> <magic 0x1d70ac5>]
33 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP EchoRep id=0x0 magic=0x3faedebd]
34 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [CHAP Response id=0x1 <72e0928906eba38f8780af5b55090091>, name = "shylok@plusdsl.net"]
35 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [CHAP Challenge id=0x1 <660aaa714e8345fe3156343e489202f4>, name = "bras-red7.mr-dh"]
36 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP EchoReq id=0x0 magic=0x7ad93ead]
37 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <mru 1480> <magic 0x7ad93ead>]
38 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x81 <mru 1492> <auth chap MD5> <magic 0x3faedebd>]
39 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x81 <mru 1492> <auth chap MD5> <magic 0x3faedebd>]
40 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <mru 1480> <magic 0x7ad93ead>]
41 2015-11-13 15:44:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [PADS SessionID(0x8301)]
42 2015-11-13 15:44:07 PPP Information ppp1 sent [PADR Host-Uniq(0x00001f59)]
43 2015-11-13 15:44:07 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [PADO PeerMac(00-30-88-00-00-03)]
44 2015-11-13 15:44:07 PPP Information ppp1 sent [PADI Host-Uniq(0x00001f59)]
45 2015-11-13 15:44:03 PPP Information ppp1 sent [PADI Host-Uniq(0x00001f59)]
46 2015-11-13 15:43:37 PPP Error ppp1
47 2015-11-13 15:43:37 PPP Error ppp1 Timeout waiting for PADO packets
48 2015-11-13 15:43:17 PPP Information ppp1 sent [PADI Host-Uniq(0x00001e9d)]
49 2015-11-13 15:43:07 PPP Information ppp1 sent [PADI Host-Uniq(0x00001e9d)]
50 2015-11-13 15:43:02 PPP Information ppp1 sent [PADI Host-Uniq(0x00001e9d)]
51 2015-11-13 15:42:37 PPP Error ppp1
52 2015-11-13 15:42:33 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP TermReq id=0x5 "User request"]
53 2015-11-13 15:42:30 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP TermReq id=0x4 "User request"]
54 2015-11-13 15:42:30 PPP Warning ppp1 LCP down
55 2015-11-13 15:42:30 PPP Error ppp1 LCP down
56 2015-11-13 15:42:30 PPP Error ppp1 User request
57 2015-11-13 13:35:05 DHCPD Notice Recv INFORM from C8:D7:19:1E:45:4C
58 2015-11-13 13:20:05 DHCPD Notice Recv INFORM from C8:D7:19:1E:45:4C
59 2015-11-13 13:05:05 DHCPD Notice Recv INFORM from C8:D7:19:1E:45:4C
60 1970-01-01 00:02:14 PPP Information ppp1 sent [IPCP ConfAck id=0xf7 <addr 195.166.130.138>]
61 1970-01-01 00:02:14 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [IPCP ConfReq id=0xf7 <addr 195.166.130.138>]
62 1970-01-01 00:02:13 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [IPCP ConfAck id=0x2 <addr 80.189.209.97> <ms-dns1 212.159.6.9> <ms-dns2 212.159.6.10>
63 1970-01-01 00:02:13 PPP Information ppp1 sent [IPCP ConfReq id=0x2 <addr 80.189.209.97> <ms-dns1 212.159.6.9> <ms-dns2 212.159.6.10>
64 1970-01-01 00:02:13 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [IPCP ConfNak id=0x1 <addr 80.189.209.97> <ms-dns1 212.159.6.9> <ms-dns2 212.159.6.10>
65 1970-01-01 00:02:13 PPP Information ppp1 sent [IPCP ConfReq id=0x1 <addr 0.0.0.0> <ms-dns1 0.0.0.0> <ms-dns2 0.0.0.0>]
66 1970-01-01 00:02:13 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [CHAP Success id=0x70 ""]
67 1970-01-01 00:02:08 PPP Information ppp1 sent [LCP EchoRep id=0x0 magic=0xafc1b558]
68 1970-01-01 00:02:08 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP EchoReq id=0x0 magic=0x3bbb7046]
69 1970-01-01 00:02:07 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP EchoRep id=0x0 magic=0x3bbb7046]
70 1970-01-01 00:02:06 PPP Information ppp1 sent [CHAP Response id=0x70 <fb1a3e77372c814f19814a1509c0f82e>, name = "shylok@plusdsl.net"
71 1970-01-01 00:02:06 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [CHAP Challenge id=0x70 <823eef419d21e8c06e83f5fa4b5f5a243f6f6bdd8e14ce91>, name = "JU
72 1970-01-01 00:02:06 PPP Information ppp1 rcvd [LCP ConfAck id=0x3 <mru 1480> <magic 0xafc1b558>]

[#10]

Wifi does seem to be shaky sometimes on 2.4GHz (the wifi signal reduces during speed testing) while solid on 5GHz, this is with stock firmware, im going to update now to see if theres any difference

[#11]

Hey Shylok
Let us know how you get on with the latest firmware. Although I'd be suprised if it sorts it.
I think I'm going to send mine back as well. Something just seems a bit fishy, and for the price it shouldnt be. Even down to having a display bug on the upstream line attenuation, makes me wonder if they rushed it.
Just to confirm you had no desyncs on your non TP-Link other kit?
Dan

[#12]

Quote from: StingA

Hey Shylok Let us know how you get on with the latest firmware. Although I'd be suprised if it sorts it. I think I'm going to send mine back as well. Something just seems a bit fishy, and for the price it shouldnt be. Even down to having a display bug on the upstream line attenuation, makes me wonder if they rushed it. Just to confirm you had no desyncs on your non TP-Link other kit? Dan

Regarding wifi i dont think firmware had any effect, once i set up the TP-Link with its latest firmware 150909 i tried a few different settings but results are all dependant on your enviroment
on 2.4GHz i found it performed better on N only rather than mixed mode (G/N or B/G/N), also channel width needs to be set at 20mhz, Transmit Power i kept at high, when running a speedtest the wifi reduced from 216mbps (maximum) to around 170mbps (this is common with most routers for wifi signal to drop a little during downloads) but it didn't go down low enough to impact on speed tests as you can see from my attachments, but its very reliant on using its preferred channel so i put it on auto, if you pick your own different from what the router detects is best then it can have a negative impact on signal strength & effect your speedtest results
on 5GHz wifi can still drop off during downloading while other times it remained solid at 450mbps (the maximum that my usb N adapter Linksys AE3000 is capable off), its probably better to select the channel width at 40mhz rather than auto to get your maximum, mixed mode AC/N works fine, Transmit Power i kept at high
I have more of an issue with the modem losing sync or not being able to establish a PPP connection, on Saturday morning from 8:30am to 3:30pm there was no internet connection, so i tried putting it into wifi mode only & attached my BT Modem, it wouldn't connect (but i may have connected it to the wrong LAN port i used LAN 1?), so i took out the TP-Link to see if it was a line fault & attached my Asus to the BT modem & i had an internet connection, i then connected the TP-link again with its modem on & after about 10 minutes it finally established a connection

[#13]

Another thing i never considered when buying a modem router is whether you need to match your modem chipset with that of your cabinet's DSLAM chipset? i got issued with a BT ECI modem 3 years back when i joined Sky fibre, probably because it was what the BT engineer had with him or HG612 modems had not yet been released. I know that some people have a more stable connection using a BT ECI modem (Lantiq chipset) over a HG612 (Broadcom chipset) which i presume is down to the type of DSLAM chipset they are connected to at the cabinet?
I have identified my cabinet https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4601162,-2.1250293,3a,15y,66.13h,79.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sa9CXuz... as a Huawei 288 which has a DSLAM type Huawei MA5603T that is Broadcom http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/fttc-cabinets.htm
So i guess that rules incompatibility issues out then as the VR900 modem is also a Broadcom chipset so it should be more stable than the ECI, it also explains why my minimum latency is lower using the Broadcom chipset in the TP link (15ms) than the BT ECI modem (40ms), see attachment to compare TB Graph to the one in post above using a TP Link

[#14]

I've just had a reply back from TP Link support, its a known issue, im surprised it hasn't quite received the forum posts at Overclockers like the ASUS DSL-AC68U got in regards to its vdsl modem causing high CRC errors & line instability issues forcing DLM to kick in, anyway i forwarded them all my logs showing PPP dropouts, errors & being unable to re-sync
BTW, i tried putting the TP-Link into wireless mode & hooked up my BT ECI modem & i could not get it to connect to the the internet no matter which of the 4 LAN sockets i used, LAN 4 has WAN next to it so im guessing thats where you attach the ethernet cable from the modem? it wouldn't connect even after re-booting, so theres some serious issues with these routers whether its poor design or buggy firmware, who knows?
"Apologies for the problems caused to you by the TP-Link product.
We have already forwarded this case to our HQ and they are looking further into it.
We have received the similar feedback from other customers as well, regarding the VDSL Dropouts and Modem unable to synchronise again.
Would it be possible for you to provide me with the System Log files for the router, when it experiences dropouts and I will forward it to our HQ for further analysis. This will help us to get a more clearer picture of the issue.
Please Do keep me updated.
Melvit Cardozo
Technical support engineer
TP-Link UK Ltd."

[#15]

I've been following this with interest for 3 weeks now and note that TP-Link have acknowledged their is problems with this router.
LAN 4 is definitely the Ewan port on the VR900, I did notice when I connected the TD9970 to the BT Modem it took nearly 15 minutes to connect after almost giving up and a bit of fiddling.  The router has had a solid connection for 3 weeks with the BT Modem.
Device Information

Firmware Version:0.9.1 2.5 v0025.0 Build 150831 Rel.61883n
Hardware Version:TD-W9970 v1 00000000
System Up Time:20 day(s) 22:56:57
It's an ECI modem on an ECI cabinet, whether that makes any difference I don't know. The question now is do I try again using it as a modem/router or leave it as it is to see if TP-Link come up with a solution.  This is assuming  it has the same fault as the VR900.
Will await your response from TP-Link support.