DNS Issue?

[#1]

Hi,

I recently switched to Plusnet and intermittently have been having issues where devices can't connect to the internet. The devices show they are connected to the Wi-Fi network, but unable to connect to the internet.  One of our laptops which is connected to a VPN remains unaffected. The router shows no warning lights.

I'm led to believe that it's a DNS issue. Firefox stated there was a DNS server error. Also I ran a lookup using Windows command line and the DNS request timed out.

Restarting the router seems to provide a temporary fix.

I'm using a Plusnet Hub One | Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.263

[#2]

@Jherhome1  Does this post help?  https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/Hub-One-5GHz-WiFi-issue/m-p/1696363#M15510

Edit,

I see that I’m wasting my time as you are double posting this topic.

[#3]

Hi @Jherhome1,

I'm sorry to hear about this. Have you tried splitting the Wi-Fi frequencies to see if this makes any difference? If not, we have a guide on this here.

[#4]

Thanks @Baldrick1 and @TheMightyAJ - I'll give your suggestions a try and see if the issue persists.

[#5]

Hi @TheMightyAJ, I've split the Wi-Fi network bands, however still experiencing this issue. I've also tried the steps here and connected the router directly to the test socket.

The issues I'm experiencing are actually twofold. The main issue is the router showing it's connected to the internet (blue led) on the front but then my devices showing no internet connection - seems to only happen when there's a device connected to a work VPN. Happens on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.

Occasionally the internet does also completely dropout and the router shows an orange light. I've put this down to the router doing a resync but not certain.

Usually restarting the router resolves both of these issues, however it's not practical to have to do this multiple times a day.

[#6]

Thanks for getting back to us @Jherhome1 

I've made some changes to your account to try to resolve this.

Can you reboot your router once more and let us know how it goes?

[#7]

Thank you @Gandalf.

I rebooted the router yesterday evening as advised, but the issue still persists ☹️

Considering I've only recently switched to Plusnet this is not a great start. I really need this issue resolved soon as it's effecting my ability to work from home.

[#8]

Thanks for getting back to me @Jherhome1 

Ah that's disappointing. Can you plug a laptop into the router using an ethernet cable to see if that works fine?

[#9]

@Gandalf Sadly using an ethernet connection doesn't work either.

[#10]

---

@Jherhome1 wrote:

Hi,

I recently switched to Plusnet and intermittently have been having issues where devices can't connect to the internet. The devices show they are connected to the Wi-Fi network, but unable to connect to the internet.

---

Looks like this issue needs to be picked apart.  There are a multitude of circumstances under which this profile of behaviour might be seen.  On a device which is experiencing this issue can you please run and paste the results of running the following command...

ipconfig /all

[#11]

Is this thread possibly another occurrence of this https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/DNS-Issues/m-p/1745510#M19734 problem ?

[#12]

Thanks for getting back to me @Jherhome1 

Can you try a factory reset of the router by pushing a paperclip into the reset pin hole at the back for 20 seconds?

[#13]

@Gandalf I've done a factory reset of the router, so will see how things go.

Also as @Townman has requested here's the ipconfig log:

Windows IP Configuration

   Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : JEROMMIL-3C84M
   Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . : cisco.com
   Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
   IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : cisco.com
                                       lan

Ethernet adapter Ethernet 2:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Virtual Miniport Adapter for Windows x64
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-05-9A-3C-7A-00
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (6) I219-LM
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 98-FA-9B-C5-60-A0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 9:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 04-ED-33-41-A5-AB
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 10:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 06-ED-33-41-A5-AA
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : lan
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Wireless-AC 9560 160MHz
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 04-ED-33-41-A5-AA
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::41a1:d3d2:d017:92e4%15(Preferred)
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.64(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 03 June 2021 21:33:40
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 25 June 2021 08:59:53
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 251981107
   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-25-52-A5-26-98-FA-9B-C5-60-A0
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 04-ED-33-41-A5-AE
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

 It does seem linked to this issue https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/DNS-Issues/m-p/1745510#M19734

[#14]

The linked to topic appears to have its roots in a line fault.

That ipconfig report rules out DHCP address allocation issues. Please monitor connectivity. If you encounter issues again, please run the command again. I have a tenuous theory.

... however I notice that the DHCP lease times are excessively long. Have you changed the DHCP settings?

[#15]

Simple test when the problem reoccurs is to try nslookup using different DNS servers and see which fail

i.e

nslookup bbc.co.uk ( this will use the routers DNS server )

nslookup bbc.co.uk 212.159.13.49 ( uses Plusnet standard DNS server )

nslookup bbc.co.uk 212.159.6.9 ( uses Plusnet alternate DNS server )

nslookup bbc.co.uk 213.120.234.42 ( uses Plusnet Safeguard DNS server )

nslookup bbc.co.uk 8.8.8.8 ( uses google DNS server )