Losing Internet (WAN) connection: ASUS RT-AC88U

[Morris]

It is not guaranteed by Comcast, so I would not like to rely on it. A guaranteed static IP address is an additional monthly charge, I think a substantial one.

--- rant on ---
If this issue is caused by the failure of the modem to reset the LAN link after recovering from a failure (which seems plausible), it's hard to know what to call it. Is it a flaw in the modem (for not resetting) or in the router (for not adapting somehow). Which manufacturer to hammer on, trying to get a solution?

And if the only solution is to throw money at the problem? Replace the modem? Replace the router? Replace both? Try a Netgear router to go with the Netgear modem? Try a commercial router with better tech support? We have voice service as part of our Comcast package, and at present, they offer only TWO modems compatible with that . . . both by Netgear.
--- rant off ---

Thanks to all who have tried to help. I'm hopeful that changing the DHCP query frequency to "Aggressive mode" did indeed help, but there is no way to know for sure. Maybe disconnect the cable for a moment and see what happens?

If you are going to disconnect something, disconnect the coax so you can observe what the modem and router do. If the modem dose not drop the ethernet interface, your modem is at fault. If the modem dose drop the ethernet interface and the router dose not reconnect on coax connection then the router is at fault.

There is another possibility, somebody is stepping on your WAN IP and confusing the ISP's infrastructure's ARP tables. This is a known security issue with DHCP. Some ISPs defend agents this better than others.

Good luck,

Morris

 

[Mike-48]

Yesterday, I tried disconnecting the (input) cable from the [Netgear CM1150V] modem, waiting 10 seconds, then reconnecting. Everything worked fine.

This morning, another outage.

• Neither the [ASUS RT-AC88U] router nor the modem was reachable from my PC
• All modem and router lights indicated OK.
• Disconnecting the router from the modem and connecting a PC to the modem instead gave a yellow light on the modem and no connectivity on the PC.
• Reconnecting and power-cycling the router gave full connectivity, as if nothing had happened.
• The modem's event log has no entries for the disconnection.
• The router's event log has nothing for the disconnection, but a few lines when it re-established the connection.
• (So much for event logs!)

Last time I called Netgear, they had me reflash the modem. A lot of trouble for nothing. Reminds me of when Windows was new, tech report was always asking you to reinstall, because they couldn't figure out the problem, and that would get rid of you for a while.

I think I'll replace the router. It's the oldest piece, and my experience has shown that older gear often works fine but has subtle incompatibilities with newer gear. It's a form of planned obsolescence.

 

[Morris]

Yesterday, I tried disconnecting the (input) cable from the [Netgear CM1150V] modem, waiting 10 seconds, then reconnecting. Everything worked fine.

This morning, another outage.

• Neither the [ASUS RT-AC88U] router nor the modem was reachable from my PC
• All modem and router lights indicated OK.
• Disconnecting the router from the modem and connecting a PC to the modem instead gave a yellow light on the modem and no connectivity on the PC.
• Reconnecting and power-cycling the router gave full connectivity, as if nothing had happened.
• The modem's event log has no entries for the disconnection.
• The router's event log has nothing for the disconnection, but a few lines when it re-established the connection.
• (So much for event logs!)

Last time I called Netgear, they had me reflash the modem. A lot of trouble for nothing. Reminds me of when Windows was new, tech report was always asking you to reinstall, because they couldn't figure out the problem, and that would get rid of you for a while.

I think I'll replace the router. It's the oldest piece, and my experience has shown that older gear often works fine but has subtle incompatibilities with newer gear. It's a form of planned obsolescence.

That failure dose sound like the router. I hope the replacement dose it for you.

 

[Mike-48]

Out of the frying pan, into the fire! I've had a TP-Link SmartManaged switch for a year or so, and it has performed flawlessly. So I thought I'd try their new, fast router.

I installed a TP-Link Archer AX-11000 yesterday, and I'm shipping it back today.

The Ethernet part worked great, but as soon as I configured the router (link aggregation, SSIDs, passwords), none of my wireless devices would connect. Tech Support had me reset to factory, and I had the same experience: WiFi working initially, but not after routine configuration. When Tech Support asked me to reset to factory a second time, I said NO.

Of course, we tried all the usual measures: rebooting everything, changing passwords to alphanumeric only, checking firmware (it's the latest), and every other thing Tech Support does to put the pain on customers and keep them busy for hours, so the customer has a stake in the product and won't return it.

I've installed perhaps a half-dozen routers in my home-networking experience and I've never had such pain. Is technology getting worse?

The ASUS is back in service while I consider options. A power-cycle every few days is a lot better than no WiFi.

 

[Morris]

Out of the frying pan, into the fire! I've had a TP-Link SmartManaged switch for a year or so, and it has performed flawlessly. So I thought I'd try their new, fast router.

I installed a TP-Link Archer AX-11000 yesterday, and I'm shipping it back today.

The Ethernet part worked great, but as soon as I configured the router (link aggregation, SSIDs, passwords), none of my wireless devices would connect. Tech Support had me reset to factory, and I had the same experience: WiFi working initially, but not after routine configuration. When Tech Support asked me to reset to factory a second time, I said NO.

Of course, we tried all the usual measures: rebooting everything, changing passwords to alphanumeric only, checking firmware (it's the latest), and every other thing Tech Support does to put the pain on customers and keep them busy for hours, so the customer has a stake in the product and won't return it.

I've installed perhaps a half-dozen routers in my home-networking experience and I've never had such pain. Is technology getting worse?

The ASUS is back in service while I consider options. A power-cycle every few days is a lot better than no WiFi.

You got what you paid for.

Morris

 

[Mike-48]

You got what you paid for.

Morris

That's a little harsh. I would hope that for $270, I'd get a functioning product.

 

[L&LD]

No, just reality. It's just harsh to find out the first time as you did.

 

[ColinTaylor]

@Mike-48 Your problem doesn't sound like the common "ISP's DHCP did not function properly" problem otherwise you would see that message and rebooting the router would solve it. You could make a note of when the DHCP lease is due to expire (Network Map > Internet Status) and see if that's when the problem occurs.

A bit of a long shot but if you have a spare dumb switch you could place it inline between the modem and the router's WAN port. It could be some strange chipset incompatibility.

 

[Mike-48]

@Mike-48 Your problem doesn't sound like the common "ISP's DHCP did not function properly" problem otherwise you would see that message and rebooting the router would solve it. You could make a note of when the DHCP lease is due to expire (Network Map > Internet Status) and see if that's when the problem occurs.

A bit of a long shot but if you have a spare dumb switch you could place it inline between the modem and the router's WAN port. It could be some strange chipset incompatibility.

I agree, it doesn't really match reports of the DHCP issue.

I have an extra 5-port switch lying around. I'll give that a try. Great idea!

P.S. It's in place now.

 

[L&LD]

That was the second post suggestion in this thread. A week ago.

 

[ColinTaylor]

That was the second post suggestion in this thread. A week ago.

That was suggesting something different: "use a LAN port as the WAN port instead" (or at least it reads that way).

 

[L&LD]

Three things were offered there.

1. Use a cheap switch.

2. Use a LAN port as a WAN port.

3. If using all LAN ports, do both above.


Yes, I agree it doesn't read like that to me (today) either, but only so much we can do on handheld devices and actually get work done in a day.

 

[Mike-48]

@L&LD -- I didn't intend to slight your contribution. I just read it to mean something different.

I thought the post was focused on adding a switch to avoid using ports 5-8. I inferred, probably incorrectly, that using those ports might cause other trouble. And "use a LAN port as a WAN port" I didn't get at all (if there's an option to do that on the RT-AC88U, I've missed it). The phrase that would have made it clear was a switch between the modem and the router.

As always, I appreciate everyone's comments and help. As a frequent forum contributor in another field, I know that it takes time and effort to contribute, and I know that when I post something I think it is clear, readers can and do take it to mean something else.

Within a few weeks, I should know if the switch does the trick. That would be great! If so, I can get another couple of years out of the RT-AC88U.

 

[L&LD]

Not to worry @Mike-48, I take responsibility for the non-clarity too.

Hope this does get your network stable. Keep us updated.

 

[Mike-48]

This (@#*&%! thing is driving me nuts. It rained last night, and the issue occurred, despite the intervening switch. (I've had Comcast out three times -- they say there is no water penetration at any local equipment -- but still, it happens mostly when it rains.)

Another new piece of information: Recently, I set up my NAS so that Synology reports when they lose contact, and I get the approximate time this issue begins. Since the hostname, it always begins within 15 minutes of the scheduled automatic reboot of my RT-AC88U. I've turned off the automatic reboot scheduler and will see what happens.

 

[Morris]

That is a creative solution though it will not be fun if it rains for 3 days. Request a days refund every time it goes down. Share your outage reports with others that are effected and Comcast might look at more than the sign eith your address

 

[Mike-48]

It seems that the router was not reconnecting after scheduled reboots, and that's what caused the issue. At least, that's my conclusion after turning them off and not having trouble for a couple of days. (A manual reboot would not trigger the issue.) Admittedly, it's a small sample size, so my conclusion is tentative.

The new RT-AX86U arrived today, and I put it in place of the RT-AC88U. Therefore, I'll be unable to test the original issue further -- unless it occurs with the new router. There was a time when I found tracking down such problems fascinating. That time has long passed.

 

[Mike-48]

To follow up: I've had the RT-AX86U for about six months now. It has proven fast, free of quirks, and completely reliable. It's the best router I've used.

My thanks to everyone who recommended it.