Network gone nuts, can't identify the issue

[ashG]

If this is the wrong forum, please move this to the correct one.

I'm having issues with my home network and external connection. With no real rhyme or reason, the entire setup will go belly-up This can happen twice a day, or it can go days without being an issue.

My setup is as follows

Charter Cable --> Motorola SB6141 --> ASUS RT-N66U w/ latest Merlin Firmware

Wired connection to router: Desktop computer, Synology 213 NAS, OOMA VoIP
Wireless connection: 2 phones, printer, 2 laptops, 3 tablets, Blu-Ray player, Wii


The modem's Connected to Internet and Connected to LAN lights have not ever changed to a disconnected state during these outtages, which leads me t believe the cable modem is not the culprit.

During these outtages, there is no pattern as to whether I can log in to the router or not. Sometimes I can log in and it will show "Disconnected from Internet", other times the login will simply time out and I'm left staring at a blank screen.

This situation began all of a sudden two weeks ago. It has happened on the four latest editions of the Merlin firmware and on the latest edition of the official firmware. The router's settings were cleared following each firmware change in order to rule out holdover settings issues. At this point, I am confident it is not related to a specific firmware revision.

I have replaced the cable from the modem to the router with a new cable just in case a bad run could be the issue.

What do I need to look for to identify the culprit? What variables should I ignore?

Thanks for your help in getting this sorted out!

 

[CaptainSTX]

The first thing to confirm is that both your modem and ASUS are not both trying to assign DHCP.

It could be that if the DHCP server on the modem had been turned off or the modem was in the bridge mode a rest turned it back on.

While this can be made to work it will cause problems similar to the ones you are having if you aren't set up correctly.

If this isn't the issue then isolate your devices one by one and see if perhaps one of them has a defective/ failed Ethernet adapter.

Good luck.

 

[ashG]

I have experience in changing modes on DSL modems, but I don't see any user-changeable options on my cable modem other than Factory Reset and Reboot.

Checking the logs on the router, I've got pages of errors during each outage that mention DHCP error as part of each entry. I don't have that log file with me or I'd post it.

What should the router be set to? Assign or do not assign?

 

[Samir]

The first thing I would test during these odd outages is if you can plug a computer directly into the modem and duplicate the issues. If you can, it's something with the service.

I ran across a similar situation when Knology had an issue at one of my sites. The router at that location is kinda on its last legs anyways, so I assumed it finally died. A day later, everything started working like magic. All the cable lights were fine, just ping times were way screwy.

But in your case, if you can't access your router, that might be the culprit. Verifying that the cable modem and Internet service is okay will confirm that, while if the cable modem and Internet are not okay, that might cause the router to go bezerk too.

 

[ashG]

I got into my logs last night and found that my Wii has gone totally nuts. The router's logs are jam-packed with page after page of the Wii sending DHCP requests. Everything else on the network is pretty much quiet. I've taken the Wii offline to see if that will help out with the issue.

I totally reset the cable modem all the way back to out-of-box defaults and hard cleared the router as well. Everything is snappy and stable for now. Here's hoping that a clean start plus an offline Wii not generating request after pointless request will keep things stable.

 

[Samir]

I got into my logs last night and found that my Wii has gone totally nuts. The router's logs are jam-packed with page after page of the Wii sending DHCP requests. Everything else on the network is pretty much quiet. I've taken the Wii offline to see if that will help out with the issue.

I totally reset the cable modem all the way back to out-of-box defaults and hard cleared the router as well. Everything is snappy and stable for now. Here's hoping that a clean start plus an offline Wii not generating request after pointless request will keep things stable.

Glad to hear that you've sorted this out. After a few days of everything being okay, you can confirm the wii being the issue by plugging it back in--if eveyrthing goes haywire again, you've definitely found the issue.