Persistent internet disconnects on RT-AX88U with RP-AX56 node.

[grizzledoldman]

Hello! Having a frustrating issue that I am hoping the collective minds here can help with. Details below:

1. Description of issue:
   1. Periodically (every 12-72 hours, roughly), my LAN will disconnect from the internet. Addresses within the LAN are still reachable over WiFi and wired connections, but the public internet is not reachable.
   2. A reboot (hard or soft) immediately fixes the issue.
   3. I am unable to identify an external pattern that correlates with the issue presenting. Sometimes I return home to find the issue has happened, sometimes it happens while I am using the network.
2. State of the network:
   1. RT-AX88U as the main node, running Merlin 386.3_2
   2. RP-AX56U as an AiMesh node, running Asus stock FW 3.0.0.4.386_42860-gcedf3e6
   3. RP-AX56U has a wired ethernet connection back to RT-AX88U, with wired backhaul enabled.
   4. Roughly 15 or so devices on the network, including:
      1. WLAN
         1. LG C9 TV
         2. Sonos speakers
         3. Two iphones, on Apple Watch
         4. Amazon Kindle
         5. Three Laptops
         6. Google Nest Protect
         7. HP wireless printer
      2. Wired
         1. Synology NAS
         2. Sonos Arc
         3. An ARM device I build for audio streaming (known good, used on past LANs with no issue)
   5. Connectivity is provided by Verizon FIOS, using a fairly new ONT (less than one year old) with with a 1G connection.
3. History of issue/attempted fixes
   1. Network was stable when using Verizon G3200 router
   2. Issue started presenting when I upgraded to the current Asus setup
   3. Originally used stock Asus FW on both devices. Issue would occur and the RT-AX88U would show the WAN status as disconnected (both in the network console and with the indicator light showing red)
   4. Changed FW on RT-AX88U to Merlin. Issue still occurs but now the console and the indicator light DO NOT show WAN disconnected even when it is.
   5. Specified max MTU size to 1500. No effect.
   6. Disabled Private Network Addresses on iOS devices. No effect.
   7. Specified Cloudflare as DNS provider. No effect.
   8. Experimented with different DHCP query frequency settings. No effect. Currently set to continuous.
   9. Performed hard reset and reconfiguration. No effect.
   10. Disabled port bonding/link aggregation on the Synology device. No effect.
   11. I've attached several logs, each ending exactly when the issue occurs. I cannot see an obvious cause here but I am not expert at reading these. Seems like a lot of the entries are not relevant and WAN status isn't mentioned in them.

Any thoughts? I'm really at my wits end!

Thank you!

 

[OzarkEdge]

Hello! Having a frustrating issue that I am hoping the collective minds here can help with. Details below:

1. Description of issue:
   1. Periodically (every 12-72 hours, roughly), my LAN will disconnect from the internet. Addresses within the LAN are still reachable over WiFi and wired connections, but the public internet is not reachable.
   2. A reboot (hard or soft) immediately fixes the issue.
   3. I am unable to identify an external pattern that correlates with the issue presenting. Sometimes I return home to find the issue has happened, sometimes it happens while I am using the network.
2. State of the network:
   1. RT-AX88U as the main node, running Merlin 386.3_2
   2. RP-AX56U as an AiMesh node, running Asus stock FW 3.0.0.4.386_42860-gcedf3e6
   3. RP-AX56U has a wired ethernet connection back to RT-AX88U, with wired backhaul enabled.
   4. Roughly 15 or so devices on the network, including:
      1. WLAN
         1. LG C9 TV
         2. Sonos speakers
         3. Two iphones, on Apple Watch
         4. Amazon Kindle
         5. Three Laptops
         6. Google Nest Protect
         7. HP wireless printer
      2. Wired
         1. Synology NAS
         2. Sonos Arc
         3. An ARM device I build for audio streaming (known good, used on past LANs with no issue)
   5. Connectivity is provided by Verizon FIOS, using a fairly new ONT (less than one year old) with with a 1G connection.
3. History of issue/attempted fixes
   1. Network was stable when using Verizon G3200 router
   2. Issue started presenting when I upgraded to the current Asus setup
   3. Originally used stock Asus FW on both devices. Issue would occur and the RT-AX88U would show the WAN status as disconnected (both in the network console and with the indicator light showing red)
   4. Changed FW on RT-AX88U to Merlin. Issue still occurs but now the console and the indicator light DO NOT show WAN disconnected even when it is.
   5. Specified max MTU size to 1500. No effect.
   6. Disabled Private Network Addresses on iOS devices. No effect.
   7. Specified Cloudflare as DNS provider. No effect.
   8. Experimented with different DHCP query frequency settings. No effect. Currently set to continuous.
   9. Performed hard reset and reconfiguration. No effect.
   10. Disabled port bonding/link aggregation on the Synology device. No effect.
   11. I've attached several logs, each ending exactly when the issue occurs. I cannot see an obvious cause here but I am not expert at reading these. Seems like a lot of the entries are not relevant and WAN status isn't mentioned in them.

Any thoughts? I'm really at my wits end!

Thank you!

I would assume a hardware issue on the WAN side and proceed to swap things around to isolate it.

Next time it happens, disconnect the router and briefly wire a PC to the ONT to see if it has Internet access.

Try a different WAN cable.

Try a spare router... the current router may be sick.

OE

 

[grizzledoldman]

Thank you for the quick reply OE. Yes, I have tried connecting to the ONT during disconnects. It works and thus seems to confirm that the issue is happening after the router.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Thank you for the quick reply OE. Yes, I have tried connecting to the ONT during disconnects. It works and thus seems to confirm that the issue is happening after the router.

That suggests it is happening after the ONT.

Try a different WAN cable.

Try a spare router... the current router may be sick.

OE

 

[Tech9]

Network was stable when using Verizon G3200 router

This WAN disconnection issue is reported multiple times. It happens with some specific ISP equipment. The only guaranteed solution is to use the ISP provided modem/router as router and run your network in double NAT behind it. This is not an issue, if you have access to ISP modem/router settings.

 

[grizzledoldman]

This WAN disconnection issue is reported multiple times. It happens with some specific ISP equipment. The only guaranteed solution is to use the ISP provided modem/router as router and run your network in double NAT behind it. This is not an issue, if you have access to ISP modem/router settings.

Interesting. I haven't heard that solution before. Is the Verizon G3200 capable of running this way? Is there a performance overhead for doing so?

 

[Tech9]

This is a standard solution - you use the ISP provided equipment to establish the connection. If it fails to do so, the ISP will have to fix it for you. They can't blame your equipment anymore - you use what they have provided to you. This G3200 router will have one client only - your AX88U router. All your devices are attached to your router as normal, in double NAT behind the ISP router. Verizon G3200 is a home All-In-One router - disable Wi-Fi on it, wire your router G3200 LAN port to AX88U WAN port. In case you need Port Forwarding or DDNS service, ask here how to set it up and you'll get the answers. There is no performance difference in double NAT, only some extra configuration involved. There will be no more WAN disconnections.

 

[grizzledoldman]

Thanks Tech9 for the thorough write up. I'll look into that. I'll admit that this is the first time I've heard of such a requirement and I've been doing home networking for years. Was I just fortunate or is there something about the Asus' hardware that requires using a stock router and double NAT?

 

[Tech9]

Was I just fortunate or is there something about the Asus' hardware that requires using a stock router and double NAT?

This is not a requirement, but workaround. I've never seen this issue, but it was reported here on SNB. The usual symptoms are WAN disconnected, red WAN light and/or "Your ISP DHCP is not functioning properly" message in logs. Asus tried to fix it with Continuous Mode in WAN, but it still intermittently comes and goes for some folks. I believe it's incompatibility related between specific ISP equipment and Asus routers. Double NAT is common - some ISP provided equipment doesn't offer modem only bridge mode. Folks with no bridge mode option have to use double NAT, if they want to have own/better equipment behind the ISP provided one. Try it and see if it solves your WAN disconnection issues.

 

[CarlyElise]

Regarding Disconnection issues, i have an RT-AX86U and a RT-AX88U each on their own 1gb connection connected through an Aris S33 modem. DHCP is on aggressive. I have had no issues at all with the internet connection dropping and getting consistently between 700-1100 mbps on RCN in Chicago. I do randomly and not often at all have wireless stop working and i have to disconnect and reconnect. Not sure why yet but it's not a very big deal so far and seems to only affect my laptop. I had a number of DHCP related issues when i was using an SB8200 and they seem to have been completely cleared up since i switched.

 

[grizzledoldman]

This is not a requirement, but workaround. I've never seen this issue, but it was reported here on SNB. The usual symptoms are WAN disconnected, red WAN light and/or "Your ISP DHCP is not functioning properly" message in logs. Asus tried to fix it with Continuous Mode in WAN, but it still intermittently comes and goes for some folks. I believe it's incompatibility related between specific ISP equipment and Asus routers. Double NAT is common - some ISP provided equipment doesn't offer modem only bridge mode. Folks with no bridge mode option have to use double NAT, if they want to have own/better equipment behind the ISP provided one. Try it and see if it solves your WAN disconnection issues.

Yes, I finally saw the "WAN_Connection: ISP's DHCP did not function properly." message in a system log today after a WAN failure. Strange the error message didn't show up until now.

I'm a bit baffled by how prevalent (and semi-secret) this is. Is this specific to Asus routers? Or all third party routers from all manufacturers?

Some posts here have indicated that powering the whole system down for 15-20 minutes then doing a hard reset has been effective. Something about giving the ISP enough time to flush any record of the old router's MAC address. Thoughts on that fix?

 

[Tech9]

Read the main threads, different folks offer different solutions with mixed results. Seems like it's an Asus thing.

WAN_Connection: ISP's DHCP did not function properly.

Hi. I know there are other threads on this topic, but there doesn't seem to be a resolution. I thought I would post a little more info, and with guidance, I'm happy to help troubleshoot this very annoying problem. background: occasionally the ASUS router loses a connection, DHCP lease, or...

www.snbforums.com

ASUS firmware DHCP "Continuous Mode" potential fix for "ISP's DHCP did not function properly"

FYI - creating this thread because I can't find this issue/solution concisely documented anywhere else, please add any info below. I can see a number Australians on the new NBN (a government run, centrally managed ISP 'platform') are experiencing issues with DHCP and asus routers in particular...

www.snbforums.com

Using the ISP provided equipment as Internet facing router fixes the issue permanently. There is no ISP's DHCP anymore to your router.

 

[Waterdowner]

Yes, I finally saw the "WAN_Connection: ISP's DHCP did not function properly." message in a system log today after a WAN failure. Strange the error message didn't show up until now.

I'm a bit baffled by how prevalent (and semi-secret) this is. Is this specific to Asus routers? Or all third party routers from all manufacturers?

Some posts here have indicated that powering the whole system down for 15-20 minutes then doing a hard reset has been effective. Something about giving the ISP enough time to flush any record of the old router's MAC address. Thoughts on that fix?

Hello! Having a frustrating issue that I am hoping the collective minds here can help with. Details below:

1. Description of issue:
   1. Periodically (every 12-72 hours, roughly), my LAN will disconnect from the internet. Addresses within the LAN are still reachable over WiFi and wired connections, but the public internet is not reachable.
   2. A reboot (hard or soft) immediately fixes the issue.
   3. I am unable to identify an external pattern that correlates with the issue presenting. Sometimes I return home to find the issue has happened, sometimes it happens while I am using the network.
2. State of the network:
   1. RT-AX88U as the main node, running Merlin 386.3_2
   2. RP-AX56U as an AiMesh node, running Asus stock FW 3.0.0.4.386_42860-gcedf3e6
   3. RP-AX56U has a wired ethernet connection back to RT-AX88U, with wired backhaul enabled.
   4. Roughly 15 or so devices on the network, including:
      1. WLAN
         1. LG C9 TV
         2. Sonos speakers
         3. Two iphones, on Apple Watch
         4. Amazon Kindle
         5. Three Laptops
         6. Google Nest Protect
         7. HP wireless printer
      2. Wired
         1. Synology NAS
         2. Sonos Arc
         3. An ARM device I build for audio streaming (known good, used on past LANs with no issue)
   5. Connectivity is provided by Verizon FIOS, using a fairly new ONT (less than one year old) with with a 1G connection.
3. History of issue/attempted fixes
   1. Network was stable when using Verizon G3200 router
   2. Issue started presenting when I upgraded to the current Asus setup
   3. Originally used stock Asus FW on both devices. Issue would occur and the RT-AX88U would show the WAN status as disconnected (both in the network console and with the indicator light showing red)
   4. Changed FW on RT-AX88U to Merlin. Issue still occurs but now the console and the indicator light DO NOT show WAN disconnected even when it is.
   5. Specified max MTU size to 1500. No effect.
   6. Disabled Private Network Addresses on iOS devices. No effect.
   7. Specified Cloudflare as DNS provider. No effect.
   8. Experimented with different DHCP query frequency settings. No effect. Currently set to continuous.
   9. Performed hard reset and reconfiguration. No effect.
   10. Disabled port bonding/link aggregation on the Synology device. No effect.
   11. I've attached several logs, each ending exactly when the issue occurs. I cannot see an obvious cause here but I am not expert at reading these. Seems like a lot of the entries are not relevant and WAN status isn't mentioned in them.

Any thoughts? I'm really at my wits end!

Thank you!

So I have an RT-AX88U as my main aimesh router. It's been working fine for 2yrs. I hardwired 1GB ethernet this router to a RT-AX58U aimesh node on Port1.
Since then every few days I lose connectivity to the internet with NO red LED light on the router indicating the internet connection is down. Rebooting it fixes the issue. Like yourself, all my devices can still connect to each other including across the 1GB Ethernet backhaul.

Just prior to putting in the 1GB ethernet backhaul I setup another RT-AX88U as a aimesh node with WiFi backhaul and it kept disappearing daily from the AiMesh requiring a factory reset.

Is AiMesh 2.0 just unstable?

 

[L&LD]

No, AiMesh 2.0 is stable for many, many users.

There are at least a few possible explanations for your results.

When was the last time you did a full reset to factory defaults in the past two years?

The RT-AX58U has not proven itself for reliability in my experience.

You're using ports 5-8 on the RT-AX88U.

A combination of the above (and/or more) points above may possibly hold the key reasons to your unstable network.

What firmware are you on, on these routers?

 

[Waterdowner]

Just reiterating that I am experiencing the exact same symptoms matching those of the original post above.

1. Description of issue:
   1. Periodically (every 12-72 hours, roughly), my LAN will disconnect from the internet. Addresses within the LAN are still reachable over WiFi and wired connections, but the public internet is not reachable.
   2. A reboot (hard or soft) immediately fixes the issue.
   3. I am unable to identify an external pattern that correlates with the issue presenting. Sometimes I return home to find the issue has happened, sometimes it happens while I am using the network.

FYI
* NOT using ports 5-8 in the RT-AX88U at all
* Firmware was ALL latest up to date as of last week on all routers involved

After spending 2 weeks of unsuccessful troubleshooting I replaced both routers with a pair of Asus XT8 ZenWiFi AX routers. These will be my last ASUS routers if the problems are not resolved. One more post pending!! I want to be an Asus fan but this is their last chance.

Why AiMesh sucks (for me)

1. RT-AX88U router and RT-AC68U node - Intermittent WiFi problems
2. RT-AX88U router and RT-AX88U node - RT-AX88U node disappears from AiMesh daily and needs to be re-added
3. RT-AX88U router and RT-AX58U node - Same problem as reported by original post above - ...my LAN will disconnect from the internet...

AiMesh - great concept but with 50+ different router models to support clearly compatibility etc. is going to be a challenge or maybe it's just the RT-AX88U????

 

[Waterdowner]

Just reiterating that I am experiencing the exact same symptoms matching those of the original post above.

1. Description of issue:
   1. Periodically (every 12-72 hours, roughly), my LAN will disconnect from the internet. Addresses within the LAN are still reachable over WiFi and wired connections, but the public internet is not reachable.
   2. A reboot (hard or soft) immediately fixes the issue.
   3. I am unable to identify an external pattern that correlates with the issue presenting. Sometimes I return home to find the issue has happened, sometimes it happens while I am using the network.

FYI
* NOT using ports 5-8 in the RT-AX88U at all
* Firmware was ALL latest up to date as of last week on all routers involved

After spending 2 weeks of unsuccessful troubleshooting I replaced both routers with a pair of Asus XT8 ZenWiFi AX routers. These will be my last ASUS routers if the problems are not resolved. One more post pending!! I want to be an Asus fan but this is their last chance.

Why AiMesh sucks (for me)

1. RT-AX88U router and RT-AC68U node - Intermittent WiFi problems
2. RT-AX88U router and RT-AX88U node - RT-AX88U node disappears from AiMesh daily and needs to be re-added
3. RT-AX88U router and RT-AX58U node - Same problem as reported by original post above - ...my LAN will disconnect from the internet...

AiMesh - great concept but with 50+ different router models to support clearly compatibility etc. is going to be a challenge or maybe it's just the RT-AX88U????

GOOD NEWS UPDATE: So a week after installing a pair of XT8 routers in a AiMesh setup using existing ethernet cables and no changes to the environment I have had NO problems. Given that I set up the network exactly the same as before (on the RT-AX88U's and RT-AX58U) I am going to say there was clearly some problems with those models of Asus routers. I would stay away from RT-AX88U for AIMesh setups.