RT-AC68U ... Need some help!

[rirusssma]

I have been having some issues with the 'Internet' lately; every so often, maybe a day or sometimes an hour the Internet shuts down. I have turned Off and then On the router and it comes back, however, I have contacted the Internet Service provider and several times they have told me that it was problems THEY were having thus the interruptions.

I have my doubts though because EVERYTIME I turn the Router Off and then ON it comes back immediately.

Now, I have included a txt file of the Routers' log from Jun26-29. The internet got cutoff at about 9:40 the 29th, I turned the Router Off and then On some time after that and it came back up. I really can't tell if it is the Router or the Service Provider that is causing the interruptions.

If anyone can help me diagnose that file and give me an assessment about what is happening I would appreciate very much.

If there is anything or other information that might help diagnose the problem please let me know.

Firmware 378.54_2

Thanks.

 

[PolarBear]

I have contacted the Internet Service provider and several times they have told me that it was problems THEY were having thus the interruptions.

If the ISP says this is happening because of problems they are having, this is most likely to be correct. The entries in the log file seem to support this.

I think it is very unlikely that the ISP would tell you that it's their fault, if this were not the case.

 

[rirusssma]

Thank you Polar Bear, the issue for me is that every time the Internet goes out I just Restart the Router and it works again. I am puzzled because if the Internet was down 'from' the ISP wouldn't it stay down until it came up again? but it seems to come back immediately every time after I restart the Router. Could you please point out the lines where the break happens?

Thanks so much on helping me understand what is going on.

 

[Droid8Apple]

Jun 29 09:40:27 kernel: tfat warning (device sdb1, pid 931): fat_fill_super(): FAT volume THIS-THAT is dirty. You should unmount and repair it.
Jun 29 09:40:27 hotplug[915]: USB vfat fs at /dev/sdb1 mounted on /tmp/mnt/THIS-THAT
Jun 29 09:40:27 usb: USB vfat fs at /dev/sdb1 mounted on /tmp/mnt/THIS-THAT.

Where is this being plugged in? the router (usb 2.0 or 3.0) or the computer itself? Is there a USB hub being used in the router or computer?

Jun 29 10:17:18 WAN Connection: Ethernet link down.
Jun 29 10:17:18 stop_nat_rules: apply the redirect_rules!
Jun 29 10:21:48 WAN Connection: Ethernet link up.

Did you unplug the "ethernet/cat-5/big telephone jack" and plug it back in at any point? If you didn't, did you move the router or modem? If you moved it and it logged a disconnect/reconnect then I'd replace that cable from the modem > router and...

In the following order (precisely), have you tried to unplug the router and modem from the wall, and from each other. Do not touch either of them for 30 seconds or more. This is a good time to assure the coaxial cable is tightly secured to the modem. Plug the modem into the wall and wait 5 minutes to assure it shakes hands with your ISP and receives any information/updates they have for it. After that, plug the (preferably new) ethernet cord from modem > router. Lastly, plug the router into the wall and wait for it to boot (it isn't necessary but I always tell people to turn all WiFi devices that connect to the router OFF as well as unplugging any ethernet cables besides the one connecting modem > router). Again, set a timer for 5 minutes just to make absolutely sure that nothing from your home is impacting the boot sequence.

If the problem persists I'd certainly ask your ISP to send a refresh signal to the modem, replace it, or send a technician to check the coaxial. Comcast has an automated option to send a refresh signal to the modem so you don't have to wait and talk to people- just follow troubleshooting prompts if this is your ISP.

Best of luck to you!

 

[rirusssma]

I ran the USB drives check that I have Plugged into the Router, THIS and THAT is a File on that USB Drive into the USB2 port. Here is the Screen Shot of the Error.

I Unmounted the Drive and will See if there is any improvements. Could this have been my problem of disconnection?

 

[rirusssma]

On the second part:
Jun 29 10:17:18 WAN Connection: Ethernet link down.
Jun 29 10:17:18 stop_nat_rules: apply the redirect_rules!
Jun 29 10:21:48 WAN Connection: Ethernet link up.

Could this be when I cycled the Router Off and then On?

 

[rirusssma]

Droid8Apple... I was so excited to know that you found something wrong on my Logs that I forgot to Thank You.

Thank you !!!

 

[rirusssma]

I did the Indicated Sequence and installed a NEW Cat6 cable from/to the Router.

The USB Drive had the following files on it, I don't have a clue from where the .REC files are , the don't run with anything. The This&That folder has just have general data that can be perfectly read on the PC. Any clues or more ideas?

 

[Droid8Apple]

I ran the USB drives check that I have Plugged into the Router, THIS and THAT is a File on that USB Drive into the USB2 port. Here is the Screen Shot of the Error.

I Unmounted the Drive and will See if there is any improvements. Could this have been my problem of disconnection?

Asus is notorious for having buggy software. It could very well be contributing to the issue or the issue itself - but i cannot say definitively yes or no personally. Basically the whole thing is a cause-affect relationship. This is a silly way to explain it, but one of my professors said a computer (comparable to a factory assembly line of people) having problems would sound like this

You: plugs USB drive in or try to access something on the drive

Router: device plugged in,
activate 'abc'...
'ABC' failed, now what?...
"activate 'DEF'
'DEF' failed, now what?...
'activate............ '
...........
..........
"hey, he's stuck doing something up there we better stop what we're doing, just in case, until he figures out what his job is"

I also seen some UPNP errors in the log (not able to see exactly what right this second) which are "universal plug n play"... Which is what happens when you connect a device to the router. There are security risks by leaving UPNP enabled that could allow hackers to access your system so that could be shutting traffic down if you have a corrupted device.

I'm not pretending to be a genius, I'm still in school myself so I'm sure there's people out there who could tell you immediately. Just offering what I do know in case it helps.

 

[Droid8Apple]

On the second part:
Jun 29 10:17:18 WAN Connection: Ethernet link down.
Jun 29 10:17:18 stop_nat_rules: apply the redirect_rules!
Jun 29 10:21:48 WAN Connection: Ethernet link up.

Could this be when I cycled the Router Off and then On?

Yes it could be, but I figured I'd ask just in case because I've seen faulty cables cause unbelievable amounts of issues. I make my own since I learned how a years back, CAT-6 as well. Very tough and highly unlikely to fault unless yanked pretty hard.

 

[Droid8Apple]

I did the Indicated Sequence and installed a NEW Cat6 cable from/to the Router.

The USB Drive had the following files on it, I don't have a clue from where the .REC files are , the don't run with anything. The This&That folder has just have general data that can be perfectly read on the PC. Any clues or more ideas?

the .rec file extension are most commonly associated with the Topfield PVR digital video recorders.

When a Topfield PVR digital video recorder creates a video file, that file is saved with the .rec file extension.

Did you ever plug it into a video recorder? If so, sometimes the recorder will 'format' the drive to ensure it is able to write those videos you're taking to the memory stick. That being said, the log says it's of a "FAT" file system- I would copy the stuff off of it that you want to keep (via the computers USB port not the router yet), then format the drive.
Click My Computer, right click the drive letter of this drive, select Format. Once the small window pops up, there's an option for 'Restore Device Defaults', click that then click start. It'll only take a minute or so.

After its formatted, plug it in the router and grab another log for me. We'll see if at least we got that working. ;-)

 

[rirusssma]

The cable that was in was brand new, but I did replace it with a newer one.

How about those REC files, I don't have nothing that reads that, it appears as VLC but they don't seem to have any 'substance' in them.

Thanks much ...

 

[rirusssma]

No, did not have a Video Recorder Plugged in, however, I do have some IP Cameras through the Router that have their own Storage cards. Here is a txt file of the latest; I have picked from Dec 31??? through just now.

Thanks so much for taking the time to help me on this. Regards.-

 

[rirusssma]

The USB Drive was reformatted and plugged into the USB2 port and seems good, here is the screen shot.

I love the analogy about the ABCs ---->DEFs

 

[rirusssma]

It happened again, the Internet connection failed, I Turned the Router Off for 30 sec then On and it reconnected the Internet, I have included the Log file. The disconnection happened about 5:40 am.
Any help will be really appreciated ...........

 

[Flying Dutchman]

Looks similar problem as mentioned here: http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac68u-often-crash.25477/

I use AC68U with Asus stock firmware and have no issues at all.

 

[rirusssma]

Flying Dutchman which would be the Stock FW you are using? is it the Latest or the one it came with? in the later case how would I know which one it came with? Nothing mentioned on the rear label.

 

[rirusssma]

Looking at the Label on the back of the Router >> the model is RT-AC68P not U, like I mentioned.

 

[rirusssma]

Thanks, There seems to be a different FW for the RT-AC68P, the latest is for the RT-AC68U but Beta!!

Wonder if this could be the problem I'm having.

 

[rirusssma]

Got the Internet interrupted again, it happened at about 3:03 then I turned the Router Off and On few minutes later and the Internet came back immediately. The Log file attached is just taken from Jun 26 to now, however, Jun 28-29-30-Jul 01-02 are not present. it Jumps and fills with Dec 31 from Jun 27 to July 03, is that not strange?

Any ideas on why this might be happening?