RT-AX88U Pro Dropping WAN Connection

[dcmonroe00]

I recently updated the firmware on my Asus RT-AX88U Pro to 3004.388.8_2. The router was working fine prior to the update, but immediately afterward, the WAN connection became unstable. It drops every few minutes, sometimes for just a couple of seconds, other times as long a minute. The LAN connection is fine, but internet drops. I tried reverting to version 3004_388.7_0, but that did not fix the connection problem. I've confirmed that the router is the issue by connecting a computer directly to my Netgear Nighthawk CM2050V modem, and the connection was fine, but when the router was put back in place the instability started again. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ColinTaylor]

Log into the router and go to System Log > General Log to see why the connection is dropping.

 

[dcmonroe00]

Thanks for the response. I've looked at the log, and I'm not seeing any events that show a connection failure. However, I am running Net Uptime Monitor, and it is failing every few minutes, and activity keeps pausing every few minutes. As noted in the JPEG, I've had 24 failures in 56 minutes.

 

[ColinTaylor]

If there's nothing in the log that suggests the problem is upstream of the router. I know you said that the problem didn't happen when you plugged your PC into the modem so it maybe some sort of provisioning issue on the ISP side.

I suggest you log into the router using the PC that you previously connected to the modem. Then go to WAN - Internet Connection > Special Requirement from ISP. Click on the MAC Clone button which should populate the MAC Address field with that of your PC. Apply that change and wait a couple of minutes. Then power off the modem and the router. Wait a minute and turn on the modem. Wait another couple of minutes the allow the modem to fully boot up before turning the router back on.

 

[Don Draper]

I've been dealing with the same problem on my AX86U-Pro since the latest update. I've tried everything to troubleshoot. Had the ISP come out, and they even gave me a new modem, but no issues were found on their end. When I remove the AX86U from the setup, unbridge and use the modem directly, everything works fine. I've done factory resets, reverted to stock firmware, and tried a bunch of different settings, cables, but after a few hours, the router still drops Wi-Fi, loses internet access, or reboots. Right now, it's being looked at before the store will honor the extended warranty.

 

[dcmonroe00]

My experience matched yours. I've had Xfinity come out and troubleshoot. They could not replace the modem because I own it, but they said it has to be the modem or the router - there is no issue with the line. Since everything works when running directly through the modem, I am convinced it is the router. I am also convinced that the 3004.388.8_2 firmware update is the cause. Everything was running fine until the update, then immediately the dropped connection issue started.

 

[SadikP]

I thought I was the only one having this issue.

Updated to 3004_388.8_2 on my RT-AX11000.

Internet craps out every 12 or so hours.
I've even downgraded to some of the previous FW.
Downgraded to 3004.388.4 yesterday, I thought things were going well until it just dropped the WAN again just now.

Really need a fix for this. I know of another Asus user having the same issue.

 

[OzarkEdge]

I recently updated the firmware on my Asus RT-AX88U Pro to 3004.388.8_2. The router was working fine prior to the update, but immediately afterward, the WAN connection became unstable. It drops every few minutes, sometimes for just a couple of seconds, other times as long a minute. The LAN connection is fine, but internet drops. I tried reverting to version 3004_388.7_0, but that did not fix the connection problem. I've confirmed that the router is the issue by connecting a computer directly to my Netgear Nighthawk CM2050V modem, and the connection was fine, but when the router was put back in place the instability started again. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My RT-AX88U_Pro_3.0.0.6.102.33320 does not drop its Spectrum cable WAN connection.

OE

 

[dcmonroe00]

If there's nothing in the log that suggests the problem is upstream of the router. I know you said that the problem didn't happen when you plugged your PC into the modem so it maybe some sort of provisioning issue on the ISP side.

I suggest you log into the router using the PC that you previously connected to the modem. Then go to WAN - Internet Connection > Special Requirement from ISP. Click on the MAC Clone button which should populate the MAC Address field with that of your PC. Apply that change and wait a couple of minutes. Then power off the modem and the router. Wait a minute and turn on the modem. Wait another couple of minutes the allow the modem to fully boot up before turning the router back on.

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I tried it, and to my surprise, IT WORKED....for about a week. After several days of uninterrupted WAN access with the cloned MAC address, the problem started again. This is SUPER frustrating. If it truly is a provisioning issue, wouldn't I see connectivity problems with all other devices on the network? That is not the case - everything is up, or everything is down.

 

[ColinTaylor]

If it truly is a provisioning issue, wouldn't I see connectivity problems with all other devices on the network? That is not the case - everything is up, or everything is down.

Isn't that what you were describing - when the router has WAN issues it is effecting everything on your LAN (apart from local-only traffic)?

Check the logs on the modem.

Maybe also check the WAN lease duration (Network Map > Internet status > Lease time/expires). Perhaps the problem occurs when the lease has expired.

Does powering off the modem and waiting a few minutes before turning it back on fix the problem?

 

[dcmonroe00]

You are correct - when the WAN goes, it affects all LAN devices.

I've looked at the modem log and see nothing noteworthy there. I've also checked the lease time; it expires in 2 days. I've tried resetting the modem several times, leaving it unplugged for 5 minutes each time, but that does not fix the issue. The only thing that works is to run the modem directly to a PC, but of course, that doesn't help the other 50+ devices on my network.

 

[RMinNJ]

It sounds like some dhcp issue from your isp? Definitely try different cables also.