Internet connectivity flapping on multiple devices.

[tonyrossback]

Three weeks ago I replaced an old modem with a new TP-Link modem VX220-G2v that was supplied and pre-configured by TPG. Since the new modem was installed I am having random regular (10+ times a day) loss of Internet connectivity on multiple decives (Windows, iPad, mobile phones). Some devices effected are using Ethernet, some Wi-Fi. I noticed on my desktop computers that when Internet connectivity is lost the ipconfig command shows the "default gateway" IP address is blank. When Internet is working the gateway is 192.168.1.1.

I had TPG support on the phone for over an hour yesterday and the problem has not been resolved. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Tony

[Ahra_G]

Hi @tonyrossback,

We're keen on sorting this out. Please send us a private message and we'll go from there. 

-Ahra_G

[david64]

Hi @tonyrossback . What was the model of the old router?
Are you able to connect it in place of the VX220? This will show if there is a problem with the NBN connection.

When you lose connectivity, what is the state of the indicator lights on VX220, and NBN box if you have one?

What do you do to recover the connection? 

Are there any messages in the VX220 System Log when connectivity drops?

During connectivity drop, do wifi devices keep their wifi connection to router?

[tonyrossback]

Hi david64,

Thanks for chipping in to help resolve my problem.

The old router has gone to recycling so I can't use it to test the connection. It was a white colour, sorry I don't know the model. PS - it was replaced due to overheating concerns, but I never had any connectivity issues when I was using it.

When I lose internet connection, all the status lights on the VX220 and the NBN box don't change. The "internet" lights are still ON.

To recover the Internet connection, I have to power off the VX220, wait a few minutes, then restart it. All devices are then able to connect and get Internet access. I don't need to power down the NBN box, only the VX220. The problem seems to occur when our devices go to sleep. When they wake up again the Internet connection is gone. PS - I notice this morning when I woke up my HP desktop (with Ethernet connection to the VX220) the Internet connection was gone, and I was watching the network status, it was cycling between "Unidentified network - no Internet" then a few seconds later the status changed to connected for about 1 second, then it dropped out again with the "Unidentified network - no Internet" message again. This cycle repeated continuously until I restarted the VX220.

 Are there any messages in the VX220 System Log when connectivity drops? Great question and here I have another potential problem. As part of my fault analysis I tried several times to log into the VX220 (http://192.168.1.1) and when prompted for a password I entered the same password that I use to connect all my devices. That password does not work. I get a message telling me it's the wrong password. Is there a different password I should use to actually log into the VX220 i.e. a different password than the password I use to connect a device to the network?

During connectivity dropout, the PC's Wi-Fi icon changes to an icon that looks like a world globe. The same happens on my PC with the Ethernet connection to the VX220. Does that mean the device has lost all connectivity to the network?

One more piece of info that might help diagnose the problem. A friend came over last night with his HP laptop. He travels a lot and has never had problems connecting to Wi-Fi networks. When he tried to connect to my home Wi-Fi network he couldn't connect. He got exactly the same errors and behaviour that our devices are having.

Regards,

Tony

[david64]

@tonyrossback . The "default password" for the router admin is on the label on the VX220. This is different from the wifi password.

When the problem occurs, you may not be able to log in to router because it seems to be dropping the LAN and wifi network connection.

When problem occurs, does it affect all devices at the same time? Any device is allowed to login to router to check the System Log. It's likely the router does not know there is a problem.

If you can login during the problem, do restart from the menu rather than turning off/on.

On the PC when you did ipconfig, there was no gateway, but did it still have its local ip address?

Can you ping the VX220?     ping 192.168.1.1

On the wifi devices, are they still connected to router wifi (signal strength and wifi speed) with ip address?

At any rate, looks like faulty VX220.

[david64]

@tonyrossback . I saw your reply in the email I got from Community, but you have deleted it here.

What is the firmware version of the VX220?

In the system log, the System, PPP and DHCP messages might have something useful. VOIP messages don't mean much. You can save the system log to any device as text file, then copy and paste as text into your reply. You can always edit it out of the post later.

The 169.254 address means no response from DHCP server. This is the server within the router firmware. Some sort of logical break in the connection through the ethernet port to the router firmware.

When problem occurs and you cannot login to VX220 using PC, did you try to login on other devices apart from PC?
Have you tried the PC connected to other LAN ports? Wait for problem to occur on PC, then move PC to another port.
If you never turned the PC off, do you think it would have this problem?
Any difference between putting the PC to sleep, or in hibernation, or shutdown?
Does the PC need to be off for a specific length of time to have problem when restarted?

[tonyrossback]

Hi @david64 thanks for your reply. Sorry, I don't know how I deleted my post. It was unintentional. I'm glad you got an email copy.

From my point of view, with your help and guidance, I think we have confirmed the problem is in the VX220 modem/router that TPG have sent me. This is based on:

1. When the fault occurs I cannot ping the VX220 (192.168.1.1) from an ethernet connected device or a Wi-Fi connected device.

2. When the fault occurs ipconfig shows the "default gateway" is blank and the IP address on the device has changed to 169.254. TPG's self-help document "Browsing issues" says an IP address starting with 169.254 indicates your modem is failing to get a response from the DHCP server.

3. You've mentioned the DHCP server setup is in the firmware on the VX220 modem.

5. Therefore we can conclude that the VX220 that TPG have supplied is not working as expected and should be replaced.

I will request TPG send a replacement modem to me ASAP.

Thanks for all your help.

Cheers,

Tony