Google Nest Wifi & TP Link Archer 1600V Dropouts

[apple1558]

Hi,

We are experiencing unstable connectivity with our Google Nest Wifi (Mesh) / TP Link Archer 1600V setup and and need advice on how to fix. Any advice or help anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Symptoms: Network connectivity periodically drops for short periods and then reconnects. Network can be stable for a number of hours, then experience multiple dropouts in a row. All devices on the Wifi network are impacted. System log on the TP Link router shows regular events like those shown below., unsure if this is related (FYI Google Nest Wifi is connected to LAN4)

2020-10-19 12:59:32 [5] System: LAN4 link down
2020-10-19 12:59:35 [5] System: LAN4 link up 100 mbps

Current Setup: HFC NBN with Arris CM8200 Cable Modem connected to a TPG provided TP Link Archer 1600V router (wifi disabled). A number of wired devices are connected to the TP Link Archer 1600V device via network cabelling (Apple TV, Home Security camera etc.). Google Nest Wifi router is connected via network cable to one of the LAN ports on the TP Link Archer 1600V router. The Google Nest Wifi has a second access point creating a mesh Wifi network. The majority of devices in the house are connected via the Google Nest Wifi network. We don't use VOIP.

Please help!

Questions / Comments: Having reviewed the forums, it seems like people have issues with this configuration, however the correct setup is a bit unclear.

1. Am I having issues here because both the TP Link & Google routers have DHCP enabled? if so, what should I do to avoid the conflict?

2. Do I need to set either the TP Link or Google router into 'bridge mode'?

3. Would the DMZ setting on the TP Link help here?

4. Am I experiencing Double NAT here or would that just be an issue if I had Wifi enabled on the TP Link device?

4. What else should I try?

[david64]

Hi apple1558.

Is this a new setup you're trying to get going or has it been working before?

I'm assuming that cabled devices on Archer aren't affected.
It looks like the Archer is detecting a problem with Google on LAN4. Is there anything on the Google system log?
How long is that cable? You could try that cable on another port.
What port on the Google does the LAN4 cable connect to? (WAN/LAN?)

1. You could disable DHCP on Google then check that all devices (cabled and wifi) can all connect and get separate ip addresses and access internet at same time. Disable NAT also.
Archer has default ip address 192.168.1.1. Make Google 192.168.1.2 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and set DHCP server address and DNS address to 192.168.1.1.
2. Wouldn't worry about bridge mode yet.
3. Wouldn't worry about DMZ yet.
4. Disable NAT on Google.
5. The following is a suggestion. May not work or may not need it.
On the Google, enable DHCP server, set the ip address pool to a range that doesn't overlap with the Archer; if Archer range is 100-199, make Google range 200-249. Set default gateway and primary dns to 192.168.1.1 (Archer).
And disable NAT on Google.

[apple1558]

Hi David64,

Thank you so much.

> Is this a new setup you're trying to get going or has it been working before?

I purchased the Google device about 6 months ago. Prior to that we had just been using the Archer. The Google device has been working, but it has always had the occasional dropout. It seems to be dropping out more recently as it is beening used more heavily.

>I'm assuming that cabled devices on Archer aren't affected.

Yes, that's correct. The devices directly wired to the Archer don't seem to be affected.

>It looks like the Archer is detecting a problem with Google on LAN4. Is there anything on the Google system log?

Seems like Google doesn't let you see the logs.

>How long is that cable? You could try that cable on another port.

The cable is about 20cm long. I have tried it in another port and the issue remains.

>What port on the Google does the LAN4 cable connect to? (WAN/LAN?)

WAN

1. You could disable DHCP on Google then check that all devices (cabled and wifi) can all connect and get separate ip addresses and access internet at same time. Disable NAT also.
Archer has default ip address 192.168.1.1. Make Google 192.168.1.2 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and set DHCP server address and DNS address to 192.168.1.1.

Unfortunately the Google device will not allow me to disable DHCP or NAT. My Google Nest Wifi setup has two access points (main base + extra access point). It seems that the only way to switch off DCHP & NAT on the Google device is to switch it into bridge mode. However it only allows you to do this if you have a single access point. So the option is greyed out when I attempt to change.

> 5. The following is a suggestion. May not work or may not need it.
On the Google, enable DHCP server, set the ip address pool to a range that doesn't overlap with the Archer; if Archer range is 100-199, make Google range 200-249. Set default gateway and primary dns to 192.168.1.1 (Archer).
And disable NAT on Google.

The Archers address DHCP address pool is 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.199. The Google's address pool is 192.168.86.20 to 192.168.86.250. So it doesn't overlap, but I'm unsure how the subnet mask applies here. I have changed the Google address pool to be 192.168.86.200 to 192.168.86.250 and I will see how it goes.

[david64]

Hi apple1558. The fact that it works at all means the config is correct.

My only thoughts were to connect to the Google LAN port rather than WAN port, but it seems the WAN port works well enough. And, when it is working, can you jiggle the 20cm cable to make sure it isn't faulty.

You could make an address reservation in the Archer for the MAC address of Google; make it 192.168.1.2.

When a dropout occurs, do the wifi devices lose connection to Google or the browser page won't load?

What happens to the Google indicator lights at this time? How long is it down?

How many devices on Google? Any chance it is being overloaded regarding throughput? Does dropout occur during any specific activity?

Regarding my point 5 previously, I think I understand how it works. The Google makes its own network on 192.168.86.0. It is probably .1 and it allocates addresses to its attached devices from its pool. Its subnet mask is 255.255.255.0. (You could put the pool back to its original value.)

When Google connects to Archer, the Archer gives it an address from the Archer's pool-192.168.1.x- and a default gateway address-192.168.1.1- and subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Look in Archer to see what address is given to Google.

Google will NAT any request from one of its devices (192.168.86.x) into its address in the Archer network (192.168.1.x). The Archer does its own NAT and sends the request to the internet.

[david64]

Hi apple1558.

Are you still experiencing the following?

2020-10-19 12:59:32 [5] System: LAN4 link down
2020-10-19 12:59:35 [5] System: LAN4 link up 100 mbps

I changed to NBN recently and had these errors with my PC on all LAN ports. Chrome reported loss of internet connection. It only lasted a few seconds but could happen a few times a minute or few minutes apart. Also, timeouts on ping from PC to router.

I tried forcing the ethernet connection down to 100M-no good. A CAT6 cable from PC to router-no good. I went back for a closer look on the internet; there is a function Energy-Efficient Ethernet in the NIC properties. It is a way of reducing NIC transmit power when there is no activity.

Disabled it and no more problems.

There's actually two hits in Community for this. Search on   "energy efficient".

You should check if this function is available on your Google Nest.

[apple1558 · Accepted solution]

Hi David64,

Thank you for your help. Turns out I had a hardware fault. I did a factory reset of the router and enabled the option that shared data with Google ( I normally don't enable these things). Seems like they looked at the data and contacted me to offer me a replacement router. I have the new router now and it is working without issues for about a week now. 

Email from Google started like this - "We're committed to building products that deliver helpful solutions for your home and work the way that you would expect. So we want to let you know that we've identified an issue with your Nest Wifi Router (serial number*: XXXXXXX) that may cause it to reboot several times a day and disrupt your Internet usage. Unfortunately, our testing indicates that this problem might worsen over time".