TPLink Modem VR1600 weird behavior

[Taz]

Hello. Internet working fine. Then it stops. Log into modem:

Basic screen: Internet Status: Disconnected. Please configure your DNS manually. Connection Type, IP Address, DNS server and Gateway all populated.

Advanced screen: Line Status: Connected, Internet shows IP Address, subnetmask, etc. all correct and matching the basic screen.

Basic screen: Internet Status: Disconnected

Computer: Ping 1.1.1.1 - timeouts.

All lights on modem are fine.

Advanced Diags:

Test xDSL Synchronization Pass
Test WAN Connection Pass
Network Connection Status Inspect (NCSI) Fail
Diagnostics completed

Few minutes later, starts working again. Internet status on basic screen: Connected, same IP, etc.

Doing this regularly and it's very annoying and unreliable. Nothing in modem log files.

Firmware Version:0.1.0 0.9.1 v5006.0 Build 200810 Rel.53181n Hardware Version:Archer VR1600v v2 00000000

Requested firmware update a few months ago but I dont think it happened.

Advanced Diagnostics:

Test xDSL Synchronization Pass
Test WAN Connection Pass
Network Connection Status Inspect (NCSI) Fail
Diagnostics completed

This is making my internet very unreliable and I have to work from home covid. What's going on?

thanks you

[david64]

Hi @Taz . What type of NBN connection do you have?

When problem occurs, any change to its lights?

On VR1600, any change to DSL, WAN or Internet lights?

When it says to configure your DNS manually, what addresses are shown?

From your computer, can you ping the DNS ip addresses and the Gateway ip address at this time?

If the WAN ip address is unchanged, presume you are on dynamic ip, not static ip, and there are no messages in VR1600 log at that time, the physical connection seems fine.

[Taz]

FTTN. Unfortunately. Dynamic IP.

No change to lights at all on modem.

It was showing TPG DNS addresses, I changed to 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 but the random working/not working keeps happening, so it's not a TPG dns issue.

I can ping the modem. I can tracertoute to the modem. Nothing past it. Stops dead at the modem.

Change nothing, wait a few moments and its fine again. Then when you least expect it, drops out.

It stands to reason therefore that the issue is the internet side of the modem.

I don't have another modem to try.

[Taz]

is the modem maybe retraining constantly? And taking so long it screws the connection? It's a dodgy link 1.2km long which is stupid because there is a box 100m away which they refuse to use, it is right over the top of my cable run.

[david64]

@Taz . Retraining should produce messages in the vr1600 system log.

You can check the vr1600 DSL info. It shows max and current up and down speeds, SNR, and line errors. You might be getting bursts of errors.

[Taz]

log file show nothing during these outages.

  Upstream Downstream

Current Rate (kbps)	10980	42255
Max Rate (kbps)	10980	42522
SNR Margin (dB)	6.1	6.4
Line Attenuation (dB)	46.3	22.1
Errors (pkts)	25	0

[Taz]

log set to debug level. I've never seen a speed retrain in there yet

[david64]

@Taz . If you do the speed test on TPG support page, does the graph of the upload test go smoothly, or stop/start?

In vr1600, is bandwidth control enabled and is there an upstream value? You could experiment with values from 9,000 to 10,500 kbps.

[Taz]

It's been stable for a few hours now. But this is what it does. Gets periods where it does this, then stabalises again. I will look at bandwidth control next time there is an issue. Knowing fttn it's probably rain related. hopefully the fttn upgrade to fttp comes next month i can order a decent plan and get some reliability.

Speedtest is fine, nice and steady. I obviously can't perform it when the problem occurs as there is no internet.

Is the modem firmware the latest?

[Taz]

Oh, is there somewhere in this modem where i can instigate a ping?