System reset due to kernel panic, Terminal:OTHER - firmware version v1.05t

[coophousehold]

I have been having a lot of issues with my router in the last month or so. Where it will not connect. Or devices will be connected by behave strangely. (Especially IoT devices like doorbell, smart lights etc.)

device is: DG8041W - I.1.01
firmware: v1.05t

I looked at the user logs and found the "System reset due to kernel panic, Terminal:OTHER" message from yesterday. But the issues are not strictly limited to that 
https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Broadband/Device-reset-Cause-System-reset-due-to-kernel-panic/td... which might be the same issue as this.

additionally there are constant logs of
"2024-03-09 16:59:07 [Critical][Config-Log] Terminal:ACS(92.30.11.245),Result:Fail,Type:Authorization,:" going back to january

So I think the ACS is somehow misconfigured and is unable to connect to update the firmware.

if you could please advise on the best way to proceed from here that would be much appreciated. Thanks

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi coophousehold

That's great news, thanks for letting us know 🙂

Debbie

[coophousehold]

Hi Debbie, 

It has felt very stable for the last day. I havent noticed any problems or any devices complaining about disconnection.

Thanks very much 😁

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi coophousehold

How's the connection been since the WIFI optimisation was switched off?

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi coophousehold

Apologies for this.

I've switched the WIFI optimisation off on your line to see if this helps.

Please can you monitor the connection over the next 24hrs and let us know how you get on.

Thanks again.

[coophousehold]

Hi, 

I have received the router. It is definitely an improvement but it is still behaving strangely with similar symptoms. As far as I can tell, LAN devices are fine. But the WiFi shows (on multiple devices) that it is frequently disconnecting and reconnecting. The reconnection speed has been high enough that it hasnt given me noticable issues apart from a pop-up every now and then saying I have been disconnected from WiFi (seen on both phone and smart TV)

The logs seem to back this up as well (short snippet included. I finished setting the router up at 14:00 and hadnt changed any settings or intentionally connected any new devices for several hours at the time of these logs):

3.03.2024 20:57:33	Error	DNS	DNS name resolution failure (settings.crashlytics.com)
13.03.2024 20:57:00	Error	DNS	DNS name resolution failure (settings.crashlytics.com)
13.03.2024 20:54:59	Error	DNS	DNS name resolution failure (mdm.oneplus.net)
13.03.2024 20:49:25	Info	WIFI	A WiFi device <1C:12:B0:92:06:21> has successfully connected to SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_VIDEO_5G])
13.03.2024 20:49:20	Info	WIFI	Device <1C:12:B0:92:06:21> was disconnected on SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_VIDEO_5G])
13.03.2024 20:49:09	Info	WIFI	A WiFi device <1C:12:B0:92:06:21> has successfully connected to SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_VIDEO_5G])
13.03.2024 20:49:09	Info	WIFI	Device <1C:12:B0:92:06:21> was disconnected on SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_PRIV])
13.03.2024 20:49:03	Info	WIFI	A WiFi device <1C:12:B0:92:06:21> has successfully connected to SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_PRIV])
13.03.2024 20:49:01	Error	DNS	DNS name resolution failure (nvmos.nvidia.com)
13.03.2024 20:48:47	Info	WIFI	A WiFi device <CC:9E:A2:BA:49:E0> has successfully connected to SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_VIDEO_5G])
13.03.2024 20:48:43	Info	WIFI	A WiFi device <72:F1:4F:26:87:93> has successfully connected to SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_PRIV])
13.03.2024 20:48:32	Info	WIFI	WiFi security settings have been successfully saved
13.03.2024 20:48:32	Info	WIFI	Device <1C:12:B0:92:06:21> was disconnected on SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_VIDEO_5G])
13.03.2024 20:48:31	Info	WIFI	WiFi security settings have been successfully saved
13.03.2024 20:48:31	Info	WIFI	A WiFi device <06:D2:23:19:04:FB> has successfully connected to SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_PRIV])
13.03.2024 20:48:30	Info	WIFI	A WiFi device <12:0D:49:15:84:71> has successfully connected to SSID (Device/WiFi/SSIDs/SSID[WL_PRIV])
13.03.2024 20:48:29	Info	WIFI	WiFi security settings have been successfully saved

All of the disconnection spamming seems to be mixed in with "WiFi security settings have been successfully saved" which might be the thing that is causing the issue? Or it could be something else

And then a few DNS resolution failures which I dont think are related to the issue but left in for completeness.

I'm not sure if this is the same issue as the last router somehow (implying that the fault is somwhere up-stream. But somehow only affects WiFi and not LAN???). Or Im just incredibly unlucky....

Let me know if have any suggestions of what to try next. Otherwise I will start messing with:

- fixed WiFi channels maybe there is some frequent channel swapping going on and causing problems?
- Trying a different name for the 2G and 5G to see if its caused by devices trying to swap between them (although the logs dont suggest that)

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi coophousehold

Have you received the router?

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi coophousehold

Thank you 🙂

The router is on its way, please allow 24-48hrs for this to arrive.

Let us know how the connection compares with this router.

Debbie

[coophousehold]

Done 👍

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi coophousehold

Thanks for your reply.

Please can you add your name to your Community Profile, I can then send the replacement router.

Debbie

[coophousehold]

Hi Debbie,

Thank you for getting back. Yes if you could arrange to send out new hardware that would be brilliant!

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi coophousehold

I'm really sorry to hear this.

I will need to send out a different make and model of router. Would you like me to arrange this?

[Divsec]

Hi @coophousehold great persistence, I would still suggest looking out for a contact from the TT team, they might just have a very good solution for you. 

[coophousehold]

UPDATE: I think those logs "SYSTEM RESET DUE TO KERNEL PANIC, TERMINAL:OTHER" etc.  were a red herring and not my actual problem.

I still haven't solved it. But the main symptom of the problem is that the WiFi is very intermittent and keeps dropping out entirely or being connected but at very low speeds. But devices connected via LAN are completely fine... 

I have tried:
- factory resetting the router (no real change. although fixed my failure to connect to the ACS I think)
- switching the 2.4GHz WiFi to use a relatively unoccupied channel (11)

This is quite annoying on phones and laptops, but they seem to recover from small blips. But our smart devices have needed to be completely reset a few times.

[coophousehold]

I factory reset the router, but the smart devices were still refusing to connect or behaving badly. Then I set the 2.4GHz WiFi to be on a fixed channel (11) rather than Automatic. And that helped some of the smart devices find an initial connection. But they dropped off again. And mobile devices etc keep dropping and recovering wifi connection

[Divsec]

Hi @coophousehold thanks for trying, just learnt that lots of areas will be maintained today.

👍

[coophousehold]

Unfortunately I cant do that, because I dont know it (because we dont have any landline stuff as part of our broadband. And the entire talktalk website seems to be down so I cant check it in my account). But I have added my account number to my personal information

[Divsec]

Hi @coophousehold please add your landline phone number to your community profile so that your account can be identified by the team here. They will be be in touch tomorrow with a solution.