Faulty Router ?

[MerseyRayUK]

I have just swapped over to Full Fibre 500  (Took just over 3.5 months from initial install date) and was first told I would be getting the super duper eero router.   Now that my install date came I received a router in the post... not an eero

I got the TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub 3 with Firmware Version: SGEK10004A00

After around 100 minutes, the internet stops working.

Looking in the router admin panel, the connection still says its connected, but it just isnt working on any device, wired or wireless.

So I have gone to the logs in the router to see if that helps and I see the following (See pics)

It looks like somebody has been having problems with this router in 2013. Im guessing its then been sent back to talktalk for a replacement and they have sent me this faulty router.

The only way to get the internet working on my devices again is to restart the router, it works for around 2-3 hours and then the same error happens.. All devices yet again dont work, and the router light is still lit and says connected in the router admin panel.

The majority of the errors are pointing to the DNS resolution failing.  I checked in the DNS settings and somebody had entered 192.168.1.1 as the DNS server, which is the router IP so wouldnt achieve anything..  I have removed that IP and the error is still there.  This leads me to believe that the last person was experiencing the same issue that I am now getting.

[KeithFrench]

Hang on, I have just noticed your photo of the router, if that is a hub 3, then it is one of the older versions, not the current one, or it is a hub 1 or 2. Please can you get me the Device info screenshot as well. If it is an older Hub 3, that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with it.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @MerseyRayUK 

@Mandisa-TT has asked me to have another look. On the hub 3, under certain light conditions and what it reflects upon, can give the white light a blueish or even purple appearance.

I need to start reading back through this thread, as I have been working on a number of other customers' problems recently.

I will get back to you later this morning, but in the meantime, please can you PM me (to preserve your privacy) the logs covering one such event from the hub 3.

Thanks.

[MerseyRayUK]

No. This is the new replacement router that I received in the post yesterday. 

I finished work at 5pm and connected it as soon as I got home. 

The new replies are all related to the NEW 2nd hub 3 router.

Plugging the old router in that I have had for years does not have these problems.

[MerseyRayUK]

The Tech guy said he had never heard of a purple light on the router..

[Mandisa-TT]

Thank you for your response. You mentioned last night that we should switch back to the old router. Could you please confirm if the new router is now working and connected?

[MerseyRayUK]

After the first failed testing I thought I would try again.

3 hours later and the internet was still working, then went to bed.

Woke up this moring and checked the router, first thing I noticed was that the LED on the front is purple so I knew it was off.

Tested a connection over the LAN to my PC in another room and that is working, so when the error occurs it kicks me off that remote desktop brielfy and I am able to connect again.

Logged into the router and it still says "Connected", but all devices, wired and wireless are unable to use that Full Fibre.

Turned the router off and on and internet is working again... for now.

[Mandisa-TT]

@KeithFrench Any insights on this would be greatly appreciated.

[MerseyRayUK]

Your not going to believe this.

Got the new hub3 router today, connected it up all working......

Just under 2 hours later, it disconnects again.

Now its not the internet data that is stopping, its like the LAN just stops working.  The wifi connection stays connected but its like the data passing through is stopping.

I know this because my PC is in another room and I was working on it via remote connection from my lounge. I connect to that via the LAN.  Now when it disconnected, my whole LAN stopped working.  The LAN obviously has no need for an internet connection.

Now once again im back to the original router that I have had for years.

[sabelo-TT]

@KeithFrench, thank you for assisting with the matter. 🙂 

[KeithFrench]

Let me know how the new router compares @MerseyRayUK 

[MerseyRayUK]

HI Keith,

Sorry for the late reply. 

The new TT router was shipped out and arriving today and TT Tech wanted me to connect it so they could check its working....

The router hasnt arrived, its now arriving tomorrow.

I have factory reset the router again and not changed anything, so im running on the default ssid/pw.

I have logged in to check all defaults are back and they are... however, the router is still transmitting my custom SSID because its showing up on my phone as available. along with the TALKTALK ssid.   So the router is saying its reset, but my SSID is still saved in there somewhere.

I have just arrived home from work and thought I would try speed test.

Phone result: 511d/72u

Macbook: 7d/24u 

Both devices are connected to the same TALKTALK ssid, and the macbook even states its connected on the 5Ghz, but gets 7Mbps down.

This router is the old router, and has been working flawlessly for years.  These problems only arose after the Tech guy rest/flashed it.

Is there any way to flash this with the correct latest firmware just for curiosity.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @MerseyRayUK @Gliwmaeden2 

I want to find out the cause of the issue. Please can you do another factory reset as I wanted both bands working so as I can investigate why devices connect mainly to the 2.4GHz band 

I can only do that if you accept my offer of help in my first post earlier this morning.

It may well be that the firmware was updated over the weekend by someone to V208, but it should have been running this for a while now. There are bugs in that which affect the connected devices being wrongly displayed, which again I have reported.

[MerseyRayUK]

Ok so after a few trial and errors and reboots and resets etc. 

On the default SSID/PW, I connected my macbook and 5Ghz was working.  I tried disabling only the 2.4Ghz and it saved ok and 5Ghz was still working..

So I changed the SSID/PW to the one all my wireless devices are using and my laptop connected automatically as they are saved..

Wifi connection speed went back to 2.4Ghz.

Done another reset of the router, and my devices connected, but said its on my EveryDayImBuffering SSID. 

Logged into the router and it has the TT default SSID.  Disconnected my macbook from wifi and reconnected.. still says its on my SSID.

factory reset again and the phone connected at 5Ghz on the TT SSID, but the macbook still said 2.4Ghz.

Reset the macbook SSID/PW a few times and evetually it connected to the TT SSID at 5Ghz.

Other than a bug in the router FW I cant put this down to anything else.

(I used to be a Qube GB engineer and set up TalkTalk Fibre (on the old copper connection) and install the TV Service for customers so I have quite a bit of knowledge about this.  But this router is frying my brain

[Gliwmaeden2]

The website shows closed for all calls except sales on Sundays, @MerseyRayUK.

Read the timetable  - and it's different for phoning from the list for Chat opening times:

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/How-to-contact-TalkTalk-Broadband/ta-p/2230529

[MerseyRayUK]

Great.  Looks like ill be waiting a while for the call back.
Ive just tried to call them and it says they are closed.  Even though the website says they are open.

[Gliwmaeden2]

@MerseyRayUK, they are separate support channels, so they won't be following this thread.

Awful when these support calls are silent - they are just tickboxing. Shocking practice!

[MerseyRayUK]

OK so I have now factory reset the router and both channels are enabled. My macbook is still connected at 2.4Ghz, and the router is still saying that no devices are connected wirelessly.  ( All wireless devices did show here before yesterdays interactions with "Tech Support" at TT.

[MerseyRayUK]

Here is the internet speed test on my iphone, connected wirelessly to the 500Mbps service.

https://streamable.com/wti5gh

[MerseyRayUK]

And I have just had a call from TalkTalk CS which I was expecting. I answered the call and it was silent.  Im hoping they are reading this and ring me back because that is the call that is supposed to be arranging the replacment router 

[MerseyRayUK]

Hi Keith,

Thanks for your reply and any guidance.

On this old router, all devices (Macbook and 2 iPhones) are connecting to the WIFI 5Ghz but only connecting at 2.4Ghz.

I did a full reset last night thinking there may have been a bug after the Tech guy done his reboot/upgrade.

I totally understand it depends on the environment but this speed decrease only happened after the Tech guy done something yesterday.   I only noticed when using Airplay from the phone (around 3 metres away) to the TV (Connected via Ethernet), it was stuttering to the point that I couldnt use it.  This was obviously due to the speed of the wifi connection and not the full fibre service.

I then started to investigate and found that the macbook was connecting at 2.4Ghz, and not 5Ghz, even though the name of the wifi connection is the one that is on the 5Ghz channel in the router settings.

So I done an internet speed test on the macbook and phone, both showing no more than 30Mbps, and sometimes during the test was dropping to under 1Mbps.

The same test on devices connected via ethernet are perfectly fine at 500Mbs d/s and 70Mbps u/s.

And since the Tech guy updated something, all the devices that are connected wirelessly, of which there are quite a few, are now not showing in the "Connected wifi devices" on the router.   They are now showing the wireless devices as being connected on the wired connection.

Personally I do think this is an issue to the firmware, maybe the tech guy tried flashing this old router with the new routers firmware ?

I will however, do a full reset again now on the router and see what you may be able to help with.

Thank you.