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.

[MerseyRayUK]

The Hub 3 has a light underneath ?

Both of these routers which I have been sent have the light on the front, there are no lights underneath.

The old router also has the same light on the front but just not as bright.

[MerseyRayUK]

Hi @KeithFrench ,

Yes im happy to do some investigation work. Like I said, after 5pm.

The first thing I want to try which I haven't yet, is manually set the DNS on the macBook to use Google DNS servers, I know you said ignore them errors, but they do worry me because if DNS really is failing then that would stop internet traffic.

Another thing tech have suggested, which will be my 2nd thing to try is, connect my wired device(s) directly to the fibre box, bypassing the router.  He said the internet traffic should still go fine through that. So I do have an unmanaged switch connected on the network, so I will put a patch lead from the fibre box to my switch to feed my wired devices, then a patch cable to the router to feed the wireless devices. That way, if the wireless disconnects but the wired devices carry on working (which I'm guessing they will), then that is eliminating the fibre connection fully.

Im just not fully sure yet but im guessing ill have to manually set the ip/subnet of all wired devices because i presume the fibre box wont have a DCHP to issue them.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @MerseyRayUK 

Those DNS errors on the whole can be ignored. If there is nothing in the logs at that time, it suggests that the broadband is holding up okay, which is at least a first step. I would agree that a purple light is an undocumented condition. It is just that when you said it was the Hub 3, I wanted to clarify that it wasn't caused by the way that the correct version of Hub 3 can easily mislead people. It does not have a light on the front of it, but underneath. This means that some colours can be influenced by the surface it is standing on & how it reflects off of that. This all tallies with the log, so let's move on.

The fact that once again there are no log entries supports what you said, that the WiFi remains connected, but no data is flowing over it. To this end, I now need to do some very serious diagnostics, reasonably simple for you, but I need to analyse individual Wi_Fi IP packets, to see what is going on. This is likely to take up quite a bit of my time. 

To this end, I will need you to install a piece of free software on your PC & capture a trace from this tool at the time of the problem. I can provide full details about what this software is, how you take & save a capture trace for me. You then send me that trace for analysis.

If you are happy to go down that route, then I will send you my guide on how to do this.

[MerseyRayUK]

Hi Keith,

What in the logs would you like me to send.

When the LAN stops working, I check the logs and there is nothing to say anything is disconnected, just all the DNS errors are there.

Why would the logs fill with DNS errors on here yet not 1 on the old router.

One of the DNS errors points to the service that provides the SSL connections to websites, which seems a big issue for me.

[MerseyRayUK]

Hi Keith,

It is 1000% a purple light. Where I sit in the lounge, I can see the router in the hallway.  The difference between the white when it is working and that purple is day and night.

Sorry, I think that photo may be the old router, but that is the same purple that shows on the new router. It only shows that when then LAN stops working, otherwise it is perfectly clear white.

I'll check the device info when I return home (after 5pm), tomorrow I am home all day so can do testing during the day too.

TT Tech has scheduled another call with me today after 5pm so I can update them on the progress with this new router.

[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.