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Solved
47% packet loss
I've RBK53 where RBSatellites are connected to RBRouter with ethernet backhaul. Wifi covers whole house & I can hit my bandwidth limit which is 250mbps everywhere but currently experiencing an issue ...
Cihan wrote:I've installed the replacement unit in AP mode as well and there was no package loss. Then I changed it to Router mode & bridged my modem today. Packet loss on 192.168.1.1 is back.
Is this normal, anyone else is experiencing the same thing?
Attached is a Ping Plot I just did to Google.com. Zero packet loss to any node that responds to ICMP (notice that node 2 does not).
The Orbi has been replaced, but the problem remains and shows up only in router mode. I wonder:
- The Orbi router will still have an IP address, even when in Access Point mode.
Can you run Ping Plotter against that IP address by itself? - It appears to me that the only "constant" in the problem is the Mac that is running Ping Plotter.
Can you get access to some other computer? (invite someone over with a laptop - and a mask, of course)
Would be useful to see if other devices report the same results.
If packets are actually being "dropped", I would expect the reports for every node after the Orbi to also report packet loss. Perhaps my understanding of how "ping plotters" function is incorrect. PingPlotter provides a really slick description of the product here:
https://www.pingplotter.com/fix-your-network/getting-started/how-pingplotter-works.html
But, they never say how those intermediate "hops" are discovered and measured.
My understanding is that the program does a "Trace Route" to determine how many hops there are and the IP address of each hop.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/314868/how-to-use-tracert-to-troubleshoot-tcp-ip-problems-in-windows
It then looks up the DNS names of those IP addresses to create a more "user friendly" display.Then, it sends a series of ICMP requests to every hop in the router. i.e. to hop 1, to hop 2, to hop 3, etc.and records how long it takes for each response to return.
Something is going wrong with ICMP to hop 1, but not to any other hop. If the Orbi is "dropping packets", then it should drop packets that are going everywhere, not just drop packets intended for the Orbi router.
Sorry to go on (and on). I have a feeling the problem may be with the measuring process, not with the network.
- The Orbi router will still have an IP address, even when in Access Point mode.
Cihan wrote:As seen on the pictures, I've ~47% package loss on 192.168.1.1.
Does that mean I've the loss in my local network? In router or satellites?
Thanks for providing the images (which I see have now "appeared" in the original post). As an experiment, I downloaded PingPlotter for Windows on my PC which is connected directly to the Orbi RBR50. My results with Google.com are attached. I have zero losses to anywhere, and the latency to the Orbi averages 0.8ms. My Orbi is in router mode connected to a Spectrum cable modem (which is "only a modem").
The only obvious differences are (1) I am currently on firmware 2.5.1.8, and (2) my PC is connected directly to the router and there is no switch in between. The difference in firmware release might be responsible (?), which dampens my enthusiasm for updating firmware. I do not have a Netgear unmanaged switch (I have a couple of TP-Links, and will try connecting through a switch to see if that changes anything.)
Since your "problem is solved", there is little incentive to change the modem and router and run Ping Plotter when directly attached to the Orbi. I, however, am not confident that the Orbi being in router mode is solely responsible for the issue. There might be configuration differences between our Orbi's. It might be load related (I have only about 30 devices and most of them are "nearly quiet" most of the time.
I get 0 ms on my ethernet connected pc as well so i guess my 3.2 ms average is caused by wifi.
Other than that my Orbi satellites are not behind the unmanaged switch, they are directly connected to RBR50. One of the ports of RBR feeds the switch which feeds solar panel unit, alarm system (no wifi devices or ethernet backup).
I have 22 clients up all the time and could be more when some stuff turned on. Doorbell, Arlo base unit, lots of active IOT devices running at the same time. I don't know if they are making this conflicts.
My ISP had suggested to restart the modem and it have happened when they have changed it from bridge mode to router mode remotely, i don't know may be it was related to modem?
Amazon has sent out a replacement and I'll be checking it out on wednesday if it behaves same. I'll do my tests without upgrading the firmware so it might give us a clue. If everything would be normal with the oob firmware, then I'm gonna try it with latest firmware to see if it is happen or not which will answer also if it is a hardware issue or not.
Btw I'll do my tests after removing switch from the network, to eliminate this parameter. If everything goes ok, I'll add it and test again to see difference.
Once it is delivered & tested, I'll let you know the results so it will give you a clue if it is a bad firmware or not.
Thanks for your interest.
Thanks for the additional information. So, the "test path" is computer ->WiFi->Satellite-> ethernet backhaul link->router->modem, correct?
I will reload PingPlotter on a laptop and connect to my satellite over WiFi.
I am getting no closer to a solution. PingPlotter on a Lenovo laptop -> WiFi -> satellite -> WiFi backhaul-> Orbi router. Results for Google.com are attached. Average round trip is under 6 ms compared to 0.8 when wired directly to router. Zero packets lost.
I struggle to explain dropping 47% of packets. I would love to see a few pictures of the CPU load on the satellite and router during the ping. http://<ip of sat or router>/debug.htm
I'll rollback my change (de-brigding modem) and put Orbi to router mode to see if i can reproduce the case, otherwise I'll be waiting for the new unit to test.
