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Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

mtarallo
Aspirant

Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Hi there - thanks for taking a look. (This post is all about wired networks.)

 

I have been working flawlessly for over 3 years with my charter spectrum Arris router and Netgear WNDR4500v2 as an AP. I just recently moved to a dettached office (from my main home) and unplugged my netgear router that was there which was working fine with the WiFi devices in that area - I hooked up my office computer and this is when everything started to go down hill.  I have been trying to troubleshoot this random internet disconnect issue which only seems to occur when this netgear router (recently upgraded to the latest firmware) is used (like I had previously). I would plug in the router, turn on AP mode and hook the router to the lan drop. If I used the WAN port to connect to the landrop as the picture shows in the UI - I would get 7mbps - if I used the LAN port on the back of the rotuer I would get 80mbps (never the full 100mbps) -   During this time of troubleshooting - I tried to eliminate a number of issues - I even replaced the Arris with a new one provided by sepectrum - not sure what brand it is - I want to say technicolor.  NOW I am not sure if it is the ethernet cat 5 lines (so I bought a line tester - will get it saturday) - bascially I have cat 5 running from my office under ground in a conduit to the panel in my main home that hen connects to one of the four ports on the back of the modem / router provided by spectrum. 

 

All I can say is now I am writing this with the PC's ethernet cable directly plugged into the Lan drop - which runs to my home in the patch panel. AND I have not experienced any issues. BUT as soon as I hook up my netgear router and put it in AP mode -and hook my PC into the netgear router -  it works for a little bit and then the device loses connection to the internet.  if I unplug my computer from the netgear router and back into the lan port in the wall it works again. I am completely bafffled by this, because I have bee using this exact setup for years in my home in the main part of the house as well. I have the main modem with 4 ports in the network panel and each port goes to a landrop which has a netgear WNDR4500v2 pugged in (in AP mode) so we get WiFi all over the house. In my home I have 2 other WNDR4500v2 devices like this and they have been working fine. It is just when I plug this one here in my detttached office that it randonly disconnects. Has anyone experienced anyhting like this before? Could it be a wire even though when directly connected it is working with out issue. I swear you can't make this stuff up - troubleshooting network related issues is the most frustrating thing anyone could ever do. Thanks for your time.

 

 

Message 1 of 20

Accepted Solutions
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

OK it is confirmed and what was suspect - IDC but connectors splice in junction box was covered in a greasy gel like substance, possibly causing the issue.  The IDC connectors were leaking there gel after X amount of years. 

 

Problem solved!

View solution in original post

Message 20 of 20

All Replies
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

My home modem is a TC8715D technicolor

Message 2 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

so just an update - I've had the computer plugged back into the rotuer (as AP)  now and the router back to the lan wall port. It has been working for a few hours without any issues. I ordered a new netgear AP just to test to see if this other oruter I have is bad. Will update.

Message 3 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

UPDATE:

 

I tested the cable run from my detached office to the mail panel with this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XZYXN63/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

The cable seems fine, all green lights blinking in sequence.

 

I switched out WNDR4500v2 with a WNDR4500v3 and configured it as an AP. I assigned static IPs. Changed my main router / cable modedm to use 192.168.2.1 - Hooked everything back up - I first plugged the WAN port from the WNDR4500v3 to the wall  - I was getting about 80Mbps which is what I would nomally get. I left it alone. it has been running without issue for a few hours. I cam back and ran a speed test and now only get 8Mbps. I see many ports that state not to use the WAN port - but not sure why the picture on the AP page shows you that you should use the WAN port.  Anyway - I switched the cable from the wall to another ethernet port and ran speed test and got 80Mbps again. I have no clue WTH is going on here. Things that worked without issue for many years you would think would continue to. All I did was move in and hook up a wired machine to the existing router and that when all this hell started. At the moment I am still connected and getting 80Mbps. So we will see what happens. I'll post an update tonight.

 

 

 

 

Message 4 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

UPDATE # - or hell I lost count - 3 or 4 I think. Smiley Happy

 

OK so yesterday (Sunday) everything was running smoothly (it ran all trough Saturday night without isse) until about 12:30PM on Sunday.  That is when I lost conenctivity (I can tell because I have NEST outdoor cams that disconnected in that area) BUT it reestablished around 1:30pm and I have it all day today - woth some noticeable hiccups but not a complete outage. 

 

Keep in mind when this happens, the whole house DOES NOT lose connectivity - just my detached office. Today spectrum came and tested the COAX lines coming into my home and to the modem and all was green. While he was there he witnessed the port activity  (blinking lights on the port) on the technicolor modem- where the wire was coming from my deattched offce (the netgear AP) - he saw the light turn from green (1GBps) to amber (100Mbps) - he watched it flip back to green - so we just through our hands up and are concluding that there has to be a bad cat5e wire somewhere between the main home and my deattached office - perhaps damaged in the remodel.

 

However, what is weird is that internet connectivity it works for long periods of time - I would assume if it was a bad cable - would it NOT work consistently?

 

ANYWAY!!!

 

Before the spectrum tech was ready to leave, I recall seeing (through dozens of internet searches) that technicolor modems and netgear routers "don't play nice with each other" - not really knowing what that means - as a last ditch effort - i asked the tech if he had an Arris modem. He did and we hooked it up.  At this time I am in my office and getting super speeds and consistency writing this post.

 

Is it possible that lone internet forum poster was right? Perhaps originally when this whole thing started, I had a bad wire in my drop (which originally lead me to think my modem was bad,  andwhy I swapped it out and then actually made things worse? Causing a "red herring" situation? Only time will tell.

 

Here is my current speed test:

 

 3-11-2019 7-18-52 PM.png

 

I will update you all again if all seems to last.

 

Message 5 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

OK - continuing this troubleshooting - back online after another bout of internet disconnect - being anxious and assuming all seemed to be working - I went an attempted to configure my LED light strips:  I got from Amazon here - (now this happened to me earlier but I did not think anything of it) - as I configured the WiFi LED strip using my phone - and it attemtped to connect - my amazon echo comes on and states - "i lost connection to the internet" - is it coincidence that this happened - at exactly the same time? So I just packed them up and sent them back - but now thinking I infected my network some how - who knows with this stuff - I factory reset my modem - and all is back on line.  At the same time I unhooked my netgear AP and plugged it directly into my pc and all is working again. WTH is going on? I'll report back. 

 

 

Message 6 of 20
DexterJB
NETGEAR Moderator

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Hi @mtarallo,

 

Welcome to the community!

 

Looks like you've done quite a few steps already. 

 

1. Did you get to keep the Arris modem or did you have the Technicolor setup back?

2. Do you still have the WNDR4500v3 setup in the office? To confirm, it is behaving exactly the same as the WNDR4500v2, correct?

3. When you swapped the WNDR4500v2 with the WNDR4500v3, was the WNDR4500v2 behaving normally without issues where you relocated it?

4. Does the issue persist if you have any of the routers (either the v2 or v3) configured in router mode (for isolation)?

 

Dexter

Community Team

Message 7 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Hi Dexter  - thanks for the reply:

 

1. Did you get to keep the Arris modem or did you have the Technicolor setup back?

 

Yes - I am back to using the Arris modem

 

2. Do you still have the WNDR4500v3 setup in the office? To confirm, it is behaving exactly the same as the WNDR4500v2, correct?

 

correct - I do have it available, but as a test I switched over to a D-Link AP for giggles just to see. I can return to Amazon if the issues persists.

 

3. When you swapped the WNDR4500v2 with the WNDR4500v3, was the WNDR4500v2 behaving normally without issues where you relocated it?

 

Yes - my v2 and v3 in the house are working as they have been for the past 3 years. Only difference now - they are purely wireless APs with no wired devices.

 

4. Does the issue persist if you have any of the routers (either the v2 or v3) configured in router mode (for isolation)?

 

That is a good question - my network knowledge is still limited, I am a creature of habit. I always used AP mode as I was told that the main modem router should be doing the router capabilites. I was about to switch to Bridged mode on my mome and have netgear perform the routing capabilites but the cable provider wanted to come out and test all the lines first. So we still have some options here. I also don't know enough about line integrity - I don't have a FLUKE or anything - just the simple cat 5 line tested which proved to be fine. So I'm being a bit stubborn about it being a bad wire - as my computer when directly connected works fine - but you don't know what you don't know right? 🙂

 

Message 8 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

So one more quick update before bed - I just setup a DLINK DAP-1650 Wireless AC1200 in AP mode - after completely factory resetting my Arris modem, after the LED WiFi incident mentioned above. 

I'm back online at the moment and my WiFi is working and my connected / wired PC is working. 

 

So here is what is left in this big mess of things:

 

  • a possible intermittent cat5e issue in the line from my office to the main panel (though all is working at the moment)
  • possible issue with Netgear router in AP mode
  • possible network corruption from LED WiFi lights I got on Amazon - I know it sounds weird but that is when I observed the issue.
  • Maybe there were too many devices on the 2.4GHz WiFi?

    Is that possible that could cause an issue and adding the LED modules made it crash?

    I have 5 Wifi Bulbs - that is 5 IPs
    there were 12 LED bulbs - 6 chained together on 2 Wifi Modules - 2 more IPs
    1 Wifi thermostat RF module to control a mini-split - 1 IP
    1 computer with a USB Wifi adapter - 1 IP
    1 amazon echo - 1 IP
    1 HP Wireless printer - 1 IP
    1 NEST Outdoor camera -1 IP

for a total of 12 on the SSID - does not seem like a lot. 

 

 

3-11-2019 10-51-26 PM.png

 

I will report back tomorrow morning.

Message 9 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

So one more quick update before bed - I just setup a DLINK DAP-1650 Wireless AC1200 in AP mode - after completely factory resetting my Arris modem, after the LED WiFi incident mentioned above. 

I'm back online at the moment and my WiFi is working and my connected / wired PC is working. 

 

So here is what is left in this big mess of things:

 

  • a possible intermittent cat5e issue in the line from my office to the main panel (though all is working at the moment)
  • possible issue with Netgear router in AP mode
  • possible network corruption from LED WiFi lights I got on Amazon - I know it sounds weird but that is when I observed the issue.
  • Maybe there were too many devices on the 2.4GHz WiFi?

    Is that possible that could cause an issue and adding the LED modules made it crash?

    I have 5 Wifi Bulbs - that is 5 IPs
    there were 12 LED bulbs - 6 chained together on 2 Wifi Modules - 2 more IPs
    1 Wifi thermostat RF module to control a mini-split - 1 IP
    1 computer with a USB Wifi adapter - 1 IP
    1 amazon echo - 1 IP
    1 HP Wireless printer - 1 IP
    1 NEST Outdoor camera -1 IP

for a total of 12 on the SSID - does not seem like a lot. 

 

 

3-11-2019 10-51-26 PM.png

 

I will report back tomorrow morning.

Message 10 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Update:

 

OK so it worked all night - no disconnects - but even with this D-LINK AP - I woke up to a amber (100Mbs) ethernet port light on the back of the Arris modem. So something along the way is obvioulsy not working right. I think it is safe to say that there is a bad wire or something between my deatached office and the main panel. JUST so odd that it works at first for a long time.

 

One thing though that Netgear might still want to investigate is if there are any potential issues with connecting multiple devices in AP mode. I did notice odd behavior when attempting to add more devices such as those WiFi LED light strips.

 

Nest steps is to have an IT company come in with more advanced equioment to check the integrity of the lines. Will update.

Message 11 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Update:

 

OK so it worked all night - no disconnects - but even with this D-LINK AP - I woke up to an amber (100Mbs) ethernet port light on the back of the Arris modem. (same behavior as before with the Netgear AP and technicolor modem) So something along the way is obvioulsy not working right. I think it is safe to say that there is a bad wire or something between my deatached office and the main panel. JUST so odd that it works at first for a long time.

 

One thing though that Netgear might still want to investigate is if there are any potential issues with connecting multiple devices in AP mode. I did notice odd behavior when attempting to add more devices such as those WiFi LED light strips.

 

Nest steps is to have an IT company come in with more advanced equioment to check the integrity of the lines. Will update.

Message 12 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Oh one more observation - if I disconnect the existing ethernet  from the wall to the AP and reconnect - 1Gbps (green on Arris) - is back

Message 13 of 20
antinode
Guru

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

> [...] I would assume if it was a bad cable - would it NOT work
> consistently?

 

   "inconsistent" (usually called "intermittent") is a subset of "bad".

 

   A poorly crimped connector could be susceptible to oxidation or
corrosion, and to mechanical disturbance (vibration).  Other than gross
physical damage to the cable, cable problems are almost always at the
cable ends (connectors, termination).

 

> [...] I'm being a bit stubborn about it being a bad wire [...]

 

   Unreasonably so, I'd say.  On occasion. a close (magnified) visual
inspection of a connector will reveal a subtle problem (wire not fully
inserted, contact not fully/evenly depressed, ...).  Once a gigabit
speed has been negotiated, all eight conductors must work.  (Slower
speeds use only four.)

 

   How much trouble would it be to replace the connectors on the suspect
cable (or the whole thing)?

Message 14 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Thank you antinode - i agree and I have done so on two of them with same results. However, I have not changed the port just yet and plan on doing that as well. I also bought a 200ft cat 5e cable for $11  with terminated ends - I plan on running it directly from the panel to my AP - I will post back the results. Your advice is sound, i just was not sure how all this worked.

 

In regards to testing the line with an ethernet cable tester - I get sequence lights all green from 1 to 8 on the receiver from the transmiter, but I amassuming that does not tell the whole story.

 

I'll report back.

 

Thanks for the response

 

Message 15 of 20
DexterJB
NETGEAR Moderator

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Hi @mtarallo,

 

Any update on this?

 

Dexter

Community Team

Message 16 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Hi Dexter - sorry I was away on a business trip. In short everything is working again - the last thing I did was repunch the Rj45 connector.  However I still notice every now and then a switch back and forth between 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps - the lights on the router / modem - change from orange to green and back to orange - and my speeds will drop. At the moment I am all green and over 100 Mbps (my max service). I guess the whole time I had a few problems and was not able to isolate a single one - and just made it better.  Thanks for checking in.

Message 17 of 20
DexterJB
NETGEAR Moderator

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Thanks for the update! Maybe continue to observe everything. Hopefully everything will be as stable as it needs to be.

 

Dexter

Community Team

Message 18 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

Hi Dexter - I know it has been a while - but still suffering from the randome disconnects with no rhyme or reason. HOWEVER, I need some sort of verification.

 

I just posted this in twitter to see if I can get a borader answer, but would be great to see if someone else stumbles across this.

 

"Having intermittent trouble w network connectivity in 1 location - replaced all connection points. Just found junction box with IDC butt connectors leaking gel over bundled wires? replaced - all working - Possible shorts across gel?"

 

So far at this time all is working and I am getting faster speeds then I was before. Do you know / think - if it is possible that my problems were do to the gel leaking out of the IDC connectors? All the wires were slimy. I'm thinking some sort of shorts across the gel. BUT why would it work and then stop and then work - connecte, reconnect etc and then work for hours on end?

 

5-1-2019 8-51-16 AM.png

 

Anyway - I'll post back - I just bought a line tester - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077Y7RV5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - that can troubleshoot a bit more. I'll report back.

 

Regards,

Mike

 

 

 

Message 19 of 20
mtarallo
Aspirant

Re: Internet disconnects randomly only when wired to WNDR4500v2

OK it is confirmed and what was suspect - IDC but connectors splice in junction box was covered in a greasy gel like substance, possibly causing the issue.  The IDC connectors were leaking there gel after X amount of years. 

 

Problem solved!

Message 20 of 20
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