Connectivity problems with Orbi93 + DM200 modem + Plusnet

[Plumbuddle]

Suddenly and out of nowhere about 3 weeks ago my internet started dropping and sites had to be clicked about three times before I could access them at all.  They then drop in and out.

I checked with Plusnet Fibreoptic broadband and the speed was fine at their end.  I then reset and reconnected my DM200 which is in bridge mode, and my router.  Kept rebooting, got all the firmware.  Even deleted bitdefender from my system in case it was a firewall.  I use a Lenovo all in one PC, my OS is Windows 10 64 bit and it's up to date.  My network is fine.  It's just the connection to the internet that keeps lagging, missing and dropping.

I just don't get how to improve on this.  Has anyone got any ideas?

The hardware is connected as follows currently:  Plusnet wall socket to modem, modem to Orbi, and I have taken the ethernet cable which would connect Orbi to computer out of them so as not to complicate matters but it is equally bad with or without.

[FURRYe38]

"Plusnet wall socket to modem, modem to Orbi, and I have taken the ethernet cable which would connect Orbi to computer out of them so as not to complicate matters but it is equally bad with or without." So you have bad internet with a PC connected directly to the modem? If so, then you'll need to talk to your ISP about checking the line quality and singal from there services up to the modem. Once they can confirm with you that speeds and quality is good with a wired PC behind the DM modem, then connec the RBR up and try again. 

---

@Plumbuddle wrote:

Suddenly and out of nowhere about 3 weeks ago my internet started dropping and sites had to be clicked about three times before I could access them at all.  They then drop in and out.

I checked with Plusnet Fibreoptic broadband and the speed was fine at their end.  I then reset and reconnected my DM200 which is in bridge mode, and my router.  Kept rebooting, got all the firmware.  Even deleted bitdefender from my system in case it was a firewall.  I use a Lenovo all in one PC, my OS is Windows 10 64 bit and it's up to date.  My network is fine.  It's just the connection to the internet that keeps lagging, missing and dropping.

I just don't get how to improve on this.  Has anyone got any ideas?

The hardware is connected as follows currently:  Plusnet wall socket to modem, modem to Orbi, and I have taken the ethernet cable which would connect Orbi to computer out of them so as not to complicate matters but it is equally bad with or without.

---

[Plumbuddle]

Yes, they have already checked all this three times now.  They say it is my network and the signal to my property is fine.

[FURRYe38]

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.

What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

Try disabling the following and see:
Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? Power OFF The ISP modem for 30 seconds then back on then walk thru the setup wizard after doing a factory reset?

[Plumbuddle]

Thank you for this help.  The satellite is on the floor below which worked fine til recently, but even if the satellite is not switched on the router and modem do not get me through to the internet.  I've done factory resets several times on each machine.  I'll try all these extra channels if they are on either the modem or router settings, I've disabled Circle and Armor (which was a menace) as part of my troubleshooting.  The set up wizards have never worked on my system, I've had to set up manually to plusnet in the past but it's always been fine.  I'll be back in touch when tried these channels.

[FURRYe38]

You might try this, put the DM back in to router mode and configure the RBR for AP mode. See if this changes anything...

[Plumbuddle]

Great, thanks.  For the time being I have disabled Daisy Chain and there is a tiny improvement so I will leave it like that.  I don't seem to have a choice of entering 40MHZ on the advanced internet settings, it's just a toggle between 20/40 and not.  I haven't ye found Fast Roaming, IPv6 but will do these after trying this latest idea later tonight.  Just going out now, thank you very much for your time and excuse the delay.

[FURRYe38]

Removing the check in the check box for 20/40Mhz means it sets it to 40 MHz only. 

[Plumbuddle]

In case anyone is interested, through long experimentation I have worked out it definitely is not the Orbi.  If anything it is the DM which I now read on Amazon is unreliable for a lot of customers.  At the moment the fault is that I can get some websites on it but not others and my mail comes in and out of usability.  I am doing a full check on the connectivity of my internet service provider cable connections into my home and also buying a much better modem.  I will be back further with any observations if the works are done before the better modem arrives, and if the works impact on the DM200.

[FURRYe38]

Thanks for letting us know. Try to find a modem only device if possible. 

Let us know how it goes. 

[michaelkenward]

---

@Plumbuddle wrote:

If anything it is the DM which I now read on Amazon is unreliable for a lot of customers. 

---

I don't know what you have read in Amazon, but I have seen  few reports here of issues with the DM200.

Those that do crop up are usually because people do not realise that the DM200 has limited router features.

Remember, when you reset the DM200 it goes back into router mode. You need to turn off the router bit again.

I don't know what you mean by "bridge mode". As the manual says, it describes several things, including, but only in passing, "modem only" mode.

[Plumbuddle]

Thanks for your comment.  I do know the DM200 has limited router features. I specifically do not use it as a router but as a modem, in what the Netgear online instructions call "bridge mode".  Hope that helps you at your end.

I am now getting my ISP engineer to come in tomorrow to see what is the problem.  They say there is what they call"resistance" on the line rather than dropping, and they claim not to be able to tell if this is internal or external to the house.  Meantime tonight, just to be sure, I am replacing the DM200 modem with an upmarket one that is said to be brilliant.  If that cures the problem, I shall know I had a faulty DM200.  If it doesn't, the provider will take this further.

But the way, someone official has marked this thread as "resolved".  It is not yet resolved as I am still trying to determine whether the problem emanates from my ISP, my own failure to manage the machines correctly, or the DM200 I have.  I'll be sure to post further when this is really resolved.

[michaelkenward]

---

@Plumbuddle wrote:

They say there is what they call"resistance" on the line rather than dropping, and they claim not to be able to tell if this is internal or external to the house. 

---

Plusnet runs on the BT network. You may be able to run tests at your end that can indicate where any problem lies.

It isn't easy to find the test site on BT. I have no idea where Plusnet hides it.

---

@Plumbuddle wrote:

in what the Netgear online instructions call "bridge mode". 

That is not how the manual describes it.

By the way, have you got the latest firmware on the DM200? It is easier to do that when it is in modem/router mode than in modem only mode, which obscures the browser graphical user interface (GUI).

[Plumbuddle]

HI, thanks for this.

(1) I agree about BT.  Plusnet a few days ago got me to run the test at my end (taking off the master socket cover and using a filter) that established according to one operative that the problem is with BT.  However they are now denying anyone said that -- so that is why I am having their engineer out tomorrow. 

(2) google "netgear" and "bridge mode" and you will find many instructions using this terminology.  I can assure you I have done much googling in the past month, in sheer desperation.

(3) yes part of the extensive investigations I have done into this issue has included updating both my router and orbi firmware.  Believe me I have done it all.  This new router and the engineer are hopefully going to tell me the real answers.

[michaelkenward]

---

@Plumbuddle wrote:

(2) google "netgear" and "bridge mode" and you will find many instructions using this terminology.  I can assure you I have done much googling in the past month, in sheer desperation.

I am sure that you are right. Although anyone who trusts Google to deliver definitive answers is asking for trouble, especially with a search like "netgear" and "bridge mode".

As I said " bridge mode" can mean several things. I wanted to confirm that you had the device in "modem only" mode, a much clearer label and one that Netgear uses for many devices.

If you check the manual for the DM200, usually a more reliable source than Google, it refers to "bridge mode" several times. Only one has anything to do with disabling the router. Other mentions are about IPTV. I doubt if that is what you have in mind. (Did Google find those?)

Try it for yourself:

>>> DM200 | Product | Support | NETGEAR <<<

Given the possible ambiguity, I asked because I wanted to confirm what you had really done.

---

Believe me I have done it all. 

---

I admire your confidence.

[Plumbuddle]

You have assumed wrong about google and netgear. All my information on this comes from official netgear sites though google can help to home in on specific topics.
Anyway you are bery much behind on this point. As explained right from the start I normally used to use the dm200 in modem only mode along with the Orbi as router. However it has mitigated the connectivity problem slightly to use it in modem & router mode although that stops the house having a network.
At the moment I’m still trying to make the new draytek vigor that I have bought work with the Orbi and I do suspect more and more as I go through the process that the problem is with the isp. I’ll update tomorrow when the engineer has come.