R6220 randomly drops LAN connections

[mnbvc]

I've been using a R6220 wifi router for the past five years and just recently it started giving me trouble. At random times, all LAN connections to the router will drop for about five seconds before connecting again. When it happens, the LAN indicator lights on the front of the router will turn off.

This is a real problem for me, since I'm running a VOIP system through my router and phone calls drop whenever it happens. Rebooting the router several times has not fixed the problem.

I'm not really sure when the problem started. It may have been after I updated to firmware 1.1.0.114_1.0.1.

I checked the router logs but there is never any information about what may have happened. So I'm at a loss for what the problem might be. Is there any way to troubleshoot this problem? Or is my router just broken?

[mnbvc · Accepted solution]

The router has been running a full 24 hours and there have been no drops in the LAN connections. I think this problem is fixed.

Whether or not it was caused by the firmware update is not certain, but it seems the solution really was as simple as a factory reset. Thank you, Plemans, for your assistance.

[plemans]

What modem is the router connected to? 

If you noticed it happened after a firmware upgrade, I'd try the factory reset and reinstall. 

Sometimes firmware changes enough that a reset can help. 

Does wifi drop as well? 

[mnbvc]

Thank you for replying. The modem is a Fios ONT device supplied by Verizon (I think a Nokia 211). The wifi is not affected by the problem, or at least I have not noticed it ever happen.

I can try a factory reset later, but what do you mean by a "reinstall"?

I'm including a screenshot of the router statistics. It looks like the last drop happened 21 minutes ago, but the wifi has stayed active.

[plemans]

Just that while you're reinstalling, don't use a backup. If somethings corrupt in the settings a backup can carry that over. 

[mnbvc]

Okay, got it. I will try that tonight.

In the meantime, I found something interesting. When I check 'ipconfig /all' on my Windows PC I get the following:

    Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, December 7, 2022 11:14:17 AM
    Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, December 8, 2022 11:14:16 AM

That's normal. But in the router's connection status I see this:

When the "Lease Expires" time gets down to halfway is exactly when the drop occurs.

I will try the factory reset tonight and report what happens the next day.

[mnbvc]

I factory reset the router last night and manually changed the settings. So far so good. The router statistics shows the LAN connections have been up for about 11 hours and counting. There doesn't seem to have been any drops since then, but I want to do some more testing before I declare the problem fixed.

[plemans]

Hope it stays solid!

[mnbvc · Accepted solution]

The router has been running a full 24 hours and there have been no drops in the LAN connections. I think this problem is fixed.

Whether or not it was caused by the firmware update is not certain, but it seems the solution really was as simple as a factory reset. Thank you, Plemans, for your assistance.