Help! Router Loses Internet Every 15 Minutes Or So

[tgswheelhead]

Over the course of the last month or so, my internet has been consistently going out repeatedly for about 10 seconds at a time. Sometimes, this will happen twice in 30 minutes, and sometimes it won't come up for a day or two.

Surprisingly enough, I do not encounter a little red "x" or yellow "!" next to the icon that shows that I am connected when this happens.

I am connected through Ethernet, and I have deduced that it is NOT my computer.

Eventually, I began checking my router as my internet went out. The internet icon on the router that represents, well the fact that it is receiving internet, goes out when these outages happen as well.

I have restarted my router, and my modem.

If I can get any help, that'd be great, thanks!

 

[anotherdrew]

I'm assuming your router is actually a router/modem. If that is the case, then the internet light going out probably means you are losing connection to the ISP. This can happen for a number of reasons, including failures in the ISPs equipment, interference in your connection, and failures in router/modem.

Your ISP should be able to run tests on your connection to get a better idea of what is going on. They should be able to do all this without sending a technician out.

 

[tgswheelhead]

No, my router is not a router/modem. I have an ethernet cable stretching from my modem all the way down to my router. I am only positive that the router is the one losing internet, I am unaware of whether or not my modem is losing internet.

This is simply due to how my house is set up, I simply do not have enough time to rush to my modem to find out whether IT is the one losing internet, due to only roughly 10 second outages.

So, whether my modem is losing internet, or my router, is the point that I am stuck at right now.

 

[anotherdrew]

Interesting, you don't see a lot of routers out there with an internet light. So, there's the possibility that you are losing your connection to your ISP through the modem. It is also possible that your router is losing connection to your modem. The second possibility is less likely. Are you able to log into your modem from your computer? I would be interested to look at the system log on the modem, assuming it has one, and see if there are any messages at the time of outages. While you're router should also have a system log, looking at it probably wouldn't tell you if the issues with the modem or with your ISP. If you got the modem from your ISP, it might be worth calling them and have them check on the status of your connection.

 

[tgswheelhead]

Interesting, you don't see a lot of routers out there with an internet light. So, there's the possibility that you are losing your connection to your ISP through the modem. It is also possible that your router is losing connection to your modem. The second possibility is less likely. Are you able to log into your modem from your computer? I would be interested to look at the system log on the modem, assuming it has one, and see if there are any messages at the time of outages. While you're router should also have a system log, looking at it probably wouldn't tell you if the issues with the modem or with your ISP. If you got the modem from your ISP, it might be worth calling them and have them check on the status of your connection.

I do not believe I can directly access my modem, however when I accessed my router I did find error messages at the times when I do have these outages.

#1:
Type: UPnP
Level: Info
Log Content: Service stop
Time: 2018-03-03 00:38:22

#2:
Type: UPnP
Level: Info
Log Content: Service start
Time: 2018-03-03 00:38:32

 

[tgswheelhead]

Personally I'd start by connecting my computer straight to the modem with a different ethernet cable do make sure it's not the cable or the router that causes problems.

I used to work as ISP tech support and it's pretty common that a damaged ethernet cable causes these kind of problem.

Due to my circumstances, I do not have an ethernet cord long enough to plug my computer into my modem. Currently, I am attempting to determine whether or not my modem is losing internet at all.

My modem is completely on the opposite side of the house, and the only ethernet cable long enough is being used for my router.

 

[anotherdrew]

I suspect the Universal PnP message is an indication that the router has lost connection to the modem, but is that because the modem has restarted itself, a faulty cable, or something else? I don't know.

When you log into your router it normally starts on a status page. That page or another will show you the IP addresses of the LAN and WAN ports. If your lan ports are something like 192.168.1.1 and your WAN ports are something like 192.168.0.2, then you modem is probably on 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.0.254. Sometimes the status page will show you the routers gateway, which should be your modem's IP address. You can try to use this address to access your modem. If the WAN port on your router has a public IP address (one that starts with something other than 192.168 or 10), then you probably can't access the modem this way.

I personally think your router is ok and something is up with the modem or the connection to your ISP, but without knowing what the modem is doing, I can't say for sure.

 

[tgswheelhead]

I suspect the Universal PnP message is an indication that the router has lost connection to the modem, but is that because the modem has restarted itself, a faulty cable, or something else? I don't know.

When you log into your router it normally starts on a status page. That page or another will show you the IP addresses of the LAN and WAN ports. If your lan ports are something like 192.168.1.1 and your WAN ports are something like 192.168.0.2, then you modem is probably on 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.0.254. Sometimes the status page will show you the routers gateway, which should be your modem's IP address. You can try to use this address to access your modem. If the WAN port on your router has a public IP address (one that starts with something other than 192.168 or 10), then you probably can't access the modem this way.

I personally think your router is ok and something is up with the modem or the connection to your ISP, but without knowing what the modem is doing, I can't say for sure.

So, I followed your directions and made it to my modem! It took me a little while, but after going through my various pages and tabs, I did find the system log.

Throughout here, I do see a ton of errors that cluster around 1 time. This seems to happen frequently too, leading me to believe that this directly correlates to the outages I've been having.

However, there are two separate errors that are constantly taking place. I shall provide both of which down below.




The first of the two problems (I personally am lead to believe is the issue, but I don't know for sure):

-SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire QAM/QPSK symbol timing

-Received Response to Broadcast Maintenance Request, But no Unicast Maintenance opportunities received - T4 time out





The second of the two problems:

Missing BP Configuration Setting TLV Type

 

[anotherdrew]

Fantastic! From the messages it appears you have cable internet. Cable internet is quite tolerant of errors and while you might have some labeled critical, it may not lead to failure unless they happen a lot. What is a lot? Most routers will try to reestablish a connection if they get 10 in a row.

Next thing to look at ... power and SNR (signal to noise ratio) ... if you will pop over and look at this thread, you will see examples of a screen that your modem should also show.

http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Your-Home-Network/SYNC-Timing-Synchronization-failure/td-p/2735594?lightbox-message-images-2737394=27042i442DD73AF7C54C23

Yours might be different, I don't know who your ISP is, but what we are looking for are the lines labeled power and SNR. Now, google power and SNR limits for your ISP. If your power and SNR are outside the limits specified for your ISP, then you have probably found the problem.

Next issue : Is this a problem inside you house or outside. In most cases, cable inside your house is your responsibility and your ISP might charge you to fix it (you should check to see what their policy is). But cable inside your house is protected from the rain, sun, digging equipment, etc, so it less likely to be damaged. One thing though ... splitters! Cheap splitters (big box store type) are bad for cable internet. If you have any that can be removed, please do so. Cable outside your house is, of course, the responsibility of your ISP and they should repair that at no charge.

Let us know what you find out.

 

[tgswheelhead]

Fantastic! From the messages it appears you have cable internet. Cable internet is quite tolerant of errors and while you might have some labeled critical, it may not lead to failure unless they happen a lot. What is a lot? Most routers will try to reestablish a connection if they get 10 in a row.

Next thing to look at ... power and SNR (signal to noise ratio) ... if you will pop over and look at this thread, you will see examples of a screen that your modem should also show.

http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Your-Home-Network/SYNC-Timing-Synchronization-failure/td-p/2735594?lightbox-message-images-2737394=27042i442DD73AF7C54C23

Yours might be different, I don't know who your ISP is, but what we are looking for are the lines labeled power and SNR. Now, google power and SNR limits for your ISP. If your power and SNR are outside the limits specified for your ISP, then you have probably found the problem.

Next issue : Is this a problem inside you house or outside. In most cases, cable inside your house is your responsibility and your ISP might charge you to fix it (you should check to see what their policy is). But cable inside your house is protected from the rain, sun, digging equipment, etc, so it less likely to be damaged. One thing though ... splitters! Cheap splitters (big box store type) are bad for cable internet. If you have any that can be removed, please do so. Cable outside your house is, of course, the responsibility of your ISP and they should repair that at no charge.

Let us know what you find out.

Hey! I went through the forum you sent me for the SYNC Timing Issue and everything seems to be checking out now! I have been sitting down with my internet for about 4 hours now with not a single outage. This is great! Thank you so much!

Have an absolutely wonderful day, thanks for all the help again!

 

[tgswheelhead]

Fantastic! From the messages it appears you have cable internet. Cable internet is quite tolerant of errors and while you might have some labeled critical, it may not lead to failure unless they happen a lot. What is a lot? Most routers will try to reestablish a connection if they get 10 in a row.

Next thing to look at ... power and SNR (signal to noise ratio) ... if you will pop over and look at this thread, you will see examples of a screen that your modem should also show.

http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Your-Home-Network/SYNC-Timing-Synchronization-failure/td-p/2735594?lightbox-message-images-2737394=27042i442DD73AF7C54C23

Yours might be different, I don't know who your ISP is, but what we are looking for are the lines labeled power and SNR. Now, google power and SNR limits for your ISP. If your power and SNR are outside the limits specified for your ISP, then you have probably found the problem.

Next issue : Is this a problem inside you house or outside. In most cases, cable inside your house is your responsibility and your ISP might charge you to fix it (you should check to see what their policy is). But cable inside your house is protected from the rain, sun, digging equipment, etc, so it less likely to be damaged. One thing though ... splitters! Cheap splitters (big box store type) are bad for cable internet. If you have any that can be removed, please do so. Cable outside your house is, of course, the responsibility of your ISP and they should repair that at no charge.

Let us know what you find out.

Hey! I went through the forum you sent me for the SYNC Timing Issue and everything seems to be checking out now! I have been sitting down with my internet for about 4 hours now with not a single outage. This is great! Thank you so much!

Have an absolutely wonderful day, thanks for all the help again!