Question Unstable network connection using Router & ONU ?

[bedouinbro]

Is anyone using this TP-Link MR 3420 router and Epon ONU Model ZX 1010 ?

I tried visiting their website listed on the onu, zibbix.net but it's not accessible. The problem is from the last month internet connection has been unstable, isp is ICC but getting a connection from a local provider. The Internet connection is not stable. Local provider saying the router is not working and I have to buy a new one. I have been using this TP-Link router for the last 10 years, solid connection, and no problem and as far as i know the TPLink router lasts a lifetime, 15-20 years or more.

I can transfer files using Share It and other wifi file sharing apps between pc and phone. Using this onu for almost a year. I can see all the signals when connecting between the router and onu, but there's no wifi and broadband connection on the desktop. So, is the tp link router dying ? I doubt it though. Btw I can use the internet directly from the onu. Any experience like this ? Or recommendations ?

https://www.icc.com.bd/

 

[Ralston18]

Connections being (edit and correct as necessary):

IPS ==== fiber ====> ONU -----Ethernet cable (orange ?) -----> TP Link MR3420 ----- Ethernet cables to wired devices ---->

Are you able to login (as Admin) into the Router using its' IP address? The IP address should be 192.168.0.1 unless you changed it.

Check if there are any logs available and enabled.

On your PC run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Copy and Paste the results here.

 

[bedouinbro]

Connections being (edit and correct as necessary):

IPS ==== fiber ====> ONU -----Ethernet cable (orange ?) -----> TP Link MR3420 ----- Ethernet cables to wired devices ---->

Are you able to login (as Admin) into the Router using its' IP address? The IP address should be 192.168.0.1 unless you changed it.

Check if there are any logs available and enabled.

On your PC run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Copy and Paste the results here.

Here the connection lines, optical fiber> onu > router > PC

when it's showing disconnected I'm able to send files through Share it, from PC to phone, and vice versa

links to video
gemoo.com/tools/upload-video/share/636066660756549632?codeId=v67VklE90pj9o&card=636066656167981056

gemoo.com/tools/upload-video/share/636066002074615808?codeId=vzRVKmEBAlne9&card=636065990829686784

I checked all the plan ports in the router, through file sharing, if it was a wifi problem I wouldn't be able to share files via share it/ wifi

I have attached the onu interface, through a combination of connection methods, trial, and error it's possible to get a connection from onu to directly to PC, though at first I have to change the ipv4 matching to that of onu. now the question lies, is the local ISP just making bucks from connecting/disconnecting game lol ( they already did, by saying the cat5 wire is damaged and taking money to provide a new wire, but the old wire works just fine ! ) or the wan port of the router is damaged but since I live in a pretty remote place, the local isp won't bring any cable checker or signal checker machines to check the router or the wires ! )

 

[bedouinbro]

Here the connection lines, optical fiber> onu > router > PC

when it's showing disconnected I'm able to send files through Share it, from PC to phone, and vice versa

links to video
gemoo.com/tools/upload-video/share/636066660756549632?codeId=v67VklE90pj9o&card=636066656167981056

gemoo.com/tools/upload-video/share/636066002074615808?codeId=vzRVKmEBAlne9&card=636065990829686784

I checked all the plan ports in the router, through file sharing, if it was a wifi problem I wouldn't be able to share files via share it/ wifi

I have attached the onu interface, through a combination of connection methods, trial, and error it's possible to get a connection from onu to directly to PC, though at first I have to change the ipv4 matching to that of onu. now the question lies, is the local ISP just making bucks from connecting/disconnecting game lol ( they already did, by saying the cat5 wire is damaged and taking money to provide a new wire, but the old wire works just fine ! ) or the wan port of the router is damaged but since I live in a pretty remote place, the local isp won't bring any cable checker or signal checker machines to check the router or the wires ! )

now my option is to change the ISP or buy a new router from them ( which they are literally asking for btw )

 

[bedouinbro]

now my option is to change the ISP or buy a new router from them ( which they are literally asking for btw )

Here is the system log from tp link router btw

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H1LnVmTzlAxpfcPJWVUgqiPDOT8y_Gab/view?usp=sharing

ipconfig from direct onu connection

ipconfig from onu > router > PC

changing the ipv4 address to access the on interface

 

[Ralston18]

Overall network setup

There are a number of issues here. Some of which may or may not be within your control.

1) What is the source of that black wire connected into that Tec box marked "M.S.A"?

2) The Tec box appears to be hanging by the black cable. That should not be done because that can and does pull on the connection. The black box needs to be directly supported.

3) The yellow fiber cable appears in good shape and the loop is neat. How tight is that red tape holding the loop together? You do not want the fiber being crushed.

4) The Ethernet cable plug exiting the Zibbix appears to be poorly terminated. The cable should reterminated or replaced if possible. Check both ends.

5) The Zibbix is sitting on top of the router which is sitting on the floor. The router should be up off of the floor and the Zibbix unstacked and set along side the router. (The unstacking keeping them both cooler and raising the router/antennas will help with transmission (TX) and reception (RX). Try to get them up to at least table height. Maybe higher for the router if possible.

6) Ensure that all cables of any sort are not kinked, pinched, tightly bent, or end up with something sitting on them. Keep cable runs neat and orderly. Ensure that all cables are fully and securely connecting from one device to another.

7) Clean all dust off of and out of all components. Again to help with cooling and airflows if dust is blocking cooling holes.

Overall most of the above is simply normal networking requirements. Objective being to eliminate bad connections and faulty cables.

Late note: I could not read what was printed on that orange cable and I will take a look at the router log.

 

[Ralston18]

On your main PC run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Also run "tracert 8.8.8.8" (targeting google).

Copy and Paste the results from each run here.

 

[bedouinbro]

On your main PC run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Also run "tracert 8.8.8.8" (targeting google).

Copy and Paste the results from each run here.

this is ran from onu > PC

again onu > PC

without any internet cables connected

 

[bedouinbro]

Overall network setup

There are a number of issues here. Some of which may or may not be within your control.

1) What is the source of that black wire connected into that Tec box marked "M.S.A"?

2) The Tec box appears to be hanging by the black cable. That should not be done because that can and does pull on the connection. The black box needs to be directly supported.

3) The yellow fiber cable appears in good shape and the loop is neat. How tight is that red tape holding the loop together? You do not want the fiber being crushed.

4) The Ethernet cable plug exiting the Zibbix appears to be poorly terminated. The cable should reterminated or replaced if possible. Check both ends.

5) The Zibbix is sitting on top of the router which is sitting on the floor. The router should be up off of the floor and the Zibbix unstacked and set along side the router. (The unstacking keeping them both cooler and raising the router/antennas will help with transmission (TX) and reception (RX). Try to get them up to at least table height. Maybe higher for the router if possible.

6) Ensure that all cables of any sort are not kinked, pinched, tightly bent, or end up with something sitting on them. Keep cable runs neat and orderly. Ensure that all cables are fully and securely connecting from one device to another.

7) Clean all dust off of and out of all components. Again to help with cooling and airflows if dust is blocking cooling holes.

Overall most of the above is simply normal networking requirements. Objective being to eliminate bad connections and faulty cables.

Late note: I could not read what was printed on that orange cable and I will take a look at the router log.

some wiring is beyond my control that's for sure, due to the place I live in, it's a remote village, and the house is very small lol

to answer your questions

1) this tec box marked m.s.a is from the local ISP, they provide connection this way to the place where I'm currently living

2) the tec box is hanging due to the above-mentioned reason, small place, constrained space

3) the yellow cable is being held together by the red tape not too tightly, but just for holdings sake !

4) yes, that's very much bothering me too ! but the ISP wont put in the effort and resources due to the location I'm in now, here's an excellent video of making end to end ethernet cable connection making video I found

[Moderator note: deleted YouTube video. Not applicable (shielded cable) and not necessary.]

5) again the constrained space, and not to mention there isn't any stable multiplug connection available in the house

6) I tried my best, but that's how the local isp set it up, again the small house problem

7) I do regularly dust off these things, but I think I'm currently living in the small tin shed house my ancestors made 50-100 years ago probably, with some modern touch of electricity ( there was no electricity here 20-30 years ago )

orange cable is cat6 i think

 

[BFG-9000]

as far as i know the TPLink router lasts a lifetime, 15-20 years or more

Technically, TP-Link routers only receive about 18 months of firmware updates, and after that they change the hardware version number (even if nothing has really changed) so they don't have to support it any more + you will buy a newer model. And like an obsolete OS or smartphone, even if it is still working the lack of security updates makes using it risky.

The solution is of course 3rd-party firmware which is kept updated. Your MR3420 v2.4 used to have OpenWRT support but it ended years ago with v17.01.7 because the developers decided they didn't want to support devices with only 4MB of Flash anymore. Apparently DD-WRT works on it but there isn't enough room to include the USB driver

That said, even if there is nothing wrong with your TP-Link I would strongly suggest a newer, faster router. The MR3420 v2.4 only has a 535MHz MIPs CPU which can only do WPA2 in software up to ~100Mbps at 100% CPU load. If you temporarily run no wifi security and suddenly everything becomes stable, then I guess you will have found the problem.

 

[bedouinbro]

Technically, TP-Link routers only receive about 18 months of firmware updates, and after that they change the hardware version number (even if nothing has really changed) so they don't have to support it any more + you will buy a newer model. And like an obsolete OS or smartphone, even if it is still working the lack of security updates makes using it risky.

The solution is of course 3rd-party firmware which is kept updated. Your MR3420 v2.4 used to have OpenWRT support but it ended years ago with v17.01.7 because the developers decided they didn't want to support devices with only 4MB of Flash anymore. Apparently DD-WRT works on it but there isn't enough room to include the USB driver

That said, even if there is nothing wrong with your TP-Link I would strongly suggest a newer, faster router. The MR3420 v2.4 only has a 535MHz MIPs CPU which can only do WPA2 in software up to ~100Mbps at 100% CPU load. If you temporarily run no wifi security and suddenly everything becomes stable, then I guess you will have found the problem.

any recommendations for buying new routers with a limited budget ? using an 8mbps or 1mb/s connection, but in reality download speed is 700kb/s to 800kb/s, so don't really see any reason to buy a high-speed router, you get what I mean. btw is it possible to access both the router and onu interface simultaneously if I install the open wrt firmware or dd-wrt?

 

[bill001g]

It is very surprising that you have such a slow internet on a fiber to the home connection. I know my ISP offer up to 5gbit.

Be extremely careful to protect the fiber, both the black "wires" and the yellow. If you where to wrap the fiber around your finger a couple times you would crack it internally, it is extremely fragile.

Technically the ONT box from your ISP says it is running in router mode. You might be able to put your tplink in AP mode and only use it for wifi.

When you only have a 8mbps internet connection any router will work. You are running what could be called wifi4. The newer but now also getting older 802.11ac (wifi5) would likely be more than enough. although you might get by with a router with a 450 or 750 number I would look for a 1200 number. If you buy off brands you can get these for the $30 range.

The only strange thing that may or may not make a difference is your current router can run cellular 3g/4g connection. Should not matter if you have fiber but if for some reason it needs to get internet over cellular you will need a special router.

 

[Ralston18]

Per "ipconfig /all".

The ONT is the router (192.168.1.1) providing an DHCP IP address (192.168.1.2) to your PC. The PC must be configured to "obtain IP address automatically.

Thus, if I am following correctly the TP-Link's DHCP should be turned off.

Confirm the connections as:

IPS ==== fiber ====> ONU -----Ethernet cable (orange) -----> TP Link MR3420 ----- Ethernet cables to wired devices ---->

In which case, the ONU's DHCP functions should be disabled and the TP Link's(192.168.0.1) DHCP should be enabled.

Only one device should be providing DHCP IP addresses to network devices.

However, there may be other comments and suggestions regarding the devices, the connections between them, and the respective configuration options.

= = = =

Immediate suggestions that have proven helpful for many....

On the PC:

Try disabling IPv6

Change the DNS Server to Google at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

Keep track of what is changed and where it was changed. Just in case a change needs to be reversed.

 

[bedouinbro]

Per "ipconfig /all".

The ONT is the router (192.168.1.1) providing an DHCP IP address (192.168.1.2) to your PC. The PC must be configured to "obtain IP address automatically.

Thus, if I am following correctly the TP-Link's DHCP should be turned off.

Confirm the connections as:

IPS ==== fiber ====> ONU -----Ethernet cable (orange) -----> TP Link MR3420 ----- Ethernet cables to wired devices ---->

In which case, the ONU's DHCP functions should be disabled and the TP Link's(192.168.0.1) DHCP should be enabled.

Only one device should be providing DHCP IP addresses to network devices.

However, there may be other comments and suggestions regarding the devices, the connections between them, and the respective configuration options.

= = = =

Immediate suggestions that have proven helpful for many....

On the PC:

Try disabling IPv6

Change the DNS Server to Google at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

Keep track of what is changed and where it was changed. Just in case a change needs to be reversed.

someone from the house decided to take up the offer from the isp ( buying a new router ) there goes my chances of testing it further and maybe installing custom firmware using OpenWRT or DD-WRT
got a tenda router now
https://www.tendacn.com/product/overview/F6.html

what do you think about updating the firmware of this Tenda router ? is it worth it ?

 

[bedouinbro]

It is very surprising that you have such a slow internet on a fiber to the home connection. I know my ISP offer up to 5gbit.

Be extremely careful to protect the fiber, both the black "wires" and the yellow. If you where to wrap the fiber around your finger a couple times you would crack it internally, it is extremely fragile.

Technically the ONT box from your ISP says it is running in router mode. You might be able to put your tplink in AP mode and only use it for wifi.

When you only have a 8mbps internet connection any router will work. You are running what could be called wifi4. The newer but now also getting older 802.11ac (wifi5) would likely be more than enough. although you might get by with a router with a 450 or 750 number I would look for a 1200 number. If you buy off brands you can get these for the $30 range.

The only strange thing that may or may not make a difference is your current router can run cellular 3g/4g connection. Should not matter if you have fiber but if for some reason it needs to get internet over cellular you will need a special router.

money problems, country problems, etc, and I'm stuck with slow internet. I do a careful dust-off once in a while, but here comes the typical ISP quote "Turn off the power and restart it, it will work again" !!

 

[Ralston18]

Regarding:

"what do you think about updating the firmware of this Tenda router ? is it worth it ?"

Probably not worth it and certainly not now. Hold on any firmware upgrades until a specific problem is identified that, in turn, can be resolved via a firmware upgrade.

Doing a firmware upgrade now is simply going to add in more uncertainty to the overall situation. Especially if the upgrade does not succeed. A firmware upgrade may fix one thing but cause another problem.....

First, determine if the new router does or does not improve network performance.

If not then that is certainly an indication that there are other factors involved.

= = = =

Not sure about events here:

E.g., "someone from the house" making the decision while there other issues (router placement) still remain unresolved.

Who (someone ? )has full admin rights to the new router? Hopefully the router's default admin name and password have been changed. Otherwise your network is wide open to anyone getting in.

I suggest a house meeting to consider the network and network performance problems.

Fix what you can: known working cables, connections, and computer network configuration settings.

Get the router/antennas etc.. off of the floor. Just use a box if necessary for testing location and placement. (Read the router manual for proper antenna alignment.)

Key is to reduce the uncertainty. Not add more.

 

[bill001g]

In general you no longer need third party firmware. Pretty much all the companies have integrated the most popular features into the router OS. There are some higher end feature such as firewall or vpn that maybe third part firmware does better.

The largest issue is the support for things like hardware NAT acceleration is not open source so it can not come prepackaged with builds. If you know how to build it your self you can use it. This feature offloads the nat from a CPU program to asic based hardware. In your case it will not make any difference but for someone with a faster internet you will cap the speed because the CPU chip will become a bottleneck.

Unless you have some feature you really want that is only in third party firmware using the factory firmware will make life simpler. Most people are using the router purely to share the single IP they get from the ISP. They use DHCP and NAT that all routers have.

 

[bedouinbro]

Regarding:

"what do you think about updating the firmware of this Tenda router ? is it worth it ?"

Probably not worth it and certainly not now. Hold on any firmware upgrades until a specific problem is identified that, in turn, can be resolved via a firmware upgrade.

Doing a firmware upgrade now is simply going to add in more uncertainty to the overall situation. Especially if the upgrade does not succeed. A firmware upgrade may fix one thing but cause another problem.....

First, determine if the new router does or does not improve network performance.

If not then that is certainly an indication that there are other factors involved.

= = = =

Not sure about events here:

E.g., "someone from the house" making the decision while there other issues (router placement) still remain unresolved.

Who (someone ? )has full admin rights to the new router? Hopefully the router's default admin name and password have been changed. Otherwise your network is wide open to anyone getting in.

I suggest a house meeting to consider the network and network performance problems.

Fix what you can: known working cables, connections, and computer network configuration settings.

Get the router/antennas etc.. off of the floor. Just use a box if necessary for testing location and placement. (Read the router manual for proper antenna alignment.)

Key is to reduce the uncertainty. Not add more.

It has been working fine so far, for the last 48 hours or more continuously

 

[bill001g]

Although not always the best first choice throwing money at the problem and buying new equipment does tend to fix a lot of problems.

 

[bedouinbro]

Although not always the best first choice throwing money at the problem and buying new equipment does tend to fix a lot of problems.

All is not well often even after throwing money lol ! Is it possible that isp is blocking my desktop mac address? I can use the wifi but suddenly now lan connection doesn't work ( and isp in the country where i live always like to cash out in any given moment saying, wire is damaged, router is bad, ete etc ) and if the isp is blocking my desktop mac address, how do i find out that they are actually blocking it ?

 

[lantis3]

There is no way ISP blocking your PC's mac address since all traffic through router will not have mac address, only your router's WAN IP and port no.

Does your ethernet adapter even get a LAN IP?

 

[bedouinbro]

There is no way ISP blocking your PC's mac address since all traffic through router will not have mac address, only your router's WAN IP and port no.

Does your ethernet adapter even get a LAN IP?

This is what im getting

 

[lantis3]

It looks like you are using proxy and that proxy is down.

Check Control Panel, Internet Options

Read the post here too.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...cept-the/be58795e-7e1e-4597-be1d-9c85c5b18745

 

[bedouinbro]

It looks like you are using proxy and that proxy is down.

Check Control Panel, Internet Options

Read the post here too.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...cept-the/be58795e-7e1e-4597-be1d-9c85c5b18745

I dont use proxies manually, i use psiphon for vpn connections, checked the proxy settings, i certainly didn't changed or enabled these and psiphon doesn't do that too i think

So how did the windows enabled proxies itself ??

2nd edit - figured it out !!

 

[lantis3]

https://psiphon.ca/en/index.html

What is Psiphon?​

Psiphon is a circumvention tool from Psiphon Inc. that utilizes VPN, SSH and HTTP Proxy technology to provide you with uncensored access to Internet content. Your Psiphon client will automatically learn about new access points to maximize your chances of bypassing censorship.

It's possible your browser's proxy setting has been modified.

---

Did not even noticed in your posted pictures that Control Panel's proxy setting is empty but the Proxy setting in the SETTINGS is NOT! MS is doing a heck of job here 😵

---

Found that PsiPhon is a portable program, no installation required. When you run it, it will change WIndows Proxy settings on the fly. Once you quit the program, the proxy setting will be cleared by Psiphon.