Broadband intermittently dropping throughout the day

[GeorgeHead]

Hi all,

I have been noticing a few drop outs with my broadband intermittently throughout the day. 

There doesn't seem to be any pattern to this that I can see, and I have tried all sorts to get to the bottom of it. 

I have ran a script on my desktop that is hardwired directly into the router to ping google dns continually. Every so often, I see the below - 

21:54:43.40 Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=6ms TTL=118
21:54:44.41 Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=118
21:54:45.43 Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=118
21:54:46.44 Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=6ms TTL=118
21:54:47.46 Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=118
21:54:51.83 Request timed out.
21:54:56.83 Request timed out.
21:55:01.83 Request timed out.
21:55:06.82 Request timed out.
21:55:07.84 Reply from 8.8.8.8:
21:55:08.86 bytes=32 time=6ms TTL=118
21:55:09.87 Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=118

I have checked the security log in the router's web portal to see if there is any corresponding activity - and there is nothing in there - 

20:50:26 syslog: WAN IPV6 UP
21:04:30 syslog: Lease renewed 3600 ip 90.221.34.130

I have tried to run line checks at the times that these instances occur, but the drop outs dont last long enough for me to get there soon enough. All line checks I have run in the Sky app have come back clear. I have tried connecting to the web portal when the connection drops, but dont seem to be able to. 

Is there anything else I can try? As mentioned, this happens randomly with seemingly no rhyme nor reason as to why. Given that the web portal is unreachable when the drop happens. it indicates an issue LAN-side (192.168.0.1 unreachable from PC, with PC hardwired into router). I have tried new cables, unplugging and replugging when drops happen etc. I have also gone as far as reinstalling windows on my PC to rule out any driver issues PC-side. I am beginning to suspect a hardware fault on the router-end.

This is getting a little frustrating now, so any further advice would be appreciated. 

[Chrisee]

@GeorgeHead your hub's connection stats show how long the WAN connection has been up so are a useful tool see Find your Sky Broadband router statistics

They also can show a lot about the health of the connection if you are on broadband over copper as opposed to full fibre. If you post yourcstats forum members maybe able to see what is wrong. However unstable connections on copper lines is quite a common issue currently due to the incredibly high amount of rain this year. There is a limit to what Openreach can do to fix lines where this is an issue except hope for dry weather so the lines go back to normal.

[GeorgeHead]

Hi @Chrisee thanks for replying. 

Worth mentioning before we go any further that I am FTTP with the 900mb package. 

So I have just checked as I just had a drop - annoyingly I didn't have my script running at the time! -

WAN             164:20:37

Presumably, this uptime counter is uptime since the last disconnect, not cumulative hours of uptime? If so, the WAN hasn't dropped since I moved the router last week. 

[GeorgeHead]

Here are all of the stats for the router. 

[Chrisee]

Hi @GeorgeHead the WAN uptime is when the connection was last re-established so 164 hours is around a week back. The hub has not rebooted for 581 hours or over 3 weeks both figures look totally normal. With full fibre there is less information as the modem stage is bypassed Sky apoear to paste in the speed you are buying.

However there are 21 collisions reported on the LAN do you have Sky Q boxes by any chance as we often see these with Q boxes connected by ethernet with their wifi on. You mention your PC is hard wired does it also have a wifi card connected? @jamesn123 or @TimmyBGood any ideas?

[GeorgeHead]

@Chrisee Okay that makes sense, that does coincide with when I had to pull the WAN cable out. 

I did notice the collisions when writing up my last message,  but I wanted to know your input before jumping to conclusions.

I have some other devices hardwired in which may be causing the collisions, though I had thought I isolated these when testing it before. Most of them can be moved across to wireless, so I will make a start on doing that. No other Sky devices are present on the network (SkyQ or otherwise), just the Sky Hub. 

My PC does have a wireless card in it, but it has been disabled through windows, and the antennae are unplugged from it currently. 

I am using a third-party AP to range-extend the WiFi in the house. It is broadcasting with a different SSID, and is also hardwired directly into the router. I don't suspect this device is causing the collision as I have used it before on another system without issue, but I won't rule it out just yet. Is there anyway I can see which device is causing the collision through the web portal??

I will first start with rebooting the router though as I had thought I had done this more recently. 

Any further suggestions would be appreciated 🙂

[jamesn123]

@GeorgeHead 

Given you have a more complex network than the standard user (more wired devices and APs) I would start by disconnecting everything except 1 wired client & 1 wireless client and see if the drop still happens. The wired client should be a PC directly wired to the hub, not through an AP, Switch etc. 

[GeorgeHead]

@jamesn123 

I shall give this a try over the next few days and see if this does anything to fix the issue. 

Thanks for the help 🙂

[GeorgeHead]

Hi,

I figured I'd post an update for you all.

I have unplugged a set of devices from the network, which seems to have resolved the issue so far. 

I have a Sonos system that was hooked up to a switch that I have behind my TV. I had originally intended to keep these devices wired as they tend to be a bit flaky over WiFi, but I guess I can't now as they are causing collisions on the network (Somehow?).

Either way, it seems to be all working without any issues. I may revisit this at some point in the future as I can't rule out the problem being the switch behind the TV, the cabling for the speakers, or the speakers themselves being the issue. 

Thanks all for the help 🙂