Router keeps dropping connection to the Internet

[Brad127428]

Hi all! 

Interesting thread as this is exactly what I seem to be getting with my F T T P at the moment. It's very intermittent and only seems to happen every month or 2 times a month. 

Today it happened whilst I've been at work so been offline for about 10 hours, but due to the fact I wasn't home they couldn't support or run tests. 

[Giggsy1977]

I think someone on here is gathering numbers and info from the router logs when the connection goes down as it might be to do with older routers and doesn't affect the Sky Max routers for example. Not convinced on it yet, but if it turns out to be the case I may consider a return to Sky in the future (around Black Friday). If not, I shall look elsewhere. 

[Giggsy1977]

A good tip @nicholas+smith - might not always give enough time for the connection to be re-allocated though. But if it works for you then fair play! 👍

The issue is if one isn't at home to perform a reset of the connection (regardless of method) and as the dropped connection doesn't re-establish itself things like heating, cameras, lights etc. are rendered inert which in some cases could prove more than annoying! 🙂

[Brad127428]

Yes! My issue exactly, when this happens and it drops out. My cameras don't work because of the lack of wifi. I spoke to support and they've sent me a new router out, I advised that I don't believe this is the issue. Do I need to go through this step for them to potentially look further into the issue or is this a waste of my time?

[dwillsuk]

I had this issue ever since I went over to FTTP about a year and a half ago.

After around 30 calls to Sky (with each call lasting between 1 and 2 hours.....yes I'm a glutton for punishment), new routers and Ethernet cables sent out, many many logs from the router sent to them, many photos of my setup and status lights sent to them, contstantly repeating myself over and over again to different sky representatives, giving them this thread as evidence that it is also happening to many others not just me,

I finally gave up and left Sky.

I was adamant to stay with them and persist until they fixed the issue hence the many hours on the phone with them, however everything ultimately fell on deaf ears.

The only people you can speak to are the "help desk" staff, they will not let you directly speak with the technical people who can actually troubleshoot the issue (network team).

The issue is a straight forward one.

The router randomly fails to pick up a public IP address from Sky (the WAN connection), therefore you have no Internet.

A simple reboot will fix the issues, but Sky seem incapable of identifying the issue (even with evidence given to them) and then either providing useful information on how to prevent it from happening, (as for me they said a device in my home was nicking the public IP from the router, basically beating the router to the DHCP request)

or fixing the issue whether a bug in the firmware or an issue at their end with the "DHCP service".

Good luck!!!!

[DylanJ141]

I've tried the below and not had an outage for the last 6 weeks so fingers crossed.
When you log into the router (192.168.0.1), click 'Advanced' and then 'WAN Setup'.
Scroll till you can see 'Router Mode' and set this to WANoE Only. I'm guessing this programmes the router to rely on an ethernet input on port 4 for signal when it reboots, rather than searching for signal input on the old DSL/copper line, which won't work for FTTP.
My voice / phone line light has been amber and has remained in a 'Connecting...' state (according to the router) for 6 weeks but the broadband blackout hasn't occured since. Phone line is dead though.

Time will tell to see how long this holds...

Otherwise before this I was having the same problem for months after FTTP was installed. Sky's random overnight updates only to wake up with no internet, doorbell not working, heating, cameras disconnected etc. and having to manually reboot - a pain if one ever wanted to go away on holiday. Replaced ethernet cables on the ONT box and considered getting the Wifi Max router (which I realised I couldn't due to having Sky Q + Mini Boxes which aren't compatible with the Max's mesh system). Never any problems on the old copper line with the same router (SR203).

[nicholas+smith]

Thanks.

Mine randomly drops out, every 2 weeks or so. Same as it did on copper.

The difference is now, the fttp stays connected, but the the phone drops, and internet connection drops.

Simply unplugging the lan cable to the fttp box, and plugging in after a few secs, reconnects it within seconds. No reboot required.

I'll try your WANoE suggestion.

cheers

[Shazbaz11]

Over 3 months of the same c**p - new Q box, new router which one engineer had to leave a 9 metre lan running through two rooms and even that didn't work, 4 engineers out and over 27 hours of calls to Sky - one where we were ridiculed by a call handler. The last engineer told us that Sky / Openreach are trying a new 6G / internet system and tried to bypass it. Sometimes we can't get wifi on the phones but Alexa and Google work - go figure!! No Q means the mini boxes don't work too so no service apart from Freeview that we have the pleasure of paying £70+ a month to 'world class' Sky. I wish we could move but I think it would be the same...

we've tried to be recompensed via Ofcom... don't bother. 

making us ill due to pressure of working from home several days a week 

[nicholas+smith]

My sky a connection problems ended once I unplugged a little Chinese Wi-Fi hotspot device. I bought it to plug into the Lan in my man cave, to give me Wi-Fi there. That Wi-Fi was stopping the sky box, and two x boxes, and a laptop from connecting. As soon as I unplugged it, everything connected to the new router.

[JayDoubleU]

@DylanJ141 

That all sounds very positive and I think I can see some logic in it - which I always like.

I would suggest others try this; especially if they don't need the phone line provided by Sky through their router - as from what you have described, this no longer works with your fix.

The problem has been getting worse for me in the last couple of weeks - I've been getting drop outs up to twice a week, and sometimes twice a day.

Unfortunately, you've discovered and passed this on too late for me - I'm off. My contract has just ended and I couldn't see any resolution to this problem.

Well done - I hope this fixes the problem for you long term and I hope others find this useful.

[dwillsuk]

Just to add my two pence to this also (replying to DylanJ141 from the 14th Nov 2024 09:05PM)

I had modified the router mode to "WANoE Only" some months back (on recommendation from the Sky back end network team)
It did seem to work, as I hadn't had the drop out for for a number of weeks, until, alass the issue started again, however less frequent than previously (coincidence? who knows)
I double checked the setting and it was still set correctly, I did have further discussions with Sky over this and with no resolution in sight, I left Sky and am now with another provider (have been for about a month now) with no network dropouts.

I hope the setting does work for you and indeed others that do the same.
Please update if it does or doesn't work on here, as it looks like the community will need to provide the resolution or at least the information to the resolution for other users.