Forum Discussion

karam94's avatar
karam94
On our wavelength
22 days ago
Solved

Has anyone repeatedly needed routers replacing?

About 3 months ago, our internet disappeared on our Hub 3 after waking up. We could connect to the router via WiFi but upon doing so, we'd get the dreaded "connected without internet" message.

After going through the usual shenanigans with support, they sent out an engineer who basically did the same thing & then replaced the hub with a new one.

A week ago, I had a Hub 5 come through as part of a new contract. Set it up, worked fine.

Woke up today, router has WiFi but again, no internet. Usual shenanigans again, engineer visit booked. Proper pain because our doorbell & heating etc all need internet so it basically disabled our home lol

Have I been incredibly unlucky or could there be something deeper in my infrastructure going wrong here? Perhaps a midnight update that gets rolled out that somehow blows my routers due to a dodgy cable or something?

Wondering if anyone else has experienced the same because I don't want an engineer out, to give a new router & have to replace it again in a few months time.

Thanks

Edit: I have a tplink deco mesh connected via ethernet that also doesn't receive internet, so this isn't a "change WiFi channels" type of problem 

  • karam94's avatar
    karam94
    13 days ago

    Hi John,

    I had tried the following permutations:

    • VM Hub in Router Mode + Deco in Router Mode connected (worked like this for over a month, as setup by VM engineer)
    • VM Hub in Router Mode + Deco disconnected
    • VM Hub in Modem Mode + Deco in Router Mode connected
    • A bunch of the above with different ethernet ports or VM Hub setting changes

    With no luck.

    I then realised at silly o'clock after the baby finally went to sleep that I hadn't tried the VM Hub in Modem Mode with the Deco completely disconnected from the get go & then retrospectively connecting it. I managed to solve it by putting my hub in modem mode, waiting for that to turn green followed by then reconnecting the Deco turned off & then switching it on again.

    I believe this may have worked because when both were in Router Mode, there was some DHCP assignment confusion happening somewhere perhaps?

    This was probably also the solution when the VM Engineer came round two months ago & just abruptly replaced my old hub too.

    So in conclusion, even though I have used a VM Hub in Router Mode + Deco in Router Mode for years, it seems that in the last 2 months, that combination has caused my internet to be wiped out twice. This could be due to updates to the VM Hubs or the Decos.

    The reason why I liked having both in Router Mode was because my Blink doorbell refuses to make my Alexas ring internally unless I have a separate 2.4Ghz SSID network & the VM Hub gave me that out of the box whereas I believe TP Link have only very recently released an "IoT Network" feature that I need to look in to to achieve this sigh

    Hope this relatively comprehensive response helps someone else with the same problem again in the future. I hope VM Engineers are also told to look out for this "double router mode" combination too as it'll save VM on replacing hubs lol

19 Replies

  • legacy1's avatar
    legacy1
    Alessandro Volta
    22 days ago

    Have you tied connecting to 192.168.0.1 ?

    Might be a DHCP server problem in your area?

    press and hold the reset button in when hub is on for 30 seconds and see if that works.

    Try modem mode with just a PC.

    • karam94's avatar
      karam94
      On our wavelength
      22 days ago

      I can connect to the hub via 192.168.0.1 fine.

      How do I check the DHCP issue? My parents on the same road don't have any issues.

      Already tried a reset with customer service on the phone to no avail.

      I'll give modem mode a whirl, thanks

       

  • goslow's avatar
    goslow
    Alessandro Volta
    22 days ago

    How are you running the Deco mesh in conjunction with the hub?

    If you access the VM hub wi-fi it sounds like the VM hub is in router mode not modem mode.

    Are you running the VM hub in router mode with the Deco as access points?

    Or maybe you have both the VM hub and the Deco set up in router mode which may cause issues.

    • karam94's avatar
      karam94
      On our wavelength
      22 days ago

      The hub isn't in modem mode. The deco is just connected via the 2.5Ghz ethernet port & relays the signal with other decos.

      So yes, both are in router mode but it has been working fine like that for a week and worked fine when the virgin engineer replaced the previous hub 3 as well.

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta
    22 days ago

    "connected without internet"   has a few avenues to investigate.

    1) Windows computers that have not been Restarted ( not shutdown ) Restarted to force a clean boot and to reset the uptime to zero.

    2) Mobiles that frequently revert to GSM data, both iPhone and Android have settings to reduce these tendency if it is a problem.

    3) VM Pods or Wi-Fi Repeaters that are placed too far from the VM Hub and have now created an area in / around say a bedroom or office where the Wi-Fi Pod / Repeater has the strongest Wi-Fi signal but is too far from the VM Hub to work successfully. 

    4) VM Hub DHCP issues,  we see this rarely and usually after a power cut, the VM Hub restarts and the panel lights look ok but the Hub's DHCP server is not working, most all DHCP devices Wi-Fi and Ethernet cabled fail to connect to the Hub. It can look like the Hub network sockets are not working and the Wi-Fi signal is present but devices can not connect.   A 60 second RESET of the Hub is the only fix - reboots / power cycles are not a fix.

    • karam94's avatar
      karam94
      On our wavelength
      22 days ago

      Not 1, 2 or 3.

      4 was attempted on the phone with customer services to no avail unfortunately.

  • Tudor's avatar
    Tudor
    Very Insightful Person
    22 days ago

    It’s always best to run any VM hub in modem mode. As to "our doorbell & heating etc all need internet" you should never rely on the internet being available if you consider these critical resources. I have a very automated home and all devices I have connected can run if the internet is not available. That’s doorbells, heating, cameras, lights, appliances, garden watering, burglar alarms, smoke detectors, CO detectors, etc.

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person
    22 days ago

    Getting back to basics, post the power levels and network log.  Setup a BQM to monitor the incoming circuit  http://www.thinbroadband.com/ping

    It may be the Hub's are fine and it's the circuit is dropping?

    Once done, we can comment.

    Oh, and in the many, many years of NTL/VM I've only had one Hub replaced as faulty.  That was a Hub 5.

    • karam94's avatar
      karam94
      On our wavelength
      22 days ago

      Tbh I'm trying to paste them then when I click Reply nothing happens...

      Edit: it seemed to not like the tables but I've managed to get them posted below (apologies they're hard to read)
    • karam94's avatar
      karam94
      On our wavelength
      22 days ago

      Upstream
      3.0 Upstream channels
      Channel    Frequency (Hz)    Power (dBmV)    Symbol Rate (ksps)    Modulation    Channel ID
      0    49600000    39.3    5120    QAM 64    1
      1    43100000    39.3    5120    QAM 64    2
      2    36600000    38.5    5120    QAM 64    3
      3    30100000    38    5120    QAM 64    4
      4    23600000    38    5120    QAM 64    9
      3.0 Upstream channels
      Channel    Channel Type    T1 Timeouts    T2 Timeouts    T3 Timeouts    T4 Timeouts
      0    ATDMA    0    0    1    0
      1    ATDMA    0    0    0    0
      2    ATDMA    0    0    0    0
      3    ATDMA    0    0    0    0
      4    ATDMA    0    0    0    0
      3.1 Upstream channels
      Channel    Channel Width (MHz)    Power (dBmV)    FFT Type    Modulation
      10    10.4    34.7    2K    QAM 256
      3.1 Upstream channels
      Channel    Channel Type    Number of Active Subcarriers    First Active Subcarrier (Hz)    T3 Timeouts    T4 Timeouts
      10    OFDMA    208    74000000    0    0


      Downstream

      3.0 Downstream channels
      Channel    Frequency (Hz)    Power (dBmV)    SNR (dB)    Modulation    Channel ID
      1    514000000    2    41    QAM 256    48
      2    138000000    7.5    41    QAM 256    1
      3    146000000    7.1    41    QAM 256    2
      4    154000000    6.8    41    QAM 256    3
      5    162000000    6.9    41    QAM 256    4
      6    170000000    6.5    41    QAM 256    5
      7    178000000    6.2    41    QAM 256    6
      8    186000000    6.2    41    QAM 256    7
      9    194000000    5.9    41    QAM 256    8
      10    202000000    5.5    41    QAM 256    9
      11    346000000    5.5    42    QAM 256    27
      12    354000000    5.3    42    QAM 256    28
      13    362000000    4.5    41    QAM 256    29
      14    370000000    4.4    42    QAM 256    30
      15    378000000    4    41    QAM 256    31
      16    386000000    3.1    41    QAM 256    32
      17    394000000    1.3    41    QAM 256    33
      18    402000000    1.4    41    QAM 256    34
      19    410000000    1.3    41    QAM 256    35
      20    418000000    0.1    40    QAM 256    36
      21    426000000    -1.8    39    QAM 256    37
      22    434000000    -1.5    39    QAM 256    38
      23    442000000    0.3    40    QAM 256    39
      24    450000000    0.7    40    QAM 256    40
      25    458000000    1.6    41    QAM 256    41
      26    466000000    1.5    41    QAM 256    42
      27    474000000    1.7    41    QAM 256    43
      28    482000000    1.4    41    QAM 256    44
      29    490000000    0.9    41    QAM 256    45
      30    498000000    2.1    41    QAM 256    46
      31    506000000    2    41    QAM 256    47
      3.0 Downstream channels
      Channel    Locked Status    RxMER (dB)    Pre RS Errors    Post RS Errors
      1    Locked    41    2    0
      2    Locked    41    0    0
      3    Locked    41    0    0
      4    Locked    41    0    0
      5    Locked    41    0    0
      6    Locked    41    0    0
      7    Locked    41    0    0
      8    Locked    41    0    0
      9    Locked    41    0    0
      10    Locked    41    0    0
      11    Locked    42    0    0
      12    Locked    42    0    0
      13    Locked    41    1    0
      14    Locked    42    1    0
      15    Locked    41    1    0
      16    Locked    41    1    0
      17    Locked    41    0    0
      18    Locked    41    3    0
      19    Locked    41    5    0
      20    Locked    40    9    0
      21    Locked    39    27    0
      22    Locked    39    13    0
      23    Locked    40    4    0
      24    Locked    40    2    0
      25    Locked    41    2    0
      26    Locked    41    4    0
      27    Locked    41    4    0
      28    Locked    41    1    0
      29    Locked    41    2    0
      30    Locked    41    0    0
      31    Locked    41    1    0
      3.1 Downstream channels
      Channel    Channel Width (MHz)    FFT Type    Number of Active Subcarriers    Modulation (Active Profile)    First Active Subcarrier (Hz)
      49    190    4K    3736    QAM 4096    148
      3.1 Downstream channels
      Channel ID    Locked Status    RxMER Data (dB)    PLC Power (dBmV)    Corrected errors (Active Profile)    Uncorrectable errors (Active Profile)
      49    Locked    39    -3.2    91305737    0

      Network Log

      Time    Priority    Description
      17-10-2025 13:19:50    notice    GUI Login Status - Login Success from LAN interface
      17-10-2025 12:27:59    notice    GUI Login Status - Login Success from LAN interface
      17-10-2025 12:27:41    notice    GUI Login Status - Login Fail from LAN interface
      17-10-2025 12:26:51    notice    REGISTRATION COMPLETE - Waiting for Operational status
      17-10-2025 12:26:46    warning    RNG-RSP CCAP Commanded Power in Excess of 6 dB Below

      Mod Edit (Personal information removed)

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta
    22 days ago

    I notice you are connecting to the VM Hub at 192.168.0.1 i.e. to a Hub in Router mode.

    How is your "tplink deco mesh" configured ? 

    If that is also in Router mode a double NAT or worse a double DHCP situation may exist.

    If the Deco handed out an IP that was in a range that was not routed to the VM Hub,
    you would instantly have a situation of a device(s) connected to the Deco but was unable to reach to the internet.

    • karam94's avatar
      karam94
      On our wavelength
      22 days ago

      Would disconnecting that Deco fix this? Connecting via WiFi to the Virgin hub also doesn't have internet. How do I go about testing your theory?

      • Client62's avatar
        Client62
        Alessandro Volta
        22 days ago

        Test your theory. Disable the entire Deco system so devices have to use just the VM Hub,  does this result in gaining an internet connection ? 

        The devices will all need to be rebooted to ensure they make a new connection to the VM Hub using the DHCP server of the VM Hub.

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person
    22 days ago

    Also the Downstream power levels have too much of a "slope".  The power is showing as between approx. -2 and +8  This is too big a spread AFAIK.

    • karam94's avatar
      karam94
      On our wavelength
      22 days ago

      Does this mean it's a virgin issue rather than specifically a hub issue?

    • legacy1's avatar
      legacy1
      Alessandro Volta
      22 days ago

      No its fine my spread is even bigger