Virgin Media Community

[raj_121]

Hi There,

For the past week or so I have been experiencing dropouts in my WiFi wireless connection. This has impacted video calls and working from home issues.

I am really baffled as to what has caused this problem and finding out how to resolve this.

Basically, since I have had internet and have been using all my devices using WiFi (wireless) connection and they have been working great and I run an access point for where I don’t have good wifi strength. Last week I noticed that my internet on my phone (and all other devices) would cut out randomly and I would have to search for the WiFi again to connect to the network.

I used ookla to run some speed testing on these wireless devices, testing and re-testing in the same location one test after another resulting in varying download speeds (fairly consistent uploads), and then randomly the internet connection would drop until I manually search for the WiFi router and connect back sometimes it would be within seconds sometimes minutes. This has been getting worse and worse.

I also run a Unifi Access Point – Ubiquiti UAP-AC-LITE, for the back of the house in my office and I have never had any issues with this it provides connection where signal is weak, it has been the best thing. Now it has faced the same problems as the router when the connection is disrupted on the Router it will also occur on the Access Point (im not sure if this is simultaneously or at the same time). Sometimes it takes seconds to reconnect sometimes it takes longer. On some devices when I try to reconnect straight after the connection has dropped it will say “Incorrect Password” upon connecting to either the router or access point.

No changes have been made to my hardware which is what is baffling me. I have checked all termination points, Coaxial termination externally and internally, all finger tight connections. There are no obvious kinks running in any of the wiring.

I have reconnected all ports and reset the hub.

The only thing which may have remotely had an effect is the electricity power was turned off to add sockets to a different room in the house. So maybe the access point has turned off and the WiFi router has turned off at different points affecting signalling between the two? But surely Resetting this would have brought things back in line?

Since then, I have disconnected my Access Point so I am only using the Router. I am still experiencing the same issues with the Hub 3.0 whilst within close proximity. Checked the ookla speeds and same results - they are varying.

Now I have managed to use the same Ethernet that was connected to the Access point to my laptop and now I am not experiencing such dropouts (but I am not holding my breath). But I don’t understand why there is problems with my access point when diagnostic show it is working ok as well as my router having issues, as well as the fact that I haven’t changed my setup.

Can anyone share light on this matter. I really wish I could understand these networking issues abit better and troubleshoot. Apologies for the long story or any information which I haven’t included I hope someone can help me.

[raj_121]

Below are my diagnostics

Broadband Quality Monitor - Live Graph https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/aa1050a6c8c3a94356a6b50c96bf18b603...

My router status is below:

Cable Modem Status
Item	Status	Comments
Acquired Downstream Channel (Hz)	331000000	Locked
Ranged Upstream Channel (Hz)	60300085	Locked
Provisioning State	Online

Downstream bonded channels

Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	SNR (dB)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	331000000	3.5	38	256 qam	25
2	267000000	3.2	40	256 qam	17
3	275000000	3.2	38	256 qam	18
4	283000000	3.7	40	256 qam	19
5	291000000	4.1	40	256 qam	20
6	299000000	4	40	256 qam	21
7	307000000	3.7	40	256 qam	22
8	315000000	3.5	38	256 qam	23
9	323000000	3.4	38	256 qam	24
10	339000000	3.5	38	256 qam	26
11	347000000	3.5	40	256 qam	27
12	355000000	3	40	256 qam	28
13	363000000	2.5	40	256 qam	29
14	371000000	2.2	38	256 qam	30
15	379000000	1.9	38	256 qam	31
16	387000000	1.5	38	256 qam	32
17	395000000	1	38	256 qam	33
18	403000000	0.7	38	256 qam	34
19	411000000	0.9	38	256 qam	35
20	419000000	0.7	38	256 qam	36
21	427000000	0.7	38	256 qam	37
22	435000000	1	38	256 qam	38
23	443000000	1	40	256 qam	39
24	451000000	1.2	40	256 qam	40

Downstream bonded channels

Channel	Locked Status	RxMER (dB)	Pre RS Errors	Post RS Errors
1	Locked	38.9	6	0
2	Locked	40.3	13	0
3	Locked	38.9	6	0
4	Locked	40.9	7	0
5	Locked	40.3	8	0
6	Locked	40.3	6	0
7	Locked	40.3	4	0
8	Locked	38.9	9	0
9	Locked	38.9	4	0
10	Locked	38.9	11	0
11	Locked	40.9	14	0
12	Locked	40.9	10	0
13	Locked	40.3	4	0
14	Locked	38.9	5	0
15	Locked	38.9	3	0
16	Locked	38.9	20	0
17	Locked	38.9	17	0
18	Locked	38.9	29	0
19	Locked	38.9	24	0
20	Locked	38.9	35	0
21	Locked	38.9	27	0
22	Locked	38.9	23	0
23	Locked	40.3	13	0
24	Locked	40.3	7	0

Upstream bonded channels

Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	Symbol Rate (ksps)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	60300085	35.2	5120	64 qam	9
2	39400000	37.3	5120	64 qam	12
3	46199971	35.3	5120	64 qam	11
4	53699983	35.3	5120	64 qam	10

Upstream bonded channels

Channel	Channel Type	T1 Timeouts	T2 Timeouts	T3 Timeouts	T4 Timeouts
1	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
2	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
3	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
4	ATDMA	0	0	1	0

General Configuration

Network access	Allowed
Maximum Number of CPEs	1
Baseline Privacy	Enabled
DOCSIS Mode	Docsis30
Config file	dJKDHSUBsgvca69834ncxv9873254

Primary Downstream Service Flow

SFID	2984
Max Traffic Rate	230000061
Max Traffic Burst	42600
Min Traffic Rate	0

Primary Upstream Service Flow

SFID	2981
Max Traffic Rate	22000061
Max Traffic Burst	42600
Min Traffic Rate	0
Max Concatenated Burst	42600
Scheduling Type	BestEffort

[raj_121]

Network Log

Time	Priority	Description
08/02/2021 09:39:2	notice	LAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/02/2021 09:38:57	Warning!	LAN login FAILED : Incorrect Username / Password / ConnectionType;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/02/2021 09:38:39	notice	LAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/02/2021 09:37:35	Warning!	LAN login FAILED : Incorrect Username / Password / ConnectionType;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
07/02/2021 03:11:10	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
06/02/2021 21:24:44	Warning!	Lost MDD Timeout;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
06/02/2021 21:24:40	Warning!	RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
06/02/2021 21:24:39	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
06/02/2021 21:24:38	Warning!	RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
06/02/2021 21:24:38	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
06/02/2021 21:24:30	Warning!	RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
05/02/2021 12:12:8	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
05/02/2021 12:12:8	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
05/02/2021 12:08:8	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
05/02/2021 12:08:8	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
05/02/2021 12:07:48	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
05/02/2021 12:07:48	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
04/02/2021 23:27:26	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;

[raj_121]

Can anyone help me with the query.

I have triple checked hardware all connections seem to be good and my router looks to be fine.

I am still using a hardwired connection into my laptop which is pretty stable my only issue now is my wireless connection to my iPhone and iPad seem to be failing me on video calls and such things. It is just unstable.

Is there anything i need to change in my setup??

[tehwolf · Accepted solution]

---

@raj_121 wrote:
Can anyone help me with the query.

I have triple checked hardware all connections seem to be good and my router looks to be fine.

I am still using a hardwired connection into my laptop which is pretty stable my only issue now is my wireless connection to my iPhone and iPad seem to be failing me on video calls and such things. It is just unstable.

Is there anything i need to change in my setup??

---

Nothing obvious wrong with your stats.. a few channel drops in your log (rcs partial service) but they all hit at the same time so possibly a one off? it's worth checking to see if you're getting these regularly..

as for the wifi not working.. the unifi kit is decent quality - i use it myself and don't suffer from any dropouts at all - it has been very reliable for the last ~5 years.

Do you use the same SSID across the hub & the unifi? or do you have different ones?

[raj_121]

Thank you so much for the reply tehwolf. I appreciate you taking the time to read my long post. 

Yes I use the UAP-AC-Lite with a separate SSID and has worked like magic. Thats why I couldnt understand why there were dropouts on both the UniFi network as well as my router network (maybe because it is in Router mode?). Which made it difficult to troubleshoot and made me believe something was wrong with the router/ISP.

I am actually looking to put a couple of APs in the house and use the Unifi Switch + USG to create a fully functioning network that I can control abit better and use the hub in modem mode but once I know everything is ok with the current network. But I also wish I was more knowledgable in the world of networking to understand the best way to setting this system up lol.

So since this was posted I found the Ethernet connection is stable for working, my family's Samsung devices on "5GHz" has been running pretty smooth (to my knowledge).

The only issue now is my devices - iPhone and iPad, I checked and saw these were on 2.4GHz. Ive heard John mention iDevices are better on 5GHz and to separate out the 2.4GHz and 5GHz and by disabling the WiFi optimisation and use separate networks which I will give a go. Tbh I also need to switch my work laptop from the wired connection and plug the UAP-Lite back in and maybe try and see how that is running now? 

What do you think is the best thing to do now?

Also sorry for the dumb question but I have looked at the BQM and all I see is Red - Dropped packet from since ~9am today? not sure why this is? Is it because I logged in onto my computer at that time. 

[tehwolf · Accepted solution]

---

@raj_121 wrote:

Thank you so much for the reply tehwolf. I appreciate you taking the time to read my long post. 

Yes I use the UAP-AC-Lite with a separate SSID and has worked like magic. Thats why I couldnt understand why there were dropouts on both the UniFi network as well as my router network (maybe because it is in Router mode?). Which made it difficult to troubleshoot and made me believe something was wrong with the router/ISP.

I am actually looking to put a couple of APs in the house and use the Unifi Switch + USG to create a fully functioning network that I can control abit better and use the hub in modem mode but once I know everything is ok with the current network. But I also wish I was more knowledgable in the world of networking to understand the best way to setting this system up lol.

So since this was posted I found the Ethernet connection is stable for working, my family's Samsung devices on "5GHz" has been running pretty smooth (to my knowledge).

The only issue now is my devices - iPhone and iPad, I checked and saw these were on 2.4GHz. Ive heard John mention iDevices are better on 5GHz and to separate out the 2.4GHz and 5GHz and by disabling the WiFi optimisation and use separate networks which I will give a go. Tbh I also need to switch my work laptop from the wired connection and plug the UAP-Lite back in and maybe try and see how that is running now? 

What do you think is the best thing to do now?

Also sorry for the dumb question but I have looked at the BQM and all I see is Red - Dropped packet from since ~9am today? not sure why this is? Is it because I logged in onto my computer at that time. 

---

Well. i'll never discourage anyone from ditching the hub and replacing it with decent network gear (which the unifi stuff is..) but you are right to want to make sure there are no underlying problems before you spend the money.

re: the splitting of 2.4/5ghz bands.. it's never something that i have had an issue with.  i have four unifi AP's dotted around the house and various different types of client devices, none of which struggle to connect to the correct band on the unifi kit.. so I've always assumed that the hub is just rubbish and confuses devices when i see posts about it on here.. it's not something that i have ever had an issue with though.  

i think it's worth reconnecting the unifi AP and see how it performs.. can you see the unifi network on your devices when you're stood near to the hub? if so, you could try to disable the wifi on the hub completely (whilst in router mode) and just rely on the unifi AP for wireless - it could be that the drops you're seeing are a result of RF interference - and with two separate devices broadcasting different networks, you're potentially adding to the problem by having the hub broadcasting at the same time.. 

the all red means one of two things.. either your IP address has changed, and you need to re-set up your BQM, or your hub is rejecting ICMP packets (not sure if this is configurable on the hub or not to be honest..)

[raj_121]

@tehwolf - You my good sir, are a legend. Thanks for the replies mate!

I'll have a look at reconnecting the AP tonight but yeh i usually  see the UAP wifi when Im near the hub. So I will see if the problem is the RF and interchanges between the two networks.

When you mention Disabling the WiFi on the hub whilst in Router Mode - How would you go about thaty? Is this something I can do in the Hub settings?  

[tehwolf]

---

@raj_121 wrote:

@tehwolf - You my good sir, are a legend. Thanks for the replies mate!

I'll have a look at reconnecting the AP tonight but yeh i usually  see the UAP wifi when Im near the hub. So I will see if the problem is the RF and interchanges between the two networks.

When you mention Disabling the WiFi on the hub whilst in Router Mode - How would you go about thaty? Is this something I can do in the Hub settings?  

---

Yes, in the hub settings - Advanced -> wireless - just disable the broadcast for both 2.4 and 5ghz channels.