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Hub 5 WiFi/DHCP issues

Dinsdale87
On our wavelength

Hi all

For two days, I've been battling this issue after many weeks of strange behaviour, I have finally tried to sit down and troubleshoot and I'm now at the point where I'm genuinely of the belief that there is either a hardware failure, or more likely, a result of poor firmware that was recently rolled out.

Firstly, I am on a Hub 5 running software version LG-RDK_4.6.24-2206.7.

Second, my setup has been Hub 5 in router mode, connected to a Netgear PoE network switch, and one of the devices is a Netgear WAP. I haven't used the Hub 5's WiFi, but it is there (more on testing that later). Previously, on my Hub 3, I had the same setup.

What I'm finding is that my WAP has been dropping connections to clients. When I look at the error logs, it says that it can't get an IP address. So my troubleshooting started there... I got nowhere. Reset after reset, rejig of settings after a rejig of settings. Sometimes some clients could connect, but in the case of Windows devices, I got "No internet, secured".

I then moved backwards to the switch, same thing, resets - various settings. Same result.

I then went back to my Virgin Hub, this time completely unplugging the switch and therefore WAP. Factory reset, both on the button and via the settings, into modem mode, back out of modem mode - just to wake make sure

DHCP is on, as it always was. No filters, no port forwarding. However, I get a successful connection to the Virgin WiFi temporarily... this may last an hour or so then I get "No internet" again. My iPhone says "Unable to join network". This is either on 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz, or with smart mode enabled.

When I hardwire a Windows device to the Hub, I get "Unidentified network" temporarily. I've gone through all of the Windows troubleshooting here, using PowerShell commands to reset DNS, winsock etc.

Here's the kicker - when I reset my SSID password (yes, the password), I can then reconnect again temporarily. If I set it back to a previous password, like the one my 50+ devices are on, I can't. It's like the previous passwords are all blacklisted somehow and I have to get a new password every so often.

If I customise my SSID name, as long as I haven't used it before with the same password, it'll temporarily work.

This has got me absolutely baffled. I have Alexa devices in the house that don't work, lights that don't work. Luckily my wired devices are holding up now.

On what could be an unrelated note, in December, my Plex server also was unreachable but that could be a red herring - but it does lead me to believe Virgin have pushed some nasty bugs out in this latest firmware.

I'd call the technical folk, I'd love a new Hub 5 to prove/disprove my theory but I fear I'll be asked if I've "switched it off and on again".

Help?

41 REPLIES 41

Client62
Legend

Hub 5 Router mode - 50 devices - DHCP issues - WiFi issues.    Sounds about right.

Consider having the Hub 5 in Modem mode and 3rd Party router doing the DHCP + WiFi as the sensible way forward.

Folks that have a Hub 5 in Modem mode and a Router kindly chime in with some sensible suggestions.

legacy1
Alessandro Volta
^my work here is done
---------------------------------------------------------------

Adduxi
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

@legacy1 wrote:
^my work here is done

🙂

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Adduxi
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

@Client62 wrote:

<snip>

Folks that have a Hub 5 in Modem mode and a Router kindly chime in with some sensible suggestions.


Yes, I had a Hub 5 in Modem mode and a non-wifi Router with several PoE wifi access points.  All worked as intended without issues.  I had the same setup with various VM Hubs over the years, with the common denominator of MODEM MODE .....   😉

 

 

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Tudor
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

I too have a Hub5, is there any other mode than modem mode…………..


Tudor
There are 10 types of people: those who understand binary and those who don't and F people out of 10 who do not understand hexadecimal c1a2a285948293859940d9a49385a2

Hi all

I made a thread on Saturday and I got a notification saying I reached a 25 post milestone yet I can't see the thread so I'll type it all out again. Adding to my overall frustration.

My setup, which has been working fine for since I got my Hub 5 in November is as follows:

Hub 5 > Netgear PoE Switch > Netgear Wireless AP.

For a few weeks, my Hub 5 has been acting strange. I believe it is having issues with the DHCP service. I read on this forum that there was a thread about the Hub 5 overheating and affecting DHCP but I can't find it. The software version I'm running is LG-RDK_4.6.24-2206.7.

The following has started happening since late December/early January.

  • Windows devices show "No internet, secured"
  • iOS devices get "Unable to join network" or just have the wheel spinning forever.
  • Amazon devices, such as Alexa, get "connecting..." with eventually "Unable to connect to this network"

I've done all sorts of troubleshooting on the switch and the WAP. Countless factory resets, same with the Hub 5.

Unplugging the switch and therefore the WAP, I realise that even using the Hub 5 standalone has its issues. As this is the gateway, I want to troubleshoot this first as I believe this is where the issues lie.

After all of the trial and error, believe it or not I've narrowed it down to my SSID username/password.

If I change the Hub 5's default SSID and password that all devices in my house is used to this is when the above issues happen. I should note that I'm also factory resetting these devices too for good measure.

Oddly, if I use the default SSID/password after a factory reset; it works fine but only temporarily.

If I change the SSID to something else and a password to something else, again, it'll work temporarily.

If I keep the same SSID and change the password, again it'll work temporarily.

It's like my passwords are getting blocked or blacklisted somehow. It's very strange behaviour.

I should note here that when I was looking at the logs for my WAP (when it was connected), I got many "this device is unable get an allocated IP address" (paraphrasing) which prompted me to go back to the Hub 5 and investigate there.

When I hardwire a network, I get "Unidentified network" on Windows. This works again after a reset but will only be temporarily - similar to the above.

So I can surmise that there is some issue between issuing a SSID/network name and DHCP.

Can anyone shed some light or help here? I'd love to get a replacement Hub 5 but I fear if I call Virgin, they'll want me to do the basic troubleshooting again and then charge me for it - eventhough I only paid for the upgrade in November.

I read on this forum a comment that the Hub 5 had issues with DHCP after something melted/overheated and it was mentioned "in another thread" but I can't find that thread.

Are there any known issues?

Amazing, not sure how you found that, but I couldn't find it - not even searching or looking under "my posts". Weird. I knew the answer would be "get another router" - and I get it, I just wish Virgin made kit good enough that that isn't needed.

Adduxi
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

@Dinsdale87 wrote:

<snip>   I knew the answer would be "get another router" - and I get it, I just wish Virgin made kit good enough that that isn't needed.


I feel for ISP's as they cannot supply a single unit that will work for 100% of properties.  

However, VM's Hubs are, IMHO, a pretty good cable modem and at least they give this option, for which I am grateful.

Now if they could copy the Openreach model of just installing an ONT, then users could just install whatever networking kit they fancied  🙂

 

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