Need help troubleshooting disconnects

[Ynotillgiveyoumyname]

My isp is spectrum on the rural side with drop down. Modem cm600 router gt-acs300. We are heavy users with several devices using internet at once. With a mix of wifi and wired connections

 

I'm getting random disconnects, several times a day or none at all.

 

The closest thing I can find that seems to match what my problem, is my upload signal is weak so my modem freaks out and resets when it looses outbound communications with isp. 

 

I upgraded my hardware and seemed to make a little difference but still having issues. Now not sure if modem resets do to it being much faster than my old surfboard.

 

Is there signal boosters that can work for this? Or what would be a better path to troubleshoot this issue? 

[SEAL62]

From my experience, errors like this occur with a faulty router. So maybe switching to a new router would fix the issue. It could also be a problem on your ISP site as you stated that you live in a rural region. Sadly there's not much you can do about that except of changing your ISP.

[Windows7ge]

Is it only one device that disconnects or does everyone's devices disconnect randomly? Do you only see this on Wi-Fi or wired as well?

 

This could be:

1. A hardware issue.
2. A interference issue.
3. A signal strength issue.

You say rural but do you have a lot of neighbors? Use a Wi-Fi analyser to see how busy the channel is your router's broadcasting on. What can happen is wireless competition can turn into a screaming match and cause you to lose connection. By going to an ever slightly different frequency (channel) you can reduce the noise.

 

You can also fiddle with your router placement. Depending on your homes layout you may have dead spots.

 

If you only see an issue on one device then we may need to troubleshoot the device itself.

[Ynotillgiveyoumyname]

2 hours ago, Windows7ge said:

Is it only one device that disconnects or does everyone's devices disconnect randomly? Do you only see this on Wi-Fi or wired as well?

 

This could be:

1. A hardware issue.
2. A interference issue.
3. A signal strength issue.

You say rural but do you have a lot of neighbors? Use a Wi-Fi analyser to see how busy the channel is your router's broadcasting on. What can happen is wireless competition can turn into a screaming match and cause you to lose connection. By going to an ever slightly different frequency (channel) you can reduce the noise.

 

You can also fiddle with your router placement. Depending on your homes layout you may have dead spots.

 

If you only see an issue on one device then we may need to troubleshoot the device itself.

Connection to all devices in wired and wifi lose internet connection at the same time. Connection to router is maintained but loses internet connection. 

 

We do have neighbors, however wifi is secure with passwords and they are not close enough to get a signal.

[Windows7ge]

20 minutes ago, Ynotillgiveyoumyname said:

Connection to all devices in wired and wifi lose internet connection at the same time. Connection to router is maintained but loses internet connection.

Do you have any devices on the network that remain on 24/7? You may have a device that's sending out erroneous broadcasts which would kill internet access for everyone or cause very poor performance when it is.

[Ynotillgiveyoumyname]

9 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

Do you have any devices on the network that remain on 24/7? You may have a device that's sending out erroneous broadcasts which would kill internet access for everyone or causes very poor performance when it is.

Yes, phones, printer, and cameras on wifi and possibly TV and audio reciever on wired if they are still connected while "off". 

[Windows7ge]

4 minutes ago, Ynotillgiveyoumyname said:

Yes, phones on wifi and possibly TV and audio reciever on wired if they are still connected while "off". 

I would try disconnecting everything you don't need/use on a daily basis and see if things improve.

 

You could also run WireShark on the network and see if the traffic looks erroneous like tons of broadcasts from a particular MAC address.

[Ynotillgiveyoumyname]

5 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

I would try disconnecting everything you don't need/use on a daily basis and see if things improve.

 

You could also run WireShark on the network and see if the traffic looks erroneous like tons of broadcasts from a particular MAC address.

Alrighty. Thanks for the direction, I'll try these out

[Donut417]

On 3/7/2021 at 12:55 PM, Ynotillgiveyoumyname said:

The closest thing I can find that seems to match what my problem, is my upload signal is weak so my modem freaks out and resets when it looses outbound communications with isp. 

Well generally if you go to 192.168.100.1 that takes you to the modem diagnostic pages. The issue is the ISP has to allow access. Not sure what Spectrum's policy is regarding that. 

 

Below is from DSLreports.com. You can compare you modems signals to that. A signal issue can knock you offline, because if your signal is on the edge of acceptable you can move just out of range periodically. 

Quote

Downstream (Rx) Receive Power Level:
This is the amount of signal received by the modem from the transmitter in the cable company head-end.

For all modems DOCSIS 3.0 / 3.1:

-7 dBmV to +7 dBmV "Recommended"
-8 dBmV to -10 dBmV / +8 dBmV to +10 dBmV - "Acceptable"
-11 dBmV to -15 dBmV / +11 dBmV to +15 dBmV - "Maximum"
Lower than -15 dBmV & Higher than +15 dBmV - "Out Of Spec."
 

SNR (signal to noise ratio) levels:
This is how clear the signal is at either the modem receiver (downstream SNR) or the receiver in the cable company head-end (upstream SNR).

DOCSIS specifications list minimum CNR (carrier to noise ratio) levels not SNR levels. The SNR levels listed here are based on commonly recommended MER levels for digital cable signals. Not all QAM demodulator chipsets accurately calculate SNR levels that approximate actual MER levels, so these levels may vary depending on which chipset and/or firmware is used in the equipment.

*There is no upper SNR limit.

For all modems DOCSIS 3.0 / 3.1:

256 QAM: 30 dB minimum. 33 dB or higher recommended. 
64 QAM: 24 dB minimum. 27 dB or higher recommended. 
16 QAM: 18 dB minimum. 21 dB or higher recommended. 
QPSK: 12 dB minimum. 15 dB or higher recommended. 
 

Downstream SNR levels are read at the modem on the downstream data channel and can be viewed using the modem diagnostic screens.
 

Upstream SNR levels are read at the CMTS on the upstream data channel, not the modem or the modem diagnostic screens. The end-user cannot get the upstream SNR directly. Only the provider can read the upstream SNR level, directly from the CMTS. Also, the upstream SNR level provided by most CMTSs is not specific to any single modem, but is an averaged, aggregate level from all modems on that upstream channel on the upstream port.
 

Upstream (Tx) Transmit Power (a.k.a. Return Signal) level:
This is the amount of signal transmitted by the modem to reach the receiver in the cable company head-end.

*Recommended Upstream signal levels are +35 dBmV to +47 dBmV (DOCSIS 3.1)
*Recommended Upstream signal levels are +35 dBmV to +49 dBmV (DOCSIS 3.0)

50 dBmV maximum for OFDMA (DOCSIS 3.1)
52 dBmV maximum for A-TDMA, TDMA & SC-QAM (DOCSIS 3.0)
53 dBmV maximum for S-CDMA DOCSIS 2.0 (All Modulations)
54 dBmV maximum for 32 QAM and 64 QAM. (A-TDMA DOCSIS 2.0)
55 dBmV maximum for 8 QAM and 16 QAM. (DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1)
58 dBmV maximum for QPSK. (DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1)