Hi I use a Netgear C6300 Dual Band Gateway (Cable Modem/Wireless Router). I have had it for about 1 1/2 years. It's been totally problem-free and performing as it should. My ISP is Cox Communications. I have been with them for over 10 years and my internet service, with some minor hiccups has been rock solid. Recently i have been periodically losing my internet connection. This has been occurring 2 - 5 times a day for periods on average of 2-5 minutes. This outage effects both my Windows PC and my Android devices. I am usually the only one on my 5gz channel. When I lose my connection all the lights on my gateway go off except the power light. Then the handshake process proceeds. During this time I have no available network to connect with. Finally the channel light turns on. Then my PC and devices can see and connect with my network, but it can take between 1-3 minutes before I actually have internet access even though the channel and all other lights are on and my PC has been wirelessly conmnected to my network. Sometimes, after getting internet access I will lose it immediately and have to reconnect to my network again. I have had several talks with Cox Tech at an escalated level and a Cox Tech has been here twice. Each of them has given me a different explanation and a different "fix", e.g., one of my channel signals was out of spec. (remove an attentuator that a Cox Tech had placed on my modem last year cuz my signal was too high=remove the attentuator), my modem has a bad connection with the internal router (Cox Tech via phone said my signal was fine [TX Polling], my channel lights were on but I had no internet access (Reset the Modem), I had both the 2.4 and 5 gz channels broadcasting (turn off the 2.4 gz channel), there was interference on the channel (change channels). The problem persists. While I am connected to the net all my upstream and downstream channels are very much within spec. When these interuptions occur I am able to access the net via ethernet, but that really doesn't solidly prove my router is bad cuz I have no way of telling whether or not at the time of ethernet connection I would have been able to access the net through my router. I obviously do not want to have to buy a new gateway or router unless I have to. Does it appear that my gateway has actually gone bad (the modem is not connecting with the router) or is it more likely that the problem is somewhere else?? [NB: Verizon is currently in the process of wiring my building for FIOS-wondering if that has something to do with it.]
Yeah at a cost of $100! I'm out of service warranty. Netgear CS S>>ks. Last year Netgear put out an innaccurate security advisory - it was stated to be applicable to various routers and gateways, including mine, that that the instructions for fixing the problem were impossible to perform on. They wouldn't even respond to calls for help from those supposedly effected either by phone (w/o a $100 fee) or by an official clarificatrion on their customer forums. I don't recall that they ever corrected the advisory.
Do you know anyone in your building or nearby who happens to have the same ISP and may therefore be experiencing the same problem? I kind of know, you so do NOT want it to be a hardware issue. I spilled an entire tumbler of coffee right into my modem and thought "OK, I'm out 140 bucks because it's furnished thru my ISP and if you sneeze, they charge you."
From My Gateway Log (It's all Mandarin to me): Dec 17 2016 17:38:33 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 17 2016 17:38:33 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1 Dec 17 2016 02:21:38 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 17 2016 02:21:37 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1 Time Not Established Warning (5) ToD request sent - No Response received Time Not Established Critical (3) SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync Dec 17 2016 01:20:04 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 17 2016 01:20:03 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1 Dec 16 2016 20:40:59 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 16 2016 20:40:59 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1 Dec 16 2016 19:55:03 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 16 2016 19:55:02 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1 Dec 16 2016 15:30:24 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 16 2016 15:30:24 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1 Dec 16 2016 13:53:56 Warning (5) Lost MDD Timeout Dec 16 2016 11:54:02 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 16 2016 11:54:02 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1 Time Not Established Critical (3) No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out
It seems you have a hardware problem since internet access through the ethernet connection of your router is not affected. Try turning off the 5ghz radio and turn on the 2.4ghz radio and see what happens. I'm sure you probably checked to see if there is a firmware update. Unfortunately having a combo modem/router makes it more difficult to troubleshoot. If they were separate you could throw on an old backup router to see if that helped.
jdd58 I said in my OP that "When these interuptions occur I am able to access the net via ethernet, but that really doesn't solidly prove my router is bad cuz I have no way of telling whether or not at the time of ethernet connection I would have been able to access the net through my router." Tonight I got my answer. The same damn interruption happened while using an ethernet connection. Same pattern-all lights on my gateway except th epower light went out. Even after all lights were on and I was able to connect to my modem I still had no internet access. Only was able to get it after a reboot. Think I have been getting jerked around by Cox. The problem is not my modem not connecting to my router - it's a problem with the signal coming into my home. It must be in the line from the junction box on my floor to my unit.
That's entirely possible. I had trouble getting service from Cox when in a different state. Brand new house and brand new modem. They told me my modem was bad so I bought another and the problem was still there. So the tech (a sub contractor for Cox) came back the next day and figured out the port in the pedestal where my service comes in was bad so he put a splitter on my neighbors port till Cox could replace the port on the pedestal and put an attenuator on my modem because the signal was too high. After moving to another state I had Cox hook me up and the sub contractor tech could not get my service to work. I had to call Cox tech support myself to get the issue resolved. Because the mac address of my modem already existed in another state it would not authenticate in the new area. I had to escalate to upper level tech support before they would believe this was the case. Tier one tech support told me everything from my modem is not supported to it being faulty. Once they cleared it on their end I finally got internet to work. Cox can be a pain but once it's working there's been no problem.
OK --LOL Got a new diagnosis and solution tonight. I think this is solution # 5. Tonight's dignosis is that my modem was incorrectly provisioned (despite the fact it was working fine for nearly 1 1/2 years). Evidently Cox had purchased some Netgear 6300s to sell and rent. They were specially provisioned. I bought my 6300 at Best Buy meaning it had to be provisioned as a "Retail 6300" and not as a Cox 6300. And that was done tonight. Not sure if this is a real fix and wondering why Cox would not have sent out a conforming firmware version if necessary. I did have problems when initially provisioning it. Initially I was not able to be provisioned it the normal way because it kept getting an error of "Not In Inventory", aka Not Authorized for Cox, despite the fact that it was listed on it's website as an Approved Gateway. It took a visit by a Cox Tech and a call by him to his dispatcher who had an additional screen to run it through that regular Cox Tech did not have access to to see that it was "In Inventory." Got my fingers crossed as some of the above seems contradictory and internally inconsistent. Thank You krusty, plat, and jdd for your input. Appreciate it
That rules out your Cox Internet connection. If it was an ISP problem Ethernet connected devices would not work either. I see a couple problems here, but first, some background to ensure we are all on the same page. It is important to understand how these integrated devices (residential "gateway" devices and "wireless routers") work. They are really several totally separate "discrete" network devices that just happen to share a common case, main circuit board and power supply. For example, technically, there is no such thing as a "wireless router". Routers are wired networked devices with just two connections and are used to connect (or isolate) two networks. Home routers have one connection on the LAN side (your side) and one on the WAN (or Internet) side. But integrated with virtually all home routers is also a 4-port Ethernet switch used to connect multiple devices via Ethernet to your LAN. This Ethernet switch is technically a discrete device that is connected to the LAN side (your side) of the Router. Your LAN (local area network) is basically everything on your side of the router (or gateway device) - even if you only have one computer, it is still a network. A "wireless router" simply integrates a WAP (wireless access point) into the same case as the router and Ethernet switch to add wireless support to your network. 3 "discrete" network devices sharing the case, main circuit board and power supply. The WAP actually connects to the router internally via a 5th Ethernet port of the integrated Ethernet switch A residential "gateway" device is a 4-way integrated device that includes a cable or DSL modem into the same case. The modem is actually connected to the WAP side of the router internally, then the cable to your ISP connects to the other side of that modem. But again, 4 "discrete" devices. This integrated concept is the same as stereo or home theater "receivers". Three discrete components; the pre-amp, power amps, and tuner all sharing the same chassis, main board, and power supply. There are even 5-way integrated network devices that also include an Internet phone (VoIP) component. Clear as mud, huh? My point is, since your Ethernet connected devices work, that proves the integrated router and modem, and your Cox connection work fine. It most likely is the just the wireless connection that is failing. It could be the internal WAP, but it could also be severe interference affecting the RF signals. Perhaps from a crowded "channel". Note too you seem to be confusing the term "channel". It is NOT the 2.4GHz "channel" or 5GHz "channel". Those are the 2.4GHz and 5GHz "bands". Your gateway device is a Netgear C6300 Dual "Band" Gateway device. Not a dual "channel" device. Within each band there are several "channels". It is not uncommon for channels to get crowded. It happens all the time in big apartment complexes This is why the ability to can change the channel used is included in your wireless router's or gateway's admin menu. Just so you can change to an unused channel in your neighborhood. Use XIRRUS WiFi Inspector to "sniff" out the wireless networks in your area. This program will tell you what channel you are using, and the channel all your neighbors are using too. Then enter your Netgear's admin menu and change your wifi settings to an unused channel, then see if you lose connection.
Thanks Bill and jdd Well, the latest diagnosis (improper provisioning) failed today.It has been better though, with only one disconnect rather than the usual 4-5. Bill -- this loss of connectivity also occurred while I was using an ethernet connection from my gateway to my PC. That happened last night. I was just on the phone again with Lvl 2 Cox Tech for the fifth time. He said that when I connect an ethernet line into the ethernet jack on my gateway that I am actually connecting to the router and not directly to the modem. That was news to me. Is that true? Cox naturally says everything they see is hokey dokey and shifting the cause to my modem, which may or may not in fact be the case.The only thing I think of now is that perhaps my modem is losing power for an instant. I have it connected to a surge protector. I plan on connecting a lamp to the same surge protector and try to se if it blinks off when I lose may connection and before my modem resets. This is likely an exercise in futility to avoid buying a new modem since I'm pretty sure my logs would show a "power reset" if the cause was a loss of power rather than an interruption in signal.. Going through my logs today I noticed that I have for several hours today (at least today as my logs only go back a day) been the subject of Dos Flooding attacks! These periods of time did not coincide with any outages and my net connection was solid all through this time. I had no idea that individual personal PCs get subjected to Dos Attacks. WTF is that??
Hawki, It's normal for Netgear devices to log DOS attacks. They're just port scans we all have to put up with. A real DOS attack would show hundreds, thousands or more in the logs. Here's an example - https://community.netgear.com/t5/Wired-Routers/Dos-attack/td-p/423857
Thanks Krusty I just lost my connection again. My event Log reads: Dec 18 2016 18:21:03 Critical (3) No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out Dec 18 2016 18:21:03 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 18 2016 18:21:03 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1
I believe this is like the click of death for HDD. When my last Gateway died it too would lose connection. Then it wouldn't connect at all. Not a quick death for sure.
With an integrated "gateway" device, yes. As I noted above, the connection between the router and the modem is done internally. It is easy for Cox to see and measure any attenuation between them and your modem. So if they say it is not them, they are probably correct. How does your service enter your home? If by a "drop" from a pole, it is possible for the connection to be intermittent and most notable on windy days. A bad, exposed connection could also allow rain water/moisture in causing intermittent problems too. If your service enters the home underground, then obviously wind would not be an issue. But if your problem happens after rain, it could be a bad moisture seal. In those cases, if Cox is checking when the weather is dry and not windy, it may all look good. Since Cox has been to the house twice, it seems unlikely it is your cable. Do you also have Cox TV? Do you loose that service? If not, that would also suggest the cable entering the home is good. Since now we learn you also lose connectivity with your Ethernet connected devices that rules out the WAP (wireless side) (assuming we are not talking about two different problems). I don't see where you have a choice here but to replace your network gear. But if me, I would get a modem and a wireless router instead of a single "gateway" device. Then the new modem will become the gateway and if you have problems again, you can quickly isolate the problem by connecting a computer directly to the modem and bypassing the router and its integrated WAP. That's the problem with fully integrated devices - one section fails and you have to replace the whole thing. I recently started to check my router logs daily and have also notices a lot of DoS Attacks. Note that is DoS (Denial of Service). Seeing them is disconcerting, but the fact you do see them means your router detected them and blocked them - a VERY GOOD thing! That said, if you look at those entries again, you will see the IP address of the source. Plug that IP into WhoIs Lookup and find out who it is. It most likely is Cox, Akamai Technologies, or even Microsoft. If you have a streaming service like Netflix, it could be them too. Those are legit. Annoying but legit.
Hi Bill Talk about coincidence -- just as I was clicking on the link to your post I lost my connection :-( I now know that the problem has nothng to due with a loss of power or a surge. I hooked my modem up to a UPS that would give me an audible warning if either of those power conditions took place and it was silent. Just to make certain that I understand -- you are telling me that when I connect an ethernet line into the ethernet jack on my modem that I am not directly connecting to the modem. Looks like need new modem/router time, though I can live with a disconnect once every 12 hours (which is the current period between interruptions). The chances of gettting Cox to check the outside line when it appears equally likely that my gateway is the problem is unlikely and would take time as that work is done by line maintenance rather than the typical Cox Tech, and the dispatcher would have to be convinced of a need for a line check. Cox has no general way of telling if I am the only one in my building that is experiencing the issue without checking each individual account - it's different than checking to see if an area/neighborhood is being effected. However, I believe if it was more than just me Cox would know about it by now. FWIW: The last two entries in my event log immediately prior to my latest disconnect are: Dec 19 2016 12:28:01 Notice (6) TLV-11 - unrecognized OID Dec 19 2016 12:28:00 Warning (5) MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1 I understand the meaning of the first entry but not the MIMO entry. I agree with your recommendation about a seperate modem and router. The last Cox Tech who was here who was very knowlegeable said the same. LOL - his recommendation, looking at the stuff on Amazon that is approved by Cox, was a $170 modem and a $300 Netrgear Nighthawk modem. OO He said he uses that combination. I asked what his download speed was. He said "338 Mbps." I said I can't imagine what you do with that. He said: "I surf the net." ). Thanks again Bill
In your case, because you have an integrated "gateway" device, that is true. In fact, you are not even connecting directly to the router! Instead, when you connect to an Ethernet port, you are connecting to the integrated 4-port Ethernet "switch". That switch, in turn, connects internally to the integrated router. The router then to the modem and the modem out to the Internet. After you connect your new modem, you will need to call Cox and have them "authenticate" the modem. You will need the MAC address of the new modem because that is how they tie your location to your account. The MAC address will be printed on a sticker on the device. MIMO allows your router to use multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) connections, a process that distributes the RF across multiple antennas in AP (access point) for better propagation. That, however, has nothing to do with the Ethernet side of your device. That is true. It would be easier for you to go around and bang on doors. But unless your building has a special deal with Cox to provide service to the whole building, not sure that would help anyway.
