NBG6817 - WAN disappears

Runner17

My router NBG6817 is connected to Internet via PPPoE. Problem is that after several days WAN suddenly just becomes disconnected, even frontal WAN LED goes out. Sometimes it happens at night, sometimes during the working day - considering that now is "working from home" time - this is quite unpleasant. After restart it starts working as usual. For several days.

What can be the reason of such behavior?

Firmware version is latest: V1.00(ABCS.10)C0

Wiasouda

Did your router get WAN IP when the LED went out? Is it able to recover by apply the WAN setting again? Or, do you have other router with the same issue?

Runner17

Sorry, Wiasouda, did not understand fully Your question about LED. Usually I do not monitor LEDs. When router operates normally WAN LED is flashing. If Internet disappears, then I look at LEDs and see that WAN LED is dark. At this moment WAN IP is not shown on "System Status" page.
I did not try to apply WAN setting again. Does it makes sense?

Another router - 10y old  very cheap router - never had such troubles. It was located in same room, and even connected to Internet with same cable.

Zyxel_Freda

Hi @Runner17 ,

Thanks for providing the information. For clarifying the issue, would you help to provide the logs on the device via below steps.

1. When the issue happens, please log into the GUI of the NBG6817 via LAN port, and check the status in 'Expert mode'. You can check the WAN status like below screenshot, and please share the result for us.

2. Please go to the 'Maintenance' page and select to log. The log information can be shown after you check 'On-line Firmware upgrade' and 'Access Control' and then 'Apply' the settings as below screenshot. The logs will be shown after you apply the setting and please screenshot the logs for us or copy them to an excel files and PM me.

3. Please check if the device can be recovered by applying the setting again. You can go to WAN setting page to click 'Apply' again, and the NBG6817 will do connection again.

4. After applying the WAN setting, you can check if the WAN can get IP address in Status. Please Refresh the log in 'Maintenance> log', capture the log again, and share to us.

We'll help to check the details of the log after getting them.

May I know that what's the device/model connected with the Uplink port of NBG6817?

Thanks.

Runner17

Zyxel_Freda, thanks for answer.
1)   Apart from MAC, everything is blank

2) OK, next time will collect the logs. But You have to talk to Your UI expert - It's not possible to understand that 2 checkmarks "Online firmware upgrade" and "Access control" are enabling verbose logging  
3) No, it does not help

Now I disabled StreamBoost, will see, maybe it helps.

What is "Uplink port"? If You asking about WAN port - I have no idea what my Internet provider is using, I have just Ethernet CAT5E cable coming into apartment.

Zyxel_Freda

Hi @Runner17 ,

Thanks for doing the test and providing the logs for us.
According to the log, the Internet provider seems not to reply and timeout waiting for the PADO packets.

Would you check with your Internet provider about the issue?

If there's anything I can help, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Thanks.

Runner17

Zyxel_Freda
Thanks for investigation.
Probably You do not know how difficult is to reach technical person on provider side. 
For me much simpler will be to switch back to my old router, which does not have such troubles with same provider. Actually, this is first question all providers ask in such cases "Does this problem appears with other device? If no, then problem is in Your device". 

OK, timeout waiting for PADO, but why router can not reconnect after this timeout automatically? Why restart is needed?

Runner17

And one more question: what I will lose if I flash latest version of OpenWRT?  Which features will be missing, comparing to default firmware (which is also OpenWRT based)?

Zyxel_Freda

Hi @Runner17 ,
To click the Apply on the NBG6817 is the same behavior as reboot the device. However, as your description, it didn't get the WAN IP after you click the Apply again.
So, may I know that how many users can log in at the same time of the PPPoE account? And, which model connected on the Ethernet of the NBG6817?
We do not recommend to flash the OpenWRT by yourself and not commitment any result if you do so.
Thanks.

Runner17

As far as I know, provider creates unique user for each client, so only one client is connected with this account. As I wrote above, I have no idea what equipment is connected on provider's side, I have only ethernet cable from provider.

My question was not about flash or not flash.

At the moment this router does not meet my expectation, this regular connection loss is not what I am ready to accept.

If I will find an option how to fix this without flashing - of course, I will not flash any non-zyxel firmware. Maybe it's possible to create monitoring script executed by cron that will restart/reload some services/modules, or something like that.

But in case if I do not find such solution next step will be to flash alternative firmware. I understand, it does not guarantee anything. Just gives a small chance    If this does not help as well - I will try sell this router and buy another one.

So my question was about difference between Zyxel firmware and latest OpenWRT firmware. I understand that I will lose something along with official support. What I will lose?

Runner17

Zyxel_Freda, I understand that Your company internal policy maybe do not allow to answer such questions about alternative firmware. 
But I would be appreciate any advices about what else I can try to do in router Web UI or command line to fix that annoying issue.