Re: Residential Gateway DHCP issue AGAIN... and AGAIN....and AGAIN

srwiese · ‎11-09-2011

Ok, back to square 1. After working all weekend (Thursday night on) with a DHCP renewal time of 1 hour it locked up the IPs again this morning. I see sadamick had a similar experience.

MacApple · ‎11-22-2011

I think this is the issue I am having... And it has happened before, but it usually fixes when I unplug the gateway and plug it back in. This time it isn't working every time. I can be online for 10-15 minutes and then it shuts down again (meaning i cannot connect to the internet). Currently it is happening with 1 Mac desktop, 1 iPhone, 1 iPad. Couple odd things I've noticed that nobody else has mentioned: The shut down seems to happen right after I check email. Within a minute, sometimes more. It will shutdown sporadically without checking email. On those occasions if I check the airport or wireless settings, I can see my gateway, but there is also this mysterious "HOME" network on the list. It isn't coming from a neighbor, nobody is close enough for that. This mystery network disappears when I unplug the gateway and reappears as soon as the problem starts again. I can see it with the desktop & iPhone. Does not show up on the iPad. HOME has 0 signal strength. My computer and phone are not connecting to this network. Additionally, I cannot connect to my work server with email, FTP, or http. I can ping the server with no packet loss. Renewing the dhcp does not help. Anybody have suggestions?

jkwuc89 · ‎07-01-2007

This issue happened to me again today. It is clear to me that this is an RG bug.

srwiese · ‎11-09-2011

I agree that the evidence seems to be pretty solid that this is a firmware or software bug within the RG. I would suggest asking for a secondary wireless router or AP to put behind your RG until they solve this problem. If the bug is what I think it is, this is not going to be fixed anytime soon. Think on the order of months, not weeks or days.

I would also hope AT&T compensates us for this, I pay a lot of money for this equipment to work, I shouldn't have to be a network engineer to get my wireless network to function properly.

saabboi24 · ‎12-18-2009

I wonder if there was an upgate to my RG because this wasn't an issue untill recently. I power cycle it and it works for awhile, but like the rest of you keep losing DHCP. I've staticly assigned a few devices.

SomeJoe7777 · ‎01-30-2008

Please Read for a Potential Solution

For many people, the DHCP problems with the 2Wire routers can be solved by configuring the RG as follows:

1. Go to http://192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=C_2_1 which is the RG's wireless configuration page.

2. Change the setting "Wi-Fi Protected Setup" to Disabled.

3. Change the setting "Authentication Type" to WPA2-PSK (AES).

4. Click the "Save" button at the bottom.

5. This procedure may ask for your RG's password. The default password for your RG is printed on a white sticker on the side of the RG (3600HGV, 3800HGV-B, and 3801HGV) or on a white sticker on the backup battery (i3812V).

Disabling WPS should help with the DHCP timeout issue and general wireless connection problems.

Setting authentication specifically to WPA2-PSK/AES improves connection reliability on Macs and other Apple products.

MacApple · ‎11-22-2011

After calling for the third time last month, AT&T replaced my rg with a newer model (Pace).

No problems YET, but it's only been about a week.

SomeJoe7777 · ‎01-30-2008

MacApple wrote:

After calling for the third time last month, AT&T replaced my rg with a newer model (Pace).

No problems YET, but it's only been about a week.

If indeed it's a Pace gateway, that is the first we've heard of that. Is it specifically a different model than the 2Wire gateways, or is it the same model but just re-branded?

Please post the model number and pictures of it if you can.

MacApple · ‎11-22-2011

3801HGV on the bottom front.

Lable on the left side (facing) says "Pace America".

Both sides have "AT&T" embossed.

Black box, looks nothing like the grey one that was sent back that had "2wire" embossed on the side.

Not sure why that turned sideways...

SomeJoe7777 · ‎01-30-2008

OK, so that looks to be the same 3801HGV gateway, but is now branded "Pace" vice "2Wire". This makes sense, since Pace bought out 2Wire last year.

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

The 3801HGV RG that I received a few weeks ago also is labeled "Pace" on the outside.

MacApple · ‎11-22-2011

Guess what? It just happened again. Same thing as before, except this time there is a new wireless network in addition to the "HOME" network -- TP-LINK_4C0F8E. The new network also has 0 signal strength - but this one is unlocked.

One thing that I wonder may have something to do with this is that my computer has been on for more than 2 days. Most of the time I shut it down at night, but have been working on something that I didn't want to close up.

Doing the dhcp renew lease does not fix the problem.

Thoughts?

Bottom line is (IMHO) new box didn't "fix" it, so it has to be a software issue.

RCSMG · ‎12-10-2007

If you haven't done so already click on the hyper link in mysig and you will be taken to David's contact info. He is a tier 2 tech who has and does help lots of people with a wide variety of problems. Send him your info and he or a member of his stafff will be in touch with you.

srwiese · ‎11-09-2011

I was given a Cisco E1000 wireless router by AT&T to put behind the gateway. I finished the installation and setup last Friday and I haven't had any wireless problems since then. I think this shows pretty definitively that the problem is with the gateway itself as in the last few months I hadn't been able to go more than 3-4 days without a reset. I'll wait another week or two before declaring victory but this has worked for me.

ErikwithaK3380 · ‎03-15-2010

I'm glad I'm not alone with this issue! I've been experiencing this issue for the past few months but it's isolated to just my MacBook and Brother wireless printer. We have a Samsung Laptop and two iPhones which have no issues at all but whenever my printer doesn't work, I check the MacBook and sure enough - it can't get an IP address. Resetting the RG fixes the issue for at least 3 weeks.

On a brighter note, a tier 2 tech has opened up a ticket with Labs regarding this issue. I emailed him back for further clarification. My guess is they will try to address this with a future firmware update. By the way, my RG is the 2Wire 3800HGV-B . Anyone that received a newer RG - are you still having the same issue??

Aesculus1 · ‎12-13-2011

Don't know about your other devices,but I'm betting you have an HP wireless printer. I had the very same problem with multiple Cisco routers. After much research I finally solved it. HP printer drivers are notorious for being poorly written and not compatible with OS's. The router assigns the IPs via DHCP after it gets an assigned IP from the ISP. In my case, Wildblue satellite which is extremely unreliable, slow and infinite latency frequently dropped signal. Every time I had a power interuption or just idle time, the printer would lose connection. It is supposed to look for the re-assignment from the router to re-establish connection but won't. Instead, the router switches channels for better connection and the printer is lost. Many people suggested assigning a fixed (static IP) for the printer so the router would always know where to update or re-connect. I assigned an IP in the Cisco E4200 near the top of the range specifically for the printer and then set the printer's IP over-riding the default "auto-assign" to match. Now the printer never loses connection regardless of power failures or PC shutdowns. And only the HP printers were affected. All my other devices, PS3, Nooks, Smartphones, Wii, 6 PCs, 2 laptops, Samsung laser and DSLites never had a problem.

ErikwithaK3380 · ‎03-15-2010

Ok, I contacted Tier II support and here's what they replied back with:

Tier II: I do apologize that you have experienced this issue again and there is a ticket open with the Labs to resolve the issue.

Me: Just out of curiosity, what does it mean having a ticket open with the Labs? So they won't replace the RG but will just work on fixing the issue with a firmware update or something like that?

Tier II: Having a ticket open with the Labs is the investigation ticket to find the issue and then resolve it. This particular issue has been identified as software based and they will fix it with a software update.

So, for now it seems there isn't much that can be done, other than waiting for a firmware update. For me, it only happens once every 3 weeks or so so it's not a total headache but at least the problem has been identified and is currently working to be resolved.

jkwuc89 · ‎07-01-2007

I was put in contact with U-verse tech support via e-mail regarding this issue and was sent the following. After changing these wireless settings inside my RG about 10 days ago, I have not had to power cycle or reset my RG. And all of my Apple devices appear to connect normally. YMMV.

We would change: Wi-Fi Protected Setup to disable (this does not affect your wireless security), the wireless channel to 9. The authentication type to WPA-PSK (TKIP), Power Setting to 350 mW, Wireless mode to 802.11g, and Maximum connect range to Auto.

houston01 · ‎06-11-2010

I had no problems with my set-up for several years and then a few months ago my apple timecapsule started getting dhcp conflicts every single day with my iMac. Both were hardwired directly to the RG 3800. I gave up and turned off the apple timecapsule. A few weeks ago I knew I was getting the RG 3801 so I turned on the timecapsule and I got the same error with the 3800. My 3801 has been stable for a few weeks so I decided to turn on my timecapsule, it has been on for several days with no problems.

Are the folks who are having problems using the 3801 or 3800?. What version of the RG software?. My 3801 is using 6.3.7.40-enh.tm

rjconser · ‎01-31-2010

Just letting folks know that I seem to have resolved (at least temporarily) by the recommended approach of setting Wif-Fi Protected Setp to "disable" and authentication type to only WPA2-PSK (only). Previous attempts to change channels did not help. We'll see if this holds.

spd2demun · ‎07-28-2007

Fingers crossed.

rjconser wrote:

Just letting folks know that I seem to have resolved (at least temporarily) by the recommended approach of setting Wif-Fi Protected Setp to "disable" and authentication type to only WPA2-PSK (only). Previous attempts to change channels did not help. We'll see if this holds.

noahphex · ‎01-09-2012

I've been experiencing this issue as well on my new UVerse setup. We have 2 TVs, a Win 7 laptop, MacPro laptop, 2 iPhones, an iPad, PS3 and 2 WD TV Live Plus boxes and I've run into issues 3 times now in the past month of service where one of the devices will not get an IP address and then other devices start having the issue and once I reboot the RG it works again. I can't wait to get home and try those 2 settings to see if they help.

It's definitely an issue with DHCP though and I'm glad to see that ATT is investigating it.

txcrude · ‎09-02-2008

srwiese wrote:
I was given a Cisco E1000 wireless router by AT&T to put behind the gateway. I finished the installation and setup last Friday and I haven't had any wireless problems since then. I think this shows pretty definitively that the problem is with the gateway itself as in the last few months I hadn't been able to go more than 3-4 days without a reset. I'll wait another week or two before declaring victory but this has worked for me.

I am still having issus with the wireless on the RG lately where some devices think they are connected, however, they do not get an IP address, especially my work Win Vista laptop.

I already changed the settings to WPA2-PSK (AES) which was supposed to fix the issue, but it did not. The laptop just won't connect and I also have some issues with a couple Apple iPods.

I just received two additional Cisco wireless STBs and the new AP which is 802.11n while the gateway is 802.11g. I guess 'n' is required for HD video streaming. All my other STBs are wired (VIP1200).

I guess I will also try to connect my 'problem' devices to the new AP to see whether it also solves those issues.

kpdii · ‎01-17-2012

Same problem here, I do have Apple Products, but they don't seem to be the devices with problems connecting. My window's 7 devices are the ones that are losing connectivity. The worst is my work laptop, I have to reboot the RG every time I want to connect.

Oh, no wireless printers.

dayohoh4 · ‎01-18-2012

I have had this problem on 2 different models of router, currently the 3801HGV. I found that I can get things going by reseting the wireless device list.
I'm not sure that any custom configuration is going to have any effect on the frequency of the router hangs, just seems like a firmware bug. Lets hope that the post about Pace working on a fix is true.

clmoore3rd · ‎01-08-2012

userinstl wrote:
I have seen the same thing many times. The DHCP server stops responding. WiFi devices that remain on can still reach the network, but devices that are turned off and back on fail to get an IP address.

I just had this happen to me when the lid was closed on one laptop and it went into hibernate mode. When it came back out of hibernate mode the problem started happening. WiFi utility shows connection to the router, but the laptop is, err, was, stuck acquiring an address. Meaning it was connected to the gateway but wasn't getting re-assigned an IP address. Probably something with shutting the lid prevented the gateway from re-assigning a new address. All the other devices, two other computers and a home theater system were rock solid with the internet connection (streaming music is one way to keep constant tabs on connection status

Oh, and the battery on the other laptop got bumped so it shut off suddenly. When I powered back on it had no problems getting an internet connection. So this does appear to be an intermittent issue, or maybe the hibernate causes problems?

But I just fixed my problem! Was poking around the wireless config Settings->Logs and saw this:

INF

2012-01-18T20:50:56-05:00

fw,fwmon

src=203.90.176.2 dst=108.211.204.244 ipprot=6 sport=6000 dport=1080 Unknown inbound session stopped

it appears the router was blocking the computer from getting a new IP address, or one re-assigned. So I wondered what I could do....

"Refresh Your Broadband Connection - reconnect your broadband connection" just under Top Networking Features at the bottom of the initial setup page seems to have fixed my problem! Or maybe it was just a coincidence..... Either way that laptop is now back on the network.

Littyboy · ‎02-01-2012

I also have this issue! Why won't they fix this! Friggen 2Wire modem/routers sucK!

Always happens to my xbox. I have to restart the RG for it to work. All the apple products are fine.

MacApple · ‎11-22-2011

Here is what I've learned to avoid the problem: Turn off all your computers [or xbox, etc.] before you go to bed. It's as plain and simple as that.

On the day one of us forgets to turn off their computer, that is the day we have issues with the router. When that happens, we have to shut everything off, restart the router and life is good again.

At the very least, shut down your computer/xbox/whatever at least once every 24 hours. Technically you should be doing this anyway to clear caches, etc.

ExtremeGamer · ‎02-02-2008

Thank God I found this thread. Been going crazy for 3 months with this. Had no issues for 3 years of UVerse, then all of a sudden my file sharing, XP machine, iPad's, and Kindle lose connections and sharing files ability. Was told by 3 tech's that it's not in scope. Have tried every option and setting they've asked me about.

I'm on my 2nd RG, they've rewired my house (didn't get how that would have helped but they wanted to do it) and a ton of other options. I'm at 73 phone calls into tier 2, countless hours lost and still today, had to reset my RG to have my Kindle connect.

Didn't read the entire thread, but just changing the password on for your WiFi on the RG and then changing it back to what you had seems to also cure the issue instead of rebooting it.

Soooo frustrating.

r2bbrak · ‎11-09-2011

I'm so glad I found this thread. I've been dealing with this issue since installing U-verse internet. The first piece of junk 3600hgv completely failed after I suffered from having to reboot it daily to get our 2 iPhones, iPad, MacBook and Toshiba Thrive to regain their IP addresses.

The turn-it-off-and-and-on "solution" is not a solution! What if you had a car that would suddenly stall and not crank again until you put it in park and turned the key off? Who would put up with that crap for more than 2 days? I wouldn't. Power cycling equipment is just a way to get me to get off the support line and have them claim they "fixed" it.

Likewise requiring my wife and children to know how to turn the gateway off and on again if I'm away is ridiculous. I have other web-connected (but wired) devices that stream audio and video that will not tolerate losing their internet connection while power-cycling the gateway.

Turning off Protected Mode and setting WPA2-PSK doesn't help.

Last time I called support about this I told them that my Windows 7 Dell machine did not have the same problem as the Apple and Toshiba, so they then tell me that they don't support 3rd party equipment since I obviously have a working connection. I asked them what the heck were they selling then? They don't sell computers so what is this service I'm buying just supposed to be for then? If my computer can't connect to their service, then their service is meaningless.

Sorry for the rant, but I really need to know what to do to escalate this issue so I can have it resolved. Does calling every day help? Are there some magic words that let them know that I am also suffering from the dropped IP/DHCP problem on wireless Apple and other equipment? I really think I should get a refund on this equipment I was forced to buy. My old DSL gateway and Linksys Router worked 10000% better than this garbage.