RUTX50 disconnecting clients from the internet

[davyjones]

I have an RUTX50 running latest firmware. The device will sometimes randomly disconnect clients from the internet and am at the point where I would consider an RMA or something. It was purchased 09.03.2023 for 669,60 € Incl. VAT. I noticed that that from the same etailer the device is now 529 € Incl. VAT and which does not appear to be a sale price.

I will briefly outline my history with the device so far.

1. I have a 400/100 5G plan.
2. Client devices are connected over 2.5 and 5 GHz WiFi and ethernet via LAN ports.
3. My son plays online games and is consistently complaining about the ping rate and connnection failures so he regularly just switches to his android phone for USB tethered connection on same ISP with 200/10 4G plan.
4. I will be using the device for e.g. working for home. I will be on a video call with someone and the WiFi connection on a Windows laptop will suddenly cut out and then return. And after a short while it will do it again. I will then, like my son does, switch to a tethered connection from a smartphone so that I have an internet connection as I cannot trust the RUTX50 to offer a consistent connection.

So what I have done to try and improve things.

1. I updated to latest firmware and factory reset the RUTX50.
2. Where I live in Finland only 5G NSA is available so I have set the device to 4G only and it is now reporting 4G+ (LTE-A). I did this just to rule out the issue being the fact that the network is not yet 5G SA.
3. I set the DHCP to infinite just rule out local IP changes - although the default after a factory reset was 12 hours.
4. Pictured below is where the device is installed. Note for what it’s worth I don’t usually leave the device running 24/7, there is an on/off switch on the AC power source behind it so I just power it down at night and boot it up in the morning or when it is needed. Following writing of this post I have left the device running just to see if that makes a difference at all.

Is there way to enable a log file or something in order to check what the device is actually doing since I don’t know if the RUTX50 is actually disconnecting from the ISP network, I have no idea at this point.

[akwe-xavante]

As a starting point, the router says that there is a modem firmware update. I would update the modems’ firmware firstly.

You say that some devices are connected via ethernet cables, are they connected up vis Home Plugs or ethernet over power adapters? These can be troublesome at times.

I’ve also suffered WiFi connection issues with many a different router in the past connected to a variety of broadband services. Direct ethernet connectivity (Not via Home Plugs) always wins for me. Throw the Home Plugs in the bin i’d say!

To rule out WiFi issues i’d want to try plugging the Laptop and any other device directly into the router via ethernet cables for a few days. Try to rule out WiFi and Home Plug connectivity issues.

The next questions may seem ridiculously stupid…

Given the time of year, do you have Christmas tree lights on anywhere at all!? Do you have an old mechanical room stat for your heating system!? A cheap and cheerful heater in an aquarium or some such other tank for pets etc!?

[davyjones]

Hi, and thanks for the reply!

As a starting point, the router says that there is a modem firmware update. I would update the modems’ firmware firstly.
Ok, I was now aware of the separate internal modem updates. RUTX50 firmware is here but where is the internal modem download?

You say that some devices are connected via ethernet cables, are they connected up vis Home Plugs or ethernet over power adapters? These can be troublesome at times.

I’ve also suffered WiFi connection issues with many a different router in the past connected to a variety of broadband services. Direct ethernet connectivity (Not via Home Plugs) always wins for me. Throw the Home Plugs in the bin i’d say!

Yes I have been using a TP-Link Powerline system for one connection. I don’t think it is an issue but I have stopped using it for now until I have been able to figure out the issues.

To rule out WiFi issues i’d want to try plugging the Laptop and any other device directly into the router via ethernet cables for a few days. Try to rule out WiFi and Home Plug connectivity issues.

The router is quite far away from where I sit with the laptop and I don’t have a long enough ethernet cable right now but fair point.

The next questions may seem ridiculously stupid…

Given the time of year, do you have Christmas tree lights on anywhere at all!? Do you have an old mechanical room stat for your heating system!? A cheap and cheerful heater in an aquarium or some such other tank for pets etc!?

Not stupid at all - yes there are some lights - all are LED based either AC or AA battery powered. There are no heater elements like you describe.

[akwe-xavante]

I’ve only updated the modem firmware once and i’ll be honest i can’t remember for sure how i did it.

But i do remember it being very easy and obvious!

In the section where it says “Flash new firmware image” look for the “Update From” drop down menu. Is there an option to update the modems’ firmware?

Just for a few days, can you move the Laptop to the router?

Try moving away all the stuff that is around the router. Try moving the WiFi antennas away from the Mobile antennas as far as possible, one to the left, one to the right and one a foot higher than the other.

[davyjones]

Hi

I’ve only updated the modem firmware once and i’ll be honest i can’t remember for sure how i did it.
But i do remember it being very easy and obvious!
In the section where it says “Flash new firmware image” look for the “Update From” drop down menu. Is there an option to update the modems’ firmware?

Odd one as I never knew this function was there. The internal modem software update its seems has to be done from inside the modem itself. I found the option and ran it, I thought it has failed and then I rebooted after which it seems it was actually updated. Thanks for the tip

Just for a few days, can you move the Laptop to the router?
I will move the router or borrow a long ethernet cable from someone.

Try moving away all the stuff that is around the router. Try moving the WiFi antennas away from the Mobile antennas as far as possible, one to the left, one to the right and one a foot higher than the other.

Yes good point, I have positioned the WiFi antennas as far as they can be away from device i.e. the full length of the standard cable that they come with.

Thanks again!

[akwe-xavante]

Based purely on my own experience, the positioning of the router within your home is important and can take a wee while to find the best possible sweet spot.

But firstly you need to know where your Mobile Masts are near where you live…

Login to router and go to Status > Network > Mobile and find Cell Info > Cell Id, copy the CellID number then have a look at https://www.cellmapper.net/enbid . Paste or type in the CellID number. Look for the eNBID number. This is the mast you are connected to, find it on the Cellmapper map.

Where your Masts are will determine where to place your router within your home. At the front, back or side. If the mast is to the north then the router needs to be placed to the north facing side of your home for example. Placing it as high as possible within your home is good too. The position may not best suit where you have / use your Laptop and other devices. A window sill is better than being placed further inside the room on, for example, on a table or floor, near a TV, fridge or some other large appliance etc.

[davyjones]

Thanks again!

I was aware of cellmapper.net but have never really been sure on how to use it so this helps a lot!

When the device is on auto and 5G was enabled again it showed it as using 5G N78 although the cell the eNB ID indicated appears to offer N28. So I set the bands manaually, in the past that has hurt performance though.

And I am assuming that both 4 and 5G are offered from the same cell, I don’t know but I am assuming they would be since what we have here is not full 5G SA. And the cell into on the mobile status page still displys a single Cell ID when 5G was re enabled.

[akwe-xavante]

For me, others may disagree, i think it’s better to locate the router in the best possible position within the home firstly to get the best connection to the masts in your area that you can. The higher, the better, and on a window sill directly facing the mast(s) you think that will give you the best signal strength.

To start with, i’d just let the router, the mast and your network provider auto negotiate the best possible connection at any given moment in time. The connection will fluctuate governed by many changeable circumstances such as weather (Humidity), time of day and the number of users using the masts at any given moment.

The router will frequently re-negotiate a better connection for you, BUT your network provider also wants to fairly share available bandwidth across the users connected and compromises have to be made at certain times of the day etc.

If your sim contract is a business contract, then you’ll usually get a prioritized service, a better signal strength and download speed etc.

To do even better, buy yourself an external Poynting antenna, xpol-24’s are awesome.

Once you’ve found the best possible window sill to site your router, then work out how to connect up your devices. For me, end to end ethernet cables just work and very rarely fail. Powerplugs, homeplugs and WiFi are great but are always troublesome. If a connection is important, use a cable every time.

Find that sweet spot for the router and let the router auto-negotiate the best connection it can get.

[davyjones]

I have updated both firmware types, placed the WiFi antennas away from the device and made sure the device is using the bands on the cell it is connected to. Well actually I left the mobile network on auto as it was already using those bands anyway and you seemed to suggest that auto was better.

The device is not on a window closest to the direction of the signal but it’s close enough. I was using the device yesterday and during a call with video the WiFi dropped again. I cannot have LAN cables running all over the house so at this point I’m not sure what to do. The device was expensive for me and if I want to use WiFi am I now supposed to add a separate 6E mesh device or something?

[akwe-xavante]

Is the house WiFi friendly, how old is it, is it a complex layout, multiple floors, tall and narrow or a single floor bungalow etc.

Place yourself where you want to use your laptop and imagine a straight line directly between yourself and where the router is sited… what’s in the way?

Staircases, concrete and steel lintels, radiators, fridges, freezers, fish tanks and more.

The more stuff, the less friendly it will be. If the router is say, on the third or fourth floor and the laptop is directly below on the ground floor, this is not good either.

Next time you become disconnected from the WiFi, stop think, what just happened, who else is online, did someone somewhere just turn something on such as an old kettle, microwave, an old electric drill. Did someone walk by between the laptop and the router. On the laptop it will give you some idea what the WiFi signal strength is like too.

WiFi access points in all their various designs usually require an ethernet connected cable and POE injector or a compatible POE Switch to power them and work well. If you bridge them together wirelessly, you may be no better off if your house is not WiFi friendly.

I have another 1200 new houses being built near where i live that’ll keep me busy this next year as buyers move in. Every single one of them may as well be a faraday cage, the whole house and each room. Nobody will be able to get a mobile phone signal indoors, nobody will be able to get a WiFi signal beyond the room where the broadband router is placed. Because the materials (Building Blocks) being used to build the houses are being made of recycled industrial waste from past mining industries. I suspect that the blocks have a high iron ore content, but i can’t be sure.

[davyjones]

Hi, the home is a single level apartment in a multi-storey building, 4 floors. My laptop does not have a direct line of sight to the router but it’s close enough.

I have a separate PC for gaming and stuff, which in the same location as the laptop, and which has a separate PCIe card for WiFi and with it’s own antenna, I have not noticed that device disconnecting. I should test that using a video call as well.

I have tried using a WiFi channel that is not in use in the building, as there are of course multiple WiFi networks available, and the RUTX50 software includes a scanner to show what channels are in use. I have tried using a channel not in use by any other WiFi network but I did not notice it to make a difference.

WiFi access points in all their various designs usually require an ethernet connected cable and POE injector or a compatible POE Switch to power them and work well. If you bridge them together wirelessly, you may be no better off if your house is not WiFi friendly

Sorry I don’t really follow what that refers to exactly

[davyjones]

I have an old ASUS WiFi router that I’m not using. I might trying connecting that to a LAN port on the RUTX50 and then test that for the WiFi to see if performance is better.

[akwe-xavante]

For me, your problem could still be either a Mobile or a WiFi connectivity issue.

You’re in a flat on a single level and assuming that the Kitchen isn’t between the router and the Laptop, then my gut feeling is that your problem isn’t a WiFi problem at all and that it’s a Mobile connectivity issue.

Until you try an ethernet cable between the Laptop and the Router even if it’s just for a day or two to see if the disconnections continue, it still could be either.

Temporarily using a cable could rule out WiFi if when using one the disconnections continue! This weighs the probability that it’s a Mobile Issue and not a WiFi issue.

If the disconnections stop, then you could confidently say that the problem is a WiFi issue. THEN work towards identifying a solution if you are determined to use devices wirelessly.

I can’t help you any further, i’m sure someone else may offer help.