That much I get, it’s trying to call home but no one answers. Since no one picks up it resets the router.
The question is, why no one picks up? What’s preventing the call to reach home? Is it my ISP? My modem or my router?
See I’m trying to figure out where is the weak link here before I pickup the phone and call the ISP. I don’t want to sound foolish and they tell me it has nothing to do with them or with their modem.
It’s like the internet’s phonebook, translating website names (like google.com) into IP addresses that computers use to communicate.
What the error means:
The error “DNS Failure Error Stack: URL Check Frame” suggests that your devices are having trouble translating website names into IP addresses.
Yes, it could be any of those. It could be your ISP or your modem or your router.
ISP Issues: Sometimes, the problem is with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). If their DNS servers are down or having issues, it can cause these errors. Honestly, I always highly suggest people CHANGE THEIR DNS in their router to not use the ISP’s default DNS because they’re usually pretty atrocious. Common alternatives include using Google’s DNS 8.8.8.8 or Cloudflare.
Modem Issues: Since your modem is in bridge mode, it’s mostly acting as a pass-through device. However, if it’s malfunctioning, it could still cause problems.
Router Issues: Your Eero 6 router likely handles most of the network management. If it’s having trouble, it could lead to DNS errors.
I would start by changing the DNS from the default to Google’s 8.8.8.8 or one of cloudflares servers. See if that makes a difference. If it doesn’t, then you can be more positive it’s the ISP in some other way or the modem/router, but not the DNS.
What kind of internet is this and who is your service provider? Is it Daisy chained Cable internet? Is it something with extreme upload latency like Hughes net? What are your upload/download limits?
Johnson Creative got back to me with an explanation and a solution.
The rebooter sends a request to google.com if no response within certain time it sends second request to cnn.com, if no response again within certain time it cuts power for 30 seconds.
Due to my slow internet the requests would come a bit later than what the rebooter expects. To solve the problem they remotely turned a setting last night while I was sleeping that will additionally ping 8.8.8.8 and if the ping comes back there is no reset needed. Haven’t received any emails that the rebooter has reset. I would usually get multiple emails in the morning and throughout the day.
So far it’s working, the rebooter hasn’t reset yet since. I was told to keep an eye and if the resets return I’ll have to call my ISP to check the line and modem.
Wow, I remember the days that kind of Internet bandwidth was considered extraordinary (ie: 23 years ago)! That’s a rough amount nowadays, but those speeds on a dedicated dsl line should be sufficient for a ping request without any delays, so there is likely some kind of underlying issue like a memory leak in the modern or something. Your plug should help with that at least.
So far so good. Not a single reset since last night. The way tech support explained is that when the rebooter pings Google.com and cnn.com it’s not a ping, It acts as a request to a web page and expects return within certain time frame. That’s why he activated a feature that adds an additional DNS request, simple ping to 8.8.8.8. Now since the ping is much faster than web page request the rebooter doesn’t reset my gateway and router.
Oh, I see. That makes a lot of sense and bypasses the DNS conversion issue it was having. A ping is way better. I wonder why they didn’t have a ping as the default from the start. Most IoT devices in the world use a ping to Google or Baidu to verify Internet connectivity. It’s interesting they were using the website URL instead.
Require Full TCP/HTTPS Success: This is the default advanced settings and determines connection health by opening a full HTTPS session requiring connection to the site, encryption key handshakes, etc. This simulates a browser’s capability to reach and use the internet and is a more inclusive test that simply pinging the websites. Often cases throttling attempts by your ISP may allow you to reach the site via IP address, but block your connection based upon the TCP or HTTP protocol, so this just ensures that Keep Connect is monitoring the connection in the same fashion as you would experience it.
Ping Only Mode: This feature allows to de-sensitize Keep Connect by ignoring checking TCP/HTTP protocol success and only monitoring ping success.
Keep Connect Roundtrip: This mode reaches out to our Keep Connect servers to check for a “kcSuccess” response. This is done over https and proves that the request went all the way to our servers and back. Some routers/modems/gateways serve a local “Internet Is Down” redirected webpage when there is no internet. Keep Connect would consider this redirected webpage as a reliable internet connection and would refrain from issuing a reset to the connected device. This mode ensures that the communications occurs all the way to/from our served. This can also help when monitoring very low-bandwidth systems. Instead of having to load a full webpage, our servers only send the kcSuccess message cutting down on the bandwidth requirements. This mode does not use a user defined domains as with the other two modes, but instead just communicates with our servers directly with built-in primary and backup test domains within our network.
I had it set up at default settings, but now as I’m combing through their documentation I can see how good and powerful this little device is as well as customizable.
Glad to hear it’s all figured out. BTW, if you’re having constant connectivity issues on your WAN link, might i suggest replacing the cable that you’re connecting to either the DSL (RJ11) port or the WAN (RJ45) port? Personally, i would replace both cables with quality cables. You should not have to be constantly rebooting the gateway.
A bad cable can be intermittent. Also, look at the connectors on the end of the cable. I have seen discoloration (oxidation) on 1 or more of the lines cause intermittent connectivity issues as well.
While I like that it works great for you and you love it; i definitely don’t like the idea that complete access to your router was needed (login/pass). Just my thoughts.
Thanks for your suggestion. I know for a fact that the RJ45 is a new cable ant it’s the one that was supplied with the Eero 6 gateway. I will definitely change it with a quality CAT 6 cable. Not sure about the RJ11, but I’ll definitely check it when I go up next time, might not be any time soon though
I still think is an ISP issue as I’ve only had couple resets in the past five days. It only happens when the network traffic is at its peak, for example when it’s windy and leafs and trees are moving around and all four cameras are trying to keep up with the measly 1MBps upload speed.
Interesting observation, however I’m not sure I understand the complete access to the router (login/pass) reference . I didn’t need to login into the router, the rebooter just cuts power for 30 seconds to the modem and router. After that they both power up and come on line. Also, I can access the router via Eero app on my phone.
My bad. I must have mis-read something when i was checking out the info on the reboot device. Disregard if that was not the case.
The cameras connect via wifi, whereas the issue you are having is between the physical connection to the internet. Even if the cams were catching a ton of movement, and even though your DL speed is 1Mbps, that should not affect the physical layer. To me it sounds like its either on the ISP side or something wonky going on with the modem. Have you checked for any firmware updates to the modem?
Also, weather plays a role in WiFi connections, try changing the WiFi channel for stronger signals to the cameras. Choose 1, 6, or 11 and check the cams transmission rates.
You are correct. It turns out that my ISP is changing the public IP more frequently then they change their underwear :). This is what I got from Johnson Creative tech support: “127 IP changes was seen for the past 2 months. It seems to have started on 6-03. And then started to ramp up fast on 6-26 to date that occurs almost every day. Before 6-26, your logs seems to appear fine. There were a few resets but those are probably normal”
So next time I am up at the cottage they are getting a phone call. I don’t want to do it when I’m not there in case they need me to do something physical to the modem and stuff.
Unfortunately I don’t think I can do that as I don’t have that option with my Eero.
Ahhh, yes, that’s right, you have an eero. They’re really good routers, but I don’t like that you don’t really have much control over it which goes the same for my Deco XE75’s, which is why they are used in AP mode. However, I do have the ability to have the AP’s perform “Network Optimization” which is the eero’s “automatic channel selection” . I don’t understand why they don’t allow you to at least have it do a scan when you want.
Glad to hear everything working fine for you now and you now know it’s on the ISP end. I knew it was on the ISP side based on the DNS error, but i didn’t know where (isp to demarc, demarc to modem, etc.) so we had to narrow it down based on the OSI Model. Either way, I still advise high quality cables and keep your cables as short as possible. Cheers!
BTW, since you’ve invested in the rebooter, etc., did you get a UPS to keep things running in case of a power outtage??
I will definitely follow your advice once I get up there. Won’t happen till September though as my wife and I are taking two and half week car trip through Canadian East Coast provinces.
That might be unfeasible in my situation. I can have the modem/router on UPS but cameras are out of question. They’re all plugged on different outdoor plugs.
EDIT: Since my daughter and her boyfriend are at the cottage, I decided to contact the ISP. Support guy thinks that there is something wrong with the modem so they’re sending a technician to check and swap the modem if necessary. That shows how “good quality” ISP supplied gear is
I think there are too many variables at play here. It’s hard to know exactly without properly isolating it.
For the Ovislink modem, there’s a possibility that it doesn’t like bridge mode. I remember some modem manufacturer have poor bridge mode implementation that causes even more problems than running it in gateway mode. If this is indeed the real problem, then I think you can run your Eero 6 in AP mode to avoid double NAT.
For the Eero 6 router, I think it should be relatively problem-free, but I do remember someone reported that the PPPoE credentials wouldn’t stick. I don’t know if they have finally fixed that problem yet. Also, I think you need to VLAN tag it after inputting the PPPoE credentials. Eastlink should provide these information to you.
I’m not sure how your Eastlink DSL is setup at your cottage, but from my experience with Bell DSL 10/1 plan in Ontario is FTTN (Fibre-to-the-Node) and the last mile is copper wire. If I recall correctly, DSL is very sensitive to distance from the CO (central office) and I think anything more than 2KM you’ll experience some degradation to your line stats (SNR and line attenuation).
We’ll find out today, A technician is scheduled to get there this morning, my daughter and her boyfriend are waiting for him to show up.
The way it is set up it doesn’t need PPPoE credentials, it’s all DHCP.
Pretty much the same setup. If I remember correctly, this infrastructure was owned by Bell some twenty years ago. The copper wire from the big green box, the size of an oversized pantry is just short of a kilometre.
So the technician showed up at 9:00AM yesterday and stayed there until 12:30PM. Not sure what took him three and a half hours . At the end he swapped the modem/router combo for the same model, I was hopping to get different, better model but that didn’t happen. According to my daughter he was saying something about a password being changed that was giving him problems. Also he couldn’t get the 5GHz channel to stick. Not sure why would he bother with that channel when I only have 10Mbs download speed .
The rebooter hasn’t kicked in at all since yesterday, which is a good sign.
What pisses me off is that he disconnected the Eero and left the crapy Ovislink router on. When my daughter asked him why he hasn’t connected the Eero, his response was that he’s not authorized to do that. I’m guessing he didn’t know how to put the modem in bridge mode.
The problem I’m having now is that I am at square one just like I was before I got the Eero. My cameras have hard time staying connected especially the two that are a bit further away from the router, approximately 35 feet from it. Had no issues with the Eero. Since I won’t be going up until September to connect it, I’ll have to live with it.
Looks like Starling is looking a much better alternative. However I can’t jump on that bandwagon until spring next year.
. I didn’t need to login into the router, the rebooter just cuts power for 30 seconds to the modem and router. After that they both power up and come on line. Also, I can access the router via Eero app on my phone.
However, I do have the ability to have the AP’s perform “Network Optimization” which is the eero’s “automatic channel selection” . I don’t understand why they don’t allow you to at least have it do a scan when you want.
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