Forum Discussion
5 GHZ WiFi Randomly Quits
I have been using the Arcadyan KVD21 gateway for just over a month. Randomly the 5 GHZ WiFi connection will drop. I have had it go for sometimes 7 or 8 days without problems, then drop. Also sometimes only 12 hours or less, then drop. Once it drops, the SSID cycles between broadcasting and not broadcasting. All connections to 5 GHZ wifi are rejected (2.4 GHZ WiFi continues to function each time). The only solution I have found is to restart the gateway, which is easy if I'm at home, but doesn't seem to be possible otherwise. So if I'm away and the systems that are connected to 5 GHZ, such as an NAS, cannot be accessed remotely until someone is home to restart the gateway. I had to move my security/alarm devices to 2.4 GHZ WiFi because of this.
I have read some similar posts on this forum, but they look to have been started 2 years ago and don't specifically mention WiFi. I called tech support and they said they hadn't had any reports of this issue! They offered to replace the gateway, but it would be with the same model and I don't think it's a hardware issue. I speculate that it has something to do with the OpenWRT firmware, which, according to posts in their forums, has been updated and resolved similar issues. T-Mobile doesn't have any updates for the firmware at this time. I also wonder if it might have something to do with the DFS 5 GHZ WiFi firmware subroutines, which have also has had problems reported with OpenWRT. T-Mobile provides no interface to select the 5 GHZ WiFi channel, so there is no way to avoid the "auto" assignment of a DFS channel.
Another issue, which I've also seen reported in other forums, is that devices on the same SSID cannot ping or "see" eachother. Strangely, If I connect the searching device to another set up SSID on the same gateway, it works. Again, seems to be an OpenWRT firmware issue.
So, with these issues, I probably would have canceled T-Mobile Home Internet Service during the trial period, except that the savings over Spectrum currently outweigh the (considerable) hassle!
@richreed based on your concerns I see two options for consideration.
- You can do a "reset" and setup your gateway from scratch again. The upside when doing this is that if there is any cache or setup issues, they will be flushed out. I have done a reset to resolve issues in the past with much success. And, this process allows you to setup new (and separate) 2.4 and 5Ghz networks, which may fix your SSID connections issues. To make the process easier on yourself use the same SSID and password, then your devices will automatically reconnect to your gateway.
- Based on your complaints, you might want to go to your local T-Mobile store and explain your issues, and ask to switch it out with the newer Sagemcom gateway. I have it and it work great.
Let us know how it turns out.
Good, fingers crossed!
@copz1998 Thank you for your help. I had already done a complete factory reset without any change. I have tried a few SSID/band configurations, including factory, separate bands, and combinations thereof; that hasn't changed anything.
The tech at T-mo phone support was helpful (not the CSR who answered). He suggested the points you made, too. He offered to send a new unit, but said, according to his system it would be the same Arcadyan not the Sagemcom. I don't think it's a hardware problem. I've read T-Mobile Will Be Offering Two New Gateway Devices Soon so I think I’ll wait and see if I can get the next new model.
Update: The 5GHZ wifi (and everything else) has been up for 10.5 days, the longest ever since I got it!
I see that my gateway received a firmware update, so that may have addressed the issue as I had hoped it would. Since T-mo doesn't publish firmware release notes, I don't really know.
Well, must've jinxed it! A few hours after posting that all was well, 5GHZ wifi stopped working again!
After last reset it only lasted 1.5 days. So no change overall.
