Internet Connection Dropping -- **Winnipeg**

[moncuevski]

Hello,

Just looking to see if anyone else is having the same problem as I am in my household. The best word to describe the problem is "micro-outages". At random times net access connection will drop for 2mins (and sometimes go as long as 10mins) then kick back up. Said issue happens sporadic -- it's only today, Sunday (04/12/2020), that the reported issue happened one time after another (then another, then another, etc.). For info, this started happening around 2 weeks ago -- when my younger sister was taking an online university exam and she had reported that net access dropped then kicked back up (happened three times during said exam). I am just wondering if this is just an issue that I have or if anyone else in the city is having this as well. If said issue is not just happening in my household then maybe this is caused by people staying home, or to be more precise, more people that Shaw anticipates to stay home in a single time (due to the COVID-19 epidemic), using up internet and then in turn Shaw servers could not keep up w/ the traffic therefore causing the "micro-outages".

Quick info about my home network setup:

I have a Shaw Hitron Modem configured to be in bridge mode / pass-through mode and my internal network is managed through a third party router. Already did power cycle trick and this did not help. Also confirmed that the problem is the Shaw modem/Shaw modem having trouble getting through to the internet. The problem does not lie on my third party router -- confirmed this since every time these said micro-outages happens I plug the ethernet cable form my PC to the Shaw modem and I just get an APIPA (tech-term) address and no net access; and when net goes back up, the address changes to my WAN IP (it's a WAN IP since the Shaw modem is in bridge mode as reported).

Any help and/or confirmation will be great.

-Winnipeg Shaw Customer

[gordon1111]

My internet has been okay in Winnipeg. What area do you live in? I only had one issue where the internet disconnected for about 10 minutes was at the end of March and I rebooted modem and was fine after that.  Good luck to you and stay safe!

[SP3CTRYS]

Looks like Shaw was doing some maintenance in the area according to this: https://support.shaw.ca/t5/service-updates-outages/apr-13-winnipeg-internet-wifi/ta-p/17533

When Shaw does maintenance, the connection can be spotty as they are likely adjusting the cables and equipment, which would be sporadic by nature.

Make sure to check the service outage pages 🙂

[moncuevski]

Hello,

Hope everyone is keeping safe. Thank you for replying. That link you've linked shows that the maintenance occurred the next day from when i reported my problem. It just seems like traffic in my area (live around Weston) is just heavy since the "micro-outages" occurred again this weekend.

[mdk]

> I plug the Ethernet cable [from] my PC to the Shaw modem, and I just get an APIPA (tech-term) address and no net access.

Each cable-modem is individually configured to allow a finite number of IP-addresses to be supplied by Shaw's DHCP-server.  Normally, the number is "one".

So, if you disconnect your own bridged router, which has that "one" IP-address, and then directly connect your computer, it will not be assigned an IP-address by Shaw's DHCP-server -- "two" exceeds the limit of "one".

Here, the "trick" is to power-off the cable-modem, wait a few seconds, and then restart the modem. This will "clear" its internal count of IP-addresses, to "zero", and then your directly-connected computer will immediately be the recipient of the "one" IP-address from Shaw's DHCP-server.  It will be a different IP-address than the one that your router previously obtained.

[moncuevski]

Hello,

Thank you for the reply. Yes I am aware that the Shaw modem only gives out one WAN IP (at least my my case). It was my mistake when I didn't specify on my report that when I plug in my PC to the Shaw modem (on bridge mode) that I also first unplug my internal router from it as well.

So situation would be:

1. Oh, Shaw is down > I wonder if it's on Shaw's end or my internal router.

2. Wait 2 - 10 mins and internet would be back up.

3. Oh, will check next time this happens if it's my end or Shaw.

4. Oh, Shaw is down again > check to see if can ping internal router: YES > check to see if can ping 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1: NO

5. Unplug internal router from Shaw modem and plug in my PC directly to the Shaw modem > gets APIPA address.

6. Wait about 2 mins > is Shaw still down: YES > then power cycle modem (also power cycle internal router just in case)

7. Is Shaw modem now fully booted (typically a 3-5'ish minute wait to get it fully booted): YES

8. Is Shaw internet now up: NO > checked PC and still getting an APIPA address.

9. Wait for 5-10 mins more, PC now obtains and IP from the Shaw modem (a dynamic WAN, of course).

10. Unplug PC from modem and plug in internal router again to Shaw modem.

11. Shaw internet is now up until reported "micro-outage" issue happens again.

12. Concluded through said testing and network diagnosis that problem lies on Shaw or the Shaw modem itself (which led me to post on this forum).

[rstra]

At this point, it probably would be best to call in to Shaw to get them to check out your modem.

[moncuevski]

Hello,

Thank you for replying. I believe this is what I indeed need to do.

[mdk]

> 5. Unplug internal router from Shaw modem and plug in my PC directly to the Shaw modem > gets APIPA address.

Correct. Until you power-off/power-on the Shaw modem, your device (computer or router) cannot obtain an IP-address from Shaw's DHCP-server, because the device that you have unplugged is the one that still have a valid "lease" of the ONE IP-address that Shaw's DHCP-server has provided to your device.

After reconnecting your computer, use the two command-lines:

• IPCONFIG /RELEASE
• IPCONFIG /RENEW

to discard the previous IP-address, and to send a DHCP-request (to your router, if it is connected) or to Shaw's DHCP-server (if your computer is directly-connected to the "bridged" Shaw router.

Or, get Shaw to provide a "second IP-address" on your account. When your router is directly connected to the Shaw cable-modem, your router will take one of the 2 IP-addresses, and while your computer is directly connected to the Shaw cable-modem, your computer will take the other of the 2 IP-addresses.

[moncuevski]

Hello,

And thank you for replying again. I am familiar w/ these cmd lines but I shouldn't have to do them since I power cycled the Shaw modem on point#6 in my last reply -- therefore the modem would lease a new IP.

BTW, thanks for the input so far. I think traffic in my area is just too busy and that's the reason the internet cuts out. Either that or the modem itself, which is uncommon/unlikely but also not unheard off.