The XB6 Technicolor story - Active DOCSIS WAN

[Corbio]

This has been the strangest problem I've encountered in a very long time and I thought I'd share my findings with everyone. It is lengthy!

So to start with, everything was working perfectly using Port 1 on the gateway. Speed was never an issue since my findings a while back, bridge mode was now enabled and I still had to deal with a double NAT; various ports using port forwarding had to be done on both gateway prior to bridging and in my router if it was to remain opened (ridiculous).

Fast forward a bit and I was growing tired of doing this for every new application that required port forwarding. So as I'm looking at the WAN Network options in the gateway (bridge mode disabled because of the nonsense interface that port forwarding is now), I noticed that mine was set to "Auto" and neither DOCSIS nor Ethernet was selected as the WAN connection type; this was found to be blank in my case before what was about to happen. This will make more sense later.

So I selected DOCSIS and saved it, then the gateway rebooted. This is where everything turns to dog water.

I no longer had the speed I did. In fact, it was so slow the connection would timeout every time a page loaded in a browser. So I thought that was weird. I went back into the gateway GUI and changed the DOCSIS back to Auto and the modem rebooted again and DOCSIS was selected again for the connection type instead of it being blank like it was before. So I perform a factory reset. After setting up the WIFI again, which I never use on the gateway, but instead use my own with the router I have, the speed never changed. It was like 1Mbps with frequent connection timeouts. Now this happens on Port 1 and Port 2 on the gateway. I even bypassed my router completely and connected to the gateway directly, trying both Port 1 and Port 2 again with no change in connection quality/throughput. The gateway shows it as Active DOCSIS WAN under Port 1 if I'm using Port 1, where before it was just shown as Active.

So I decided to connect to the gateway WIFI only, lo and behold, I had roughly what WIFI speed should net me, nearly 500-700Mbps on my devices. Strange, so just the gigabit ports on the back were problematic all of a sudden or so I thought. There is an option in the gateway GUI that for Port 2, once enabled, is a separate DHCP IP pool (172.16.x.x) for a HOME SECURITY network that also removes the port from the network too. After ticking that box and watching the gateway go through the boot cycle for the umpteenth time, I disconnected from the gateway WIFI and connected directly to Port 2 (still bypassing the router at this point). I had my full gigabit speed back again! Thinking that was weird, I decided to plug my router back in and rebooted everything once more. The full gigabit speed was still there! So in the gateway I looked under Hardware > LAN, it showed Port 2 as being Active, not what Port 1 showed as Active DOCSIS WAN. So very strange right?

So here's where the mind**** comes into play. Knowing that Port 2 with that specific box ticked gave me my speed back, I figured I'd try Port 1 again. Taking notice of the WAN IP given each time when looking at it in the router (when connected) or if using the gateway by itself. Port 1 did the same thing it did in the beginning of this story where it still had connection timeouts. I thought, okay, let's see if bridge mode will affect anything here when the router is connected again. When bridge mode was enabled for Port 1 on the gateway, the WAN IP was different obviously. It wasn't the gateway DHCP IP 10.0.0.x nor the other private IP 172.16.x.x either, but a regular public WAN IP, except I had barely any speed and connectivity (just like before). I had just enough patience to keep trying over and over with port forwarding in my router and checking online (slow loading) if the port had opened. It finally worked! No more double NAT all of a sudden, but I also had no speed at all. So I quickly tried everything again, but with Port 2 on the gateway with that HOME SECURITY option still ticked. After rebooting everything again I was back with a double NAT and the 172.16.x.x WAN IP (which is just the private IP given from that ticked box instead of the 10.0.0.x one.) showing in my router GUI. Both basically mean the gateway has its own WAN IP, and through its own DHCP, is assigning my router a local IP from that 10.0.0.x pool instead. THIS IS STILL in bridge mode! Now it's back to a double NAT again.

You can't port forward because you have to disable bridge mode, and because the HOME SECURITY box is ticked in order for me to have full speed again, the gateway can't see the 172.16.x.x devices connected, whether through the router or directly to the gateway using Port 2. Only the 10.0.0.x ones before the IP reassignment. So I'm left with no ability to port forward at all now.

BUT...

It doesn't assign the IPs this way if I'm using Port 1 which is now showing as DOCSIS WAN (as mentioned before). If bridge mode is enabled when using Port 1, it will give me a WAN IP and nothing else, which is good. This is how it should be. Port forwarding works perfectly. No more double NAT.

If I use Port 2, with that specific option ticked, it has to be in bridge mode for full speed to happen. If I'm not bridged, I get the same problem that Port 1 gives me. So basically, I can't port forward (as in nothing opens) if using Port 1 with bridge disabled and Port 2 either bridge enabled or disabled.

This is when I noticed something very strange happening. I've tried every configuration imaginable as well as talking with live chat (which didn't help at all as I tried every troubleshooting measure possible) and on the phone for hours explaining the issue again because I wasn't satisfied with how the live chat turned out. I asked for reprovisioning, asked if gateway connectivity status was good or not, if anything jumped out as showing a problem with the gateway, everything. If an option I changed affected the gateway this poorly, surely on SHAW's side, a tech support agent could reverse it. From what I'm told, they can't! They don't even understand what I'm talking about. This issue is so whack, it's hard to even know how to word it at times. I can't get my plans speed if using Port 1 directly (since that change I made in the beginning) or with a router connected to it, but I can still access the gateway GUI without connectivity problems (not in bridge mode or when using Port 2 and that box ticked), just not online (1Mbps). I can get my plans speed using Port 2 and that box ticked and with gateway WIFI only if connecting directly; router will work for WIFI and everything else if using Port 2 and that box ticked only Any other configuration and this fails.

So I asked on the call to SHAW if I could get a replacement XB6 gateway then (until XB7 is available in my area) at a nearby SHAW location, they said and I'm paraphrasing: No, their stores are closed because of COVID and that they don't carry those gateways there. That I would have to get one shipped, but before that even happens, I'd need to have a SHAW tech come out first and enter my premise in order to verify that I do need a new gateway or not. I explained the same thing back, no, because of COVID related reasons (I just wasn't having it at this point). Unless the SHAW tech can enter a GUI on the gateway directly, that I don't have access to, then that makes sense. However, it appears to SHAW that the issue isn't on their end, but mine through some basic troubleshooting exercises that I've missed, when in fact IT IS on their end and not mine because of all the troubleshooting I've done and did again just for the sake of following their troubleshooting steps (documented). I wasn't rude or disrespectful to the SHAW agents. I know how it goes. It comes across like I am being rude when you read this story but I wasn't. I'm just in a state of double-you-tee-eff. I've tried absolutely everything to no avail, and the only thing that works is that Port 2, box ticked, method if i want my plans gigabit speed back.

Now, ready for the absolute kicker? After everything you've read... get this... if I connect directly to Port 1 on the gateway after already connected to Port 2 with my router (working perfectly full speed just no ability to port forward) with another PC (I've tried both in the same configurations as well), it will connect and I get full gigabit speed and it's still showing Active DOCSIS WAN! No issues at all! Port 1 will not do this under any other scenario except when Port 2 with that box ticked is Active.

What happened to this gateway or SHAW's network with it from that one change I made that WILL NOT revert back to its previous state to just showing "Active" and not "Active DOCSIS WAN".

I don't get it.

[Corbio · Accepted solution]

UPDATE

So I couldn't leave this alone. After telling you about everything that I already tried, I decided to try one more thing out of desperation to get everything working and it finally worked! Port forwarding worked and I have full gigabit speed as well!

So here's what I did:

The XB6 gateway is in bridge mode (still) with Port 2 HOME SECURITY box ticked.

My backup router is connected from WAN to Port 2 on the gateway. DHCP disabled on the router and the private IP of 172.16.x.x is showing as WAN IP in the router GUI from the gateway DHCP. A device is required to be connected to Port 2 on the gateway or Port 1 will act like I have no connection speed at all if it's the only device connected (unless I'm using Port 2 with that specific box ticked). It's the strangest thing I've ever encountered! I most likely need to a new XB6, but I'll wait for an XB7 to become available in my area and just replace everything then.

Next, my main router is connected from WAN to Port 1 on the gateway and this shows a public WAN IP (finally). I wanted access to both routers on the same network so I can monitor and control every device connected. So second router LAN port connected to main router LAN port. One router has the WIFI radios disabled while the other one does not. It's due to how many devices I have hard wired in the one router while the other is for mostly WIFI devices in case you're wondering why this setup.

I then tried to access both router GUIs and that worked perfect. I then checked if I could access the gateway GUI, which I couldn't before in bridge mode with that HOME SECURITY option ticked and having full gigabit speed with it, and that worked too. I then did a speed test and this showed to be 944Mbps down and 27Mbps up

Last thing to check was the port forwarding and... IT FINALLY WORKS!

Everything works now with the most absurd configuration ever considering what happened to my gateway which made it an absolute nightmare to troubleshoot! Holy crap!

Finally solved it!

[mdk]

@Corbio -- this showed to be 944Mbps down and 27Mbps up

You should be getting almost 100 Mbps for uploading.

Experiment:

1. power-off the "bridged" BlueCurve cable-modem/router.
2. power-off your own router.
3. power-off your computer.
4. disconnect the Ethernet cable from the WAN port on your router.
5. connect that Ethernet cable to the LAN port on your computer.
6. power-on the BlueCurve, and let it reboot.
7. power-on your computer, and let it boot up.
8. check that your computer has received a "public" IP-address from Shaw's DHCP-server.
9. run the Shaw Speed Test.

If you don't get 100 Mbps for upload, contact Shaw, and get them to "re-provision" the cable-modem, justifying your request by stating that your upload speed is much less than what Shaw should be providing. Then retry all the above steps.

[rstra]

@mdk  Not every town gets 100 up.

[Mak1]

This is what I've been struggling for the last two days, right down to the desperation of trying to prevent double NAT and messing with that setting. I also found little to no help from tech support agents, with most saying to wait or that it must be my router. I eventually found one agent who is sending me a new modem, and if I end up going down this rabbit hole all over again, Ill be sure to let you know.