XB6 bridge mode stop working

[Donghun]

Hello

I've been using Linksys Velop as the router with XB6 in the bridge mode for over a year without any issue.

Suddenly few days ago the set up stopped working.

I tried usual suspects such as rebooting the mode and router multiple times.

The router is able to obtain an ip but the internet connection is pretty much dead (sometimes I'm getting 0.1 mbps or no connection yet all).

If I connect my laptop to the port 1 directly, the internet is working normally even though it has been much slower (100mbps) than usual 400 mbps. 

I suspected my Velop is faulty so I tried another Velop and I had the same problem.

I also tried a Tplink C59 router and the symptom is pretty much same.

It can obtain an ip after rebooting the modem but either the connection is so slow or dead.

Thank you for your help in advance.

Donghun

[mdk]

> If I connect my laptop to the port 1 directly, the internet is working normally even though it has been much slower (100mbps) than usual 400 mbps. 

It's weird that you get 400 mbps when using an Ethernet cable, if you have either "Internet 300" or "Internet 600", unless your (newer?) laptop was using its fast WiFi adapter, using the "AC" protocol, to get 400 mbps.

Note that a "CAT-5" Ethernet cable is certified only to 100 Mbps -- the speed you reported. You need a "CAT-5e" cable, certified up to 1000 Mbps, or a "CAT-6" cable (even faster). So, read the printing on the length of your Ethernet cable, to be sure that it is "CAT-5e".

[Donghun]

I have the internet 600 but I was never getting 600 with Ethernet and it got slower recently as well.

I use CAT-7 cables.

For the slower speed I talked to Shaw and they said there is nothing they can do now due to COVID-19.

My bigger problem is that the bridge mode stopped working than the slower speed.

[mdk]

@Donghun -- I have the internet 600 but I was never getting 600 with Ethernet and it got slower recently as well.

Rather than giving "qualitative" comments, can you give the actual numbers from the Shaw SpeedTest when connected via Ethernet cable?  Does your computer connect via WiFi (it will not, in "bridged" mode) ?

Do you have your own router between the "bridged" cable-modem and your computer? If so, can you bypass it, by connecting your computer directly to the cable-modem, and then restarting the cable-modem?

How fast is your computer? A dual-core 2.0 Ghz processor cannot run the SpeedTest at full speed, on an "Internet 300" connection. I suspect that you'll need at least a dual-core 3.0 Ghz processor, on an "Internet 600" connection, to get "full-speed" results.

> I use CAT-7 cables.

That is good to know -- Screened Shielded Twist Pairing (S/STP) design and gold-plated connectors confidently protect the cable from external Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) for optimized signal quality.

But, "CAT-5e" cables are certified to 1000 mbps, and "CAT-6" is even faster.

> For the slower speed, I talked to Shaw, and they said there is nothing they can do now due to COVID-19.

It is unfortunate that you may have talked to the wrong person, or you may have misunderstood their reply.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you can still contact Shaw (online-chat or telephone), and get them to remotely logon to your cable-modem, to test "signal-strength" and other values, and to do other trouble-shooting of your home-network.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shaw technicians will still make service-calls to your home, but limited to climbing the nearest telephone-pole, and/or to open-up the "demarcation-box" on the outside of your home, to test the signal-strength in both places.  There probably is a coaxial-splitter inside that box. They may replace it. They are not allowed to enter your home, but they will use their mobile-phone to call you, and try to trouble-shoot.

> My bigger problem is that the bridge mode stopped working than the slower speed.

What do you mean by "stopped working" ? No lit-up lamps on the front of the modem? No lit-up lamp (green? yellow?) beside each active Ethernet socket on the back of the modem?

Is there no lit-up lamp (green? yellow?) beside the Ethernet socket on your computer?

[Donghun]

@mdk  here is the summary from the original post and the reply to your post.

- I have internet 600

- I used my own router and put xb6 as the bridge mode.

- The setup worked well for over a year.

- I was getting maximum 400 mbps when my pc was connected to the router over the Ethernet cable to the router.

- My cables are cat 7 and they are certainly capable of gigabit transfers. Are you suggesting Cat 6 is faster than cat 7? Why is this relevant? I'm not using vanilla cat 5.

- The maximum speed started getting slow late last week to maximum 100mbps - 120mbps.

- My PC spec is irreverent because I was getting 400 mbps before but I tried a 2019 high end Macbook pro with a 2.6ghz core i7 6 cores.

- After a while I was not getting internet any more.

- In the bridge mode I connected to my laptop to the port 1 on the modem, I'm getting the internet and the speed is  maximum 100 ~ 120 mbps. When it's slow, it gets down to 60mbps.

- My router (Linksys Velop) is getting an ip when the modem is in the bridge mode but the speed test gives me 0.1 mbps which is not usable.

- I suspected my router was faulty so I tried another Velop but the result is the same.

- I tried a TP Link C59 router that I have and the result is same. The router is getting an IP from Shaw but I almost always cannot open a web page or do speed testing. Sometimes the speed test briefly works but the speed is 0.1 mbps.

- So I ruled out faulty router problems.

- If I disable the bridge mode on the XB6, the internet works.

- The maximum speed is 100 mbps to 120 mbps over the wifi or Ethernet to the port 1.

Here is the summary from the technical support that I got.

- Shaw admitted that the signal to my modem is not good.

- They cannot support me with the bridge mode issue because my router is third party.

- They cannot send me a technician to troubleshoot the signal issue due to COVID19.

- They would send a technician only to people without any internet access until they get to normal operations.

But my main problem right now is this

 When XB6 is put on the bridge mode, my routers are getting ip but because the internet speed is so slow at 0.1 mbps, the internet is basically unusable.

Thank you

[mdk]

> the speed is 0.1 mbps.

> Here is the summary from the technical support that I got.

> They cannot send me a technician to troubleshoot the signal issue due to COVID-19.

>  They would send a technician only to people without any internet access until they get to normal operations.

What is the difference between "0.1" and "without any" ? Not much.

Given the almost unavoidable "second wave" of any previous pandemic, you could be waiting until next year, before things are back to "normal".

I talked to Shaw on Saturday, and a Shaw technician is coming to my home on Wednesday, to "drop" a HITRON cable-modem at my front-door -- "3 business days" for the technician to arrive. That is good service. 

If you can read this, then my current cable-modem is working fine, but its hardware is limiting it to 25 mbps for downloads.  The HITRON will do 300 mbps, with either a "CAT-5e" or a "CAT-6" Ethernet cable. I don't have a "CAT-7" to test its capability.

Maybe, you should swap-out the current Ethernet cable between the cable-modem and your router, and swap-in a 'CAT-5" or "CAT-5e" or "CAT-6" cable, just to see if it the "CAT-7" cable that is creating your problem.  Yes, temporarily swapping-in a "CAT-5" cable (if you have one lying around) is only temporary, but if you get more than "0.1", that could be a hint to you about permanently swapping-in a "CAT-5e" or a "CAT-6" cable.

Finally, have you tried connecting a different computer to your router, and running the Shaw SpeedTest on it? Getting much-larger numbers could point to your Apple computer as being the problem.

[Donghun]

Thank you for taking your time to help me mdk.

I've already tried them such as different cables (CAT-6) and a different PC.

I was hoping that someone had a similar issue in the bridge mode (was working great and stopped working) and somehow resolved issue.

For example is it possible that Shaw's blocking the internet access from my router?

Is it possible my modem got faulty somehow regarding the bridge mode?

Should I do a factory reset my modem?

I don't know if any of that makes sense but I was hoping someone with the similar experience or insight chime in.

I did all the usual trouble shooting such as using different cables.

Thank you

[rstra]

The bridge mode problem and the signal problem are two separate issues. I would login in to the XB6 and try a reset. As far as the poor signal is concerned, if it is affecting the performance of your modem, I would insist on getting a technician to the home to check outside and walk you through the connections in the inside.

[shaw-tony]

@Donghun checking your account the signal indeed is out of spec and a service visit may help improve that. A technician can indeed visit your home outside to see if improvements can be made. Otherwise, if you can locate another coax outlet it may also improve your connection. Your modem looks to not be in bridge mode, I'd recommend a factory pinhole reset, followed by bridging your modem with the steps here.

[Donghun]

@shaw-tony 

Thank you Tony.

Currently the mode is not in the bridge mode because I need the internet and the bridge mode is not working as you read.

Shaw support told me the technician visit was not possible but I may talk to them again.

Internet is crucial right now because I'm working from home and my daughter is taking her courses online and I cannot afford any interruption especially when there is a lecture or test for my daughter.

I was afraid of performing factory reset due to that but I will try that when she finishes her course on mid June.