1.6Gbit connection new smart hub (white, small box) sporadic issues? DNS MITM?

[allamavortex]

Hello all,

So I recently changed my service from 900mbit to 1.6Gbit and that involved a change of router and obviously the OR ONT on the wall.

Ever since having it installed there seems to be an issue with (most likely DNS issues). Whatever is loaded/playing/game continue to work, but I have spells where NO further DNS requests seem to make it through.

I totally forgot to nslookup during one of these issues, but I will the next time it happens (it's pretty frequent and annoying). I can ping 8.8.8.8 (google) whilst being unable to load any webpages on any device/browser. Thus removing the possibility of it being localised to a single machine/device as some were using the router, some were set to DNS over HTTPS and some were using Google's 8.8.8.8 etc. 

It is very much like the router is playing the MITM and intercepting the requests and then slowly, or failing to process these requests at all for a period of time which ranges up to about 45 seconds.

As I said, cached requests, or those already in process are fine, but even something as trivial as trying to watch a YT video is met with 45 seconds of nothing, totally unable to look up ANY address, but established connections and new connections not requiring DNS all work fine.

I'm not really one for conspiracies but I really feel like this new router is intercepting (MITM), attempting to do something with, and failing the DNS requests. This behaviour is only been present since getting the new Smart Hub (the tall, thing white one).

I did a quick google and it seems I'm not alone with this - is anyone else noticing this type of behavior?

Mixture of wired and wireless devices, same behaviour.

[JimM11]

@ryajohnst You sure need to be speaking to a Manager level if you are going to insist on anything, just some advice regarding that! Also good to know your third party device is working out as you expected!

[spacedyemeerkat]

Just phoned them again, it's been super frustrating today and I'm not prepared to spend £250 of my own money to fix it, even if the router someone mentioned in the last page is as cool as it looks 😁 (Incidentally, if I did get my own router, would it have a compatibility 2.4Ghz mode? So many of my connected devices demand it...)

Spoke to a Rachel the first time, no help whatsoever, wasn't aware of the issue. Called back, spoke to Ethan in Stockport, he was aware of the issue and was clearly exasperated by his own company's lack of communication on it. He's calling me back on Monday to update me on the situation. He's also said he'll escalate a request for termination if that's what I'd prefer to do.

[JimM11]

@spacedyemeerkat Compatibility mode is a unique EE operation you will more than likely not find it in other routers as they allow you setting as you require, it's a get out off jail feature that EE have done as a work around or planned if they did it that way! 

[spacedyemeerkat]

Ah, okay, thank you. So if I were to buy a new router, how would I direct all those pesky devices to see the 2.4Ghz network? Would they do so automatically?

[JimM11]

@spacedyemeerkat When you look at the potential third party device look carefully at what you need, for instance my Asus i have 1 single 2.4 and 2 5Ghz, then allowed multiple extras for 3 guest nodes, it all boils down to what the device can do!

[ben_flugel]

I've raised this via EE customer service too.

What a bizarre call it was which has ended with me having to monitor "changes" they've made to my wifi service remotely. 

I'm not at all confident. I was asked why all my devices appear to be connected via ethernet, according to what they could see on my router. They claimed that because I was using a switch it was causing interference which they could see from "ethernet connected" devices frequently disconnecting. The devices they told me were the problem were a pixel watch and an android device....I tried to explain these were not ethernet connected devices but Wi-Fi devices! I even had to explain that a pixel watch doesn't have an ethernet port! 

She said they see problems on networks with switches and asked what I used. I said it was a 2.5gbe unmanaged switch. I was then told if I was using a 2.4ghz wifi switch that could be causing my problems and to remove it. At this point, I knew the call was going nowhere. 

It was a deeply frustrating call that resulted in her telling me to leave it for 24 hours and ring back if her "changes" didn't make a difference.

Within 5 mins of coming off the call, the same problem continues. I will ring them back tomorrow.

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel That's going to be a very interesting call for you, hopefully they do pass you on to someone with the knowledge off how a network system works, and you better get a NIC on that watch with one off those never ending long cables!

Request that they forward the Home View software PDF file to you attached on an e-mail while you are conversing with them, at least you can point out the flaws to them that way! Got one some where from one off the BT Guides at least he had some basic idea how it all worked! If you need it let me know will post it up and try to get it through the filters!

[allamavortex]

I'm so over this now. I gave up today and purchased my own third party router. Yeah it sucks to have to fork out for a decent wireless router but I work from home and spend so much time in font of my machines and to be honest 90% of things I do at home involve the internet so having it frequently fail for a couple of minutes at a time at random intervals, often multiple times per hour it becomes really frustrating.

For anyone else having these issues, PLEASE for the sake of yourself and everyone else report the issues to support. I know it's incredibly painful to go through the process of being treated like you're a fool but it's the only way that this issue is going to get fixed.

[ben_flugel]

It would be helpful if someone from EE could at least acknowledge this in this thread.

I find the customer support for a "premium" service, really poor.

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel EE CS is for all that need or require to call in chat etc, Premium service is no different from all the services that EE supply. You paid to have what you got in the tiered scale, that's it!