Urgent: EE Router and Desktop Crashing at 11:02 PM Daily - Seeking In-depth Trou

[Haydenmartin]

Hello EE Community and Experts,

I'm facing a perplexing issue that's stumping even seasoned IT professionals, and I'm hoping your collective wisdom can offer some direction. Here's the rundown:

The Symptoms:

1. Network Crash Timing: My network experiences an abrupt crash daily, like clockwork, at 11:02 PM.
2. Affected Devices: During these crashes, both my EE router and my desktop PC go offline simultaneously.

Detailed Background:

1. Network Configuration: I have a multi-device home network centered around an EE router that's been operational for over three years. Both my desktop PC and laptop are connected to it via Ethernet.
2. Prior Issues: Previously, I faced Nvidia-related Blue Screens of Death (BSODs) and power errors. These were resolved by upgrading the electrical circuit to 32A.
3. NAS Integration: The onset of these new issues coincided with the introduction of a NAS setup for basic file sharing and Remote Desktop functionality.
4. Router History: The router has had a history of instability, including frequent PPP and DHCP events. A complete factory reset did not resolve the issue.
5. Software Variables: I'm running NordVPN and have disabled Windows updates for work-related reasons.
6. Network Monitoring: Wireshark logs have shown malformed packets right before each crash.

Probable Contributing Factors:

1. Scheduled NAS Task: Is a task from the NAS triggering at 11:02 PM, overwhelming the router?
2. Router Flaws: Given its history, is the EE router unable to cope with certain types of network traffic or loads, thus causing it to crash?
3. Software Conflicts: Could NordVPN or the disabled Windows updates be indirectly contributing to this instability?
4. Potential Hardware Malfunction: Could the router or the PC's LAN ports be initiating a network storm or power surge?

Immediate Questions:

1. Is the NAS running any automated tasks around 11:02 PM that might explain this behavior?
2. Could the router's long-standing instability be the root cause of these issues?
3. Does disabling NordVPN or re-enabling Windows updates have any impact?
4. Could the router be sending malformed packets or initiating a network storm?

I would be profoundly grateful for any insights, shared experiences, or advanced troubleshooting steps you can offer. My work is being seriously impacted by this issue, and I'm keen to resolve it as soon as possible.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this detailed post. Your expertise and advice are much appreciated.

Best regards,
Hayden

[XRaySpeX]

Welcome to EE's Home Broadband Forum.

Before speculating on possible other causes let's just check that the BB is running as would be expected.

If you would like help with your BB speed or connection issues, please would you carry out the following steps for starters, which will enable us to diagnose the problem and advise you further. Do not restart your router to do these tests:

1. Post your full router stats:

• For a BrightBox: login and go to Advanced Settings > System > DSL Status. Also post 'System Uptime' from top of System Log page.
• For a SmartHub: login and go to Advanced Settings > Technical Log > Information. Obscure your names & any numbers in the BB Username & also the SSIDs.
• For other routers: login to it according to the label on it as the admin user & navigate looking for its router/connection statistics.

Full router stats are key to any speed & connection issues.

2. Try a wired speedtest, using an Ethernet cable supplied with the router, here http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html . Click on the "Results Page" button at the bottom of the graph you first see and then copy to here just the "Link to this result:" link that you see below the next main graph.

3. What does BT Wholesale Broadband Availability Checker estimate for your phone number? Post just the whole table and the line above it, blanking out your phone number. If it doesn't recognise your phone number or you don't have one, use the Address Checker, not the Postcode Checker.

[Haydenmartin]

Crashed again today at 2:30pm, and last night at 11:02

Product name:Smart Hub

Serial number:+EEH001+2041003705
Firmware version:v0.08.03.07252-EE
Firmware updated:Tue Aug 22 02:43:28 2023
Board version:01
DSL uptime:0 Days, 0 Hours, 11 Mins, 8 Secs
Data rate:20.00 Mbps / 59.99 Mbps
Maximum data rate:20.70 Mbps / 66.01 Mbps
Noise margin (up/down):6.2 / 7.7
Line attenuation (up/down):13.2 / 11.1
Signal attenuation (up/down):13.0 / 11.1
Data sent / received:6.2 MB / 39.6 MB
Broadband username:PRODUCTIONHQNUN556687179@fs
2.4 GHz wireless network name:EE-Hub-Jk8f
2.4 GHz wireless channel:Smart (Channel 6)
5 GHz wireless network name:EE-Hub-Jk8f
5 GHz wireless channel:Smart (Channel 48)
Wireless security:WPA2
 
LOG at 2:30PM 30/08/23:
14:31:01, 30 Aug.System up
14:31:01, 30 Aug.Detect and configure Ethernet port1 as LAN
14:31:01, 30 Aug.DHCP lease issued 192.168.1.123 to 80:fa:5b:68:9c:66 DESKTOP-36DNPK1, lease duration is86400 seconds
14:31:01, 30 Aug.Receive a DHCP request
14:31:01, 30 Aug.Hub has activated against the device management system
14:31:01, 30 Aug.WAN Auto-sensing last connection port: DSL WAN

LOG at 11:02PM 29/08/23:
23:02:05, 28 Aug. DHCP device Connected: 192.168.1.83, 7c:10:c9:45:de:19, unknown
23:02:05, 28 Aug. DHCP lease issued 192.168.1.83 to 7c:10:c9:45:de:19 , lease duration is 86400 seconds
23:02:04, 28 Aug. WAN Auto-sensing detected port DSL WAN
23:02:04, 28 Aug. 2.4G WiFi auto selected channel 6 Bandwidth:20M(Reason:boot)
23:02:04, 28 Aug. DSL Link Up: Down Rate=59995kbps, Up Rate=20000kbps; SNR Margin Down=7.4dB, Up=6.2dB
23:01:52, 28 Aug. Receive a DHCP request
23:01:41, 28 Aug. A device connected to Ethernet port 2
23:01:41, 28 Aug. Wire Lan Port 2 up, Speed 1000 Mbps
23:01:37, 28 Aug. A device disconnected from Ethernet port 2
23:01:37, 28 Aug. Wire Lan Port 2 down, Speed 10 Mbps
23:01:30, 28 Aug. A device connected to Ethernet port 2
23:01:30, 28 Aug. Wire Lan Port 2 up, Speed 1000 Mbps
23:01:27, 28 Aug. A device disconnected from Ethernet port 2
23:01:27, 28 Aug. Wire Lan Port 2 down, Speed 10 Mbps
23:01:17, 28 Aug. Receive a DHCP request
23:01:16, 28 Aug. A device connected to Ethernet port 2
23:01:16, 28 Aug. Wire Lan Port 2 up, Speed 1000 Mbps
23:01:15, 28 Aug. A device connected to Ethernet port 1
23:01:15, 28 Aug. Wire Lan Port 1 up, Speed 1000 Mbps
23:01:01, 28 Aug. Booting firmware v0.08.03.07252-EE (Tue Jul 25 18:39:30 2023)
23:01:01, 28 Aug. System start Button press (PowerButton)
23:01:00, 28 Aug. System up
23:01:00, 28 Aug. DHCP device Connected: 192.168.1.123, 80:fa:5b:68:9c:66, DESKTOP-36DNPK1
23:01:00, 28 Aug. DHCP lease issued 192.168.1.123 to 80:fa:5b:68:9c:66 DESKTOP-36DNPK1, lease duration is 86400 seconds
23:01:00, 28 Aug. Receive a DHCP request
23:01:00, 28 Aug. Detect and configure Ethernet port1 as LAN
23:01:00, 28 Aug. Hub has activated against the device management system
23:01:00, 28 Aug. Hub has activated against the device management system
23:01:00, 28 Aug. WAN Auto-sensing last connection port: DSL WAN

[Haydenmartin]

An EE Cube Engineer has just visited and changed the socket for the internet. This hasnt helped.

[XRaySpeX]

Parts 2 & 3 of my request please? 

[Haydenmartin]

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/_assets/speedtest/button/1693433667871529555.png

Address served by Cabinet 3

Featured Products Downstream Line Rate(Mbps) Upstream Line Rate (Mbps) Downstream HandbackThreshold(Mbps) WBC FTTC Availability Date WBC SOGEA Availability DateHigh Low High Low      VDSL Range A (Clean) 
VDSL Range B (Impacted) 

80	77.2	20	19	71.6	Available	Available
80	75.3	20	19	67.7	Available	Available

Featured Products Downstream Line Rate(Mbps) Upstream Line Rate (Mbps) Downstream Range (Mbps) Availability Date FTTP Install ProcessFTTP on Demand

330

50

--

Available

--

ADSL Products Downstream Line Rate (Mbps) Upstream Line Rate (Mbps) Downstream Range(Mbps) Availability DateWBC ADSL 2+WBC ADSL2+ Annex MADSL MaxWBC Fixed RateFixed Rate

Up to 13	--	7.5 to 17.5	Available
Up to 13	Up to 1	7.5 to 17.5	Available
Up to 6.5	--	5.5 to 8	Available
2	--	--	Available
2	--	--	Available

SOADSL Products Downstream Line Rate (Mbps) Upstream Line Rate (Mbps) Downstream Range(Mbps) WBC SOADSL Availability DateWBC SOADSL 2+SOADSL MaxSOADSL Fixed Rate

Up to 13.0	--	7.5 to 17.5	Available
Up to 6.5	--	5.5 to 8.0	Available
Up to 2	--	--	Available

Other Offerings Availability DateVDSL MulticastADSL Multicast

Available

Available

Exchange Product Restrictions StatusFTTP Priority ExchangeWLR WithdrawalSOADSL Restriction

N

N

N

[Mustrum]

@Haydenmartin   your log did not run long enough to say what may have lead up to the reset.

You mention many possibilities, but have you done anything to try and eliminate them?

For example, does the router do the same with nothing connected?

Do you have anything on your network backing up to the cloud or your NAS around that time?

To me, it is either a faulty router or something on you network/WAN, so some simple elimination needs to be done to help the diagnosis.

[Haydenmartin]

Hello

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and for your valuable insights. You're right, the log wasn't exhaustive, but I'm working on gathering more comprehensive data.

Steps Taken to Eliminate Possibilities:

1. Router Isolation: I've tried disconnecting all devices from the router, and the issue still persists. This has led me to suspect that the router might be the primary culprit.

2. NAS Involvement: As for the NAS, it's only used for basic file sharing and Remote Desktop functionalities between my desktop and laptop. I've scrutinized its scheduled tasks and haven't found anything set to run around the crash times (11:02 PM and recently 2:30 PM).

3. Software Variables: I'm also running NordVPN and have disabled Windows updates for work-related reasons. Although these could potentially interfere with network stability, the specific timing of the crashes makes them less likely to be the root cause.

4. Network Monitoring: I've used Wireshark to monitor the network and found malformed packets right before the crash. However, it's unclear if these are a cause or a symptom of the crash.

5. Hardware Checks: The desktop PC's drivers are all updated, and both the electrical circuit and the wall socket for the internet line have been upgraded recently. An EE engineer visited but was unable to identify a clear issue.

6. New Router: A new EE router is on its way, expected to arrive in the next four days. This should help isolate the problem further.

Current Focus Areas:

-Malformed Data Packets: These were observed in a Wireshark log right before the crashes. I'm currently investigating if these packets are the cause or result of the crashes.

- Router Instability: Given its history of instability, I'm leaning towards the router being the weak link. Once the new router arrives, I'll be able to confirm this.

- Power Supply: I'm also considering using a UPS to provide stable electricity to the router and desktop, as both devices crash simultaneously.

I'm keen to get to the bottom of this as it's affecting my work significantly. I ran more comprehensive logs tonight using Performance Monitor, CPUZ, and GPUZ to capture system activities and any anomalies leading up to the crash. Nothing really stood out. No spikes

[XRaySpeX]

Just before the time mentioned: 

23:01:01, 28 Aug. System start Button press (PowerButton)

---

[XRaySpeX]

Your BB should be much faster than it is.

Locate the hidden test socket that is revealed when you remove the bottom half of the split faceplate (2 screws or press tabs) of your master socket. Only do this if you have a split faceplate. Do you have any extension sockets in the home even if unused? Are there any wires connected to back of faceplate of master socket?

Try the BT Quiet Line Test (QLT), dial 17070 Opt 2, preferably with a corded phone, in the test socket with the router disconnected. If there is any noise, report it to your landline provider as a voice fault (don't mention Broadband). Often sorting out voice faults will fix the Broadband as well.

Reboot the router & plug it into the test socket. Post the full router stats & System Uptime when plugged into test socket.

Is the issue any better?