Verizon FIOS Router Actiontec MI424WR-GEN3I Issue - Dropped Connections - Constant Reboots

[g00py]

So, here's my tale of woe: I received a new router (a MI424WR-GEN3I) to replace my old one around August. Almost immediately after setting it up, I noticed that it randomly reboots at least once a day and has been doing so ever since. Half a dozen calls to customer support have been no help whatsoever. I've had my ONT replaced, new routers sent to me, etc. Nothing has remedied the problem.

Today, however, a tech came by and showed me an internal document dated mid-October of last year {edited for privacy} that states Verizon is aware of the problem and the only way to fix it is to disconnect the device on the network that's responsible for dropping the connection. Frankly, I find that an unacceptable solution since, it turns out, this is a known (and apparently widespread) issue with the router itself.

I was told by another tech that Verizon is working on a "patch" that could come at any point in Q1, but I have no way to verify this. Nor do I have any understanding of the release schedule beyond this vague timeframe.

So, my question to the community is this -- has anyone else experienced this problem? 

Oh, and if Verizon is listening, when can we expect a solution? It's been three months since the document referenced above was circulated internally and five months since I started noticing this problem. I think we've waited long enough since this issue essentially makes Verizon FIOS unusable to power users like myself.

[g00py]

Anyone?

[chaybee1]

ABSOLUTELY!  SAME ISSUE!   

This has been happening for 3-4 months.

Troubleshooting performed within the last 3-4 months:

3 new routers sent

Power plug plugged into dedicated outlet (not power strip)

coax cables replaced in case of kinks

main PC left off in case it was interfering somehow

Plugged one device into ethernet port to see if it was a wifi issue, same problem occurred.

Checked all connections on box outside to make sure nothing was loose.

Verizon had me install the Actiontec version of the firmware - that did not solve the issue either.

Just as of today,  had the ONT replaced and 3 set top boxes.  

I have changed small things like choosing a dedicated channel as opposed to “automatic” and turned off WMM.  Neither of these helped.  

It happens at seemingly random times.  

I have 9 wifi devices and 3 coax (three set top boxes (1 of which is a DVR)) hooked up.

Wifi devices are:

2 phones,

Chromebook,

Kindle,

Cloud Printer,

2 PC’s

Blu Ray Player

Smart TV

As you see,  I have done every bit of troubleshooting.  I feel like it is a problem much larger in scope.  I have read numerous posts around the web with the same issue.   I'm dumbfounded at the moment.  Let me know if you find anything out. 

[g00py]

I absolutely will. I'm planning regular calls to Verizon support until I get some sense when a fix will be delivered. I'm also planning to post my issue to as many other websites as possible -- DSLReports.com, for example -- in order to drum up support. I strongly encourage everyone who's experiencing this issue to do the same. We need a groundswell or Verizon will no doubt continue to drag their feet.  

[chaybee1]

Awesome.  You'll see a ton of posts already including DSLreports.  Just search "Fios Actionrec rebooting" or things like that.  As I mentioned, it's been 3 or 4 months.  Today was the last resort regarding Fios equipment as I now have all new STB's, on my 3rd router, a new ONT, new coax cables and new splitters.   I will post an update soon, good or bad.  It's amazing to me that talkting to 4 or 5 Verizon Tech's, they all say "This is new to me,  I've never heard of this."  Ugh...

[g00py]

Here's an interesting and disturbing tidbit I learned while reading the internal Verizon memo about this issue -- some users are reporting that the reboot issue occurs as often as EVERY 30 SECONDS. If that doesn't inspire Verizon to get things in gear, I don't know what would. Still doesn't explain why we've already been waiting months for a fix, however.

[g00py]

>It's amazing to me that talkting to 4 or 5 Verizon Tech's, they all say "This is new to me,  I've never heard of this."  Ugh...

I've had EXACTLY the same experience. Phone support and the techs who come to my home apparently have no idea this has been happening for months and months. Clearly, this issue hasn't filtered down from the network engineers to support.

[Josi]

Its amazing. I called and spoke to two techs and they told me oh we have never heard of this. Thats what they are trained to say. I am not buying that one bit. I even said to the guy dont you guys read the forums and he said yes they do but they havent seen or heard of that before now. I am like you right.   Verizon needs to get their act together they have a great product but they are messing it up with this stupid router.

[g00py]

Well, if your experience goes like the rest of us, they'll probably suggest replacing the router and/or the ONT and neither will actually help.

Here, by the way, is further information on the problem I found elsewhere.

A device on the lan is establishing tcp connections to upnp service port 2555 and immediately terminates connection leaving the connection half closed. Each half closed connection consumes 1 socket descriptor. There is a limit of 1024 and once this is reached the router will reboot.

This seems to be a pretty definitive explanation of what's going on since it echoes what I saw in the official Verizon doc. Anybody know what this means or whether this can help us reach a solution?

[Josi]

If it doesnt work I will give them back their router and just use the old one. it was working fine. My daughter wont be happy  because she wont be able access wifi from the gate of my house like now but thats okay.  LOL. She is even complaining about the dropped connections

[g00py]

Yeah, that's the problem -- older revs of the router seem to work fine, but they won't give you the same performance as the newer rev. Otherwise, I would have switched back five months ago. 

[g00py]

Links to similar discussions regarding the same problem. Note that some of these refer to previous revs of the Actiontec router, but who knows? Maybe they can help.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r28938056-Networking-Actiontec-MI424WR-Rev-I-rebooting

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r28548440-Actiontec-Rebooting

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-Internet/Actiontec-MI424WR-rev-e-randomly-drops-wireless-internet/...

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-Internet/My-Verizon-MI424WR-router-resets-and-drops-all-client/td-...

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-Internet/Intermittent-connection-to-FiOS-Actiontec-MI424WR-router/...

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-Internet/Actiontec-MI424WR-Rev-E-drops-connection/td-p/115807

[g00py]

Just a shot in the dark, but since the problem seems to be related to universal plug and play, you may want to try the following:

Login to the router http://192.168.1.1   from any web browser, (the user name should be admin & the password should be on a label attached to the router.) Then click this link http://192.168.1.1/index.cgi?active_page=900 and uncheck all boxes, apply - logout.

I just disabled UPnP on my Actiontec...I'll let the community know if the problem occurs again.

Seems that another option is to disable UPnP on any devices you might have. But since I had no desire to comb through the dozen or so devices on my network, I just toggled the setting on my router instead. 

[chaybee1]

I have read aboout the UPNP thing.  Please let me know if that works!  

As of this morning my router was active for 19 hours, which was the amount of time since the Verizon guy replaced my ONT and 3 STB's yesterday, so, no reboot yet, although I am not optimistic.  I will check the status when I get home.  I have never gotten more than 40 hrs without a reboot.  I will keep everyone updated.  See my earlier post for all of the troubleshooting I have done.  This last visit was a last resort in regards to any hardware issue.  

[chaybee1]

That's insane and would certainly lead me to leaving Fios internet.  Mine happens every 8-40 hours.  But I swear it consistanly happens at the most inconveinent times, like Friday evening when my family is trying to stream a movie.   I have kept a log for the last few days of updates on times it reboots and have cut and pasted the logs from the router.  The problem is,  I am no means savvy enough to understand what any of the log entries mean,  but the kicker is,  no Verizon tech I have spoken to does either.  I even asked the last tech to take a look and he had no interest.

[g00py]

I hear you. My connection drops approximately every 12-24 hours. As near as I can tell, multiple devices in my home are causing the router to choke and I'm not willing to disconnect any of them because, really, what's the point of having an internet-ready device if you can't reliably connect it to the internet?

As it is, I was only able to learn this much about this issue after a customer support person got a networking engineer on the phone and asked him directly. It's at that point I learned this is a known issue and supposedly a fix is in the works.

I saved several of my router logs too, but the network engineer didn't have much use for them. Turns out, he was able to pinpoint the time of my most recent dropped connection by checking his own logs. 

It might be worth another to call to support...but this time, I would be sure that CS gets a networking engineer on the phone. It couldn't hurt to reference the internal document that's been floating around since October and ask them directly when the patch is expected to arrive. I'll do the same. Solidarity!

P.S. I have a document number for the memo if you're interested.

[chaybee1]

Will do!  I will mention this memo and see if get anywhere.  

As for the "multiple devices in my home are causing the router to choke"  I was told the same but frankly, I'm not buying it.  I have the same exact devices when I had the Rev G.  Once I upgraded to Quantuum and had to get the "I",   boom,  reboots started happening.  So even if our devices are causing something,  it's the Router or Network fault, not my devices.  

 Sure,  please provide the doc #.  Anyway to get the word out would be great!  

[g00py]

I just sent you a PM. Fight the power!

[chaybee1]

Thanks!!   Will definitely post here with any updates.  Please do likewise.  I have also read about bypassing this router via the same set-up you described,  but at this point, after months of troubleshooting,  I am stubbornly active in getting to the bottom of this.  

[g00py]

Oh, don't worry. I have no intention of letting this go either. Will make a call to CS tomorrow and post the results.

[g00py]

Anybody else out there having this issue? Let's hear about it.