E3200 Firmware Update Nightmare.

[dexman]

Verizon pushed a firmware update overnight to both of my E3200s and it has been a disaster. Both units were down this morning. 5G networks were completely missing. Spent hours with support after performing the same checks on my own before calling. Now the units are unstable. Will have to explore the possibility of replacing both of them if Verizon can't roll the firmware back to the prior version.  😡

[jonjones1]

It may not have been the firmware update.

as a story here states Verizon Fios and wireless have both been down for a period of time.

a simple turning the units off and then on again may fix the issue.

[dexman]

Hi Jon,

It's the firmware update. My router is fine. The extenders are messed up. Been working with Verizon support all day. Next step is replacements.

[KDnVB]

Have to ask but have you tried resetting them back to factory default?

[dexman]

Yup. Tried that even before calling support. I've tried switching back & forth between coax & ethernet runs from the router to the extenders.

No difference. Still dropping, so, internal cabling isn't the culprit.

Because this affects two extenders (one of which is brand new), my next suspect would be the router. That is a rented device, so, Verizon could whip up an order and I could head back to the store to fetch a replacement.

If that doesn't help, then the last object would be the Alcatel-Lucent ONT. 🤔

[dexman]

I checked Down Detector and don't see anything for Verizon as of this entry. 🤔

[KDnVB]

Support had me backup and reset my G3100 numerous times back when I had issues getting my E3200 added to it over a year ago.  Both my G3100 and E3200 were updated with no issues but would not rule out that being your issue.

[dexman · Accepted solution]

I think I may have stumbled upon something.

For quite a while now, I have had our two extenders dually-cabled...meaning I had both ethernet and coaxial cables connected to the extenders. Everything ran flawlessly.

The router, when queried, would report that it was connected to the extenders via the ethernet cables by default. If an ethernet cable became disconnected, or, I needed to work on those cables, I could simply unplug the ethernet and the associated router/extender would automatically switch over to the coaxial cable without so much as a hiccup. Once the ethernet cable was reconnected, the devices would switch back over.

Now, with the new firmware, it seems as though that option is no longer doable. 😠

As a test, I disconnected the coaxial cable from behind the extender and after a short while, it stabilized. Likewise, if I disconnect the ethernet cable, things eventually run smoothly over coax.

So, I'm going to run using coax to feed the extenders (otherwise I'd have to either purchase terminators, or new splitters to accommodate the loss of a pair of cable runs) and leave the ethernet cables free behind the extenders.

If I need to work on the coax cabling, I can switch over to ethernet, do the work, and migrate back. 

[Cang_Household]

Interesting. Does disconnect one of the links fix your issue?

I faintly remember many months ago you mentioned that you have both Ethernet and coax uplinks on the E3200s.

I was dormant on the Forums today due to busy over work. When I saw your post in the morning, I first think of L2 Looping induced Broadcast/Unicast storms. I was hesitant to point out that because I did not have enough clues.

Using coax would add 3ms ping, which may be sensitive to gaming. Ethernet is always preferred.

[dexman]

Hi Cang!

I don't think that gaming is going to be a problem in our house. I may visit pogo.com on an occasion, but that's about the extent of it. 

The primary reason for the dual cable is because my brother works from home. If I try to take down the Internet during the day, well, I'd catch and earful and then some. The redundancy is an advantage.

He went to his office this morning because of the impairment.

I liked being able to work without restrictions. The only thing I kept in the back of my mind was that I'd need to have either a resolution of work-around in place by the time he came home.

Since going with only one connection to the extenders, I've been up & running without issues.

Side note, Verizon's troubleshooting, along with my observations, led them to believe that one of my extenders was bad. I purchased my extenders outright from Verizon. The one in question was 16 months ago, so, it is out of warranty. I opted to rent a new one.

Now that I believe I've figured out why the firmware upgrade "went south", I'm tempted to hold onto the rental and place the old extender elsewhere in the house.