Upgraded to 300/300, extender crashing large file transfers

[mephisto1]

FiOS-G1100 QGR Gateway; Actionec WCB6200Q extender

In early June 2021 I changed my FiOS to 1 (instead of 2) land lines and boosted internet to 300/300. No other services. Almost immediately I started losing connectivity during large file transfers or backups, say anything 1gb or more.  “Reset adapter” because “The default gateway is not available,” regardless of whether I was on WiFi or ethernet. With some experimentation, I realized that it happened only when I was logged into the SSID broadcast by the extender--the (different) SSID broadcast by the gateway worked fine (if rather weak). Thoughts?

Should I just bag the whole setup and go with mesh? The new Verizon gateway and extender are PRICEY compared to some of the mid-range mesh units.

Thanks.  

[gs0b]

I run my own TP-Link Deco M9+ mesh behind my Verizon G1100.  Works great, and cost a fraction of the Verizon equipment.  I highly recommend using your own mesh network. That way you can decide if you need blazing fast WiFi 6 or are happy with slower, lower cost 802.11ac.  As you note, there are lots of options out there

If you don't have TV service, you don't even need their router.  All it gets you is support.  But fios is so reliable you're unlikely to ever need their help.

If you want to fix the problem, my first suggestion is to check the coax connection between the G1100 and the extender.  The status lights on the extender may offer a clue or two as well.  I'm assuming the problems occur only when on the extender's Ethernet or WiFi, not when using the router's Ethernet or WiFi.  Thus, my suggestion to check the coax.

[mephisto1]

Hmmm, wrote a reply yesterday but it disappeared. Guess I checked out too soon.

So yeah, I'll check the coax. It's just odd that it started acting out, after years of reliability, right when the service changed.

"...problems occur only when on the extender's Ethernet or WiFi, not when using the router's Ethernet or WiFi." Pretty much. When I connect to the router's SSID, I'm good, if slow (distance and walls).

If I use ethernet, it's through a HomePlug that's plugged into the router. But when I connect my PC, the ethernet connection lists the "network" with the same name as the extender's SSID. Huh? The ethernet connection lasts longer than the extender's WiFi, but will eventually crash. 

[gs0b · Accepted solution]

Ah, you keep adding useful information about your network.  Home Plug complicates things.  Do you have any other networking do-dads in your home?

As for Home Plug,  try testing without it.  If you get a solid Ethernet connection from the router, but not from a Home Plug extended router connection, then you know it has a problem.  If possible, I suggest you remove Home Plug completely and see what happens.

As for Windows 10 network names, ignore them.  For reasons unknown to me, Windows 10 applies WiFI SSID names to Ethernet connections.  You can also edit the Windows 10 Network name if it bugs you.  If you can't figure out how to change the name, google is your friend.

As to potential coax problems, you haven't described what was changed when you adjusted services.  For example, if you removed TV service and got rid of set-top-boxes, your coax network has changed.  A bit more detail about what you had, what you have now and any changes might shed light on the problem.