@Solla-topee The links for Instructions 1 and 2 both take me to the same page: how to update the firmware. Was that intentional?

UPDATE: I've worked it out. By copy/paste of the text I go to the correct places, it was just the underlying hyperlinks that were set incorrectly (they didn't match the URL text).

@Solla-topee I have done the IP bit:

Not sure what that tells you. I did all of this while connected to the rogue extender with an Ethernet cable, even though it still shows as dead on the tpPLC utility. I even set my laptop to be on airplane mode so that wireless was turned off and I was therefore not actually connected via wifi. I do not understand why I cannect via Ethernet (thus explaining why all the LEDs are on) but tpPLC can't see it, and neither can my router

I've opened up the router admin, and looked at connected devices, which shows the following:

The tpPLC page shows this:

From the mac addresses on the router admin page you can see that it matches what the tpPLC app is showing. But the failed extender, where the mac address on the tpPLC app ends in 9F0B (which actually reads 9F0A when it is live), has all the correct LEDs showing.

I then tried a different test. I turned off the other two extenders, turned wireless back on on my laptop, and pulled out the Ethernet cable. Even though the LEDs are all on, and I'm sitting right next to the extender, I cannot connect.

So what can I deduce:

1. The problem is not the power circuit of my house (because I can access with an ethernet cable via the 'dead' extender;
2. The LEDs are showing Power (correct), Powerline (correct, verified by the fact I can use an ethernet cable), and wireless (incorrect, as I can't connect to it wirelessly);
3. The tpPLC utility (on my laptop) and the tpPLC app (on my phone) are telling the true status of the extenders;
4. The issue is therefore in the extenders where the extender's published mac address is being changed somehow, the wireless capability is randomly going down, but the wireless indicator (LED) is still showing as available.

What do I do next please?

Jonathan

@Solla-topee I checked the firmware version using the web interface and I'm already on the version you pointed me at:

Although on the tpPLC utility it tells me a different version:

So actually I have no idea which version I'm actually on.

I therefore tried to apply the firmware update you linked me to, but the update failed.

Where do I go now? This random dropping of the wireless is incredibly annoying - the internet is there (I can ethernet), but the wireless drops randomly.

Please can someone fix this.

@Solla-topee 

Firstly, apologies for the delay in replying - things have been a bit crazy.

So, in response:

Solla-topee wrote

@JabeSmith 

Hello，

 

1. We have checked your issue, from the picture you have sent to us, we noticed that the DNS of your computer is 192.168.4.x and 192.168.8.x.

 

They are not in the same network segment with the extenders, so the extender will lose the connection with the router.

 

Are the DNS servers your local server? Or it just the DNS for your computer? I assume computer as I have no server at home.

 

So for the DNS issue, you can go to your router's settings, then try to change the primary DNS to 8.8.8.8, secondary DNS to 8.8.4.4. Then check if it can work well. I can't do this - apparently it's not possible with the VirginMedia Hub 3.0 (and I can't find any DNS settings when logged on as Admin).

 

2. Please also try to set Address Reservation for 3 extenders on the router. The IP addresses of the 3 extenders are already reserved and never change (according to the Admin screen). But the MAC addresses do change when they go offline: the last letter in the MAC addresses increases by one character i.e. A becomes B, B becomes C, etc..

 

3. For different firmware: Normally, the firmware on the Utility is the Adapter's firmware version. And the firmware on the web interface is the extender's firmware version. So they are different. So from the screenshots of the Web interface and the Utility that I provided, it would seem that my Extender firmware is on a higher version than the adapter firmware? Is that an issue?

 

If the problem persists, please help me confirm the following information:

 

1. All the range extender will lose the Internet connection, right?  No - it's random. More often only the one, sometimes two, very occasionally all three.

 

2. If you put all the extenders and your router in the same room, did they have a stable connection?  I'll see if I can test this, but that then means no internet access at the opposite end of the house for however long it takes to test.

 

3. Did all your devices have this issue or only this computer? Once an Extender goes 'offline' (wirelessly offline even though I can still access internet with Ethernet cable, per my last post) no device can access it.

 

4. What is your network topology? I have a VirginMedia router in the living room at the front of the house. This is Ethernet connected to the Adapter which is plugged directly into a wall socket next to the router (i.e. not an extension lead). All the Extenders are also plugged directly into wall sockets (i.e. not extension leads) in 3 different rooms: one on the same floor as the adpator but at the opposite end of the house; one in a room on the first floor; and one in my office on the second floor. At first I thought it was because the 1st floor and 2nd floor are on different mains circuits (connected together at the brand-new consumer unit), but then the ground floor Extender dropped wireless signal and that's on the same ring as the Adaptor.

 

May it help and have a nice day!

 

 

@Solla-topee 

I've received the email - will respond via that rather than the forum.

Jonathan