- Joined
- Dec 18, 2019
- Messages
- 6,508
Goodness, all I wanted to do was to upgrade my router... Turned into 26 hours of loss of internet service. ISP has locked down the port to a MAC address. So you need to call them if you want to change hardware. I guess it keeps rogue elements off their infrastructure, but it kept me off for a day, due to some mistakes on their end.
First I read up on basically what needed to happen. I found out that you probably need to supply your router's MAC id, and for some reason it's name and serial number. So I wrote all that down. I tried setting up the router by itself, but it's idiotic software blocks setup from happening unless it can get a live internet connection. So stuck on the router set up.
Next I called my ISP and spoke with level 1 support at first. You know, the folks who screen out the easy ones, to lower the load on the more advanced problems. I stayed on the line an interminable amount of time, until level 1 determined they needed tools that they didn't have. They said level 2 was very busy and they would call me that day, at worst within 24 hours. I knew that meant I'd be sitting around waiting for a call that wouldn't come, and I was right.
The next day I contacted the router people, since I wasn't sure if my router was broken, or if they had silly software that prevented you from doing anything until you had live internet. Their level 1 support wasn't too with it either. They kept asking if I had wifi that I could connect to, and that was the very part I was trying to get to work. They were kind, but not helpful. They used terminology that wasn't applicable, so I knew it was a dead end there. I also attempted to change back to the original ISP supplied router, and it wouldn't connect either. However, at least I got a functioning LAN. The new router wouldn't get to the point of having a LAN at all.
So after 23 hours of no internet service, I called the ISP again, and got yet another level 1 person. I asked for a level 2, saying it had been long enough without service, and I was getting exasperated with the lack of progress. The level 1 person was all apologetic and nice and attempted to help out, but this was beyond their abilities or training. I was promised that a level 2 would call me in a while. I commented that there are other ISP's in town, so I do have some options at this point. (In fact there aren't really many options, but I could go to cable...) Fortunately, at 1PM someone really did call me. They did some magic at their end and said they could tell that my HW had connected and communicated with theirs. But I still had no joy, couldn't ping anything. This level 2 person had to leave, but said someone would call back in a short while.
Finally, I restarted the router setup and it was able to get it to connect to the internet! Well it said it was connected, but it sure fooled me. I couldn't access anything at all. However, I was finally able to access the router configuration. It was a wrong subnet. So I changed it to what my network was originally set to. Or so I thought. Apparently I hadn't saved it - so I got to do it all over again. Finally got one unit running. Only 2 more to go.
I set up the second unit and it said it was fine. It lied. It failed the mesh test. But it did seem to work. Then I added the third unit, which was far easier, since even I can get used to an arcane setup. Finally got it going and only then did it offer to upgrade the firmware on the nodes. Then and only then would it pass the mesh test. Of course, it seems they have a low bar for "passing".
Had I not ever set up half a dozen routers before (the old fashioned way through webpage configurations) I would have never been able to navigate through this mess. I can't imagine doing this without this basic background. I'd have been totally lost. The level 1 technical support I received was really poor, most of it was rote reboot sequences - which I had explained I had done 6 times previously. I noted that doing it another time and expecting a different result (with no other changes) was the very definition of insanity.
To my ISP's credit, or at least to the level 2 support folks credit, they did contact me a second time. I had just gotten things going and noted the speedtest with the new router was slower than the ISP supplied one. They said they would keep my ticket open for a few more days, if I needed to revert. They also gave me a direct number to call to the more advance level support. I have since gotten much better speedtest results, at least at the primary node. Need to do the test again at other locations.
Sure would like to get those 26 hours back, but that won't happen! For the record this was with a Google Nest Wifi Pro router (3) and Fidium Fiber.
Upstairs is not so great, about 1/2 the speed for RX and 1/4 the speed for TX. Can't see a good reason for that. So far, not too impressed. Thought the whole point of using a mesh router was improved bandwidths over a repeater. So far a simple repeater would win... A repeater would take a 50% loss in bandwidth, a mesh should be able to do better. There's no real diagnostics on this dumbed down HW, just says "Great connection" whatever that means. It means it has a very low threshold for "Great". Word inflation - double talk, whatever it is called. Alright, I'll stop ranting now, been a frustrating day and a half.
First I read up on basically what needed to happen. I found out that you probably need to supply your router's MAC id, and for some reason it's name and serial number. So I wrote all that down. I tried setting up the router by itself, but it's idiotic software blocks setup from happening unless it can get a live internet connection. So stuck on the router set up.
Next I called my ISP and spoke with level 1 support at first. You know, the folks who screen out the easy ones, to lower the load on the more advanced problems. I stayed on the line an interminable amount of time, until level 1 determined they needed tools that they didn't have. They said level 2 was very busy and they would call me that day, at worst within 24 hours. I knew that meant I'd be sitting around waiting for a call that wouldn't come, and I was right.
The next day I contacted the router people, since I wasn't sure if my router was broken, or if they had silly software that prevented you from doing anything until you had live internet. Their level 1 support wasn't too with it either. They kept asking if I had wifi that I could connect to, and that was the very part I was trying to get to work. They were kind, but not helpful. They used terminology that wasn't applicable, so I knew it was a dead end there. I also attempted to change back to the original ISP supplied router, and it wouldn't connect either. However, at least I got a functioning LAN. The new router wouldn't get to the point of having a LAN at all.
So after 23 hours of no internet service, I called the ISP again, and got yet another level 1 person. I asked for a level 2, saying it had been long enough without service, and I was getting exasperated with the lack of progress. The level 1 person was all apologetic and nice and attempted to help out, but this was beyond their abilities or training. I was promised that a level 2 would call me in a while. I commented that there are other ISP's in town, so I do have some options at this point. (In fact there aren't really many options, but I could go to cable...) Fortunately, at 1PM someone really did call me. They did some magic at their end and said they could tell that my HW had connected and communicated with theirs. But I still had no joy, couldn't ping anything. This level 2 person had to leave, but said someone would call back in a short while.
Finally, I restarted the router setup and it was able to get it to connect to the internet! Well it said it was connected, but it sure fooled me. I couldn't access anything at all. However, I was finally able to access the router configuration. It was a wrong subnet. So I changed it to what my network was originally set to. Or so I thought. Apparently I hadn't saved it - so I got to do it all over again. Finally got one unit running. Only 2 more to go.
I set up the second unit and it said it was fine. It lied. It failed the mesh test. But it did seem to work. Then I added the third unit, which was far easier, since even I can get used to an arcane setup. Finally got it going and only then did it offer to upgrade the firmware on the nodes. Then and only then would it pass the mesh test. Of course, it seems they have a low bar for "passing".
Had I not ever set up half a dozen routers before (the old fashioned way through webpage configurations) I would have never been able to navigate through this mess. I can't imagine doing this without this basic background. I'd have been totally lost. The level 1 technical support I received was really poor, most of it was rote reboot sequences - which I had explained I had done 6 times previously. I noted that doing it another time and expecting a different result (with no other changes) was the very definition of insanity.
To my ISP's credit, or at least to the level 2 support folks credit, they did contact me a second time. I had just gotten things going and noted the speedtest with the new router was slower than the ISP supplied one. They said they would keep my ticket open for a few more days, if I needed to revert. They also gave me a direct number to call to the more advance level support. I have since gotten much better speedtest results, at least at the primary node. Need to do the test again at other locations.
Sure would like to get those 26 hours back, but that won't happen! For the record this was with a Google Nest Wifi Pro router (3) and Fidium Fiber.
Upstairs is not so great, about 1/2 the speed for RX and 1/4 the speed for TX. Can't see a good reason for that. So far, not too impressed. Thought the whole point of using a mesh router was improved bandwidths over a repeater. So far a simple repeater would win... A repeater would take a 50% loss in bandwidth, a mesh should be able to do better. There's no real diagnostics on this dumbed down HW, just says "Great connection" whatever that means. It means it has a very low threshold for "Great". Word inflation - double talk, whatever it is called. Alright, I'll stop ranting now, been a frustrating day and a half.
