Help with Event log/troubleshooting - connected, no internet

anadyrgirl · August 3, 2021, 11:19am

Home user since 2018, still in the foothills of the learning curve.

I’ve been having the occasional “connected no internet” on my wireless network (on firmware 8.1.2). These increased to multiple times/day after upgrading firmware to 8.1.2s052.*

I checked the event log after one of the outages and found many instances of
“WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)” most lasting seconds to minutes. Devices reconnect automatically. Below are the disconnects/reconnects from the event log. [ISP’s IP replaced with text]

Is this likely a router setting problem, and ISP problem, a DNS provider problem, or something else?

Aug 03 14:15:57	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 03 14:15:22	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 03 14:14:42	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 03 14:12:09	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 03 11:11:24	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 03 11:10:58	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 03 10:14:23	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 03 10:14:03	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 03 09:59:24	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 03 09:58:59	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 03 09:57:59	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 03 09:56:26	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 03 09:54:21	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 03 09:54:05	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 20:31:01	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 20:30:51	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 19:08:46	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 19:06:12	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 19:04:51	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 19:02:46	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 18:56:37	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 18:56:02	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 18:36:22	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 18:36:12	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 18:29:17	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 18:29:07	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 18:28:02	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 18:27:52	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 18:26:12	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 18:23:31	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 18:21:25	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 18:21:00	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 17:54:36	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 17:54:06	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 17:51:00	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 17:50:50	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 17:39:26	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 17:39:01	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 02 08:22:47	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 02 08:22:26	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 21:19:42	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 01 21:19:17	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 21:14:42	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 01 21:14:12	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 20:19:42	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 01 20:19:32	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 19:52:37	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 01 19:52:07	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 19:06:37	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 01 19:06:11	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 19:05:46	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 01 19:05:26	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 17:11:02	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 01 17:10:47	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 17:04:07	WAN: WAN connected (ISP IP address)
Aug 01 17:03:47	WAN: WAN disconnected (WAN failed DNS test)
Aug 01 16:42:04	System: Time synchronization successful (0.pepwave.pool.ntp.org)
Dec 31 19:01:39	System: Started up (8.1.2s052 build 5022)

*8.1.2s052 fixed my connectivity problems on the camera 2.4 GHz WiFi network so don’t want to roll back.

Jonathan_Pitts · August 3, 2021, 11:24am

try changing your wan dns to google or a public dns
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4

anadyrgirl · August 3, 2021, 11:39am

Thanks! I’ll try that.

anadyrgirl · August 3, 2021, 12:08pm

That’s weird. I changed to those DNS servers on all my networks, but when I used DNS leak test www.dnsleaktest.com/ or DNS leaktest DNS Leak Test | Perfect Privacy they still show the DNS servers from gin.ntt.net being used 204.2.152.67, 204.2.151.83.
Could the ISP be dictating these despite the router settings?

Jonathan_Pitts · August 3, 2021, 12:09pm

what does the wan on the peplink show can you paste what dns it has configured?

anadyrgirl · August 3, 2021, 12:15pm

You mean this?

Jonathan_Pitts · August 3, 2021, 12:29pm

This shows the dhcp servers configured on the lan side, you want to put the servers on your wan side.

anadyrgirl · August 3, 2021, 6:07pm

Like this? I saved and applied the changes but did not restart everything.

I checked on https://www.dnsleaktest.com/ and I’m still on the gin.ntt.net DNS servers.

Jonathan_Pitts · August 3, 2021, 6:23pm

Yes like that.
It’s werid that it still shows the other two dns servers.
Can you try to upgrade to 8.1.3 fw?

anadyrgirl · August 3, 2021, 8:56pm

Great! That did the trick - now showing Google DNS servers:

BTW those 2 other DNS servers are the ISP. They are still on the WAN page, but the Google servers are being used.

I’ll watch the log to see if that solved the “connected no internet” issue.

I did read that some ISPs prevent you from picking DNS servers. Apparently this is the case with some ISPs in the UK and France Avoid ISP Routers - RouterSecurity.org

Thanks so much!

anadyrgirl · August 4, 2021, 11:37am

Uh-oh - still getting frequent disconnects.

I just changed from Google to OpenDNS servers [208.67.220.220, 208.67.222.222] on the WAN but when I checked on DNSleaktest.com, I was still on the Google servers.
Weird.

Rick-DC · August 4, 2021, 1:02pm

OK. Maybe I’m confused … Much of the preceding discussion pertains to the DNS in use. However, that’s’ not the DNS that is used to do health checks – unless you make it so. It appears that your health checks are failing – not your DNS per se. When this occurs the subject WAN will be marked as unavailable until the health checks are passed again according to the parameters you have set.

Let me ask you … What are you using for health checks. Tell me what you see in a box similar to this one …

In this case I am using DNS for health checks but there are other alternatives – including disabling this process. (And, there are times when the checks should be disabled.)

anadyrgirl · August 4, 2021, 2:47pm

I never set up the health checks.
I thought I had to have a server of my own to do so and I don’t.

I will set them up as you have shown, and go do some reading…

Thank you!

Rick-DC · August 4, 2021, 3:19pm

Hi. In a single-WAN environment health checks are not particularly valuable and can be detrimental. However, if you have => 2 WANs you’ll probably want to use them as they serve an important function. For now, disable health checks and see if your problem goes away.

anadyrgirl · August 4, 2021, 3:38pm

I only have the one WAN, one LAN and 3 VLANs.
I never enabled the health check, and I haven’t had a chance to set it up after reading your suggestion.

So…? Enable or no? Suggestions about where I should look for a problem?

Thanks, Rick

Rick-DC · August 4, 2021, 3:53pm

Hi. Disable it for now and let’s see what happens.

anadyrgirl · August 20, 2021, 6:22pm

Well, got the problem fixed. Router was fine, modem was fine, was getting garbage signal through the cable. ISP checked and found 33,000 flaps (disconnects). ISP tech came out and installed a filter that has solved the problem. Thanks all for your help. Next time I think I will start troubleshooting at the upstream end, and not immediately figure it’s on my end.