Ok...as promised…I arrived home and started the process of elimination.
One thing I noticed is that the Ethernet lag issue would also surface on a simple Windows 10 reboot. Another words I did not have to wait for the PC to hibernate or go to sleep for the issue to occur. A reboot would cause the same lag (wait) issue. With that said…here’s what I tried:
Upon first arrival, my Windows 10 desktop was sound asleep. I woke it up and when the desktop appeared I had to wait 17-20 seconds while the Globe on the taskbar displayed “Identifying – No Internet Access”. After 20 seconds I was good to go and was able to access the internet. At this point my desktop Ethernet cable was plugged into port four on the gateway (the one with the orange stripe…aka 2.5 Gigabit port).
I shut down (powered off) the computer, moved the Ethernet patch cable to port three on the gateway. Powered on the desktop and experienced the same issue…waiting 17-20 seconds for internet access upon powering up.
Then tried port two on the gateway…same issue as above.
Port one? I was unable to test as my kids would have killed me for taking them offline haha. I’m utilizing port one to connect a Netgear Prosafe 8-Port Gigabit Switch that connects my son’s PS5.
At this point I again shut down (powered off ) my desktop, removed the patch cable from the gateway and connected it to an available port on the Netgear switch, powered up the desktop and presto...when the desktop appeared I didn’t even see the globe on the taskbar. I instantly had access to the internet. Talk about a head scratcher??
At this point I removed all Ethernet cables from the gateway and connected them to the Netgear switch; with the exception of port one which is supplying the switch.
I have performed multiple reboots, went and had dinner with the family, sipped on a couple beverages of choice to let the computer fall asleep, and upon my return I woke the computer and had instant access to the internet. Zero wait!
Sorry for being so long winded…I wanted to be as descriptive as possible with the hopes this helps someone else out experiencing the same issue. And I’d bet the farm there’s plenty out there that don’t even know this issue exist.
A shout out to Steve and Greg for passing on such detailed information! It helped me tremendously! Hopefully Comcast can address this issue with the vendor to find out what the issue is with this firmware. It makes no sense why an external unmanaged switch corrects the situation at hand. I will double check in the morning…but for now I believe I’m good. Have a good night!
Thanks for the detailed testing and reporting. It does indeed appear that using a switch is a work-around for this problem. I don't otherwise need a switch but I just might get one soon so I can be rid of this problem. I go back and forth each day wondering whether Comcast really has interest in trying to fix this or--perish the thought--if they even have the ability to fix it.
I think I know what is happening but I don't know why. The "why" is what's needed to fix this.
Here is the what:
Every time we connect to the internet, the internet provider provides an IP address to our computer--this is done by the gateway via its connection to the mother ship (i.e., some server at Comcast). There is an "IP lease" which means your computer owns that IP address for some period of time, as defined by the internet provider. The lease might be for 3 days, 7 days, or some other interval but it doesn't really matter because the lease automatically renews as time passes as you are using the computer (the several day lease interval even allows for some days of complete downtime without losing the IP address).
When your computer sleeps or hibernates, this lease is supposed to remain intact (i.e., you retain your IP address) so when the computer wakes up you still are connected--no waiting. That is what used to happen.
But sometime around mid-December Comcast changed something: Now when your computer sleeps or hibernates the lease is broken and the IP address is released; when the computer wakes up it has to go through the process of re-connecting and getting a new IP address--that is the 20 to 30 seconds (sometimes more) that we are now seeing before we actually are online.
It appears that if a switch is connected to the gateway, that causes the gateway to not see the sleep/hibernation of the computer. The gateway thinks the computer is still awake so the IP lease is retained even though the computer is in fact sleeping. Because the IP address is retained--bingo-- you are instantly online, just as you should be, when the computer wakes up.
I do not know why the switch hides the sleep mode from the gateway but that appears to be what is happening. More important, I don't know why the gateway is releasing the IP address when the gateway sees the computer go into sleep or hibernation. It never used to release the IP address and it shouldn't be doing that now.
From all the evidence that's been collected, this behavior seems to be tied to what version of firmware is running on the gateway. I suppose it is possible that Comcast purposely altered the firmware to behave this way. I don't know why they would do that and if they did do this on purpose I think that would be horrible and very customer-unfriendly.
But my guess is that this was done inadvertently. It's possible that an otherwise benign change to the firmware is having an unexpected adverse interaction with some other change that was made, perhaps in the server that dispenses IP addresses. It's also possible that this was just a flat-out bug--a coding error made in a firmware update.
During my online interactions with the support people I have been encouraging them to look at this precise area but I don't think I've been making much headway. Instead they seem to be preoccupied with wanting to test the signal strength to my house and/or send a tech to my home to look at the wiring (which has not changed in the slightest from when they installed it, which was only 18 months ago). Presumably they would want to do the same with everyone else who has this problem. Even if they were to find an occasional gateway that isn't fully up to snuff or one house with signal strength that has deterioriated, although those specific problems would be worth addressing they cannot possibly be the source of the problem that all of us are experiencing.
It has occurred to me that perhaps that is all they are trained to do and they may not be equipped to pursue a problem of this sort. I hope that's not the case but the longer this goes on, the greater my concern. I cannot even get confirmation that they have been able to replicate this problem in their lab, even though we have new people joining this thread periodically--two more today, for instance--describing exactly the same problem. And I strongly suspect that many, many more customers have this problem-- for some it may not matter because they only use wireless so they don't even know the problem is there; for others the problem may be hidden behind a switch; and others may not even know to look within these forums so neither we nor Comcast hear from them. But my guess is that this problem is affecting more than just those of us here.
I encountered the 30 second delay delay after Comcast recently changed my Arris modem to a Technicolor CGM4331. After reviewing this string I called the Comcast service department. They initially tried the standard replies (reset the modem, send out a service rep, etc.) but I told them I was aware that it was a software problem - they said they would check into it and get back to me. This morning a software change has been made and the problem has disappeared.
I have not noticed any problems with the changed software but will post if any are encountered. Thanks to everyone who has posted regarding this problem - saved me a ton of time and effort that would have been required to track it down on my own.
There were two other early posters in the first thread, AlphaXray and Raipher, who upgraded their XB6s (with the delay issue) to XB7s. Both reported that it fixed the issue. I believe it was just before you came onboard, so we never did find out out whether they got the Arris or Technicolor, nor did we get their previous XB6 f/w versions or new XB7 f/w versions. Since both had the problem resolved, and the orginal thread was locked, I'm sure they don't even know about this new thread.
There was also poster dcfox in this thread who reported having the Technicolor XB7 and didn't have the delay issue. No f/w version was given. Also don't know if they upgraded from a problematic XB6 to the XB7 to specifically resolve the delay issue.
Anyway, wasn't sure if you captured them in your spreadsheet.
Since I'm one of the Technicolor XB7 users who does NOT have the Ethernet connection problem -- firmware 4.4p12s1_PROD_sey -- I'll have to assume the problem may return if and when Comcast updates the firmware. I also assume this is done on a regional basis and don't mind telling folks I'm in the Pacific Northwest.
Just an FYI from my post last evening...my desktop was left plugged into my Netgear switch overnight, and after waking up the PC this morning there was no globe in the taskbar...zero lag and an instant connection.
If I get the chance this eveing I'm going to experiment with a few scenarios to see if it'll help with the issue of directly connecting to a port on the gateway.
PS - Steve thank you for all that information!! It appears you have a ton of time invested in this. Thanks again!
Thanks, Greg. I did not have that information but I've now added it to the spreadsheet. Thanks for reviewing the original thread on this topic.
@TomasNieve -- thanks for letting us know. I've added your information to the spreadsheet. The firmware you have is the same version that four other XB7 people have and all of them have reported this slow connection problem. Now there are five people in this group.
We know of five other XB7 users who do NOT have this problem. We don't know the firmware versions for three of those people (they have lost touch with us). Of the two remaining XB7 people who do not have this problem, one has a firmware revision that differs from the group that Tomas is part of and the other person has the unit made by Arris (everyone else has the Technicolor unit).
I hear you, hjens. I've been thinkin the same about my Arris XB7. Working now, but....
However, my hope lies in the fact that my XB7 has had a f/w change since I first got it a few weeks ago, and everything is still okay. I've checked the version periodically ever since I got the XB7, just to monitor any changes. Yeesh, like anyone should have to do this...
I am also having the delayed ethernet connection problem exactly as described within. Perhaps a comcast rep could tell us why the thread was locked.
My local tech's supervisor is stumped on the issue and says he hasn't heard of this issue before. Perhaps he should read these forums. He will be sending a tech with a laptop to connect ot my ethernet to see if it has the same issue. The tech today changed all my wires and switched out my modem for the same exact model which did not fix the issue.
It appears the modems are faulty or an update broke something. The supervisor is sure the delay is caused my my eqipment and he is soooo wrong. Should I get the XB7 Modem/Router or go and buy my own?
My local tech's supervisor is stumped on the issue and says he hasn't heard of this issue before. Perhaps he should read these forums. He will be sending a tech with a laptop to connect ot my ethernet to see if it has the same issue. The tech today changed all my wires and switched out my modem for the same exact model which did not fix the issue.
It appears the modems are faulty or an update broke something. The supervisor is sure the delay is caused my my eqipment and he is soooo wrong. Should I get the XB7 Modem/Router or go and buy my own?
Thanks, BlackTriad. I'm sure our resident data miner, Steve, will add your info into his spreadsheet.
The problem is almost assuredly in the f/w, as we all started seeing this problem around mid December.
You could try getting an XB7 and it might resolve the issue for you. Then again, it might not. It depends on the f/w version in the XB7 that you receive. And you won't know that until you hook it up and fire it up!
jmah20
Frequent Visitor
•
13 Messages
4 years ago
Hello again-
Ok...as promised…I arrived home and started the process of elimination.
One thing I noticed is that the Ethernet lag issue would also surface on a simple Windows 10 reboot. Another words I did not have to wait for the PC to hibernate or go to sleep for the issue to occur. A reboot would cause the same lag (wait) issue. With that said…here’s what I tried:
At this point I removed all Ethernet cables from the gateway and connected them to the Netgear switch; with the exception of port one which is supplying the switch.
I have performed multiple reboots, went and had dinner with the family, sipped on a couple beverages of choice to let the computer fall asleep, and upon my return I woke the computer and had instant access to the internet. Zero wait!
Sorry for being so long winded…I wanted to be as descriptive as possible with the hopes this helps someone else out experiencing the same issue. And I’d bet the farm there’s plenty out there that don’t even know this issue exist.
A shout out to Steve and Greg for passing on such detailed information! It helped me tremendously! Hopefully Comcast can address this issue with the vendor to find out what the issue is with this firmware. It makes no sense why an external unmanaged switch corrects the situation at hand. I will double check in the morning…but for now I believe I’m good. Have a good night!
Cheers!
~Joe
0
SteveWW
Contributor
•
83 Messages
4 years ago
Joe,
Thanks for the detailed testing and reporting. It does indeed appear that using a switch is a work-around for this problem. I don't otherwise need a switch but I just might get one soon so I can be rid of this problem. I go back and forth each day wondering whether Comcast really has interest in trying to fix this or--perish the thought--if they even have the ability to fix it.
I think I know what is happening but I don't know why. The "why" is what's needed to fix this.
Here is the what:
Every time we connect to the internet, the internet provider provides an IP address to our computer--this is done by the gateway via its connection to the mother ship (i.e., some server at Comcast). There is an "IP lease" which means your computer owns that IP address for some period of time, as defined by the internet provider. The lease might be for 3 days, 7 days, or some other interval but it doesn't really matter because the lease automatically renews as time passes as you are using the computer (the several day lease interval even allows for some days of complete downtime without losing the IP address).
When your computer sleeps or hibernates, this lease is supposed to remain intact (i.e., you retain your IP address) so when the computer wakes up you still are connected--no waiting. That is what used to happen.
But sometime around mid-December Comcast changed something: Now when your computer sleeps or hibernates the lease is broken and the IP address is released; when the computer wakes up it has to go through the process of re-connecting and getting a new IP address--that is the 20 to 30 seconds (sometimes more) that we are now seeing before we actually are online.
It appears that if a switch is connected to the gateway, that causes the gateway to not see the sleep/hibernation of the computer. The gateway thinks the computer is still awake so the IP lease is retained even though the computer is in fact sleeping. Because the IP address is retained--bingo-- you are instantly online, just as you should be, when the computer wakes up.
I do not know why the switch hides the sleep mode from the gateway but that appears to be what is happening. More important, I don't know why the gateway is releasing the IP address when the gateway sees the computer go into sleep or hibernation. It never used to release the IP address and it shouldn't be doing that now.
From all the evidence that's been collected, this behavior seems to be tied to what version of firmware is running on the gateway. I suppose it is possible that Comcast purposely altered the firmware to behave this way. I don't know why they would do that and if they did do this on purpose I think that would be horrible and very customer-unfriendly.
But my guess is that this was done inadvertently. It's possible that an otherwise benign change to the firmware is having an unexpected adverse interaction with some other change that was made, perhaps in the server that dispenses IP addresses. It's also possible that this was just a flat-out bug--a coding error made in a firmware update.
During my online interactions with the support people I have been encouraging them to look at this precise area but I don't think I've been making much headway. Instead they seem to be preoccupied with wanting to test the signal strength to my house and/or send a tech to my home to look at the wiring (which has not changed in the slightest from when they installed it, which was only 18 months ago). Presumably they would want to do the same with everyone else who has this problem. Even if they were to find an occasional gateway that isn't fully up to snuff or one house with signal strength that has deterioriated, although those specific problems would be worth addressing they cannot possibly be the source of the problem that all of us are experiencing.
It has occurred to me that perhaps that is all they are trained to do and they may not be equipped to pursue a problem of this sort. I hope that's not the case but the longer this goes on, the greater my concern. I cannot even get confirmation that they have been able to replicate this problem in their lab, even though we have new people joining this thread periodically--two more today, for instance--describing exactly the same problem. And I strongly suspect that many, many more customers have this problem-- for some it may not matter because they only use wireless so they don't even know the problem is there; for others the problem may be hidden behind a switch; and others may not even know to look within these forums so neither we nor Comcast hear from them. But my guess is that this problem is affecting more than just those of us here.
--Steve
0
TomasNieve
New Poster
•
3 Messages
4 years ago
I encountered the 30 second delay delay after Comcast recently changed my Arris modem to a Technicolor CGM4331. After reviewing this string I called the Comcast service department. They initially tried the standard replies (reset the modem, send out a service rep, etc.) but I told them I was aware that it was a software problem - they said they would check into it and get back to me. This morning a software change has been made and the problem has disappeared.
Original software:
eMTA & DOCSIS Software Version:Prod_19.3_d31 & Prod_19.3
Software Image Name:CGM4140COM_4.6p5s3_PROD_sey
Advanced Services:CGM4140COM
Packet Cable:2.0
New software:
eMTA & DOCSIS Software Version:Prod_19.3_d31 & Prod_19.3
Software Image Name:CGM4331COM_4.6p2s1_PROD_sey
Advanced Services:CGM4331COM
Packet Cable:2.0
I have not noticed any problems with the changed software but will post if any are encountered. Thanks to everyone who has posted regarding this problem - saved me a ton of time and effort that would have been required to track it down on my own.
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0
TomasNieve
New Poster
•
3 Messages
4 years ago
PLEASE IGNORE MY EARLIER POST
The 30 second delay has returned. Software change has not helped after all. Sorry for the false alarm
0
0
g-hodgson
Contributor
•
257 Messages
4 years ago
Steve,
There were two other early posters in the first thread, AlphaXray and Raipher, who upgraded their XB6s (with the delay issue) to XB7s. Both reported that it fixed the issue. I believe it was just before you came onboard, so we never did find out out whether they got the Arris or Technicolor, nor did we get their previous XB6 f/w versions or new XB7 f/w versions. Since both had the problem resolved, and the orginal thread was locked, I'm sure they don't even know about this new thread.
There was also poster dcfox in this thread who reported having the Technicolor XB7 and didn't have the delay issue. No f/w version was given. Also don't know if they upgraded from a problematic XB6 to the XB7 to specifically resolve the delay issue.
Anyway, wasn't sure if you captured them in your spreadsheet.
Greg
0
g-hodgson
Contributor
•
257 Messages
4 years ago
Sorry to hear that, Tomas. Thanks for adding your f/w info into the mix.
0
0
hjens
Contributor
•
31 Messages
4 years ago
Since I'm one of the Technicolor XB7 users who does NOT have the Ethernet connection problem -- firmware 4.4p12s1_PROD_sey -- I'll have to assume the problem may return if and when Comcast updates the firmware. I also assume this is done on a regional basis and don't mind telling folks I'm in the Pacific Northwest.
0
jmah20
Frequent Visitor
•
13 Messages
4 years ago
Just an FYI from my post last evening...my desktop was left plugged into my Netgear switch overnight, and after waking up the PC this morning there was no globe in the taskbar...zero lag and an instant connection.
If I get the chance this eveing I'm going to experiment with a few scenarios to see if it'll help with the issue of directly connecting to a port on the gateway.
PS - Steve thank you for all that information!! It appears you have a ton of time invested in this. Thanks again!
~Joe
0
SteveWW
Contributor
•
83 Messages
4 years ago
Thanks, Greg. I did not have that information but I've now added it to the spreadsheet. Thanks for reviewing the original thread on this topic.
@TomasNieve -- thanks for letting us know. I've added your information to the spreadsheet. The firmware you have is the same version that four other XB7 people have and all of them have reported this slow connection problem. Now there are five people in this group.
We know of five other XB7 users who do NOT have this problem. We don't know the firmware versions for three of those people (they have lost touch with us). Of the two remaining XB7 people who do not have this problem, one has a firmware revision that differs from the group that Tomas is part of and the other person has the unit made by Arris (everyone else has the Technicolor unit).
--Steve
0
g-hodgson
Contributor
•
257 Messages
4 years ago
I hear you, hjens. I've been thinkin the same about my Arris XB7. Working now, but....
However, my hope lies in the fact that my XB7 has had a f/w change since I first got it a few weeks ago, and everything is still okay. I've checked the version periodically ever since I got the XB7, just to monitor any changes. Yeesh, like anyone should have to do this...
Btw, I'm in the mid-Atlantic.
0
0
BlackTriad
Frequent Visitor
•
16 Messages
4 years ago
As per this thread:
https://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Your-Home-Network/Delayed-Ethernet-Connection/m-p/3397411/highlight/false#M340044
I am also having the delayed ethernet connection problem exactly as described within. Perhaps a comcast rep could tell us why the thread was locked.
My local tech's supervisor is stumped on the issue and says he hasn't heard of this issue before. Perhaps he should read these forums. He will be sending a tech with a laptop to connect ot my ethernet to see if it has the same issue. The tech today changed all my wires and switched out my modem for the same exact model which did not fix the issue.
It appears the modems are faulty or an update broke something. The supervisor is sure the delay is caused my my eqipment and he is soooo wrong. Should I get the XB7 Modem/Router or go and buy my own?
0
0
CCAndrew
Gold Problem Solver
•
25.9K Messages
4 years ago
https://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Your-Home-Network/Why-is-the-quot-delayed-Ethernet-connection-quot-string/td-p/3400719
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0
BlackTriad
Frequent Visitor
•
16 Messages
4 years ago
I am also having the delayed ethernet connection problem exactly as described within. Perhaps a comcast rep could tell us why the thread was locked.
My Comcast Modem:
My local tech's supervisor is stumped on the issue and says he hasn't heard of this issue before. Perhaps he should read these forums. He will be sending a tech with a laptop to connect ot my ethernet to see if it has the same issue. The tech today changed all my wires and switched out my modem for the same exact model which did not fix the issue.
It appears the modems are faulty or an update broke something. The supervisor is sure the delay is caused my my eqipment and he is soooo wrong. Should I get the XB7 Modem/Router or go and buy my own?
0
g-hodgson
Contributor
•
257 Messages
4 years ago
The problem is almost assuredly in the f/w, as we all started seeing this problem around mid December.
You could try getting an XB7 and it might resolve the issue for you. Then again, it might not. It depends on the f/w version in the XB7 that you receive. And you won't know that until you hook it up and fire it up!
0
0
g-hodgson
Contributor
•
257 Messages
4 years ago
So, everyone with the problem should get an inexpensive switch and just ask for a credit on their bill.
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