WiFi drops internet every so often wired works 100% [SOLVED]

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schworak
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 21 May 2017
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 13:29    Post subject: Reply with quote
I can't get any firmware to upload.

Steps taken...

1) Download the firmware ddwrt-linksys-wrt3200acm-webflash.bin (takes about 5 seconds for the transfer)
2) With a physical cable (not wifi) go to the firmwre upload page.
3) Select the file
4) Click the upload button to start the process.

The popup comes up and starts counting down.

In the lower right corner the upload progress starts at 0% and there it stays. I open my network monitor and nothing is moving. What should take 5 seconds or so doesn't do anything.

I get the occasional burst of data but it is only a few bytes at a time and that could be lots of things but I highly doubt it is the upload. And if it is, it would take weeks to upload the 40 meg file.

Is there any other way to get the upgrade to happen besides the GUI?

I tested my network connectivity by copying the same file from my laptop to a computer on my lan. It took about 6 seconds.

At this point, the GUI is locked up and cannot be accessed without rebooting the router.
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schworak
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 21 May 2017
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 13:57    Post subject: Reply with quote
AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!


I found a methond in the wiki for upgrading using SSH and this promptly forced my router back to Linksys factory settings!


Now I get to start from scratch.
schworak
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 21 May 2017
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 14:08    Post subject: Reply with quote
YEAH!!!!!

It wasn't as bad as I first thought. There was hope because the reset didn't lose my wifi password settings. It turns out it went back to the factory boot partition without wiping everything.

All of my settings were kept.

I uploaded the 40009 image but instead of the webflash version I had to use the factory-to-ddwrt version.

I thought I would have to restore all of my settings but amazingly, it kept them all.

Here is an update on all my settings that I think are of importance (tell me if I am missing something)

Firmware: DD-WRT v3.0-r40009 std (06/11/19)
schworak
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 21 May 2017
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 14:27    Post subject: Reply with quote
SurprisedItWorks wrote:

The router database is basically deprecated and has been for years. It should be ignored.


Well, how do we get that turned off then because it is deceptive.

Actually, the entire process seems a bit confusing.

I started with dd-wrt many years ago (over 10) on a much older router. Then a few years ago to a newer one, all without any issues, all using the recommended version in the database which seems to be somewhat updated as newer versions keep getting added to it.

This last go around is with my newest router. All are Linksys and all are configured pretty much the same. This is the only one I have had any trouble with so far and only in relation to this wifi issue.

I did manage to get v40009 installed (as suggested by another user) I'll go read through the build forum. Once I hit one that works as intended, I stop upgrading.
SurprisedItWorks
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 04 Aug 2018
Posts: 1444
Location: Appalachian mountains, USA

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 15:17    Post subject: Reply with quote
schworak wrote:
I can't get any firmware to upload.

Steps taken...

1) Download the firmware ddwrt-linksys-wrt3200acm-webflash.bin (takes about 5 seconds for the transfer)
2) With a physical cable (not wifi) go to the firmwre upload page.
3) Select the file
4) Click the upload button to start the process.

The popup comes up and starts counting down.

In the lower right corner the upload progress starts at 0% and there it stays. I open my network monitor and nothing is moving. What should take 5 seconds or so doesn't do anything.

I get the occasional burst of data but it is only a few bytes at a time and that could be lots of things but I highly doubt it is the upload. And if it is, it would take weeks to upload the 40 meg file.

Is there any other way to get the upgrade to happen besides the GUI?

I tested my network connectivity by copying the same file from my laptop to a computer on my lan. It took about 6 seconds.

At this point, the GUI is locked up and cannot be accessed without rebooting the router.

Look, I'm no guru on this. I'm just another dd-wrt user who has made some mistakes and learned from them over the course of a couple of years. That said, here's my take.

First, BE SURE you have read the Cliff Notes before trying to install firmware.

Re upgrading without the GUI, see my response to PIZZEDMEOFF at https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=321475&start=16. The approach requires you to use the command-line interface (CLI) via telnet or ssh or putty. There's a decent wiki tutorial on setting up ssh/putty, but I believe telnet works out of the box. (The GUI setup area for telnet and ssh (Secure Shell) are in the Services tab, Services subtab.)

If you are using the GUI, however, have only one cable connected to the router, the one from the computer you are flashing from. Especially do not have anything in the Internet port on the back. Turn off the computer's wifi. Some people have trouble upgrading using Chrome. I use Firefox and have never had an issue. Some people say IE/Edge is a good option.

Far more important however than finding another upgrade procedure, is to realize that upgrading past huge numbers of versions often fails. Generally you want to jump past only a few months of versions at most. My own router upgrades have been through versions 36698 37736 38159 39144 40009 40784 and were without incident. Some of these versions have had setup quirks, however, notably the first and last, so I favor the four in the middle. I strongly suggest that if you go this route, you stop on 39144, which version seemed to me to be quite foolproof, and get your config working before proceeding further. Always back up a nondefault config before upgrading, and remember that backups are specific to builds. Once you have a working config, you should be able to upgrade without a reset, and the config will carry over. When you do find yourself booting into a just-loaded build, do not rush to interact with the router, even the GUI, in any way. Give it a few minutes first to settle down, especially if you kept an existing configuration. If you are wildly successful and make it to 40009, consider build 41218 next, as its new-build thread indicates few problems.

Also, for the best chance of success, reset the router before the first upgrade with a 30-sec push, while the router is on, of the recessed orange reset button on the back. That reset will restore the dd-wrt config to the default and reboot, so when the GUI comes back up on 192.168.1.1, you'll have to choose a dd-wrt username (always use "root") and password (make up anything, as you'll only be using it a short time) to proceed. (DO NOT USE THE 30/30/30 RESET PROCEDURE POSTED HERE AND THERE ONLINE.)

If you can't successfully flash another dd-wrt build from whatever dd-wrt build you have running, you might try flashing directly from linksys firmware, which tends to be more successful with the builds of a year or two ago. See the Cliff Notes for how to boot back into the Linksys firmware, if it is still in your router. If it is gone, you may be able to just reflash their firmware from dd-wrt. Use their firmware posted at https://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=207552. Once you get into the linksys firmware, skip all the stuff about setting up a linksys account and work your way into the firmware-upgrade section and load a dd-wrt factory-to-ddwrt.bin firmware file. Remember, once you are in dd-wrt, your upgrades MUST be to ddwrt-linksys-wrt3200acm-webflash.bin files.

Checking each build thoroughly and tweaking as needed before moving on is recommended. I have had new builds mysteriously come up with config checkboxes changed, stuff in config windows that I did not put there, etc. Clean those things up before you move on. Some people swear by resetting (check box on the upgrade page) and re-entering all config info on each upgrade, but this will become a huge pain quickly as your config gets more involved.

I started off with dd-wrt being quite impatient and wanting everything to just work in one afternoon of flashing and configuration. That was hugely unrealistic. Patience is required. You should be able to get flashed successfully in one sitting, but building a working configuration takes time. The Cliff Notes will mostly point you in the right direction, but they are not perfect and snags may arise. Get wifi working first (see https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Atheros/ath_wireless_settings). Get any needed guest networks going later (see https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Guest_WiFi_%2B_abuse_control_for_beginners). A practical vpn setup that routes some things over the vpn and others around it is a bit of a project to sort out, with the key information scattered all over the wiki and forums, so be patient on that one. There are good references for setting up USB NAS (https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/USB_storage#Updated_Instructions and the two videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdSyWDTY0h0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njZGWmXMKL4), but this is again a separate project for a different day. Not much in dd-wrt is too awfully hard to do. What's hard is finding the right information, since what's there is scattered and often obsolete.

Time for me to move on and let the real gurus chime in if further issues arise. Good luck.

_________________
2x Netgear XR500 and 3x Linksys WRT1900ACSv2 on 53544: VLANs, VAPs, NAS, station mode, OpenVPN client (AirVPN), wireguard server (AirVPN port forward) and clients (AzireVPN, AirVPN, private), 3 DNSCrypt providers via VPN.
ellick
DD-WRT User


Joined: 28 Mar 2016
Posts: 265

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 15:30    Post subject: Reply with quote
Keep in mind that your router has two partitions and when you update it always upgrades to the opposite partition. If you don't save settings when you upgrade you will have to re-enter everything.

You should clear settings if going from different firmwares like the stock to dd-wrt or back or if your firmware is old. A lot of people recommend it any time you upgrade.
schworak
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 21 May 2017
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 11:40    Post subject: Reply with quote
It's been 22 hours without any issues popping up. It is looking like the upgrade to v40009 and using the settings shown in my previous message has solved my issue.

Thank you to everyone that gave guidance. As long as this holds out, I see no reason to try any other beta versions. I will likely upgrade one more time when the stable version comes out. But once things are working, I don't see any reason to keep upgrading. (unless security issues are found)
ellick
DD-WRT User


Joined: 28 Mar 2016
Posts: 265

PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 0:33    Post subject: Reply with quote
schworak wrote:


Thank you to everyone that gave guidance. As long as this holds out, I see no reason to try any other beta versions. I will likely upgrade one more time when the stable version comes out.


One of the problems with dd-wrt is there is no "stable" version that's agreed on by everybody. That's one reason the official data-base is obsolete and shouldn't be used. No new "stable" builds have been added to it in ages. Smile Every new build is always beta.

Unless you like to test new builds as a hobby or need to upgrade very old firmware for security purposes or fix something, you're probably better off if that build solves your issues.

I've stuck with r40009 myself because every build since then has issues for me. There were some big changes after that build including a new linux kernel and the addition of new queuing disciplines for QoS. I keep trying them because I want to use the newly added Cake, queuing discipline. I believe those changes have caused instability for some people while others report no problems.


Last edited by ellick on Tue Oct 22, 2019 12:06; edited 1 time in total
schworak
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 21 May 2017
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 11:02    Post subject: Reply with quote
48 hours and no glitches. r40009 has solved my problem so I won't be upgrading any further for quite some time.
Erenion
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 12 Apr 2021
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:25    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hello
I have installed a wrt3200acm router withDD-WRT firmware v3.0-r 44715
It seems i have a similar issue
Devices are connected to the wifi 2,4ghz or 5ghz and sometimes the connection to internet is lost. I can’t browse google.com for instance.
Generally the connection comes back if i renew the dhcp lease on the device connected to the wifi.
I was wondering if i shoud upgrade the firmware to a most recent one ?

I found this one that has been released last week
https://download1.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/betas/2021/04-09-2021-r46316/linksys-wrt3200acm/

Otherwise it may be something related to my setup?
In the wifi setup i didn’t activate the advanced settings
Many thanks in advance
SurprisedItWorks
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 04 Aug 2018
Posts: 1444
Location: Appalachian mountains, USA

PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 14:09    Post subject: Reply with quote
Resurrecting someone else's old thread is discouraged. Generally better to start fresh. But as long as we're here...

For the WRT3200ACM the relatively trouble-free build in the late-2020 time frame is 44048. Builds since then have had trouble keeping Apple devices connected. There are hints that one of the better recent ones is 46069, but that one still requires me to cycle the wifi switch on my iPhone several times a day when things just freeze. So 44048 may be the way to go.

_________________
2x Netgear XR500 and 3x Linksys WRT1900ACSv2 on 53544: VLANs, VAPs, NAS, station mode, OpenVPN client (AirVPN), wireguard server (AirVPN port forward) and clients (AzireVPN, AirVPN, private), 3 DNSCrypt providers via VPN.
Erenion
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 12 Apr 2021
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 18:48    Post subject: Reply with quote
many thanks @SurprisedItWorks for your quick answer
I noticed that with this version I only have 2 wifi interfaces which seems to be more consistent.
I will monitor if it solves the problem and then reinstall the vpn.
Thank you.
Erenion
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 12 Apr 2021
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 19:15    Post subject: Reply with quote
Additional question, is there a quick way to check what is the latest stable (trouble free) build for wrt3200acm router. I would like avoiding bugging people as much as possible..
Many thanks in advance
SurprisedItWorks
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 04 Aug 2018
Posts: 1444
Location: Appalachian mountains, USA

PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 19:39    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quick? No. The only reliable way is to read through all of the new-build threads in the Marvell forum. I do it, and I take notes. Yes, it's a PITA.

But what's great for one user might be a disaster for another, and it can take months for it to be completely clear that a particular one was good for most people. It took a while with 44048. Even that one is not good for everyone. Users needing dependable Windows discovery might find there are issues with it. Maybe. I see lots of warnings in the syslog from the kernel's samba system, but it doesn't seem to hinder what I use samba for. Might be different for someone else.

_________________
2x Netgear XR500 and 3x Linksys WRT1900ACSv2 on 53544: VLANs, VAPs, NAS, station mode, OpenVPN client (AirVPN), wireguard server (AirVPN port forward) and clients (AzireVPN, AirVPN, private), 3 DNSCrypt providers via VPN.
Erenion
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 12 Apr 2021
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 20:32    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ok , i will do that
Thank you for your quick answer.
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