Sonic.net

We've been experiencing an issue where we seem to lose internet connection, but only certain devices seem to be affected. We are on fiber.

So for example, during one of these "outages", our 3 household laptops and all our iPhones can no longer connect to the internet. But multiple Amazon Fire tablets and our Roku streaming devices continue to function completely unaffected.

Our usual solution to this is to power cycle the ONT device, followed by the router, and then we often also have to reset the router to factory settings. This fixes the problem for awhile, but then it will happen again a few days later.

Also, whenever we're in a period where this seems to be happening often, we also notice that even when the laptops and iPhones are able to connect to the internet, they behave oddly on certain apps and sites. The internet speed is fast, but it's almost like there is a delay before a website will resolve on the page. Or certain iPhone apps take a much longer time to load than usual.

Just wondering if anyone can steer us toward what the problem might be.

I'd first suspect the Wi-Fi. What happens if you just reboot the router?

We are having basically the exact same issue that the OP described. I am going to call them this morning.

We have rebooted the router and ONT many times. It “solves” the issue for an hour or two but some sites are still slow

Hi Connor - thanks for sharing! It does feel better knowing that it's not just us. Would appreciate if you can share back anything you learn.

Virtualmike - so after rebooting everything yesterday, we woke up to the same problem this morning: laptops and phones could not connect, but Fire tablets were just fine.

But this time, I cycled only the router. And it actually worked. The 5G came back a few mins later and laptops/phones could connect (tho still felt like there was this long delay before pages would resolve). I feel like I've tried cycling only the router in the past, though, and sometimes it doesn't work, which is why I think I started cycling the ONT by default. But it's another good clue to know that sometimes cycling the router by itself seems to fix the issue.

Any issues with connected devices??

edw_rec wrote:But this time, I cycled only the router. And it actually worked.

How far away are the devices from the router? How big is your house? Are you able to connect one of the laptops to the router with an Ethernet cable? Do you have neighbors with Wi-Fi in close proximity to you? Do you have any electrical issues in the house?

- The devices affected are very close to the router. In fact, this laptop I use most of the day is literally about 3 feet away. No device is more than about 25 feet away.

- It's a 2 bed apartment so the square footage is not large.

- I haven't tested the connection via the ethernet, I'll do that next time it happens.

- Yes, this neighborhood is jam packed with other Wi-Fi users.

- No known electrical issues, although I will say that we're in San Francisco and we've been bombarded by big rainstorms lately. Not sure if that could have triggered the problem.

edw_rec wrote:We've been experiencing an issue where we seem to lose internet connection, but only certain devices seem to be affected. We are on fiber.

So for example, during one of these "outages", our 3 household laptops and all our iPhones can no longer connect to the internet. But multiple Amazon Fire tablets and our Roku streaming devices continue to function completely unaffected.

Our usual solution to this is to power cycle the ONT device, followed by the router, and then we often also have to reset the router to factory settings. This fixes the problem for a while, but then it will happen again a few days later.

Also, whenever we're in a period where this seems to be happening often, we also notice that even when laptops and iPhones are able to connect to the internet, they behave oddly on certain apps and sites. The internet speed is fast, but it's almost like there is a delay before a website will resolve on the page. Or certain iPhone apps take a much longer time to load than usual.

Just wondering if anyone can steer us toward what the problem might be.

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear that you're running into connection issues. From what you've explained, it sounds like for some reason the 5G signal coming from the router might be having an issue, while the other devices are able to hold a connection on the 2.4GHz signal. A lot of streaming devices seem to only be equipped with 2.4GHz compatibility, so it would make sense why your Fire Stick and Roku's continue to work if that's the case.

The next time the issue occurs, try switching to the 2.4G signal on your devices experiencing the issues to confirm if they are able to connect there. If you still can't connect on both signals, then I would recommend testing your laptop via Ethernet to confirm connectivity. It very well could just be that your router needs to be replaced, which we can ship out to you for free.

Also, since you did mention being in a jam-packed area for WiFi signals, it may be a good idea to consider upgrading your rental equipment to the Eero Mesh WiFi we offer as an upgraded router ($10/mo) instead of the standard SmartRG you rent currently ($9.50/mo). It's significantly more powerful signal-wise and won't be hindered by your neighbor's WiFi signals nearly as much, if at all.

You can find more info here on the Eero's as well as order if you're interested: https://members.sonic.net/equipment/order

Kind regards,

If ends up being a 5GHz problem, look into setting the router to a non-DFS channel if possible. My wifi was cutting out occasionally and it was due to my system being on a DFS channel and sensing radar nearby. Basically, the FCC requires wifi routers/APs to vacate a DFS channel immediately when they detect radar. Since I moved off of DFS channels I've had zero issues.

edw_rec wrote:Yes, this neighborhood is jam packed with other Wi-Fi users.

I had similar challenges when I was using my provider's Wi-Fi, as were all my neighbors. [Disclaimer: I moved out of the Bay Area and Sonic isn't available here (yet?), so my only choice is the local cable company.] In particular, my pool equipment, on the outside of the house, constantly went offline. It's closer to my neighbor's router than mine (and I don't have flexibility to move either one).

Seriously consider Brandon's suggestion if your Ethernet testing suggests it is the Wi-Fi. I switched to a mesh network with three points, and the problems went away.