I installed an RB4011iGS+5HacQ2HnD r2 as a router. It is running 6.45.9 firmware (though I see 6.48.1 is available for it now) and 6.48.1 as the current OS.
The WAN connection is to ether1, connected to a Spectrum cable model. The IP is gotten via the Mikrotik DHCP client.
On occasion, the Spectrum cable service looses service. When power cycled, the modem comes back up, but the Mikrotik also then needs to be power cycled before the routing functions seem to work.
The device is off-site and I can only access it via the WAN side, so I don’t know what the state of the DHCP client is, it would be nice to log into the thing to see what it says.
Any ideas on a way to debug this?
Or a script that could be run, that would provide a sort of watchdog and restart the DHCP client if connectivity fails?
1 - recommend upgrading to the Long term version vice the stable, its actually tends to have less firmware issues.
2 - you should setup a VPN connection from your home to the router and thus can config it at any time. You could even config it via vpn from your smart phone for example.
But if you have an MT router at home you could setup a VPN router to router type setup.
3. You probably can setup a script to do just what you wanted, in terms of emailing you to let you know there is a power issue or wan issue as well as do whatever is required to reset the router other than turning its power off and on (not usually recommended).
(1) Okay, will-do.
(2) That won’t help me though, if their WAN connection is down. This is an unfortunate problem with their Spectrum service. I can remote into the router by accessing a machine in-house via a remote support tool I use, but that ALSO won’t help if the WAN is down.
(3) If anyone has a script, I’d be interested in seeing it.
I just noticed the long-term would actually be a downgrade from 6.48.1 (installed) to 6.47.9. Is that a safe move?
Understand the issue, and yes, it is safe to go a more stable version of the firmware!
Okay so what you need is a UPS on site for starters, there is no reason for that cable modem or router to lose power.
The router should behave in a useful manner whether the cable modem changes IP, suffers a power bump or what have you.
So the issue is two three fold.
a. understand the range of issues that the cable modem may present.
b. understand the response of the rb4011
c. create a script to address the response of the rb4011
For anyone to help with step c., then we really need more fidelity in our knowledge of steps a., and b.
It isn’t a power issue, everything is already on a UPS. The Internet service is just terrible.
I found the watchdog feature on the Mikrotik, and can configure it to reboot every six minutes until it is able to ping a specified address via the WAN port, so I could try that.
Perhaps I’ll swap the firmware first, and see if that helps, and if not maybe I’ll try working on a script myself.
Are you actually paying money for said service?
Have you had the lines between the road and their modem checked?
Is their modem due for a firmware update or complete replacement?
Have you checked the lines between the modem and the router??
You should not need a reboot, it should be sufficient to disable the ethernet interface connected to the modem when netwatch detects loss of internet access, and and re-enable it again in 10 seconds or so. So instead of watchdog, I’d use netwatch:
It may be even sufficient to use just /ip dhcp-client release [find interface=ether1] as the down-script. As @anav says, without knowing what exactly happens there, it will be a trying game. I can imagine the ISP not to start sending data through the link after the restart at their end until the client asks for an address using DHCP, and if they lease the address for hours (leases with more than a day validity are are not unusual), it takes a long time. The release makes the DHCP client send a DHCPDISCOVER at once.
Replace ether1 by the name of the actual WAN interface of your router.