5G Broadband dropouts

[MacDavidson]

Hi folks,

So I got Three’s 5G broadband and get great speeds, with great coverage around the house. But at various times each day (for no apparent reason), it just disappears from being available as a wifi device for around 10 minutes, or until reset. The Mac connected by CAT7 cable is unaffected, and all lights remain as they should.

I’ve positioned the router in various places, tried changing the APN from 3internet to three.co.uk, and reset several times. 

Am I doing something wrong? Should I have 2.4 and 5 GHz on at the same time? 2.4 GHz is slower, but I need that for the smart gadgets in the house, but speed is what it’s all about…

Thanks in advance for your time

[stevekn]

Is it just that both modems are dropping due to the 5G being over subscribed?

A restart (via the app) or turning 5G off and one via my browser immediately re-connects the signal.

It several minutes/hours left to its own re-set.

[jonesthesteam]

Well for me this all started with a saga with my original 5G router which was rectified when I finally negotiated getting a replacement Zyxel NR5103.

It seems firmware updates have been the nemesis of Three routers for quite some time and the result of those updates seem to be a bit of a lottery at times and I think that was the same for me also.

I probably need to get back in touch with Three as I have recently been experiencing regular drop outs and my speeds have dropped significantly.

From an all time high of 907Mbps to recently an unstable service and getting under 100Mbps. The only reason I haven't contacted Three is a combination of laziness and the fact that even 50Mbps is significantly faster than I was getting with my old fixed line broadband.

However I would say my blood ran cold when I heard about the planned merger between Three and Vodafone as if you've never had the misfortune of being a Vodafone customer... hold onto your hat and grab a bottle of strong stuff because their 99% of their customer service and technical support is absolutely appallingly.

I know people criticise Three customer service but I had so many issues with Vodafone 5G broadband and they were without doubt the worse company I have ever had to deal with so I personally am hoping Three are actually in charge come the merger.

I am also planning as a test to move my SIM into my spare Huawei CPE Pro 2 which in the past has improved my 5G performance greatly and rules out the Three hardware.

If that does fix things I will definitely be getting back onto Three to find out what's could be going on.

[WCAT-15]

PLEASE do keep us updated. This very useful to know.

[Aidy85]

Ive had 3 broadband for 2 weeks - Issue with NR5103EV2, suddenly dropping, all lights stay on but only happening for me once or twice per day - If the hub is left on it eventually corrects itself but the speed when the hub is back up on my phone goes max to around 100mbps until I restart my phone then the issue is resolved.  Other than that speed is great.

[petew]

Hi, Am suffering from this too.  On a ZTE router firmware B15 Last Update: 2023-03-31 17:21:36.  I'm in Bridge mode. Seems to drop at least once per day, all lights on the ZTE router but either 1Mb download speed or nothing. Reboot the router, goes back to 330Mb !   It's not workable as a solution for home working.  Teams/Zoom just bombs out in the middle of calls if this happens. 

Three must sort this, or there is no point in selling 5G broadband service!  It's not fit for purpose 

[thegoodguy]

I've been experiencing random dropouts during the day for a couple of months (2-6 a day). I have an ZTE MC-801c modem.

I was in a fortuitous position in that my brother, to whom I live directly next door, recently took up Three Home Broadband and got a ZTE MC-888. His connection seemed pretty solid. He just went off on holiday so I swapped routers.

My service, using the MC-888 was solid for the week I had the modem. His service, using the MC-801c, was dropping out just like mine was.

I was in touch with Three customer service yesterday, and after the usual lengthy I've-done-all-those-things! conversation, they said they are sending out a replacement modem. I asked them for an MC-888, but they said they can (will?) only replace like-for-like. I asked what happens if the problem continues with the new MC-801c. They basically said "let's cross the bridge ..."

The replacement modem should be arriving in a week or so. I'll post with an update when I've determined it's effectiveness.

For those who are still experiencing drop-outs (why else would you be reading this?), You don't have to reset or restart the modem. Simply go to the admin interface switch the 5G/4G switch off and back on again (see attached screenshot).

ZTE Admin

Also, for those who are using a Windows PC, you can run a simple one-line command at start-up that pings google once a second and reports. You can clearly see when it drops out (see attached screenshot). You can minimise the window so that it doesn't intrude. I've attached a screenshot of the Task Schedule for anyone who wants to try it.

Dropout

Ping command

[thegoodguy]

Hi again,

The replacement modem arrived yesterday at 10am. At 12pm the connection dropped in exactly the same way as before 😩😠

I got onto Three on the phone that very moment. I wasn't going to wait. I knew the problem was going to persist. I was on hold for about 5 minutes before I got a person on the other end (not bad). The guy was patient and understanding. He said his system would not allow him to exchange the modem for a different model (I can only trust what he said), so the solution, he said, was to cancel the current contract, without any penalties, and start a new contract with a new modem. I said I really didn't want any discontinuation of internet service (dropouts notwithstanding), so he said he would call back in 48 hours, at an agreed time, to cancel the current contract, so that I would have time to go to the local Three store to sort out a new contract. I did just did that today.

Up-side: The lady at the store understood the issue and was happy for me to choose a modem. I chose the Zyxel (fingers crossed it's better than the crusty ZTE)

Down-side: The monthly price is now £2 more than it was. A bit cheeky considering this happened because of a crappy device that Three supply. I'll write to them to get this reduced to the original price. Also, the modem I chose wasn't in stock at the branch, so it would (allegedly) arrive the following day. So I may be without internet depending on what time it arrives (if it arrives).

Again, I'll update with the reliability of the Zyxel (NR5103?) modem under the same conditions once it's in place.

[thegoodguy]

The  Zyxel NR5103 was PANTS!

I was getting rubbish speeds (10-20Mbps) in the same location as the previous MC-801, so I took next door to my brother's place and tried it right next to his MC-888 concurrently; MC-888 = 250-300Mbps,  Zyxel NR5103 = 10-20Mbps.

I returned it next day, cancelled the contract and got new contract with an MC-888. It's been three days now (in the same location as MC-801) and it has been rock solid. I haven't had three days uninterrupted internet for months 🙂 

[WCAT-15]

Please do keep us updated. My Zyxel originally gave 400 to 500 Mbs, but over the months has dropped down to average 100 Mbs, with dropouts. It is hard to blame the equipment so my guess is the local 5G tower is getting overloaded.  So it will be interesting to hear your experience.

[Oldzskool]

On 8th October I took out a 5G broadband contract in the shop because the three website said I wasn't in a 5G area (I had noticed full bar 5G on my phone so the local mast must've recently been upgraded) and they issued me with the ZTE MC888.5G hub.  These hubs are what they issue when you take out a contract in the shops.

This I used for two weeks and during this time although speeds were excellent I experienced multiple, random, daily drop outs making the broadband unreliable and unusable.

I returned the ZTE MC888 back to the shop for full money back no problems and on the same evening an hour later after noticing the website had been updated to say I was now in a 5G area I took out a new contract online where they issue the Zyxel NR5103e hub.

The Zyxel arrived the next day which was last Friday 20th October and since setting that up I have experienced exactly ZERO dropouts and decent speeds, normally between 400 - 600mbps down and 50 - 80mbps up.

There are many threads going back a year or two complaining of the ZTE MC801/888 but not so many complaining about the Zyxel's and many people saying the Zyxel solved their drop out issues after gettin gone to replace a ZTE MC801/888.

I have heard of people suffering similar random drops outs with the Zyxel but so far after almost 5 days it has been rock solid I just hope it remains that way as when stable this service is brilliant for the money.