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5G home internet keeps dropping

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R
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I called T-mobile with my issue and everything checked out. No outages in my area, nothing he could see at his end, and I had already rebooted, and reset the unit. They sent me out a replacement the very next day. It is working a little better, but does kick out a few times a day for anywhere between 10-30 seconds at a time. So I'll give it a bit more time, but if it continues, I'll be forced to stick with xfinity. I'D DEEPLY REGRET THAT. PLEASE TMO, FIX. IT ORIGINALLY WORKED FLAWLESSLY FOR OVER 2 MONTHS. 

T
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I’m having a problem with T-Mobile 5g home internet that has not been resolved despite many calls in to the help line.  I’ve had T-Mobile 5g home internet for almost a month now, and the short version is that every so often the gateway drops the network.  When I say “drop the network,” I mean to say it throws everything off of the Wifi that it’s broadcasting, and anything plugged in via ethernet says “no network found.  (To elaborate this point, cell phones switch to cellular data because wifi is gone for them, and computers hardwired into the gateway think that they are no longer plugged into anything.)  Turning off the gateway and turning it back on resolves the issue, but doesn’t prevent it from happening again.  Whatever is happening doesn’t seem to affect our connection speed/strength when the gateway IS providing signal to devices in the home, but due to the nature of our work, we need a connection that won’t just disconnect randomly.  

 

To address this, T-mobile has so far run a bunch of tests on their end, and seem to have ruled out a tower issue (which makes sense, as the tower shouldn’t have anything to do with whether or not the devices on the gateway’s wifi or ethernet connection get thrown off of the network.)  They’ve sent me a replacement gateway, which is experiencing the exact same problem (3 times in the last 36 hours, in fact).   I’ve noticed that the device gets pretty warm, so I set up a computer case fan as a cooler to force air through the device, thinking that perhaps it’s an issue with the device overheating.  However, while the gateway is notably cooler than it was without the fan, it has not prevented the issue from persisting.  The last thing that I can think to do (and my most recent attempt at resolving this issue) is to plug a router into the gateway via ethernet, and allow the router to handle the wifi/connections w/ devices in the house, and to disable wifi from the gateway all together.  Maybe the gateway is simply too overburdened with connections and gets somehow overwhelmed and shuts down, and having the router handle the “heavy lifting” of taking care of all of the individual device connections will resolve it?  I don’t have a great deal of faith that this will fix the issue (as the gateway also kicks ethernet things off of the network when it experiences this problem), but I’m running out of options/ideas of what to do in order to just get a stable, constant internet service.   

 

Is anybody else having this issue, has anybody resolved this issue, or does anybody have any advice or feedback regarding how I might get this resolved so that I can get back to having stable internet?

I am having the same issue and I'm glad I am not alone. 

F
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@jtheiss I like your suggestion that we document our experiences on one thread in as detailed a way as possible. One idea would be for users using additional airflow to record the mean time from reboot to failure both with and without such airflow. I'm convinced its a heat issue, but know from experience that trying to get action on this through bottom tier tech support in Mexico is futile. Nothing speaks louder than hard data, and the possibility of exposure through a major publication. I intend to make this case to T-Mob management directly, and it will be very helpful to have a user group compiling this data to point to. Thank you for your efforts.

FJ
E

Been having issues with my device too very much like which has been stated here..

I have the Nokia (trash can) looking device, even with all of the WiFi channels turned off and a 3D printed 3rd party fan (which is keeping the device way cooler than it has ever been as if it’s still off.. the device randomly decides to re-set itself.

I’ve been through the loops of going through Tech support via calls and Twitter, got a replacement device and SIM card, but still the same issues continues.

S

It is truly the WORST!!

J
Userlevel 5
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@jtheiss - I’m curious to know if both the gateways behaved identically. That is, were you running the cooling fan on both of them? Same exact failure mode, etc? Even if not, there are enough variables in any design that if the problem is with a voltage regulator, for example, many other components “could” be affected differently due to varying component sensitivities to low voltage conditions. This could lead to a difference in failure modes in something as complex as a combination gateway / wireless router. The fact that a Tech Support person offered the fan solution and was surprised that it didn’t fix the problem is significant. I’ve worked in companies where products have known and fixable design issues and management decided to ignore the issue after a cost / benefit analysis. And of course we’ve all heard the horror stories about the auto industry. Thanks for your input.

FJ

Sorry, I missed this message and never responded.  So, the first and second gateways behaved similarly, yes.  I didn’t think about cooling when I had the first Gateway, so it went back without testing for airflow.  Both would work great (speeds reaching 215 down and 35 up) until they didn’t, failing in the same way.  Only after the second one ran for 6 days w/o problems and then faced the exact same issue as the first did it occur to me that heat might be a problem, as the odds of being sent two gateways with the exact same problem were pretty slim unless it was a design issue that all units of that type would be plagued with.

K

I’m having a problem with T-Mobile 5g home internet that has not been resolved despite many calls in to the help line.  I’ve had T-Mobile 5g home internet for almost a month now, and the short version is that every so often the gateway drops the network.  When I say “drop the network,” I mean to say it throws everything off of the Wifi that it’s broadcasting, and anything plugged in via ethernet says “no network found.  (To elaborate this point, cell phones switch to cellular data because wifi is gone for them, and computers hardwired into the gateway think that they are no longer plugged into anything.)  Turning off the gateway and turning it back on resolves the issue, but doesn’t prevent it from happening again.  Whatever is happening doesn’t seem to affect our connection speed/strength when the gateway IS providing signal to devices in the home, but due to the nature of our work, we need a connection that won’t just disconnect randomly.  

 

To address this, T-mobile has so far run a bunch of tests on their end, and seem to have ruled out a tower issue (which makes sense, as the tower shouldn’t have anything to do with whether or not the devices on the gateway’s wifi or ethernet connection get thrown off of the network.)  They’ve sent me a replacement gateway, which is experiencing the exact same problem (3 times in the last 36 hours, in fact).   I’ve noticed that the device gets pretty warm, so I set up a computer case fan as a cooler to force air through the device, thinking that perhaps it’s an issue with the device overheating.  However, while the gateway is notably cooler than it was without the fan, it has not prevented the issue from persisting.  The last thing that I can think to do (and my most recent attempt at resolving this issue) is to plug a router into the gateway via ethernet, and allow the router to handle the wifi/connections w/ devices in the house, and to disable wifi from the gateway all together.  Maybe the gateway is simply too overburdened with connections and gets somehow overwhelmed and shuts down, and having the router handle the “heavy lifting” of taking care of all of the individual device connections will resolve it?  I don’t have a great deal of faith that this will fix the issue (as the gateway also kicks ethernet things off of the network when it experiences this problem), but I’m running out of options/ideas of what to do in order to just get a stable, constant internet service.   

 

Is anybody else having this issue, has anybody resolved this issue, or does anybody have any advice or feedback regarding how I might get this resolved so that I can get back to having stable internet?

I am also having this issue.  I am on my third 5g Gateway, tried switching SIM cards, use a cooling fan and off-loaded the WiFi duties to a Netgear Nighthawk.  I get two to three bars and drop a few times a day.  I finally bought connection monitoring software and it reports that, when the network fails, “URL domain names are not being resolved but IP based traffic is still flowing over the connection”. It seems that, after a minute or two in this state, the box resets the connection resulting in a new IP address. Just figured I’d share that!

iTinkeralot
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Userlevel 7
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I have neighbors here that were on CenturyLink and it was horrible, unreliable service. I recommended T-Mobile to my neighbor across the street and now they are happy campers. We had no other good option here but the T-Mobile home internet solution. Hughes Net was out of the question and StarLink is too expensive. Not sure StarLink is all that great in the area anyway. 

Good Luck! 

J
Userlevel 1
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We had the same issues with our 5G gateway device. We had only 2 bars which was supposed to be enough for a signal, however, when we had a signal our service was extremely slow and it was constantly dropping completely. We contacted customer support, went through all the troubleshooting with engineering (checking the signal, switching towers, moving the device around, etc). Finally, requested T-Mobile reactivate our previous device (the 4G LTE small white box).  Solved the problem instantly, strong signal, good speed, no drops, no problem streaming. After reactivating and connecting the 4G LTE Gateway the tech essentially admitted that the new 5G service is essentially a work in progress and isn’t up and running smoothly.  He said they are working on it and would contact us to upgrade our hardware to 5G when it was functioning properly in our area. Hope this is helpful.

 

B

It appears there are many people who commiserate with your issue but nobody has a resolution.  Even T-Mobile has no resolution.  I’ve been a phone user for more than 5 years and have been very pleased with the service.  I finally made the decision to “cut the cord” and dropped my cable in favor of the new internet gateway.  We do not have 5G service in my area but I don’t blame that for the CONSTANT loss of signal.  I’ve had to reboot my gateway tower three times within the last 24 hours.  I’ve added “wifi extenders” throughout my house but I’m convinced the problem does not exist within the walls of my home.  I’m normally a patient person but they’re pressing the limits.  I would like to try Ziply fiber but it’s not in our neighborhood yet and I’m reluctant to go back to cable simply for the costs.  

7

After reading all these complaints, I rather not waste my time troubleshooting and just go back to Comcast. Soo annoyed with the daily issues. 

U
Userlevel 1

This is the new 5G modem router that solved my problem. I have been up and running for five straight days.

 

https://tmo.report/2021/10/exclusive-this-might-be-the-new-t-mobile-home-internet-gateway/

J

Ugh, I’m soooo aggravated. Days and days of my signal dropping completely or being left with 2 or 3 bars on the gateway. I’ve tried everything, including turning everything on and off and restarting and moving it all around. Why suddenly, after 5 months of everything being great is this service so terrible??? 

N

@Fredreed I’m still on hold waiting to report this again.  I’ve asked a number of times what they’re going to DO to fix this, and asked more than once if they’ll send somebody out.  I think I’m about a phone call away from cancelling, as this is eating up too much of my time.  I don’t understand how my cell phone can have a constant internet connection, but a device that’s much simpler can’t.  

So I am in the midst of a week long Home Internet 5g dead signal.  Totally agree with this comment about eating up time.  Prior to this issue I was seeing upwards of 100mbps speed.  Have talked to many support people that I don’t understand and they don’t understand me.  So finally talked with a supervisor that I could understand.  He gave me as much info as he could and admitted that they had no idea.  Esentially, he said wait a while and hopefully the signal will come back.  I make the point that my 5g cell was getting a great signal and 50 to 70mbps speed and didn’t understand why the home internet device wasn’t working.  So he explained that the cell phone can handle multiple bands but the home internet only handled one and if it isn’t working then no data.  I also have to decide how long I am going to put up with this mess.

iTinkeralot
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Userlevel 7
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Yes I suppose not everyone cares for the geek side nor understands it. The speed at the time beats DSL connections by a long shot. Hopefully when they complete their tower buildout in the area it will stay stable. When it stays stable and has good bandwidth it is a nice solution. 

T

I also have the black trashcan and can confirm ~daily disconnects. 

Overheat may be an issue, but I can report other factors that don’t seem to be heat related:

(FYI, I used 192.168.12.1 to identify issues below)

After a disconnect, warm reboots do not solve the issue. Disconnecting power for ~3 minutes (even though trashcan has “partial” battery backup, this seems sufficient) allows it to reconnect cellular. However, it does not reconnect its secondary connection unless I first turn off my netgear WiFi router (it’s about 10 feet away) while I reboot the trashcan. 

(Also, I do not see a way to disable WiFi completely on the trashcan. Best I can do is reset WiFi channels to “auto” and reduce their power transmission to 12%. )

On power up, trashcan then reconnects primary and secondary connections (channels b2 and n41 respectively) and speeds and ping are excellent (~180 down, ~25 up, 15 ping). Approx 2-3 bars, mostly 2 bars. Then I can restart the netgear and all is good.
 

Then, wait ~1 day, disconnect occurs, rinse and repeat.

(One reason I don’t think my issues are heat related is because I put the trashcan on the roof (shaded by a cardboard box) and it performed well on a 90* day with no disconnects and 50gb of download). 

0
Userlevel 5
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I am losing connectivity at least 3-4 times per hour (even more than that sometimes!)

I am very frustrated - thought this would be so much better that what we had before, but I am giving it one more month and if there is no improvement I’m switching back to my old provider - NEVER thought I would say that!

External antennal if you have low signal solved all my issues.

 

V

So I have the exact same issue and have seen many people complaining about this issue. That should rule out the tower or something in the area possibilities. 
    I did eventually unhook my google mesh and ran everything directly from the t mobile modem. It seems it is better. It used to reset 2-5 times per day. After disconnecting mesh system it seems to be down to once a day or less. Maybe once every couple days. Again, complete loss of connection when it drop. I did notice I didn’t get my improvement until I not only unhooked my mesh and my 600.00 hundred dollar signal booster but I disconnected them completely so they didn’t put out a signal. I think somehow whatever I’m/your running around the house with a signal effects it ? I know, doesn’t make sense. 
     It is way better. I don’t know what else to do? Have you found any solutions… I see this post is 9 months old…

B
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I would install a router and use it for your wifi. Shut off ALL 12 wifi connections in the gateway. Everything that you can. I have not seen a vendor yet that produces a combo modem/router that behaves well, especially with numerous devices or heavy usage. They normally don’t have enough memory or cpu horsepower to do all things required. You will encounter a few quirks with your own router, but in most cases it probably will not be noticed.

N
Userlevel 2
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@Lextor Yes, definitely a T-Mobile problem. I, too, switched from Verizon and got good speeds the first month. Rebooting the gateway doesn’t seem to fix the issue, however. And I have consistently had 5 bars. Calls to T-Mobile have been fruitless. The last rep I talked to said the drops were caused by tower maintenance, which would be completed in a month. Really? My T-Mobile phone service works fine. But that seems to be the standard response. And it’s now been several months that I’ve had dropped WiFi connections. Really bad.

N
Userlevel 2
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My gateway internet dropped out at least 20 times yesterday, sometimes within minutes after it reconnected. T-Mo customer service said it’s because there is maintenance work going on at the cell tower I connect to and that it will take another several weeks to complete. I find it hard to believe this is the cause of repeated dropped connections that have been going on for over a month now. My phone service is fine, just the internet drops repeatedly using the gateway. There must be a better solution.

S
Userlevel 1
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I have the same issue. My Apple TV will flash a No Network Connected message and my Roku streaming stick will flip back to the no-signal screensaver image. 

These usually last either a few seconds or maybe as much as 30 seconds.

I don’t lose cellular service on my iPhone. I presume the buffering capacity in the streaming devices makes the interruption appear a brief interval after it actually occurs,

Right now it’s not worth ditching T-Mobile’s price, free Netflix, airline wifi, etc.

L

I had to send mine back and cancel the service.  We were getting dropped out of meetings with no warning several times a week, which was unacceptable.  Real shame because XFinity is our only other option here and the TMO gateway speeds were comparable at almost ½ the cost.

S
Userlevel 1
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I used to think it was throttling or congestion then I unplugged it put the device near my ac unit to cool it down completely. After restarting device which felt too warm for comfort beforehand . A very noticable improvement occurred. Also placing by window was not the best spot for me actually room Center gave me 5 bars I was getting ready to return and give up. I imagine that unit's have an internal struggle for possibly maintaining signal , packet info size or 4k compatibility causing heating issues , And eventhough I provided the unit with a heating fan. In the end seems to be working better by having it get a Total cool down when issues arise. Good luck T- Mobilers

Interesting thought.  I have an infrared thermometer near my gateway. Right now it measures 123°F internally under the top grid and about 110° on the metal rim of the top.  I’ll check it later with both TVs on and see.

I tried walking my unit all over the house and didn’t see any difference in bar whether upstairs, downstairs, or on the N/S/E/W side of the house.

A
Userlevel 2
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The last rep I talked to said the drops were caused by tower maintenance, which would be completed in a month. Really? My T-Mobile phone service works fine. But that seems to be the standard response. And it’s now been several months that I’ve had dropped WiFi connections. Really bad.

 

It is a scripted response they use to end the call/close the ticket without anyone really looking into it. They don’t care about making a diagnosis, just follow the script and hope you buy it. It is bad.

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