Question

5G home internet keeps dropping



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Yeah, that’s what I figured. I’m amazed that so many people seem to have the same complaint but no one knows how to get T-Mobile to pay attention and fix it.

I’ve notice that at least 1-2 times a week, my wifi shuts down at the same time every time. Not only that, even though my device says the WiFi is excellent

 which by the way, what ticks me off even more was after they asked me how I was enjoying their service and I told them I was happy with it and had no problems, THATS when everything went downhill. Literally within 8 hours of them asking me. And has not stopped since. 

4 days with the T-Mobile 5G Home Internet router, with about 5 hours uptime. Initial setup went smooth added about 5 devices to test.  I moved the device to another location and fine for a couple hour and everything disconnected .

What i noticed was that the battery was 100% charged when it disconnected, after reboot the device came back on says was connected, but was not.   Reboot several times same issue (connected but not). No w-fi broadcast or direct router to PC connection working.

Overnight left router on discharged to 85%. Next afternoon. Turn off for 1 hour, reboot same issue.  and once plugged in to power, the battery did not show a charging status.

Discharged the battery down to 77%, powered back up and got a message as in the initial setup. The battery status showed charging and was able to connect with direct connection to PC. My setup rename was still there and was able to connect my other device to WiFi.

Once the battery charge status hit 100% everything disconnected once again.

 

Mine drops daily 1-5 times and has consistently done so for 2 months now. I am on my third gateway. T-Mobile support has not found anything that prevents it but restarting always solves it. 

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I would to have this that maybe it’s not the device that is having problems but maybe possibly something could be blocking the signal from the tower to the router or maybe the tower is having problems with getting the signal to the router.

My complaint is about the MiFi hotspot. I purchase this service so that I could work from home having said that I am locked into a two-year contract for service that I cannot use. I am lost for words. I called support only to be told that there are two towers down and that I am on a tower in the middle and that the problem should be fixed by Tuesday. Well I start training Monday morning and cannot even connect to the Internet so I guess it’s too bad for me🤬

I am having the same disconnect problem. I have called support 8 times, and they have sent out two replacement gateways. Same problem. I have a consistent good signal. I can go a couple of weeks with no disconnects and then have a few days in a row where I am restarting the gateway multiple times just to get internet service. 

The customer support all use the same flow chart and I get to the same place every time. They have me to a factory reset followed by a speed test and then say we will call back tomorrow to see how things are working. Usually it disconnects right after I hang up with them.

I am think it is time to consider an alternative ISP.

Worked so very well yesterday. We are 4 days into our trial. 
 

Today nothing!!! T-Mobile techs state that their customers are experiencing congestion on the network. We live within two miles of 4 towers.

 

Priority is given to cell phone customers first.  5G Home Internet is not a priority, therefore throttling is applied.  Need to increase their capacity to provide seem less  uptime connectivity.

Having the same issue. Tower says it's on and has signal but nothing will connect to it, it doesn't even appear when we search for networks on our TV or phones. This is the first it has happened to us. 

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?

II am having the exact same issues as you. It's a huge problem because I am working from home and my calls keep dropping for no reason. Even though the strength is at 3 or 4 bars, out of nowhere I have a big X on the box that says connection lost. This is not a good look for me where my job is concerned. They are going to send me back to the office because of T-Mobile. I have supposedly upgraded to the newer box which is black. I have no faith at all that this is going to work.

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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

5am and 8am. Unusable. 

This service is so HORRIBLE!!! I can’t even cancel it. After factory resetting the gateway, I couldn’t get it to connect to the tower; even if it did, it would drop whenever any device connected to it. I called customer service to cancel. They asked me for a pin. I had never setup a pin. I had to go to a store where they promptly said they don’t take care of pins. I called back customer  service and a rep asked me to have the store identify myself and they will reset the pin. I visited the store again. This time my pin was reset. The rep on the phone said it will take 24 hours to process the return label, but there was none in my email after 24 hours. I called customer service again and they said they need to transfer me to the home internet line and I was on hold for over 30 mins. 

I am going to file a complaint with the FCC and also contact a law firm. This sort of treatment and product service is begging for a class action law suit.

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I was sent out the new black box . This has resolved my dropping issues. I was buffering for a while  losing 5g to 4g with it. I moved the box to a new location in my home. The new software show the signal from the tower with your gps location. I also gained a bar to good on connection with the new goods

 

also for anyone wanting a work around the keep connect box works great fro checking your connection then auto resetting your modem. You can find it on Amazon. I sent mine back hope i don’t need it again.

 

Knocking on wood….

As many of you in the community has stated, T-mobile’s 5G wifi is well stocked with issues. I am not new to networking protocol and setup opportunities, so I expected some challenges with this service. Yes, I have experienced multiple dropped broadcast from the router, issues with 5Ghz and 2,4Ghz selection, etc. The main thing that is really driving me crazy with this is everytime the system fails, I have to completely reset all my devices to be recognized on the wifi. Once or twice I don’t mind doing, but in the 48 hours that I have had this service I have spent more time with wifi connectivity management than I have with “enjoying” the service. The carrot of 5Ghz for $50 sounded too good to be true, and so far it has only disappointed. Don’t think I can kick xfinity to the curb yet.

Very disappointed.

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I commonly have 15 devices reported as connected to this GW and have had around 23-24 reported when I was setting up additional clients. I can't say I have seen significant heat for sure. This one is hardware version 3TG00739AAAA. I don’t know if maybe it is a hardware revision that might be responsible for the behavior maybe. I have never seen this one report an alarm for over temp. I even put it out on the back porch in 88 degree weather for hours and it ran warmer but did not report any issue with over heating. It was warmer than what I have seen it but it continued to run. I see no evidence of a fan but there are two pretty good sized heat sinks on the components. Too bad the HTML software does not have any reporting for temperature. The software seems to be missing many necessary troubleshooting features currently.

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@jlillard it fluctuates. Anywhere between 60 and 220 down, and 8 and 35 up.

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It sounds like you’re getting a 5G signal which might mean your device is running even hotter...especially if the signal is not the best.  Someone linked to this YouTuber before but he’s got a lot of great videos on this device.  This one shows that adding some weather stripping can cool the device even more.

There are several other videos that cover getting a better signal.  I remember him saying that some people get a better signal with the device on its side.  What I’m remembering for your scenario is that in one video I believe he talked about covering the device with aluminum foil in order to block your device from connecting to a particular tower or signal.  I’m wondering if you could use that technique to block the 5G signal and stick with a 4G signal instead.

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I really wanted to drop xfinity. I got T-mobile in April while keeping xfinity in case. For 2 months, T-mobile was great and fast. Then about a week ago, my signal started to drop. Now it's up to almost every couple of hours. I'll give T-mobile another month to get it right. If they can't, I'll return and cancel. 

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@Fredreed I unplugged it again and did another walk around the house.  Aside from one spot in the house that I get four bars about 5% of the time, and 2 bars the rest of the time, I think it’s in the best spot.  Whatever’s happening seems to be getting worse, as I’m now up to my fourth crash in two days.  

I have 4 bars had my device in same location by window for a year no problems what so ever 2 to 3 months after the one year drops internet all the time they gave me a new gateway and guess what same no internet connection why would things work perfect for a year then mess up I don't get it

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How the Hell do we get any resolutions from this absolutely gigantic fail of a support system at T-Mobile? Support   Are any T-Mobile people monitoring? Probably not because they don’t want to address this issue!  I have called over ten times over a month for this issue and keep being told either an Engineer will call back or that my problem ticket number is expired! WHAT THE FK!   This has got to be the worst support EVER!!!

It’s a shame Tmobile has fallen into the trap as all the other cell providers, gain a huge market share and stop helping customers. 

 

I have a Nokia trash can modem and had issues on day one, wouldn't connect to 5g, was sent another modem and it worked for maybe 8 or 9 months and i was very happy with it until 2 weeks ago. It too started dropping 5g that could be reconnected with a modem reboot last week that option failed and after several calls to a “Expert” they agreed to send me a new router.  I got that 3 days ago and it too can't connect to 5g, here it is 3 days later , several wasted hours on the phone with a “Expert” asking me if the modem is near a window, does it have a singal bar in the display etc etc.  I am amazed that when I asked to speak to a next level tech I was informed that was not a option.   I called corporate office to ask for a tech number that wasn't a phone bank of scripted people and was patched to another department who once answered sent me back to the home internet helpline and he has very limited knowledge of it. 

As I write this am on hold at 27 minutes to talk with someone.

Maybe tmobile uses text searches so if so Abdul Saad start training your people. 

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… it worked for maybe 8 or 9 months and i was very happy with it until 2 weeks ago. It too started dropping 5g that could be reconnected with a modem reboot last week that option failed ...

 

Same thing with me.  Always fanned and worked reliably for 9 months, then for whatever reason, the Nokia gateway decided to switch from reliable n41 5G band, to n71.  Horrible after that, with slower speeds and constant drop outs.

 

Rebooting and restarting (NOT resetting) the gateway did nothing.  Still stayed on n71.  As a last resort, I removed the Nokia battery, and cold-started it.  It chose n41 once again, and has been stable for over 2 weeks now.

 

Maybe the battery keeps the band configuration, and by removing it, forces the gateway to start from scratch with band choice.

 

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Have the LTE router and it crashes all the time.  When I’m away there’s no way to reset it. Sometimes calling T-Mobile they can remotely reset it. Often it doesn’t work. 
 

T-Mobile recommended the 5G Trashcan as a fix. Bummed to see others still having the exact same problem with a completely different model. 
 

We’ll see…

Also, no remote reboot is a bummer  

 

I have the grey round gateway. It was first installed in August 2021, required a reboot at firt every other week, then every 10 days or so, then daily. Some people on this thread wonder if it has anything to do with towers, cell signals, and what-not. It doesn’t. I’m sure you can see it on your phone when the gateway drops the internet, your phone can browse just fine. They replaced my gateway, sent the same type - grey and round. And of course referbished. They never send anything new if it is a replacement. The support for the TMo internet is in the Phillipines and they are pretty much useless on top of being very difficult to work with them.

As many others mentioned, it is not possible to look at the actual network settings of the gateway as there is no user interface on the gateway to do that. The only way to solve the connection issue is to power cycle the gateway.

My gateway is sitting on a constantly running fan to prevent the gateway from overheating. It helps to keep the temperature down but does not solve the disconnect problem. Both WiFi frequencies are disabled to keep the temperature down. My router is my WiFi access point. When I connect to the gateway, either from my computer (→ ASUS router → ethernet cable to the gateway) or from my phone using the app, it shows the connection is good, no red Xes, as if everything should be working. It isn’t. I may have to purchase the Keep Connect box. It’s crazy that TMo will force users to spend money on a gadget to reboot their device instead of exposing those settings in the gateway itself. Stupid, all I can say. Let us manage our network devices. Those who don’t want/care/know how to do it, will not mess with it. But others can look at those settings, at a minimum be able to schedule reboots and check the simple DHCP, DNS, IP settings.

It’s a good idea but a totally crappy implementation. Fix it or people will be dumping your internet gateways. It’s extremely unreliable.

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