I've had 5G home internet service for about two months, after two weeks it started acting up. For about five times a day all my devices connected to the Arcadyan KVD21 gateway lose internet yet stay connected to wifi, I've tried everything! Do I need to replace my gateway? Very frustrating.
Thank you for the information.
Please keep us updated on any new developments regarding a resolution to our Wi-Fi drop issues.
Hopefully this can be resolved quickly before we are forced to close our accounts and pursue another ISP service company.
+8
It is premature to assume that. The move to deploy the n41 is to have improved data capabilities with less congestion. The millimeter frequency is shorter and has greater capacity. If it is done correctly and the cells are not overloaded it should be a nice speed increase. Here that was the result after the n41 deployment. My RSRP metrics report much lower but the RSRQ and SINR both improved so the end result is much better performance and almost 2x the speeds both up and down load. I was skeptical when I saw the n41 surface here but after ~4 days of intermittent disruptions the n41 came on to stay and it has been very good. Stay positive and hope for the best.
It looks like the stores are no longer stocking Nokia 5g gateway. I spoke with another representative and said the tower is going to get a capacity upgrade 4Q2022. There is a capacity issue at the tower at the moment.
According to my Sagecom Gateway, I only have access to the N71 band (low band low capacity) connection.
I assume if and whey they upgrade, Tmo will add the N41 band (mid band higher capacity). Is everyone experiencing the frequent drops only connecting to the N71 5G band?
Same issue on N41.
Hey everyone, I do actually have a remedy that will go a long way to solving some of these issues around constant disconnects. Not saying it will work for everyone but it worked for us where we were constantly getting dropped from video business meetings.
Out of the box the 5688W comes with the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz network selection as automatic. Don’t know about the other router models but assuming the same. This basically means that any devices you connect to the network will automatically connect to the 5Ghz network (faster but lesser range) unless the 5Ghz is out of range in which case they will connect to the 2.4Ghz (slower but greater range). This can actually cause an issue with functionality of some 2.4Ghz only IoT devices (e.g. my craftsman garage door opener) as they will automatically try to connect a network that doesn’t support them creating a whole new set of problems. Additionally networks can become ‘bogged down’ if too many devices are connected to them. Every single smart light bulb or plug etc. counts as a connected device. I was >50 devices.
If you log into the TMO app and select the Network tab you will see default network shows as Frequency Band = Automatic (recommended). To remedy the situation take the default network and under Frequency Band select the dropdown and change this network to either 5Ghz or 2.4Ghz (doesn’t matter which) and name it accordingly. Then click the pink (I used to work for TMO and they hate their magenta being referred to as pink 😊) + icon in the bottom right hand corner which will allow you to add a second network. If you chose the default network to be 2.4Ghz ensure this new one is 5Ghz and vice versa remembering to make sure you name it accordingly.
Now you will have to completely separated and easily selectable networks. One 2.4Ghz and one 5Ghz. Every connected device in your house will lose connectivity at this point and will need to be reconnected. Now comes the painful part. You need to redo the setup process for everything. Smart TV’s, Fire TV’s, Plugs, Bulbs, AC, Oven, Fridge, Irrigation, Security Cameras, Tablets literally everything. When going through this process ensure that you connect them all to the 2.4Ghz network. Anything where connectivity is not critical, sideline them all onto this new network.
This should leave your 5Ghz network completely empty and reserved for anything that is time critical. For my Wife and I this is purely our work laptops and cellphones as we both spend most of our days on zoom/teams/conference calls etc. We went through weeks of constantly having to restart the router and it would always happen right in the middle of a critical work call. Since I went through this process a few weeks ago we haven’t seen a single drop for work calls.
Hope this works for you
This continuing modem dropping issue is very frustrating especially when we’re out traveling and our security system isn’t functioning. The only way to get it back up and operating is to unplug the modem, wait for a few minutes and then plug it back in. Should this continue, we’ll be closing our “T-Mobile” account as well. We can’t afford to have our security and monitoring systems compromised.
Too bad the “Gateway” modem can’t be restarted and back on line without physically unplugging and rebooting it. Does help where no one’s available?
This started happening to me back in July. I ultimately had to cancel my T-Mobile home Internet because it just wasn’t working for us. It was nearly flawless for the first seven or eight months of service. Easily over 300 Mbps for all of our (20+) devices. It was a dream replacement for our cable Internet that was just getting more and more expensive. However, no Internet just doesn’t work, so we replaced it with Verizon 4G LTE which is admittedly MUCH slower. Slower, but reliable and always present. That works for us. I am very sad that T-Mobile quit on us. It was great while it lasted. I think that our usage got us bumped off. We routinely used in excess of 1,600 Gb of data monthly. Interestingly, though, during this time our phone’s 5G failed to provide Internet for us. To get an Internet connection with our phones, we needed to downgrade to LTE. 5G would connect, but it wouldn’t provide ANY Internet access. That is clearly unacceptable for a home Internet solution.
This continuing modem dropping issue is very frustrating especially when we’re out traveling and our security system isn’t functioning. The only way to get it back up and operating is to unplug the modem, wait for a few minutes and then plug it back in. Should this continue, we’ll be closing our “T-Mobile” account as well. We can’t afford to have our security and monitoring systems compromised.
+8
If it requires a reboot that often I would be inclined to believe the gateway has a problem and a replacement might be needed. I think you should bring the behavior up with support. If you can do so at a local T-Mobile store that might be helpful.
I’ve been using T-Mobile 5-G for about seven months now. At first I was having to restart the gateway several times each day. Then for a while between Thanksgiving and Christmas I didn’t have to restart it at all. I had read about the problems with overheating so I’ve put the gateway on a shelf under an end table where there are no other heat sources near by. Since New Years Day I have had to restart the gateway on average once or twice each day. It’s really frustrating to be in the middle of a movie or a football game and have to restart the gateway.
+8
Yes, that information has been out there for a while. When there is congestion the phones have priority over the home internet gateways on the same cellular frequencies. The voice traffic is more sensitive to interruption than data traffic so increases in cellular calls over the same cells can lead to this.
Building the solution with sufficient capacity for bandwidth to reduce the need for the prioritization for the cell phone traffic is the goal of any good network architect. I am sure there are areas where the cell density and bandwidth is not as robust as is required to provision sufficient bandwidth for everything. Hopefully T-Mobile will be able to overcome the challenges and also restrain from over subscription.
I see some comments here that are questionable. Now to be clear, I don’t think T-Mobile is perfect by no means, but the disillusioned people that consider high dollar Verizon the “only” way to go, and the unreliable AT&T farce, T-Mobile certainly stands out. I switched to T-Mobile way back when they were a nobody and began the no contract(un-carrier) craze that forced every carrier to follow. They were definitely the best value, they had you assigned to a fixed customer support location( I live in SC and mine was in Charleston) which was great, and always answered immediately with an English speaking rep. I have never before or since experienced such great support from any company hands down. Now, due to their growth and merger with Sprint, they can(understandably)no longer provide this personal support now, but it will take a lot to get me to move away from them. Now if you wish to pay more and go to a no better solution, all power to you. T-Mobile has the largest 5G network (although others lie about theirs being the largest and the best), the best deals and prices on their service, and my commitment through these growing pains. I only have 3 bars on my Nokia Gateway bust get as high as 700-800/60 speeds. My bill is constantly the same amount(unlike every month different with AT&T) and constant problems with Spectrum even though they had sufficient speeds. Never tried high dollar Version but I have service when others with Verizon sometimes don’t. I too am seeing some problems with internet that I didn’t see at first, but I fail to believe it is intentional by throttling but I could be mistaken. Anyway, life is full of frustrations, and we become more and more inpatient and feel like we deserve the very best with no interruptions. However, sometimes “we bite off our nose to spite our face” and have regrets later. So, if you’re new to T-Mobile, I am aware that you are unfamiliar with how they really stood out at a period in time, but hang in there, I don’t think you will regret it. If you are a longtime customer, maybe you can confirm what I think. By the way, I do not work for T-Mobile. I have no incentive to bragg on them. I just have been there through the ups and downs and am confident they have saved me a considerable amount of money. Remember, Apple used to be the most expensive phone by a long shot, but look at the prices now on others, ie:Samsung, Google, OnePlus, etc. So I’m staying with Apple also but not because I’m diehard Apple. They just happen to provide some very reliable equipment. Thanks for letting me sound off!
I have been with T-Mobile for almost 12 years and switched to the home internet. I spent 3 full days with great speeds. Now I experience sporadic drops in connection all the time. It's them definitely throttling speeds as home users have lower prioritization on the network. Don't advertise this as a home internet replacement when it doesn't behave like so.
Looks like Tmo deprioritizes home internet users. I found this article on the Internet
Speed claims
It wasn’t all rosy for T-Mobile. Charter argued that because T-Mobile Home Internet customers share the same network as mobile users but are prioritized last, consumers may experience much slower speeds than advertised during times of congestion.
Looks like Tmo deprioritizes home internet users. I found this article on the Internet
Speed claims
It wasn’t all rosy for T-Mobile. Charter argued that because T-Mobile Home Internet customers share the same network as mobile users but are prioritized last, consumers may experience much slower speeds than advertised during times of congestion.
This is starting to feel like a class action lawsuit waiting to happen. You can't offer a home internet service that is highly unreliable without some blowback.
+8
If it is a company machine they may have to do so as many do lock down the clients so the users don't have administrative access. At HPE we did have administrative privileges and for our job it was imperative as we were doing network troubleshooting and remediation for customers. To run WireShark in its full capacity you really need to have administrative access. It may just be that T-Mobile has the traffic controls set where throttling of the traffic is a bit aggressive and that leads to the problem.
If you can get the cellular metrics reported from the gateway it might help. Knowing if you have a strong signal is not enough. Knowing the RSRQ, signal receive quality, and the SINR, signal to noise ratio are actually important to know. If the signal is clean, i.e. good quality with low signal to noise ratio, the performance is usually better as there is less packet loss and/or damage. The session flow is smoother as there are fewer retransmits and better utilization of the bandwidth available. A stronger signal is a good thing but if it is dirty well it will not perform well. If you have the Sagemcon or the Arcadyan gateway the only way to get the metrics reporting is with the T-Mobile home internet mobile application on your phone. The bars on the LED screen are very generic and do not tell you much as you probably can tell. If you get 3-5 bars that would be best. Lower well, it is not much to write home about. Knowing the cellular signal band is helpful for understanding and expectations as well. We are rural in east TN and when they bumped us from the n71 to the n41 I had some concerns at first as I have seen numerous users writing about how the n41 was great for a month or so and then went horrible. So far it has been working extremely well. I think they do a better job with the n41 deployments in the rural areas than in a densely populated urban area. In some markets they need more cells than they probably deploy and tend to overload the cells and try to get by with more bandwidth controls. Just my thoughts.
The cloud based application and the client most likely do not use the normal TCP ports for the session once established. You could load WireShark and take a packet capture of the client to server session communication to determine how they communicate. If there is heavier traffic load on the cell there is probably some traffic throttling taking place which might lead to delay and the interruption to the established session. If there is packet loss or retransmissions the capture with Wireshark could help determine what it taking place. If there is packet damage or loss then there would be evidence to the effect in retransmissions. The expert analysis in Wireshark can help pick it apart provide clues.
Thank you for this idea. I am talking to an IT friend about doing this for me.
+8
The cloud based application and the client most likely do not use the normal TCP ports for the session once established. You could load WireShark and take a packet capture of the client to server session communication to determine how they communicate. If there is heavier traffic load on the cell there is probably some traffic throttling taking place which might lead to delay and the interruption to the established session. If there is packet loss or retransmissions the capture with Wireshark could help determine what it taking place. If there is packet damage or loss then there would be evidence to the effect in retransmissions. The expert analysis in Wireshark can help pick it apart provide clues.
I am in a rural area and the T-Mobile service has been a godsend. It does drop out on occasion but it is much better than the AT&T 2MB service which is simply unusable. I also agree that it was better six months ago than it is now.
I am having a problem though with cloud based programs. For example, I utilize a company that hosts their software in the cloud and I will repeatedly get disconnected from it and have to sign back in every couple of minutes. It seems like there are momentary spikes of interruption that are enough to disconnect the service. This does not appear during normal web browsing, although it could be happening and is just not noticed.
Has anyone experienced this with an online service and have you found out any method of troubleshooting it?
I have had the same problem. Good reliability for the first month or so and then started dropping out for an hour or two at a time. A week or so ago it dropped out and did not return. We were gone for the last month or so with our motor home. I’d call tech support and all they could offer was to rest the gateway which obviously I couldn’t do when not home, We returned home a couple of days ago and I promptly called Cox to reinstate our internet service, I then called T-mobile to cancel my internet with them. They asked why and I explained that I needed reliable service for my thermostats, security cameras, etc when we are traveling. After I said that they said no problem and proceeded to process the cancellation and sent me a return label for the gateway. The fact that they made no effort to convince me to stay makes me believe that they know their service is unreliable and there is nothing they can do about it.
My impression is that cellphone data does trump home internet data, and that may explain why, at least here, the drop outs mainly seem to occur during rush hours. Still very annoying and IMO this service is only usable for non-critical apps or as a backup, which is how I use it here when my business-class Comcast goes on the fritz.
I signed up and requested 3 gateways. I got NOKIAS ( labeled refurbished) One at my main home just was not going to cut it with 2 bars and 7MBPS. Another at a home 30 miles away is pushing 550-600 as I can see the tower. Perfect. The other one 200 miles away at another home was awesome from install to about 3 weeks in and was also pushing 5 bars and 650-700MBPS . I have cameras, smart lights, thermostat, etc and it just started dropping off intermittently. data usage is low, and I suspect a bad unit, A new (refurbished one) was shipped and I will install in a couple days. I just hope it lasts as I only get there 2 X /mo but I run all my systems on it. ON a chat I was told I was getting throttled, but for what??? 24 Gigs a month at a place I don't live at? That was not in my plan and they clarified that. Hey, I just want consistent good service. I've heard that the NOKIAS have issues, as well as the ARKADYIANS, so what is the resolve? I was also told that broadband is controlled by my rep, and once it is full, no more gateways would be available at the tower. But does Cell phone data trump the gateways?
I just cant get a straight answer. I’m happy so far but if a salesperson, on a recorded line says something, it needs to be true. I love the company after 32 years with ATT, but just give me what you say you are going to give me.
Mine is the Nok 5g21. It started to do what everybody complained: Dropping connection-reboot-work for some time and do it again.
Did the following: Switch it OFF, extract the SIM card (it had a nice fingerprint over the “gold” contacts, dark of dirt!). Cleaned it with a rubber eraser and rubbing alcohol, Reset the unit with the small reset button. Turned ON. After two days now and it has not failed.
Not to say problem solved as time will tell. But, what kind of people are installing SIM cards on these units? Not to divert from the main issue, but anybody knows why T-Mobile restricts access to Port 21 ?? My gateway and cell phone can’t, but Verizon does work.
+8
The cellular wireless 5G solution is not a simple solution that will work for everyone. Transmitting through the airwaves will always have challenges. A fixed wired solution that is a mature technology is going to be more reliable. Maybe one day cellular technology will evolve to be a more stable and robust delivery system but it does have a way to go yet.
I think it is important to remember that the objective cellular vendors have is to reduce overhead costs and boost the revenue returns for investors. In some markets the solution is working but but as expected not for ALL users. If they focus primarily on the bottom line and don’t attend to the problems it will continue to be inferior. End to end details make great companies. Execution does matter.
Ours does the same thing, when I called about it, the lady said they were updating and that it would never happen again...needless to say it's still happening
I switched back to cable two days ago.
Now I can rest and not worry about Zoom calls dropping, my VOIP not completing and be able to watch streaming videos without a gateway reboot interruption.
I am curious if any one is lucky to be in area that has Verizion FWA to see if that service if more reliable.
Just called Customer Service for similar issues: 1) Home Internet drops tower connection randomly; and, 2) The iOS Internet app does not connect to my gateway.
Here are the answers I just received from Customer Service.
Regarding the dropped connections: T-Mobile’s internet service is not a secure wired connection like competitors. So a good connection depends on alot of factors. Translation: T-mobile is not as reliable! If you want reliability, get a wired connection.
Regarding the iOS app: That is a known issue. They have no target date to resolve. Find someone with an Android device and use that. Translation: T-mobile does not have the technical skill set (internal or external) to fix an app that provides extremely basic functionality.
Sounds like Tmobile adopted an interesting business model.
+8
I cannot argue with that. I am so glad my Nokia still has the web GUI for management. The mobile application is a poor solution for gateway management.
This morning, I have 4 bars.
Running Time 5d 3h 59m 45s
I hope this means my loss of Internet problem is finally fixed.
Agreed, rotating the gateway does make a difference. Arcadyan KVD21 has a display with buttons on one side. Initially I had the display opposite (away) from the window so it’s easy to read. Now, I have it turned almost 90 degrees to the right. I also put it on top of a box, on the table, to raise it up higher in the window, with blackout curtains to protect it from the sun. I always use an UPS.
I sure wish there were more details available, and more configuration options. The manual says I should be able to configure gateway settings from a browser on a real computer. All I can see is a status screen. It does not have anyplace to log in, so I am stuck squinting at the lame phone app. These tired old eyes need a full size monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I hate phones. That’s a children's toy.
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