Bizarre - Orcon Genius router crashing w/photo upload to Facebook

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Bizarre - Orcon Genius router crashing w/photo upload to Facebook

aros71

122 posts

Master Geek

#119514 4-Jun-2013 12:00

This is a strange one.

I have a 100% repeatable anomaly happening with my Orcon Genius router - it's connected through Fibre/UFB - where if I select multiple photos to upload to facebook, it kills the internet connection on the router.

Doesn't matter of the photos are full-size or resized down, and it doesn't matter if I use Chrome or IE. it'll stall doing the upload after about 3 pictures, then I'll start to get howls of protest from The Teenager that the web has died.

bit of investigation seems to indicate that it's lost the route to the DNS server. If I try to connect to my office VPN when it's happened, I still can, but that's by IP address directly so needs no DNS lookup.

Whatever happens, it seems able to survive a router reboot, when the router comes back up the web connection is still dead. Only after a second reboot will it come back.

Can't figure this one out - if I put the 3G stick into the laptop and attempt the same operation, it works fine.

Anyone else experiencing anything like this?

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4305 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#832505 8-Jun-2013 08:17

I remember I had the same thing on my previous router. Then it was dying on some/most speedtest sites just before starting the upload test. You'll find all port 80 traffic is blocked eg https://facebook.com will be ok but not http .

You're going to be in for a world of pain until you can get this escalated. I suggest calling them and getting a ticket number, then post it here or to orcons twitter page to get it followed up.

A router reset to defaults may buy you some time

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

ubergeeknz

3344 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Vocus

#832525 8-Jun-2013 09:44

Most strange. What version of firmware is running on it? If you're not sure flick me a PM with your username so I can take a look.

aros71

122 posts

Master Geek

#832557 8-Jun-2013 10:46

ubergeeknz: Most strange. What version of firmware is running on it?

Genius1423 - Build Time 2012.10.28-17:28:26

MadEngineer

4305 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#832613 8-Jun-2013 12:06

curious to know if speedtest sites (try a few different versions, especially speedtest.inspire.net.nz) do the same as your facebook uploads

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

aros71

122 posts

Master Geek

#832620 8-Jun-2013 12:12

MadEngineer: curious to know if speedtest sites[...] do the same as your facebook uploads

Sometimes, inconsistently. Trouble is, testing it inevitably produces Howls of Protest from The Teenager... I have to choose when to test!!

My fear is, if doing legitimate things can crash the router, how soon before connecting to my work VPN or other work-from-home-related things will start doing it? I got UFB largely because of the added reliability over DSL. To date, I've found that I should have stayed with my D-link router on ADSL. Mood:=disappointed.

Wondering what luck people have had with "real" routers (Fritzbox, etc) against UFB? (My Dlink won't do VLAN tagging on the WAN side nor can Tomato or dd:wrt run in it, so whatever the outcome, I'm gonna have to bend the plastic)

linw

2850 posts

Uber Geek

#832718 8-Jun-2013 16:26

Seriously weird. I am on 30/10 fibre with the Genius v1423 and I have just uploaded 8 photos to Facebook with no trouble at all.

Jarno

270 posts

Ultimate Geek

#832967 9-Jun-2013 12:17

My Genius blocked up the other day when I started a bunch of torrents at the same time. I think it thought it was getting flooded and the firewall slammed down. I restarted the Genius through its web interface. Not a crash as such, but maybe something similar?

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Peppery

919 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#834467 11-Jun-2013 20:59

Not to jump in here, but I have just about had it with the "Genius" modem. At my flat some sites such as YouTube flat out don't work on it, at my parents it likes to just drop the connection. Neither place has any issues holding a stable connection with the old Orcon Dynalink single port ADSL modem (which actually was fantastic). Garbage.

aros71

122 posts

Master Geek

#836165 13-Jun-2013 09:33

MadEngineer: curious to know if speedtest sites (try a few different versions, especially speedtest.inspire.net.nz) do the same as your facebook uploads

Answwer after a few tests: yes. On the upload cycle, it loses all connectivity and requires a restart.

Seems uploading - presumably through Port 80 and/or 443 (assuming that's what FB upload and speedtest are using) is causing the problem.

Is this the firewall? Some experimentation is called for. Might try turning the firewall off and repeating the test.

MadEngineer

4305 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#836202 13-Jun-2013 10:51

disabling the firewall option won't help.

are you filtering doubleclick.net by any chance?

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

aros71

122 posts

Master Geek

#836204 13-Jun-2013 10:53

MadEngineer: are you filtering doubleclick.net by any chance?

Not at the Router level. Only filtering is through AdBlock plugins on browsers etc.

Am going to experimentally turn off QoS on the router, see if that makes any difference. Somewhere there's got to be a log file explaining why the thing suddenly starts dropping packets

ubergeeknz

3344 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Vocus

#836206 13-Jun-2013 10:55

aros71:
MadEngineer: curious to know if speedtest sites (try a few different versions, especially speedtest.inspire.net.nz) do the same as your facebook uploads

Answwer after a few tests: yes. On the upload cycle, it loses all connectivity and requires a restart.

Seems uploading - presumably through Port 80 and/or 443 (assuming that's what FB upload and speedtest are using) is causing the problem.

Is this the firewall? Some experimentation is called for. Might try turning the firewall off and repeating the test.

Sorry I didn't respond to your previous post, I missed it somehow.

Do you have other things happening at the same time as you try to do this - eg torrents?

I have seen Genius bug out at around 270 active connections so limiting the number of peers to about 200-250 should help.

PLEASE don't disable the Firewall.

MadEngineer

4305 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#836207 13-Jun-2013 10:59

you can be doing nothing, with only the one machine connected to the genius router and no other traffic.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

aros71

122 posts

Master Geek

#836208 13-Jun-2013 11:00

ubergeeknz: Do you have other things happening at the same time as you try to do this - eg torrents?

[...]

PLEASE don't disable the Firewall.

Not running any Torrents, P2P or similar.

Internet-connected devices on the network: 4 PCs, iPad, iPod touch, couple of smartphones, a Bluray player and a WDTV box, plus a skype phone. I don't think the number of connections is the problem...

Regarding the firewall. My thought was to drop the firewall, set up a DMZ host, and attach a 2nd router to this, then attach all the network devices to that. Lighten the load on the Genius as much as possible. I have a Dlink wireless router but it can't to VLAN tagging on the WAN side else I'd try putting that straight on the ONT.

MadEngineer

4305 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#836213 13-Jun-2013 11:06

next time it does it, try entering a website into the content/web filter section, such as google.com.au. Save/apply, and then remove it.

I think you'll find the issue clears for at least a few hours, or you'll at least be able to browse again, until you try uploading to facebook or running a speedtest again.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

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