Internet connection drops and modem lights are white but unresponsive.

[Jjenkins260]

I just switched to Bell Fibe. Once or twice daily,, my connection drops. The lights on the modem are white but they are unresponsive when I push them. I usually have to unplug from power and plug back in to get it to work again. When it works, I get the speed I'm paying for.

My previous provider didn't have any of these issues. The only difference between them and Bell is the modem. Could it be a bad modem?

[BellPatricia]

Good day @Jjenkins260 

Thanks for your post and welcome to the Bell community 🙂

That would be frustrating and we want to help in any way we can. 

Can you clarify:

• Which modem you have?
• Does the issue affect both Wi‑Fi and wired devices at the same time?
• Can you access the modem's interface when the problem occurs (192.168.2.1)?
• Do you have a third-party router, switch or mesh systems connected?

When the issue occurs try running the Virtual repair tool as  it can help detect issues with your network. We also recommend reviewing this helpful How To for some additional troubleshooting tips Internet not working? Try these quick fixes.

Let us know how everything is going,

@BellPatricia 

[Jjenkins260]

Hi @BellPatricia ,

The modem is a Sagecom Fast5697

When the problem happens  I haven't tried to connect to the modem's interface. I'll try that next time.
I do have a TP-Link Deco mesh system connected. It is setup as a wired Dynamic IP and it shows as off line when the Sagecom freezes.
I have turned off the wifi on the Sagecom and use the wifi from the Deco using a different subnet than what the Sagecom would boadcast.

I have run the virtual repair tool everytime the problem happens. And everytime I endup having to unplug and plug back in the Sagecom power connection which resolves the issue.

I can turn on the Sagecome wifi and see if we can connect to that when the problem happens. But it seems as if the modem is freezing. The lights for the arrows and OK button are lit up and when I press them nothing happens and even pressing the reset button on the side of the modem doesn't reboot it. Only unpluging and plugging back in.

I'm tempted to switch back to my other provider's modem again as that one was working without any issues.

Thanks, Jason

[Jjenkins260]

 @BellPatricia some more info. When the connection drops, I can't connect to the modem interface.
I turned the wifi back on on the Sagecome and when the connection fails, I don't see the SSID when I look for a wifi network. The only network SSID I see is the one for my mesh system.
The lights on the front of the modem are white but don't do anything when I press them. I do see a green and yellow light on the port that I have connected to my mesh system but they aren't flashing.

And the other thing I've noticed is when I reboot the sagecom or disconnect the power and connect it again (which seems to be the only thing that works to fix the problem), I get 2 cycles of Error 1201 and then everything connects and starts working. I'm not sure if that is normal behaviour as the modem is booting up or not.

Thanks, Jason

[Jjenkins260]

@BellPatricia, one last test I did. I connected back to my previous provider modem and since I did that haven't had any internet disconnections.
I did plug in the Sagecom modem, just connected it to power, It came up and I could push the buttons and see the modem menu. That was yesterday evening. This morning when I check the Sagecom, pressing the buttons on the front does nothing, The modem menu doesn't come up. Pressing the reset/restart button does nothing. When I pressed it yesterday after plugging the modem in, it showed a question on the modem menu screen.

My next test is going to be to plug it into a different power plug and see what happens. But to me I think I have a bad modem.

[BellPatricia]

Hey @Jjenkins260 

Thank you for your reply and for the additional details.

Error 1201 typically indicates that the modem is receiving a weak or no light signal through the fibre optic cable, preventing internet access. You mentioned you recently activated the service. Did a technician come and install the modem or was this a self installation? 

We would like to dig into this a bit more and I will send you a private message soon so we can discuss.  Please check your Messages within your profile avatar in the top right corner.

Unsure how to check or send a private message? See How to send a private message

@BellPatricia