*** This post was last edited May 2, 2017 ***
Good morning Community,
As I mentioned in a post two days ago, we have received the next firmware 2.0.10.20 from Hitron. We are currently running initial testing on this version and will push it out to participants in the firmware trial program as soon as it passes initial testing.
However, while running these tests, we discovered abnormal behavior with ICMP and are awaiting feedback from Hitron today to asses how this will be addressed. As soon as I this is confirmed, I’ll update the change log with the correct version information and start pushing it out.
In parallel, we are still working on the following high priority items. In some cases below, I requested affected customers to reach out to me via private message. If you do so, please include your modem MAC address in the subject line (even if we exchange messages daily) as there are a lot of you reaching out to me daily 🙂
UDP Packet Loss
The investigation for what has been reported as UDP packet loss is still ongoing. We have deployed a probe at one fellow forum member on both a CODA-4582 and a CGNM-3552 to collect additional data. We are actively working with Hitron and Intel on the results observed.
Based on what we know so far, in most instances UDP packet loss is coupled with higher uplink usage in the area. Although the impact is noticeable in specific logs (League of Legends), the root cause for the perceivable impact (while playing) is likely related to bufferbloat (see next issue).
Bufferbloat
When comparing the performance of a CODA-4582 to a CGNM-3552 in the same network conditions, the CODA-4582 consistently reports higher bufferbloat when tested on DSLReports.
Update April 12: The solution for this problem will come in two folds. It will require a change in software which will possibly be included in 2.0.10.27 but more likely in 2.0.10.28 and a change in network configuration.
The network configuration change is not compatible with the current firmware so this change will only come after a vast majority of the modems are running the new code. We are however looking at a way to make the change only for specific modems to support testing in the community.
Update April 22: This problem seems resolved in firmware 2.0.10.27
5 GHz WiFi Low range for channels 36 to 48
Lower WiFi channels on the modem have a much smaller range. This is due in part to the limit imposed by Industry Canada to maximum transmit power.
Furthermore, the current automatic channel selection (auto mode) tends to select the lower channels when in similar load conditions.
Workaround: manually select higher channels (149-153-157-161)
Update April 22: The channel selection algorithm has been improved in firmware 2.0.10.27
Loss of OFDM Channel Lock
Under some RF conditions, the modem fails to lock properly on the OFDM channel. This typically result in variable performance.
Update April 12: This problem is resolved in 2.0.10.26T2
List of connected device does not get fully populated
This is a known issue that has been tracked since firmware 2.0.10.13. We are making improvements at every firmware but it is not a perfect system.
The situation is worst after a reboot or firmware upgrade as the list gets reset and must be repopulated as devices renew their DHCP lease.
NAT Loopback not working for wired clients
When setting up port forwarding to an internal server, it is possible for a client on WiFi to reach the server using the external IP/port. If the client is on a wired interface, it doesn't work.
Update April 12: This problem is resolved in 2.0.10.26T2 (not confirmed)
LAN Counters not working
Some customers reported that LAN counters (especially in bridge mode) are reporting inaccurate values.
This problem has been reported to Hitron for investigation.
Unexpected modem reboot
Some customers reported their modem reboots unexpectedly. We have also seen this behavior in our lab.
Update April 12: This problem is resolved in 2.0.10.26T2
Missing SC-QAM Channels
After a reboot, some modems are missing SC-QAM channels. A fix has been implemented in 2.0.10.26T2 to address this behavior but it has not corrected all scenarios.
Investigation continues with Hitron.
WiFi Survey
The WiFi Survey functionality in firmware 2.0.10.26T2 (and possibly before) reports incorrect SSID names.
Guest Network
When connecting to the Guest Network, an error message is displayed "only allow DHCP client to use this wireless". This has been reported in firmware 2.0.10.26T2.
Update April 22: This issue has been resolved in firmware 2.0.10.27
Update May 2: It seems this issue is not fully resolved and still experienced by some users
Future Planned Improvements
The following are items that we are working on in parallel of the above.
- Improvement in WiFi speeds
- Improvement in latency / bufferbloat
Dave
*Edited Labels*
@dantheman61 the best guess at this point is that the Bell modem has its QOS priority set so that game packets (UDP) are given a much higher priority over any TCP/IP packets. A speedtest with www.speedtest.net is a TCP/IP speedtest. I would say from your results that the Rogers modem QOS priority is much different. End result, TCP/IP and UDP are given the same priority, but thats just a guess. @RogersDave would be able to provide the specifics on the QOS priority of the Hitron modems. On top of this, there is a problem with UDP packet loss thru the modem and latency for UDP packets for any of the CGN3 series modem and the CGNM-3552.
You indicated that you tried this without the R7000. What happens when you use the R7000 and set the QOS so that UDP game packets have the highest priority and TCP/IP the lowest priority? If you end up with the same results where the ping time skyrockets, my guess would be that the R7000 isn't differentiating between UDP and TCP/IP packets. If this is a huge issue for you, possibly the only way to resolve this is to move to Bell, or buy a managed switch were you can assign the priorities as you prefer.
Doesn't that ported Merlin version have the Adaptive QOS that the baseline Asus firmware has? Maybe its been removed? I don't believe that the traditional QOS is compatible with the NAT Acceleration either, so if you have QOS enabled, it will most likely kick off the NAT Acceleration, which then drops the router throughput. I don't think this is a Docsis issue. If you're running a speedtest, then you're maxing out the downstream and upstream channels. It would appear that neither the Rogers modem, or router is differentiating between the TCP/IP stream and the ICMP stream, so, your ICMP ping test appears to suffer when either of those are fitting in the ICMP packets on a best effort basis. Moral of the story, don't run a ping test when you're already running a speedtest. Maybe Adaptive QOS will yield better results. You will probably find the same results across a majority of modems and routers so this should not be a surprise. If this is really a problem for you, then you need better control over your network with a managed switch that offers port and protocol priority. With that available, you can set the bandwidth and protocol priority as you prefer. That's going to be a little expensive, but if that's what you're insisting on, I don't see any other way to do it. Maybe others can chime in here with suggestions.
As far as Docsis 3.1 on the modem, if it is up and running, the Downstream LED at the front of the modem will be cyan in colour, the Upstream LED will be blue. In the modem's STATUS .... DOCSIS WAN page, the OFDM Downstream section will indicate one, or two channels up and running. If both channels indicate "No", then Docsis 3.1 is not running on your modem.
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