Need help with internet router possibly?

[CodeRedR51]

So I have CenturyLink 1GB fiber internet, which is a huge upgrade from the 20mb plan they first offered when I moved into my apartment. I'm trying to figure out why I'm constantly having issues with things not connecting right away and I think it might be an issue with the route or a firewall.

1. My PC at times won't connect when I first turn it on. If I restart it, then it will connect. It is on an ethernet cable.
2. My PS5 sometimes won't connect when I turn it on as well. If I unplug the ethernet cable and plug it back in, works fine.
3. My smart TV I have to go into settings and re-do the internet setup for it to work each time. (thankfully it saves my password so I don't have to type it in every time...) This is on WiFi.
4. My phone connects to the WiFi just fine, no issues.

These all obviously do pretty much the same thing. No connection when I fire them up, but will connect with a reset of sorts. Which leads me to believe a firewall in the router is the culprit. It also probably doesn't help that the internet comes out of the wall, goes into the router, goes back into the wall and travels half way around my apartment to a separate panel.

 

[Korza]

So I have CenturyLink 1GB fiber internet, which is a huge upgrade from the 20mb plan they first offered when I moved into my apartment. I'm trying to figure out why I'm constantly having issues with things not connecting right away and I think it might be an issue with the route or a firewall.

1. My PC at times won't connect when I first turn it on. If I restart it, then it will connect. It is on an ethernet cable.
2. My PS5 sometimes won't connect when I turn it on as well. If I unplug the ethernet cable and plug it back in, works fine.
3. My smart TV I have to go into settings and re-do the internet setup for it to work each time. (thankfully it saves my password so I don't have to type it in every time...) This is on WiFi.
4. My phone connects to the WiFi just fine, no issues.

These all obviously do pretty much the same thing. No connection when I fire them up, but will connect with a reset of sorts. Which leads me to believe a firewall in the router is the culprit. It also probably doesn't help that the internet comes out of the wall, goes into the router, goes back into the wall and travels half way around my apartment to a separate panel.

Have you tried setting static IP address on the devices that have troubles connecting? Could be an issue with the routers DHCP server.

That being said, it might not be worth troubleshooting if its an ISP supplied router. I'd upgrade it if possible.

 

[Daz555]

So I have CenturyLink 1GB fiber internet, which is a huge upgrade from the 20mb plan they first offered when I moved into my apartment. I'm trying to figure out why I'm constantly having issues with things not connecting right away and I think it might be an issue with the route or a firewall.

1. My PC at times won't connect when I first turn it on. If I restart it, then it will connect. It is on an ethernet cable.
2. My PS5 sometimes won't connect when I turn it on as well. If I unplug the ethernet cable and plug it back in, works fine.
3. My smart TV I have to go into settings and re-do the internet setup for it to work each time. (thankfully it saves my password so I don't have to type it in every time...) This is on WiFi.
4. My phone connects to the WiFi just fine, no issues.

These all obviously do pretty much the same thing. No connection when I fire them up, but will connect with a reset of sorts. Which leads me to believe a firewall in the router is the culprit. It also probably doesn't help that the internet comes out of the wall, goes into the router, goes back into the wall and travels half way around my apartment to a separate panel.

What do you mean by "connect"? Do you mean you are having no network connection at all or that you have no internet connection?

 

[Jordan]

As others have noted, it sounds like an issue with the router's DHCP server, not the firewall.

When you start up the PC or PS5 and they don't have a connection, go into the network settings of each device and see if they have an IP address and a router IP address listed. It would be interesting to see what they report.

What make/model of router is it?

 

[CodeRedR51]

What make/model of router is it?

Zyxel C3000Z, Centurylink provided.

I have noticed that when I turn on the television, if I wait ~30 seconds it will usually connect on it's own. So basically comes down to the PS5 and PC not connecting when turned on requiring a reset or ethernet cable removal/replace.

 

[Daz555]

Zyxel C3000Z, Centurylink provided.

I have noticed that when I turn on the television, if I wait ~30 seconds it will usually connect on it's own. So basically comes down to the PS5 and PC not connecting when turned on requiring a reset or ethernet cable removal/replace.

Again, could you clarify what you mean by 'connect' - do you mean 'connect' to your LAN and show a valid network connection or do you mean 'connect' in the sense of connected to the Internet?

 

[CodeRedR51]

Again, could you clarify what you mean by 'connect' - do you mean 'connect' to your LAN and show a valid network connection or do you mean 'connect' in the sense of connected to the Internet?

The television goes from saying "no connection" to having connection. Not sure there's any difference? PS5 does the same. Internet doesn't work on the PC unless I restart the system.

 

[Korza]

The television goes from saying "no connection" to having connection. Not sure there's any difference? PS5 does the same. Internet doesn't work on the PC unless I restart the system.

Set a static IP address on your PC and see if it improves the connection issues. Here is a guide explaining how to do it.

If the issue improves afterwards, do the same for the PS5 and TV. Its possible the DHCP server is problematic and isn't assigning IP addresses correctly when a device requests it.

 

[Daz555]

The television goes from saying "no connection" to having connection. Not sure there's any difference? PS5 does the same. Internet doesn't work on the PC unless I restart the system.

I was asking because if it's an internet connection issue only then we might need to be concerned about routing and firewall issues etc. but if it is also simple local connectivity issues then it might be something more fundamental like DHCP.

I'd start with a factory reset of your router and start from scratch.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Zyxel C3000Z, Centurylink provided.

I have noticed that when I turn on the television, if I wait ~30 seconds it will usually connect on it's own. So basically comes down to the PS5 and PC not connecting when turned on requiring a reset or ethernet cable removal/replace.

Removing the cable will trigger the device to go into "link down" status. When you reconnect the cable, as soon as the network interface detects that there is an active connection (which it does more or less immediately through voltage on the wire) it will put the network interface into "link up" status. That change to "up" will trigger the network card to say "hey guys" on the broadcast address. This broadcast will trigger the DHCP server to send the address details (local IP, gateway IP, DNS details etc) to the device. Note that you can also do this by disabling/enabling the network card in your Network & Interface Settings control panel, or by typing "ipconfig /renew" in a command window. Obviously, those only work on the PC, not the PS5!

As others have noted, it sounds like an issue with the router's DHCP server, not the firewall.

When you start up the PC or PS5 and they don't have a connection, go into the network settings of each device and see if they have an IP address and a router IP address listed. It would be interesting to see what they report.

What make/model of router is it?

To build on Jordan's message, you need to check that the IP address does not start "169.254", as that is the "autoconfiguration address" that a network interface gives itself when it cannot find a DHCP server.

Overall, it sounds to me like you have a DHCP issue. Can you have CenturyLink send out a new router?