When connected to my GT-AX6000 something is not allowing certain apps or functions to work on our phones and I need help how to troubleshoot

[dyer4789]

Hello,
A few months ago I purchased a GT-AX6000 to replace an older Netgear router I had. It stopped broadcasting wi-fi and it was old, so it was time.

As the title implies, ever since I got this router, I've been having issues but realize now it's not the websites necessarily. I have ATT Fiber, it has the Pace 5268 gateway. I have the Asus router setup as the DMZplus, so firewall off. This is how I had it setup before with my old router, so really no change in that device except for having to get the fixed IP setup for the new router info.

Here are the issues I'm seeing, and for the PC problems, it makes no difference wired/wireless.

What I've come to find is that when I'm connected to the GT-AX6000, some things don't work. For example, I have a couple phones, sometimes when I do something with google, there is a pop-up on the phone to authenticate this was me. I will not get those pop-ups when I'm on the GT-AX6000 network. The find my phone feature with google where it makes my phone ring will not work. My wife says that she can't get Pandora to work. I've also noticed that inside my Kroger app, it won't bring up the coupons tab. Those are things I notice on the phone.

On the computer, I've noticed some services, like today when I tried to download Starfield from the xbox app, it would sit at 0%.

On our smart TVs, I do have one hard wired, it does also have problems with various apps, where it won't bring up anything just sits there like it's trying to download.

When I connect to the ATT fiber router, none of these problems exist. For my phones, I just turn off wifi and then it will do whatever is needed. One time I had to find my phone and I just unplugged the gt-ax6000 so that it lost wifi connection and then the phone would ring.

I have no idea how to go about troubleshooting the issue. So please go easy on some of my troubleshooting steps if they don't have anything to do with the problem, I didn't know what to do. So what I've done so far is, I put my old router back and then tested the things I could that are hard wired since the wi-fi signal does not work. I turned on IPV6, but that had no effect. I turned off or verified AiProtection was off. I tried switching the DNS server to the Google selection from the default get from IP. I tried doing a factory reset and then the last thing I tried was using the merlin fw, I currently have Firmware:3004.388.4_0_rog on it right now.

It seems that at times some of the things will work. I have noticed sometimes if I put my phone in airplane mode and take it out, it will start working, but sometime later it isn't anymore. Just now as I was checking what FW version I had, I was verifying that I still had it set for the google DNS, and some other things, something odd did happen, maybe it was a coincidence. But, I have found a usually reliable test is the find my phone feature to see if it's working. As I was writing this up, I tried it, and it did not work. So as I was going through the router settings, I see a tab for advanced troubleshooting in the wi-fi radar option. I was on the configure tab and I saw a button for start data collection, what is strange is the second I clicked that, my phone started ringing and I got google notifications on my phone. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I just am writing that because that's what just happened. I'm not sure that really has anything to do with anything.


In any case, any suggestions or things to test would be appreciated. The reason we don't use the ATT router is because for one the wifi signal does not go very far and I can't really get signal in my backyard, but also it does not have uPNP. We have 3 xboxes in the house, and also a PC for gaming, and on the ATT router, I can only setup port forwarding on one device, and what we found was that the kids could not all play minecraft together and a few other games, and everything except the one device will show up as strict NAT. But on the other routers, we have no issues like that.

 

[drinkingbird]

Hello,
A few months ago I purchased a GT-AX6000 to replace an older Netgear router I had. It stopped broadcasting wi-fi and it was old, so it was time.

As the title implies, ever since I got this router, I've been having issues but realize now it's not the websites necessarily. I have ATT Fiber, it has the Pace 5268 gateway. I have the Asus router setup as the DMZplus, so firewall off. This is how I had it setup before with my old router, so really no change in that device except for having to get the fixed IP setup for the new router info.

Here are the issues I'm seeing, and for the PC problems, it makes no difference wired/wireless.

What I've come to find is that when I'm connected to the GT-AX6000, some things don't work. For example, I have a couple phones, sometimes when I do something with google, there is a pop-up on the phone to authenticate this was me. I will not get those pop-ups when I'm on the GT-AX6000 network. The find my phone feature with google where it makes my phone ring will not work. My wife says that she can't get Pandora to work. I've also noticed that inside my Kroger app, it won't bring up the coupons tab. Those are things I notice on the phone.

On the computer, I've noticed some services, like today when I tried to download Starfield from the xbox app, it would sit at 0%.

On our smart TVs, I do have one hard wired, it does also have problems with various apps, where it won't bring up anything just sits there like it's trying to download.

When I connect to the ATT fiber router, none of these problems exist. For my phones, I just turn off wifi and then it will do whatever is needed. One time I had to find my phone and I just unplugged the gt-ax6000 so that it lost wifi connection and then the phone would ring.

I have no idea how to go about troubleshooting the issue. So please go easy on some of my troubleshooting steps if they don't have anything to do with the problem, I didn't know what to do. So what I've done so far is, I put my old router back and then tested the things I could that are hard wired since the wi-fi signal does not work. I turned on IPV6, but that had no effect. I turned off or verified AiProtection was off. I tried switching the DNS server to the Google selection from the default get from IP. I tried doing a factory reset and then the last thing I tried was using the merlin fw, I currently have Firmware:3004.388.4_0_rog on it right now.

It seems that at times some of the things will work. I have noticed sometimes if I put my phone in airplane mode and take it out, it will start working, but sometime later it isn't anymore. Just now as I was checking what FW version I had, I was verifying that I still had it set for the google DNS, and some other things, something odd did happen, maybe it was a coincidence. But, I have found a usually reliable test is the find my phone feature to see if it's working. As I was writing this up, I tried it, and it did not work. So as I was going through the router settings, I see a tab for advanced troubleshooting in the wi-fi radar option. I was on the configure tab and I saw a button for start data collection, what is strange is the second I clicked that, my phone started ringing and I got google notifications on my phone. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I just am writing that because that's what just happened. I'm not sure that really has anything to do with anything.


In any case, any suggestions or things to test would be appreciated. The reason we don't use the ATT router is because for one the wifi signal does not go very far and I can't really get signal in my backyard, but also it does not have uPNP. We have 3 xboxes in the house, and also a PC for gaming, and on the ATT router, I can only setup port forwarding on one device, and what we found was that the kids could not all play minecraft together and a few other games, and everything except the one device will show up as strict NAT. But on the other routers, we have no issues like that.

I would set the Asus router into normal mode and put it in the DMZ of the ISP router (assuming the ISP router can't be changed to bridge mode). Does ATT not let you connect the asus directly to the fiber ONT? I guess if you have TV or phone service you probably need their router.

When I set people up in similar situations I just set up the 3rd party (in your case Asus) router as an AP only off the ISP router. But if you're specifically looking for features on the Asus that are only present in routing mode, then setting the ISP device to bridge mode, or putting the Asus in DMZ of the ISP router is the next best thing.

Obviously double check the WAN settings on the Asus and make sure you have the right IP, gateway, dns, etc specified since it sounds like you've set a static IP on the WAN.

Some of your problems could be explained by uPNP not working, which in your current setup it won't work correctly. Getting the asus into DMZ of the isp router should resolve that.

Probably best to factory reset the Asus and start over.

 

[dyer4789]

The asus router is alread in the DMZ of ATT's router, there is not a bridge mode or other modes, this is essentially how I've read I need to set it up if I have my own router behind it. I think I didn't say the correct thing in the beginning. I said I didn't have to make any changes except for the fixed IP setup, but that is incorrect. I got it mixed up from when I had tried to set some port forwarding. So on the ATT router, I meant to say, I had to point to the mac address of the new router and tell that to be the device in the DMZ.

This is what it says for that mode for the asus router
Allow all applications (DMZplus mode) - Set the selected computer in DMZplus mode. All inbound traffic, except traffic which has been specifically assigned to another computer using the "Allow individual applications" feature, will automatically be directed to this computer. The DMZplus-enabled computer is less secure because all unassigned firewall ports are opened for that computer.

So that is the setting from my ATT router. I have factory reset the ASUS router, and then also did the firmware upgrade and also did factory reset after that. As far as I know the uPNP does work, I have no problems with all of the video game systems on the ASUS router. I only have issues when we didn't have the router and used the ATT router, it does not allow for uPNP. The XBOX claim to have open nat on the asus router. I have no port forwarding setup on the ATT router, just the Asus router setup in the DMZ.

 

[drinkingbird]

The asus router is alread in the DMZ of ATT's router, there is not a bridge mode or other modes, this is essentially how I've read I need to set it up if I have my own router behind it. I think I didn't say the correct thing in the beginning. I said I didn't have to make any changes except for the fixed IP setup, but that is incorrect. I got it mixed up from when I had tried to set some port forwarding. So on the ATT router, I meant to say, I had to point to the mac address of the new router and tell that to be the device in the DMZ.

This is what it says for that mode for the asus router
Allow all applications (DMZplus mode) - Set the selected computer in DMZplus mode. All inbound traffic, except traffic which has been specifically assigned to another computer using the "Allow individual applications" feature, will automatically be directed to this computer. The DMZplus-enabled computer is less secure because all unassigned firewall ports are opened for that computer.

So that is the setting from my ATT router. I have factory reset the ASUS router, and then also did the firmware upgrade and also did factory reset after that. As far as I know the uPNP does work, I have no problems with all of the video game systems on the ASUS router. I only have issues when we didn't have the router and used the ATT router, it does not allow for uPNP. The XBOX claim to have open nat on the asus router. I have no port forwarding setup on the ATT router, just the Asus router setup in the DMZ.

There should be no DMZ set up on the Asus, only the ISP router.

To start, factory reset the asus router and go through the setup with "automatic" for the WAN IP. In the ISP router have the Asus MAC/IP defined as DMZ device.

With stock asus firmware, uPNP should work fine with a private IP on the WAN of the Asus

Or like I said your other option you can try is setting the Asus to AP mode and just using it for an extension of the ISP router. Disable wifi in the ISP router if you don't need the extra coverage (should do that regardless, even if using the asus as a router). In that case you need no DMZ set up on the ISP router.

 

[dyer4789]

Ok to be more clear the Asus router is setup as the dmz on the ISP router.

What you describe is how it's setup. I have no issues with uPNP on my Asus router. My issue is that certain sites or features or parts of apps on the phones do not work.

This is how it was setup:
"To start, factory reset the asus router and go through the setup with "automatic" for the WAN IP. In the ISP router have the Asus MAC/IP defined as DMZ device."

 

[dyer4789]

Ok, it doesn't look like it's possible to edit, so let rephrase my setup

My ASUS router connects to my ISP router. There is no option for a passthrough mode/bridge mode, so the downstream ASUS router is put into my ISP's DMZ.

My ISP router does not play well with multiple xbox's so that is the requirement for having a downstream router. On my ASUS router, I have factory reset a couple times, I have loaded the latest merlin firmware. The AiProtection has been tested both off an on, it is off right now. On the ASUS router I have set the DNS to use google's. It doesn't seem to make a different which DNS I set it to.

My issue is that on various apps, they do not load content. I do not get google notifications for things like two factor authentication and find my phone does not work. Sometimes if I put my phone in airplane mode and take it out, it will work for an unknown length of time. My hard wired devices, such as smart TVs have the same issues. The PC can also have problems, it's not as noticeable compared to the other devices but last night it was frustrating enough for me to post here, as I was trying to download from the xbox game app and it would not download.

When I switch any device to my ISP router, it works fine. If I put my old router downstream of my ISP, it also works fine.

 

[Sgamat]

If you can switch your devices to your isp router and work fine, that means your isp router is broadcasting wifi, so the only way to do (if you do not want double nat on asus) is to setup the asus in AP mode, 5ghz disable 160mhz, set channel to upper bands like 149, 153 , 157 or 161(as usually isp router will be at lower bands like 36, 40, 44 or 48), 2.4ghz set channel to 11 (hopefully the isp router is at 1 or 6). Then connect the devices to asus or isp router wifi when necessary and see the problems are still there or not .

 

[drinkingbird]

Ok, it doesn't look like it's possible to edit, so let rephrase my setup

My ASUS router connects to my ISP router. There is no option for a passthrough mode/bridge mode, so the downstream ASUS router is put into my ISP's DMZ.

My ISP router does not play well with multiple xbox's so that is the requirement for having a downstream router. On my ASUS router, I have factory reset a couple times, I have loaded the latest merlin firmware. The AiProtection has been tested both off an on, it is off right now. On the ASUS router I have set the DNS to use google's. It doesn't seem to make a different which DNS I set it to.

My issue is that on various apps, they do not load content. I do not get google notifications for things like two factor authentication and find my phone does not work. Sometimes if I put my phone in airplane mode and take it out, it will work for an unknown length of time. My hard wired devices, such as smart TVs have the same issues. The PC can also have problems, it's not as noticeable compared to the other devices but last night it was frustrating enough for me to post here, as I was trying to download from the xbox game app and it would not download.

When I switch any device to my ISP router, it works fine. If I put my old router downstream of my ISP, it also works fine.

If the ISP router has issues with multiple Xboxes I suspect it is probably the reason for your other issues too. Just because you hide all your devices behind a single IP doesn't mean the NAT on the ISP router will work any better.

 

[dyer4789]

If you can switch your devices to your isp router and work fine, that means your isp router is broadcasting wifi, so the only way to do (if you do not want double nat on asus) is to setup the asus in AP mode, 5ghz disable 160mhz, set channel to upper bands like 149, 153 , 157 or 161(as usually isp router will be at lower bands like 36, 40, 44 or 48), 2.4ghz set channel to 11 (hopefully the isp router is at 1 or 6). Then connect the devices to asus or isp router wifi when necessary and see the problems are still there or not .

My ISP router WiFi can be turned off, there are no issues with that. I don't want to use my Asus router as an access point because I need the uPNP functionality. I am able to use another Netgear router without issue but the 5ghz stopped working on that router. I am starting to think I should just switch back to the Netgear router

 

[dyer4789]

If the ISP router has issues with multiple Xboxes I suspect it is probably the reason for your other issues too. Just because you hide all your devices behind a single IP doesn't mean the NAT on the ISP router will work any better.

I can't do uPNP with my ISP router and can only set port forwarding for one device. My Xboxes work just fine on the Asus router

 

[drinkingbird]

I can't do uPNP with my ISP router and can only set port forwarding for one device. My Xboxes work just fine on the Asus router

You've stated that you're using merlin firmware. Merlin firmware uPNP will not function in a double NAT setup unless you set your WAN subnet (between ISP router and Asus router) to a public range. So I'd try going back to stock, or setting your Asus WAN/ISP LAN to a public range like 240.0.0.0/24.

 

[dyer4789]

You've stated that you're using merlin firmware. Merlin firmware uPNP will not function in a double NAT setup unless you set your WAN subnet (between ISP router and Asus router) to a public range. So I'd try going back to stock, or setting your Asus WAN/ISP LAN to a public range like 240.0.0.0/24.

Because I put my ASUS router in the DMZ on the ISP router it is claiming it gives my ASUS router a public IP. Before I set up the DMZ on my IP router the Xboxes did report a double nat but on the DMZ I do have open NAT and all my Xboxes work. I did not ever try setting the ASUS router as an AP though. I assumed because multiple Xboxes do not work when connected to my ISP router that it wouldnt work as an AP. My normal setup is the ISP router is connected to the ASUS router via cable and the ISP router WiFi is turned off. I will reiterate that as it is currently my Xboxes and everything do function properly, what I can't seem to do is certain app functions on my phone like getting to Kroger's coupon page on their app, or the Google find my phone function, things like that. But the Xboxes work.

 

[dyer4789]

I took some screen shots, on my ISP router setup, I have the Asus router set to be the DMZplus (as they call it), when I do that, it shows up as DMZ, and says public for address assignment. So on the ISP router side, that's what I see, that's how I did it with the other netgear router that worked too. On the Asus side its setup as a router

 

[dyer4789]

I had to google double nat because I only know of it from when I saw the warning on the xbox, so I guess what I read is if I have a router connected to my ISP router that's a double nat, so I suppose that's what I have. I know that with this setup and my previous netgear router where it was connected to ISP router, in both cases I can still use all of the video game systems without a problem. I wish that ATT didn't require to use their gateway, I do not have any other services with them besides the fiber, but I'm unaware of a way around it. Their support says to setup your router in the dmz, but maybe there is just something my ISP does not like about the asus router that wasn't an issue with the netgear router or maybe something changed since I switched to this asus router and it's just a coicidence

 

[drinkingbird]

I took some screen shots, on my ISP router setup, I have the Asus router set to be the DMZplus (as they call it), when I do that, it shows up as DMZ, and says public for address assignment. So on the ISP router side, that's what I see, that's how I did it with the other netgear router that worked too. On the Asus side its setup as a router

It still says "firewall active" so potentially interfering. I guess "DMZPlus" is a faux bridge mode that assigns the WAN IP of the ISP router to the Asus. Not exactly sure how well that works since it must also keep the WAN IP for itself so other devices can use the router also. Odd setup.

I take it AT&T doesn't let you eliminate their router and just use the Asus directly connected?

Is there an option to factory reset the AT&T router, potentially something still "stuck" in there from your previous netgear?

Maybe try it with standard DMZ (not DMZPlus) so it isn't attempting that weird WAN IP extension setup. Your uPNP won't work unless/until you go in and set a public IP segment in there but it may resolve your other issues, worth at least testing.

 

[drinkingbird]

I had to google double nat because I only know of it from when I saw the warning on the xbox, so I guess what I read is if I have a router connected to my ISP router that's a double nat, so I suppose that's what I have. I know that with this setup and my previous netgear router where it was connected to ISP router, in both cases I can still use all of the video game systems without a problem. I wish that ATT didn't require to use their gateway, I do not have any other services with them besides the fiber, but I'm unaware of a way around it. Their support says to setup your router in the dmz, but maybe there is just something my ISP does not like about the asus router that wasn't an issue with the netgear router or maybe something changed since I switched to this asus router and it's just a coicidence

You'll have double NAT regardless when you have two routers (unless you go a lot deeper into reconfiguring stuff), it is just that DMZ modes can help "hide" that fact. Are you sure the netgear wasn't in regular DMZ and not the "DMZPlus"?

I'm surprised their router supports something as complex as DMZPlus but not uPNP?

 

[dyer4789]

So on their settings you can see the full screen, there is only what they call DMZplus. So 100% positive it was in this setting since that's all there is. They do not do uPNP, if you search AT&T fiber, none of their devices do it and it's a common complaint. I have no choice but to use their device. I don't think I did try to factory reset their gateway though. So that's something to try.

Also I just did a quick search to show you, but on ATT's help there are lots of people who have issues with the xbox connections with their gateway. They always respond this way that there is no option for uPNP and you get your own router and put it into the DMZplus (their term) or setup port forwarding. When I only had one xbox, for port forwarding was fine, but as my kids got older and we started having more systems in the house is when we got into the situation that basically one worked fine, the rest had strict nats and had issues. So really the xbox situation is fine this way, but other stuff doesn't consistently work, because for example tonight when I tested to find my device that did work.

So it definetly not the best ISP, from what I see, but then again I dont see people post how everything works when it's good. But I get the fiber its like 55 bucks a month and I don't have a data cap. If nothing else, I've it for 6 years and never had any outages and the speed is consistent 24/7. I work from home as an engineer and I do a lot of video calls and remote support so I need a stable consistent connection. The other internet provider in my area is comcast, but it's more expensive and slower, has data caps, and I am concerned about how consistent and reliable it is. There is also WOW which seems to be cheaper and a simliar price and for that one I can just buy my own cable modem and use my own router, but, that is who I had before I switched and we did have a lot of times when it would just get really really slow. Maybe it's better now, but I'm afraid of that part. It also has data caps, although I dont think we would be likely to exceed them, but I still dont like them.

I can't get a different gateway from AT&T either, because I need to switch to 2 gig speeds, since my gateway only supports up to 1 gig. The other gateway still does not have uPNP though, but it does aparently have an IP passthrough setting, although, I dont know if this really ends up fixing anything or not and I'd hate to triple my cost of internet just to end up in the same boat

 

[dyer4789]

I will try to factory reset everything again this weekend and see what happens. Since you mentioned merlin fw doesn't work with uPNP with double nat then should I switch it back? That was only something I tried a week ago, although nothing seemed to stop working and the kids and I still seem to be able to play video games on the different systems

 

[drinkingbird]

I will try to factory reset everything again this weekend and see what happens. Since you mentioned merlin fw doesn't work with uPNP with double nat then should I switch it back? That was only something I tried a week ago, although nothing seemed to stop working and the kids and I still seem to be able to play video games on the different systems

Merlin only doesn't work with double NAT if the Asus WAN IP is a private IP (which you can confirm by looking in the GUI of the Asus under the WAN status). That is because the more recent (and secure) version of uPNP he has put in recognizes private IPs and will disable itself, since uPNP won't work with double NAT (unless you put it into DMZ). So putting a public IP on that segment along with DMZ is a workaround to make Merlin work with double NAT. However it sounds like the "DMZPlus" of the AT&T router assigns/duplicates its own WAN IP to the Asus WAN so Merlin uPNP should work fine. That's a very odd setup and makes me wonder if it is part of (or all of) the issue you're seeing. Check the GUI and see what IP the WAN is, just post the digits before the first ".". Maybe they're using CGNAT which is still technically a private IP.

Sucks that AT&T is so inflexible. I have FIOS 300/300 (consistently measures 310/350) for $30 a month and I can plug my own router right into the ONT (just have to check the box that I agree that tech support won't help me with my router).

It would certainly be worthwhile as a troubleshooting step to switch back to stock asus firmware before you do your next factory reset, just to eliminate Merlin as a possible issue.

Another thought, have you compared IPv6 settings on the Asus vs. the Netgear? Was it disabled on one and not on the other? Ideally just disable it, but that's one thought as to why things may be behaving oddly, if it is enabled on the Asus.

 

[dyer4789]

Verizon internet is not yet available to me, but I would switch if it works well and is available, I have no love for AT&T. They do have an option I can buy a static IP and setup some kind of cascaded router setup, but it's 300 dollars the first year and like 200 per year after that.

As far as IPv6 settings, I didn't have it on with the netgear. I only tried that as part of troubleshooting and left it on. It was having these issues without it on, or with it on. With the older netgear, I didn't really do anything on it, and with ATT it was only the setting for the dmzplus mode and I didn't change anything else, because it did work. The ATT router has very poor range, the netgear router at the time was to see if I could get better signal and I was able to. At that time only had one xbox so it wasn't really a problem. But like I said that router took a dump on me, it was about 8 years old.

As far as public IP address, it maybe isn't really public, it starts with 172. I'm trying to figure out where to see it with the ISP router, it's also a 172 but something else for the second number. I was googling how to see it, but it said if its 172 or 192 its probably not the public ip. I dont know. The asus router is 192.168.x.x locally on that network.

In any case, this weekend I'm going to just go ahead and factory reset everything, that should turn off ipv6, I think its off by default. I might pick up a used netgear router like the kind I had before off ebay, I saw them pretty cheap, maybe just switch back to that.