My home network regularly disconnects all devices at once, including phones, computers, and a TV. When this happens, devices cannot reconnect and report "cannot connect to this network," rather than showing that they are connected without internet access. The problem occurs most days, sometimes more than once, but I cannot link it to a particular time, activity, or usage level. After several minutes, the connection returns without any changes on my end.
I have restarted the Telstra Smart Modem 3 several times, including unplugging it for a full minute. The firmware is current, and around 14 devices normally use the network. The issue affects everything at the same time, so it does not seem to be limited to one device. I can access the modem's settings, but I am not sure how to interpret the logs or diagnose the problem further. What should I check?
3 Answers
Because every device loses access and the modem’s uptime resets, I would treat this as a modem or service fault first, not a device problem. Note the exact outage times, capture the relevant log entries immediately afterward, and check whether the modem reports a power cycle, thermal warning, WAN disconnect, or system crash. If it keeps rebooting while connected directly to wall power, contact the provider and ask them to test or replace the Smart Modem and check the line.
Start by checking the modem’s event logs and the indicator lights while the failure is happening. The lights may show whether the main broadband connection has dropped, the modem has switched to 4G backup, or the modem is trying to reconnect. Also check the reported uptime after service returns. If the uptime has reset, the modem itself is rebooting rather than merely losing Wi‑Fi. It is worth plugging the modem directly into a wall outlet instead of a power board, and checking whether nearby Wi‑Fi interference or channel overlap is involved with a Wi‑Fi analyzer.
A nearby airport or radar installation could trigger DFS channel changes. When a router detects radar, it may have to stop using a channel and move to another one, which can temporarily disconnect wireless clients. You could test by manually selecting a non-DFS 5 GHz channel or temporarily using the 2.4 GHz network. However, a modem uptime reset points more toward a reboot, power problem, hardware fault, or firmware crash than a normal DFS channel change.
I am somewhat close to a regional airport, although this problem only started recently and I have been using this modem at the same location for several years.
There is a lot of information in the logs, but I do not know which entries matter. The modem is connected directly to the wall. I have noticed that after an outage the uptime is low and lines up with when the connection returned—for example, it showed only six minutes after a recent interruption.