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Need help diagnosing B818-263 losing signal on EE

madbroon

Pro Member
I've had a B818-263 for 2.5years and it's been great, no real issues. Over the past week it keeps losing internet connection, been noticing it most when watching Netflix on the tv. Plugged router into the tv and was still dropping out so have ruled out the wi-fi being a problem. Also lose internet on my phone and another computer so ruled out the tv.

What else can I try to help diagnose the problem before buying a new router etc. please? Also, I'm on EE for my phone, when I've lost internet for the B818 I've quickly switched to 4G on my phone and the connection has been ok.

I downloaded ICM which shows it disconnecting.

Any help welcome!

Thanks
 
Looking a bit more on the website, what's the best way to see which cell tower it's connected to please? I'm wondering if it's switching between different ones....
 
Looking a bit more on the website, what's the best way to see which cell tower it's connected to please? I'm wondering if it's switching between different ones....
Have you got LTE H Monitor in your computer? It'll tell you which tower and which cell on that tower you're connected to. I was constantly repositioning my 818 until I twigged onto the fact (via LTE H Monitor) that it was the router changing bands that was causing the signal to fluctuate so much.
 
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Have you got LTE H Monitor in your computer? It'll tell you which tower and which cell on that tower you're connected to. I was constantly repositioning my 818 until I twigged onto the fact (via LTE H Monitor) that it was the router changing bands that was causing the signal to fluctuate so much.
Thanks for the reply. I don't have it, just had a quick look and is the free version worth having?
 
Have downloaded the free version, failing at the first hurdle though as can't get it to login! The I.P address is correct, maybe I changed the password a few years ago but doubt it....
 
Have downloaded the free version, failing at the first hurdle though as can't get it to login! The I.P address is correct, maybe I changed the password a few years ago but doubt it....
If you’ve got an android phone you can get an app called Huactrl, which will give you the same info. It costs a few quid, but I’ve found it to be invaluable for band locking.
 
Finally got the LTE H monitor to work, trying to understand if these values are any good:
SINR 4dB
RSTQ -8dB
RSRP -97
RSSI -69

It's connected to mast 15682 which is a few miles away on band 3. Netflix keeps pausing to load but the ICM isn't showing any disconnections! Any help welcomed....
 
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Thanks for this, I just spent about 3 hours on the phone to EE over the past 2 days, the very brief summary is that for some reason my router is connecting to the closest mast which is 3.7km (and getting 100Mb download speeds), then it tries to connect to a mast 12km away for 30seconds which loses the signal and is the reason I have no internet for a few minutes.

They can't resolve it but have suggested I get a directional antenna as the only real solution! No idea why it's started doing this recenty but they were very helpful and had all the details for which mast etc. it was connected to.

Any comments or advice about antennas welcomed!
 
Thanks for this, I just spent about 3 hours on the phone to EE over the past 2 days, the very brief summary is that for some reason my router is connecting to the closest mast which is 3.7km (and getting 100Mb download speeds), then it tries to connect to a mast 12km away for 30seconds which loses the signal and is the reason I have no internet for a few minutes.

They can't resolve it but have suggested I get a directional antenna as the only real solution! No idea why it's started doing this recenty but they were very helpful and had all the details for which mast etc. it was connected to.

Any comments or advice about antennas welcomed!
I would consider getting a replacement router which doesn't have this rubbish behaviour.

Alternatively, if the device is unlocked, a second network could be tested to see if it's more stable.

With SINR of 4 dB, I'd actually start trying to find a new high-up location to try to improve to SINR 10 dB to 13 dB. Try many convenient locations, even if they seem illogical. Symmetry might help, like middle line of property and then nudge off-centre for fine adjustments.
 
In terms of position, where are the masts in relation to you?
 
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Hi, so I regularly connect to 15682 indicated by the red arrow (3.7km away). He says the router was connecting to a different mast that was near Shildon, about 12km away, I'm not sure of the exact mast but it will be near the purple area. My worry is a directional mast may still pick up the 12km one!

2023-06-28_10-57-07.webp



Also, I've been collecting some more data on the router values after moving to a windowsill, I was still getting disconnections when the ranges were:

SINR: 10 to 17
RSRQ: -6
RSRP: -82 to -103
RSSI: -51 to -75

In between disconnections I get between 90-120Mb download and 15-36Mb Upload with ping times of 32-38mS. The EE guy seemed pretty impressed with those speeds, if only they were consistent!

Agreed I'd prefer to replace the router than get an arial, I couldn't get it very high up as live in a dormer bunglow, would probably be 4m off the ground, although there are open fields behind us so little obstructions! Might try some tinfoil and a shoebox.....
 
Hi, so I regularly connect to 15682 indicated by the red arrow (3.7km away). He says the router was connecting to a different mast that was near Shildon, about 12km away, I'm not sure of the exact mast but it will be near the purple area. My worry is a directional mast may still pick up the 12km one!

View attachment 7060


Also, I've been collecting some more data on the router values after moving to a windowsill, I was still getting disconnections when the ranges were:

SINR: 10 to 17
RSRQ: -6
RSRP: -82 to -103
RSSI: -51 to -75

In between disconnections I get between 90-120Mb download and 15-36Mb Upload with ping times of 32-38mS. The EE guy seemed pretty impressed with those speeds, if only they were consistent!

Agreed I'd prefer to replace the router than get an arial, I couldn't get it very high up as live in a dormer bunglow, would probably be 4m off the ground, although there are open fields behind us so little obstructions! Might try some tinfoil and a shoebox.....
Could be worth counterintuitively putting the router in a worse position (e.g. wrong side of property) to make the distant tower non-viable.

Behaviour still feels a little broken as handover between towers should be quite fast that you might not notice if streaming. A different router might not have the issue.
 
I would put money on the router picking up the B20 from that other mast - 800Mhz travels a long way when installed at the right height and angle.

Get your LTE H Monitor and disable B20 on the router and test.
 
I would put money on the router picking up the B20 from that other mast - 800Mhz travels a long way when installed at the right height and angle.

Get your LTE H Monitor and disable B20 on the router and test.
Thanks, good tip. Is it possible to disable bands using the free version of LTE H monitor? Otherwise - is there another free way of doing it?

I also wondered if the B818 had a recent firmware update for something that is causing this behaviour, I had a look online but couldn't see if there was anything within the past month.
 
Could be worth counterintuitively putting the router in a worse position (e.g. wrong side of property) to make the distant tower non-viable.

Behaviour still feels a little broken as handover between towers should be quite fast that you might not notice if streaming. A different router might not have the issue.
Yes I'll need to try this as well! I'd be quite happy with 30Mb download speeds as long as it didn't cut out all the time...
 
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Thanks, good tip. Is it possible to disable bands using the free version of LTE H monitor? Otherwise - is there another free way of doing it?

I also wondered if the B818 had a recent firmware update for something that is causing this behaviour, I had a look online but couldn't see if there was anything within the past month.
I believe so - I used to flip bands around and never paid for it.

I doubt the B818 will receive many firmware updates now, it's quite an old device now.
 
So I just discovered there is a log in LTE which tells you which cell you are connected to, it's switching even further than I thought! Noramlly connected to 15682 which is the red line, then it just connected to 26394! This happened even though I turned band 20 off, at least I thought I had!

1687983351151.webp



screenshot.webp
 
As an update, I turned off Band 20 but it's still switching cell towers and losing the internet. Last night it was switching from 15682 which is the normal one, across to 15900 (top middle of the chart above). Decided to give up on the router so have bought a Zyxel 5103E from CX for £150 instead (2 year warranty - better than i got with my B818-263 when new!). I thought if I'm buying a new router, might as well go for 5G and see if I get a signal!

I've read good things about that router on this forum so fingers crossed....
 
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