Q: airport stops working intermittantly

Not for the last 2 years..

Tell us more details.

What model is the airport?

What firmware does it have?

What modem do you have and who is your ISP?

There are a number of current issues with Cox cable in places they are running out IPv6. There are also issues with some cable modems.. particularly single port SB series.

"router stops working"     What type of router are you using? What does the router do when it "stops working"?

Raymond

I just got off of the phone with Cox because my internet stopped working.

We found the problem to be with my airport and she said that a recent software update is causing a conflict.

Here is what we did to resolve it:

go to aiport utility app

edit advanced

ipv6

take from automatic to link local only

update settings

router will reboot

go to www.test-ipv6.com.. it should say IPV6 is turned off...

I am no expert and don't know why this became a problem.. but it did work.

It sounds like IPV6 is a new protocol to free up more ip addresses.

Apple?  Is it true that there is an issue between COX and the airport routers?  Does this relate to IPV6 vs IPV4?  What are the downsides of this solution?

she said that a recent software update is causing a conflict.

But....Apple has not made a recent software update in over 2 years. Kind of makes the statement made by Cox person look quite silly.

However.....Cox has made a number of changes on their systems trying to implement new IPv6 service. Things were working fine with Apple routers up until a few weeks ago when Cox made changes to their service.  Of interest.....other major providers like Comcast and Time Warner are not having problems at all with IPv6 and Apple routers.

So, the change was made by Cox.  Now, if you check the Cox website, they have a statement there that they have now determined that Apple routers are not compatible with the changes that have been made by Cox.

By disabling the iPv6 service on the AirPort router, you may find that the connection is more stable......but you are still paying for service that you cannot use. A friend of mine, who is using Cox, worked out an agreement that Cox would reduce his monthly bill by 50% until the problem that Cox created is resolved.

Interesting. Let us know if it continues to work for you. Regarding IPV6 it's best to turn it off if you're not using it. However, some Apple Airports do not have an option to simply turn off IPV6. In this case, selecting Link-local only is the best option.

Link Local Only disables IPv6 from the Internet connection.  Apple is currently, and has for some time, been using IPv6 for device communication over the "local" network.

So, even if you could find an option to "turn off" IPv6 on an older AirPort or older version of AirPort Utility, you would not want to do this.

This is exactly the problem I had starting 2 months ago with Cox.  2 technicians have come out and said everything was ok.  Cox told me about 6 times it was my network that was the issue.  so i bought a new apple extreme (ac) and it still does it.  finally someone at cox one late night told me he heard airports were double stacking IP addresses and he didn't know how to fix it.  I will try turning off IPv6 and see what happens.   maybe i should dump cox.

from the cox website: 

Are there any known incompatibilities with IPv6?

The majority of retail home routers, especially those produced within the last few years, are fully IPv6-compatible. Cox has determined that Apple AirPort Extreme routers, including Time Capsule models, can experience Internet connectivity problems when running IPv6 on firmware versions 7.7.3 and earlier. Customers can resolve the issue by disabling IPv6 from the AirPort Utility on the iOS or OS X device. For more information and steps to resolve, contact Apple Support.

Wonder why Comcast and Time Warner are not having these issues.

Could it actually be that Cox has messed things up......and they are trying to blame the other guy?

Until Cox fixes their IPv6 issues.......like other Cox users have done, you might want to consider asking Cox to reduce your monthly bill by 50%, since you will be paying full price for half of their service capability otherwise.

But, it's your call. Good luck!

I have the exact same issues and we use comcast.  Problem began around December 2015 or so.  Randomly shuts down the network.  I unlplug and replug and it brings everything back on line. Periodically telling me that the tc is full.