Troubleshooting intermittent internet outage on home network

I've read a few conflicting things about IPv6 for home users. Some say it doesn't matter if it's active for one's account with an ISP, others seem to suggest that it's unnecessary and could even cause troubles. What's your view?

Different providers use different methods to provide IPv6 service, so it is not possible to provide an answer that would be correct for all situations. It is the router that must configured to use the correct IPv6 settings and that will vary according to the methods that the provider is using.

Since the AirPort Extreme is configured in Bridge Mode, the correct setting for IPv6 on the AirPort Extreme is Link Local Only, so things are very simple for you.

If you have a Mac handy, you can check to see if the Mac is getting both IPv4 and IPv6 information from your modem/router.

Open System Preferences (the gear icon on the dock)

Open Network

Click on WiFi on the left panel

Click the Advanced button at the lower right of the next window

Click the TCP/IP button at the top of the next window

If your Mac is receiving full IPv6 information, the window will look something like the example below. There will be very long IPv6 addresses for the Mac.

Oh, one last question - the ethernet cable I use between the modem/router and the AEBS is an older CAT 5. Will that make any difference?

CAT 5 is an older design and if the cable is longer than usual, it can reduce speeds. The fact that you have a CAT 5 cable tells me that you have had it for a long time.

It would be a good idea to replace the cable. CAT5e or CAT 6 would be fine.

Hi Philip,

Your "modem" is more than a modem, it is a modem/router, also called a gateway. This is a device that combines a modem and a router in one physical package. You might have turned off the WiFi on this device, but it is still acting as a router for your network.

Since you already have a router (the modem/router) and you do not want to have two routers both trying to control a network.....which will cause conflicts......the AirPort Extreme should be set up in what is known as Bridge Mode, which Apple calls "Off (Bridge Mode)" in their settings.

The AirPort Extreme can still provide WiFi service when it is configured in Bridge Mode, but it does not control your Internet connection or provide IP addresses to connected clients on the network. That is the job of your modem/router.

So the first thing to check on the AirPort Extreme is to make sure that it is set up to work correctly with the modem/router. You can check this as follows:

Open AirPort Utility on your Mac

Click directly on the picture of the AirPort Extreme

Click Edit in the smaller window that appears

Click the Network tab at the top of the next window

Check to make sure that the setting for Router Mode is set to Off (Bridge Mode)

Regarding IPv6, since your modem/router is handling IPv6, you would want to configure the AirPort Extreme using a setting of Link Local Only for IPv6

To do that, use AirPort Utility again as above and this time click on the Internet tab at the top of the AirPort Utility window.

Click on Internet Options

Make sure that the setting for Configure IPv6 is set to Link Local Only

Click Save if you have made any changes

Click Update at the lower right of the window to save the new setting

It is up to your modem/router to provide IPv6 settings. If you run an IPv6 test, it may or may not show that everything is working correctly.

If you are still having problems, my recommendation would be to power off the AirPort Extreme and enable the WiFi on the modem/router and run the network that way for a few days. If you still have Internet connection issues, the fault is with the modem/router or your Internet connection from your provider. You will know this because the AirPort Extreme is not even powered on.

If the modem/router checks out OK during your "test", I would try replacing the Ethernet cable from the modem/router to the AirPort Extreme.

Because the AirPort Extreme is configured in Off Bridge Mode......you can connect the Ethernet cable to any of the ports on the AirPort Extreme and it will still function correctly. Try moving the Ethernet cable to another port in case the port that you are using now might have an intermittent problem.

There are a few other things to try on the AirPort Extreme if you are still having problems. Post back for more information on these.

Thanks for posting back.

If you run another IPv6 test again, do you see the same results that you were receiving before?.......

"Test if your ISP's DNS server uses IPv6 - bad"

If you are seeing IPv6 addresses like the example above, then your Internet Service Provider is using IPv6.

If you are receiving IPv6 addresses for devices on your network, then IPv6 is working.

It sounds like your ISP is using a "dual stack" method for IPv6. Understanding Dual Stacking of IPv4 and IPv6 Unicast ...www.juniper.net › ... › Junos OS › IS-IS User Guide

Check with your ISP to ask them if they are using the "dual stack method". Ask them about the "bad" reading that you are receiving at this time.

The "bad" reading does not appear to be all that bad, since you are are receiving IPv6 addresses. This might indicate that you would not be able to receive an IPv6 address from a site that was only using only IPv6 and not IPv4.

At some time in the future, everything will be IPv6, but that is likely a number of years away at this point.