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Airport Extreme and Cox Internet IPv6 Problem

This is a notification to others as well as a question:


I have Cox Cable High Speed Internet at several locations using an Airport Extreme 3GB connected as a router to the Cox cable modem.


For more than a week we would regularly find in the morning that the outside connection to the internet DNS servers were lost. We called Cox several times, and they performed the usual reset of router and modem and things seem to work for a while. But the next day gone again.


They came out and replaced the hookups, I I had to buy a new cable modem and replaced a digital switch. Each time things seemed to work for a while.


I thought about replacing the Airport Extreme (as I read others had done in a similar situation to no avail).


After much frustration, I started to search for Airport Extreme and DNS and found similar tales.


After several unproductive calls with Cox Internet first tier support, I finally reached a tier who acknowledged that Cox was rolling out IPv6 and was having a problem with Airport Extreme Routers. They said Apple was working on it and gave me a number to call at apple router support. Unfortunalely the number they gave was no longer valid.

I persisted and eventually got to Apple support and indeed they knew of the problem and said Cox was working on it.. But there was a temporary fix - and that was to turn off iPv6 on the airport extreme (more precisely (internet > Internet Options > Configure Ipv6 : Link-Local Only).


For now this seemed to stop the overnight drop that seems to happen between 12:00 AM and 2:00 AM. From experience I dont think its really an IPV6 compaibility issue, but how the router responds to some sort of reset signal/test signal that the service does in the early morning.


So the question is - does anybody know for sure whats going on or who is really working on this. From my perspective both camps think its the other's problem. BTW - Ive read about others with Non Apple routers chasing something similar.

Posted on Mar 2, 2016 9:03 PM

Reply
483 replies

May 26, 2016 7:09 AM in response to keg55

No encouraging, I did the same as you using the Cox DNS and iPv6 servers and am right now just at about 20 hours, and still running but expecting the dreaded reboot coming, at which time i will revert to Link Local.

Another thing I noticed was that after reseting and running test iPv6 it passed with 10/10, running it after reading your post it fails 0/10, not sure what that is about

May 26, 2016 7:44 AM in response to GABarber

I posted yesterday about my Cox Modem not working with my Apple airport Extreme. Last night I went to COX and got an ARRIS SB6183 (Can't remember the last number) and replaced the older ARRIS SB6141 modem. Connection to COX from it with a LAN cable to a Windoze machine worked fine.

Next I set my APPLE Airport Extreme aside and got out the older Airport (Flat white square version about 8 in square and 2 in tall). That worked fine with the new modem with the IPV6 set to Local Only as others have noted. So far everything was working when I went to bed last night so I'll check it later today and see if it is still working.

I did notice that the two DNS IP addresses had to be replaced often as they seem to disappear. So make a note that every time you edit or check the Apple router settings, to make sure you have DNS addresses loaded.

I hope that at some time in the future I can use my Dual band Airport Extreme with the COX system.

I too got an Apple number to call and after an hour of holding, it hung up on me.

So much for customer service.

May 26, 2016 8:53 AM in response to ac7fn

ac7fn wrote:


. . . . I posted yesterday about my Cox Modem not working with my Apple airport Extreme. Last night I went to COX and got an ARRIS

I hope that at some time in the future I can use my Dual band Airport Extreme with the COX system.

I too got an Apple number to call and after an hour of holding, it hung up on me.

So much for customer service.


FYI, I am successfully using my own Arris WBM760 modem with my six-month-old dual band Airport Extreme (actually a Time Capsule). As I have reported above, it is totally reliable with the default Cox DNS and Apple 1pv6 auto settings.


Surprised about your Apple customer service experience. Who gave you the number you used to call Apple? Whatever flaws Apple may have, their customer service is generally recognized as the best in the business, and I have always found it to be so. In 20 years, never had to give up on a call. Perhaps not perfect, but light years better than Cox technical assist.


If you go to the Support part of the Apple website you will find several ways to immediately contact them by chat or phone. You can arrange for them to call you in two minutes, and I just did that a few weeks ago for another issue. Worked great, as usual. Suggest you try the website method I mention above, and see if you have better luck.


Hope you can get to the bottom of this without more bad experiences.

May 26, 2016 12:33 PM in response to I_Dont_Want_A_Username

Well, it took almost exactly 18 hours for the Cox IPv6 defaults to fail, which they did at 1210 PT. So, now I'm back on <blank> DNS and "link local" (i.e. IPv4 only). Hoping this setting works with this new firmware update (7.6.7 on mid-2011 Time Capsule). Link Local did not work with the previous firmware version without the once or twice-a-day disconnect. Fingers crossed!

May 27, 2016 8:09 AM in response to GABarber

I installed the Airport extreme firmware update this morning (5/27), reconfigured the Airport Extreme back to IPV6 instead of local link. I then ran an IPV6 test with our Cox service. This was the first time I saw anything for IPV6 (19 out of 20 in this test vice 4 out of 20 in the past). It seems to work, sees IPV6, accepted a speed test, and works for now. We'll see if the knock off the internet issue still exists over the next few days.

May 27, 2016 10:44 AM in response to I_Dont_Want_A_Username

Unfortunately, the <blank> DNS and "link local" (i.e. IPv4 only) settings failed 21 hours after previous reset. I think I've now run thru every combination of IPv6 and IPv4 settings on this mid-2011 model TimeCapsule, and none of them will keep the link up for more than a day. I could reboot daily, but since I telework and use VOIP for teleconferences as well as am VPN'd into work all day, it is more than an annoyance when the connection drops. Cox has already done what they can, and Apple's latest firmware release doesn't seem to address this issue. Time to move on and simply replace the Apple router with something else. It's been a good run until now. Good luck to all with this.

May 27, 2016 11:01 AM in response to I_Dont_Want_A_Username

May we get a screen shot of your settings? Mine are as below, everything filled in including the DNS servers is filled in automatically, nothing is left blank except of course the IPv6 servers, and then no domain name, and no IPv6 address.


I have had them set as below for weeks now no loss of connectivity and no slow internet speeds. My iMac is connected to the Time Capsule with an ethernet cable and I am supposed to get 150/10 and I get pretty much around 165/12 every time I have tested never below. No issues at all. My Time Capsules and Airport Extremes are all the latest version.


User uploaded file

User uploaded file


Always green lights, and these three Airport Extremes are pretty far from each other.


User uploaded file


P.S. Given that Apple OSX default screen shot and Grab are TIFF images, why doesn't this Apple website allow direct upload of TIFF images for forum posts? Why do we have to convert to JPG first?

Airport Extreme and Cox Internet IPv6 Problem

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