Intermittent internet connection loss, Airport Extreme (newest version) router and SB6141 modem

I am having the exact same issue with my airport extreme.  It worked fine until 6 weeks ago, now wifi works but lose internet connection daily and have to reboot my modem which is a  cisco DPQ3212

Hi All - I've started experiencing similar issues over the past several weeks and seems to be progressively getting worse.  My internet will stop working (but all lights on modem & router are still on) and in order to correct, rebooting my modem seems to fix the issue, most times... but sometimes both the modem and router need to be rebooted.  Both wifi and hardwire connections into the router are impacted. 

I'm now noticing this behavior occurring a few times a day over the past week.  I have an SB6141 and using an Airport Extreme router.  On the SB6141 modem home page it shows set to IPv4 only under configuration, not IPv6.  There are settings also in my Airport Extreme for IPv6 similar to the first post.  

I tried resetting my modem to factory in the configuration page to create a new initialization but the command doesn't work to reset, like it's been disabled. 

I live in the Phoenix area.  Previous to several weeks back I didn't experience this issue (have had this current configuration for over a year).  I'll keep watching this thread for some answers/suggestions and happy to provide more info too.  I've also noticed complete loss of internet (even after rebooting) around the midnight hour a couple times in the past week. 

Thank you!

I am having the same issue.  Just started service with Cox and never had an issue with the Airport Extreme and Charter.  Rebooting the router seems to be the only way to get it to work and it doesn't work for very long.

no Airport extreme here but I am also having similar internet loss around the same time as you are.. not sure your location. i am in the 93117 

tech support over the phone is useless... all they want is to reboot the system.. 

I also have a similar setup (6th gen Airport Extreme and Motorola SB6141) and as of a few days ago have started see a need to restart my router every few hours to restore internet connectivity. My setup had been working almost flawlessly for the last 2 years so this issue has been very noticeable (and annoying).

This is not a wifi related issue, nor is it a signal issue with modem (I've checked). There are no unusual issues logged in the modem's logs (which usually is the case when there is a connection issue on Cox's end).

When the issue has happened I've been able to experiment a bit and have noticed that in fact I am still connected in the sense that I can access IP addresses directly without issue, it seems the issue is that DNS resolution via the DNS proxy on the Airport Extreme dies effectively killing DNS for all devices in my network and by extension my access to the web.

Given that nothing changed on my end and this issue started out of nowhere very recently (and yet consistently) it does seem that this IPv6 theory could very well explain what may be happening. I was able to confirm that IPv6 is fully enabled on my connection using a few of the test sites out on the web.

To work around the issue I've currently changed my IPv6 setting from "Automatically" to "Link-Local Only" on the Airport Extreme which effectively disables IPv6 for all outside connections (though IPv6 will still be enabled within my LAN). I will post here again if it appears that this has not resolved the issue (until either Apple releases an updated firmware to fix this, or Cox tweaks their config to work around it).

I am in CT and am having the same exact problem. Internet connection dies (status light to "Internet" in the Airport Utility for iOS goes from green to orange), but I'm still connected to my AirPort Extreme just fine. This started happening March 1st. It dies several times per day. Rebooting the cable modem (Cisco DPQ3212) usually resolves the issue, but sometimes I need to reboot the AirPort, as well. I have been running this exact setup (DPQ3212 and AirPort Extreme) since July of 2015 with zero problems. Initially, I thought the problem may be with the AirPort so, I called Apple support. Since it was under warranty, they sent me to my local Apple Store, where they gave me a brand new one. Same problems persisted, so I called Cox. Everything looked normal on their end, even when it was acting up with them on the phone. That prompted the phone tech to schedule a field tech to come to my house to check things out. That was yesterday (March 4th). The field tech checked everything from the modem back to the pole. He even disconnected and reconnected the wires at the pole, just to be sure. All signals in the house looked normal to him. He ended up replacing the modem with a new one before he left. This morning (March 5th) it was dead, again. I don't know if it will make a difference, but I have an AirPort Express that isn't being used anymore. I am going to try using that for a few days. I won't be able to get full speed out of it via wifi (I pay for 100 Mbps and routinely get 120 via wifi with the Extreme-it drops to 70 or so with the Express), but it will be interesting to see if the connection stays up. 

I had same issue - I have Cox (Premier residential service) - Cox conversion to IPv6 causing issue. I have Arris 6190 Cable Modem and most recent Airport Extreme Router (7.7.3 Firmware). Beginning in late December had to reset router / cable modem every day or so as I could not connect to internet from inside network (at home), but my devices (webcams, etc) were still online and accessible outside my home network. I am IT savvy - worked backwards to troubleshoot....tried a new Airport Extreme, changed DNS to Google DNS. After days of troubleshooting and still having issues I changed Airport Extreme settings to "Link Local Only"....and have had no issues since....(7 days and counting).....(neighbor did same and resolved his issue - he had 6141 and Airport Extreme) side note, finally getting thru to both Apple AND Cox Tier 2 Support, both acknowledged issue....

So, open Airport Utility and change settings as follows:

• Airport Utility>Internet>Internet Options>Configure IPv6>Link-local only

Yes to this! After my post yesterday, I did some more research and came across a thread on the Apple Support forums from people having the same issue with Cox and AirPort Base Stations. The problem seems to be with the roll out of IPV6. Supposedly, both Apple and Cox are working on a solution. But, in the meantime, the workaround seems to be to change your IPV6 settings in the AirPort to link only local. I did this last night and my connection stayed live through the night for the first time in a week. You'll lose the ability to support pure IPV6, but it should be okay in the short term while they sort this out. My understanding is, while the push is on to move to IPV6, most are running a dual stack for both IPV4 and IPV6 support. 

THANK YOU spotster!  This worked!

I have the same exact issue with the same exact equipment as you have. I've had the same equipment for ~1yr without problems. Recently, I have been having the service interruptions as described here multiple times per day, requiring reset of my modem and/or router. I live in the Phoenix area and this has been happening intermittently since February, but since March 1st this has been a daily occurrence and using the reset buttons on my hardware has become a daily ritual. I've spent many hours trying to figure this out, contacting Cox but could not resolve the issue permanently. I will stay tuned here to find the ultimate resolution between Cox and Apple. Thank you all so much....just saved me hours of grief! 

Same exact setup and issues as others posted here; Moto SB6183 and Airport Extreme (6th generation) dropping internet requiring a hard boot (power plug out/plug in) of the modem and router in sequence (both off, power modem, then power router). Oddly the issue had gotten worse over time to where the signal would not hold for more than an hour.

This simple fix should be enough to reset the data flow and get things going; however, having to do this multiple times suggests a larger issue.

After a week of dropping internet connection, and conversing with COX, I was given an appointment with a field tech to come out and evaluate the system. On the day of the appointment (today) I get a call from COX "we have a known issue with Airport extremes... it's an Apple issue... consult with Apple technical support... turn off IPv6".

Setting IPv6 to "Link-local only" seems to have made the connection stable.

I called back to cancel the appointment (after about an hour of stable connection, which was more than I was getting prior) and was told by the COX support that since the migration to IPv6 they have had sporadic outages and are working with Apple for a solution. No timeframe for the solution, however, this is affecting customers that have home systems (i.e. security, phone, etc...) and makes it a high priority to fix.

My issue now; where can we look to find out if this issue is resolved so that IPv6 can be turned back on? I asked and was told that noting 'official' is planned. I would like to see an announcement when issues like this occur. We tend to dig and dig, spending hours and hours troubleshooting, only to find out at the last moment that the fix is a simple 'Step A' with no expectation of a notification that the solution is implemented and all is normal again. I guess I'll need to keep an "open todo" on my list to scour the Net for a time when the solution is implemented (i.e. ear to the ground).

I have had the exact same problem the last 5 days.  Cox claims it's an Apple issue of course, which is odd since my extreme has been perfect for 2 years, no issues.  Yesterday I switched the IPv6 setting to link local only, and it has not dropped the last 20 hours or so.  Stay tuned.