Google devices (Android 15, ChromeOS) losing WiFi connectivity
Greetings,
Since November 2024 or earlier, two of four devices at home have intermittent losses of WiFi connectivity. We're at a dead-end with troubleshooting, and so is Cox Complete Care. Here are some facts so far:
- HP multifunction printer (2011) on Ethernet has no issues
- Moto g Play (2021) Android 11 on same WiFi: no issues, no interruptions, fast downloads and streaming.
- WiFi connectivity only for this device, which stays at home.
- Panoramic WiFi routers indicate no outages. This is the third router we've swapped out with same behavior. Our home connection is DOCSIS 100Mbps with over 10 years of superb reliability.
- Router factory-reset has been performed
- Configuration to ensure maximum connectivity and minimal complexity
- No MAC filtering, firewall interference, or other security blocks are evident
- 3 types of system logs indicate no relevant entries
- 96% uptime on the WiFi connections to the Google devices. This is an intermittent and brief interruption.
- The main symptom is a notification: "<SSID> has no Internet access" which will persist awhile, then the device may dissociate entirely from the Panoramic WiFi signal
- On the Pixel 8 Pro, Cox Mobile data is reliable and operating correctly for Internet access
- Several Android updates since this issue began, possibly as early as Android 14
- Several [private] DNS configurations have been tried, with no relief
- Pixel phone generally exhibits the same glitch at same time as ChromeOS
- On the Acer Chromebook, Ethernet connectivity is reliable and uninterrupted at these times
- WiFi configuration has been modified and reset in every imaginable permutation
Cox Support was unable to disable IPv6 or otherwise simplify the variables so that more troubleshooting could proceed. I told them, if a technician was dispatched, that they'd find no issues, because this is intermittent, and doesn't seem to be a Cox Equipment issue at all.
So Google's OS between 13-15 somehow incompatible with Cox Panoramic WiFi. Here are some hypotheses:
- Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 is very problematic for any customer or any service provider.
- Google's "Internet access detection" may be deceived by poor connectivity for one protocol.
- Not all sites/apps have dual-stack connectivity, but is Google checking something specific?
- DNS always suspect.
- Disabled/re-enabled Private DNS.
- DNS is dual-stack as well; see above.
- Surely Google's access test relies on DNS in some way.
- All the custom settings applied locally.
- Why is connectivity excellent, 96% of the time when we're not tinkering with it?
- Devices updated, settings reset, routers swapped; no relief from configuration tweaks.
- Malware/threat detection by Cox network?
- Locking out the WiFi connection in a reaction to a threat from customer's network, but why is Ethernet unaffected?
- No warning emails or comments from tech support?
- Radio-interference issues
- This is a dense multifamily housing community.
- Congested 2.4GHz WiFi band was disabled with no change in symptoms.
- Android 11 has no issues, and streaming is normal, and download speeds are fast, with full bars.
Next steps, I'll follow up with Google Support, increase WiFi logging on the Pixel phone, and wait for another glitch.
I'm just a guy that owns an IT Managed Services shop that focuses on providing contract outsourced IT infrastructure, support, and compliance services. I'm not actually having issues myself but I've used Google devices on Cox Internet and not experienced issues to the extent that you've reported.
I can report however that Google devices by way of the features I've suggested tinkering with amongst others, have a curious way of dickering with tried and true principles of Internet connectivity in the name of privacy but in my opinion cause problems. To this day, it still upsets me that Google devices prioritize external DNS over anything you may have configured internal making it very difficult for things like Android phones to see services you may have internally hosted and no amount of custom configuring your network infrastructure will correct said behavior.
But on that topic, I will also say that the Cox Pananorama wifi gateways have been known to tinker with the connection in similar ways. I believe WAN isolation is enabled by default which will make things like Nest devices not see each other. On that note, you may want to explore the security features in your Cox Wifi app further and see if anything could be going on there.