Still trying to Connect

[okhomer]

I have been having this problem for about a month now and because of just having a baby have not gotten a chance to sit down and work on the problem until now. I have had the Echo since the Beta and have never had a connection problem before. When I turn on the Echo I will get a message stating, "Still trying to connect...". I have looked over the post at http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... ect#p39281 and this did not help. I have not changed anything on my network or my HTPC. Everything has been the same since the beta started. The only thing I have changed was the firmware updates on the Echo. I did notice this starting after the update 2013.116.1545 i believe. I have ran an update on the echo and that did not help. I even updated the echo setting on my HTPC and no luck. I can re-setup the echo as an extender on my HTPC and use it with no problems but when I shut down the Echo and turn it on again I will get the same message. I have looked in the event logs and there is nothing a bout the extender? I only see stuff about RecordedTV HD. Not your problem. I am lost of what else to do. Should I run a "Recovery" on the Echo? HELP!!!!!

[nick]

I had this problem and it turned out to be an issue with my router/switch that the Echo was connected to having issues with Extenders. The router is a Netgear WNDR3700 and would not work with any stock firmware (http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=67681). The problem went away after putting dd-wrt on it.

I'm not saying you have the same problem but you should try swapping out other pieces of your network to try and narrow in on the issue.

[foxwood]

I had this problem and it turned out to be an issue with my router/switch that the Echo was connected to having issues with Extenders. The router is a Netgear WNDR3700 and would not work with any stock firmware (http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=67681). The problem went away after putting dd-wrt on it.

In over 15 years of using consumer grade networking hardware, I've never encountered an issue where stuff didn't work reliable because of problems with a mainstream home switch.

The reports that people need to upgrade their NIC drivers or replace their routers to get the Echo working reliably suggests that the problem is with the NIC drivers on the Echo, and it should be fixed on the Echo, rather than requiring updates to other CE equipment in the LAN.

[Sammy2]

I don't have any problems like you suggest so that points elsewhere than the echo to me. I have never had an issue with connection of the echo to the host since I got my echo in mid-October.

[foxwood]

I don't have any problems like you suggest so that points elsewhere than the echo to me. I have never had an issue with connection of the echo to the host since I got my echo in mid-October.

Obviously it works in most caes. But a number of people have had problems, and updating NIC drivers has helped in some instances. In this specific case, the router problem identified really was a problem with the router (it didn't just affect the Echo), but other people have had DHCP issues with their Echoes that suggest that the networking firmware in the Echo isn't as robust as you'd expect to find in Consumer Electronics gear.

(Note that these kind of issues are usually addressed by the chipset vendor providing updates that a Vendor like Ceton would roll into it's firmware - I wouldn't expect the developers at Ceton to be rolling their own NIC drivers for the Echo).

[erkotz]

I had this problem and it turned out to be an issue with my router/switch that the Echo was connected to having issues with Extenders. The router is a Netgear WNDR3700 and would not work with any stock firmware (http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=67681). The problem went away after putting dd-wrt on it.

In over 15 years of using consumer grade networking hardware, I've never encountered an issue where stuff didn't work reliable because of problems with a mainstream home switch.

The reports that people need to upgrade their NIC drivers or replace their routers to get the Echo working reliably suggests that the problem is with the NIC drivers on the Echo, and it should be fixed on the Echo, rather than requiring updates to other CE equipment in the LAN.

Disagreed on multiple levels. If the Network card/driver in the PC is not reliably passing data, this is not something that a remote device, like the Echo, should have to (or may even be able to) fix. For instance, we have commonly seen an issue where PCs using Realtek NICs + old NIC drivers will bugcheck (in the NIC driver) when talking to Echo. In absolutely no situation should a remote device, like an Echo, be able to cause a NIC driver to take out the whole PC, even if the remote device was sending bad data (and I'm not saying it is) - this is a security risk.

Regarding the WNDR3700, we have experienced numerous reports of this symptom with this router, and only this router. In every single case, the issue has gone away when replacing the router (or replacing the router's firmware with DD-WRT). I have been trying to purchase this router, but have been unsuccessful at locating the V1 unit in a store (which I believe is the only affected unit). I was hoping to obtain a unit under warranty in the hopes of compelling Netgear to resolve this, but that is looking unlikely.

I strongly suspect the WNDR3700 is not properly passing multcast traffic. Multicast traffic is not commonly used on home networks, and can often trip up buggy (or misconfigured) switches

If anyone know where I can purchase a WNDR3700 v1 (must be v1) brand new, please let me know.

[Sammy2]

How do you determine if it is V1 or not?

[foxwood]

Disagreed on multiple levels. If the Network card/driver in the PC is not reliably passing data, this is not something that a remote device, like the Echo, should have to (or may even be able to) fix. For instance, we have commonly seen an issue where PCs using Realtek NICs + old NIC drivers will bugcheck (in the NIC driver) when talking to Echo. In absolutely no situation should a remote device, like an Echo, be able to cause a NIC driver to take out the whole PC, even if the remote device was sending bad data (and I'm not saying it is) - this is a security risk.

I'm not defending buggy Realtek NIC drivers - but if the Echo is the only CE gear that encountering problems, then you'd have to wonder if there isn't an issue on that end as well.

Obviously on a site like TGB, issues with the Echo are going to predominate, but there are thousands of Rokus, BluRay players and other CE devices out there for every Echo, so I'd expect to have heard more about this type of issue. Maybe they're put there, I just haven't come across them.

[Sammy2]

I have a realtek NIC in my HTPC and all's well with my echo.

[foxwood]

I have a realtek NIC in my HTPC and all's well with my echo.

I guess everyone else who installed updated Realtek NIC drivers must have been wasting their time so.

Or is there something else we can learn from your trouble free experience?

[okhomer]

I didn't want to start an argument. I just wanted help.

[holidayboy]

Don't worry, we never have arguments at tgb.... Heated debates are common though

[Sammy2]

I have a realtek NIC in my HTPC and all's well with my echo.

I guess everyone else who installed updated Realtek NIC drivers must have been wasting their time so.

Or is there something else we can learn from your trouble free experience?

IDK. Maybe just keep your drivers up to date? My experience with the echo has been far from trouble free, BTW. I have just not had connection issues with it.

[okhomer]

So I think I got it fixed. I think I just needed to reset my router but there was a firmware update so I decided to install that and it now it has been working for the past week. Thanks.

[erkotz]

Can anyone who is experiencing this on a WNDR3700v1 please tell me what firmware version you are on, and try resetting the router to defaults and see if the issue persists. For testing, I got a WNDR3700 v1, have Firmware 1.0.16.98 installed on it, and I cannot reproduce this problem. Both the Echo and PC are directly connected to the router via wired Ethernet.

Also are people seeing this on the WNDR3700 v2 or v3?

[nick]

Can anyone who is experiencing this on a WNDR3700v1 please tell me what firmware version you are on, and try resetting the router to defaults and see if the issue persists. For testing, I got a WNDR3700 v1, have Firmware 1.0.16.98 installed on it, and I cannot reproduce this problem. Both the Echo and PC are directly connected to the router via wired Ethernet.

Also are people seeing this on the WNDR3700 v2 or v3?

I had V1.0.7.98NA firmware on mine. Before the Echo I had tried 1.0.16.98 but reverted back to 1.0.7.98 after some other performance issues.

[erkotz]

Can anyone who is experiencing this on a WNDR3700v1 please tell me what firmware version you are on, and try resetting the router to defaults and see if the issue persists. For testing, I got a WNDR3700 v1, have Firmware 1.0.16.98 installed on it, and I cannot reproduce this problem. Both the Echo and PC are directly connected to the router via wired Ethernet.

Also are people seeing this on the WNDR3700 v2 or v3?

I had V1.0.7.98NA firmware on mine. Before the Echo I had tried 1.0.16.98 but reverted back to 1.0.7.98 after some other performance issues.

Do you have a v1, v2 or v3? Can you please try resetting it to defaults and see if you can still repro with the newest WNDR3700 and Echo firmware? I'd like to get a repro of this to figure out what the root cause is (I have some theories, and most of them blame the router, but I'd still like proof).

[Embiggens]

I have this router (from what I understand, the hardware version below means this is v1), and I am not having any issues. Sorry if I'm jumping in too late.

Hardware Version WNDR3700
Firmware Version V1.0.7.98NA
GUI Language Version V1.0.0.64

[drtdiver]

I have a wndr3700 v2 just updated to the latest echo beta firmware and the issue has popped up for me. Been fine for months. gonna start checking the router out. I'll be happy to provide any information I dig up or asked to look for.
Edit:
False alarm. Turned everything off for the night. Woke up this morning and everything connected fine. Tried restarting multiple times and each time it connected. Weird thing is last night every time I power cycled the echo it would asked to be repaired. Now it seams to be working normally.