Wireless / Mobile → Millenicom > seemingly DNS related issue with 4620le

seemingly DNS related issue with 4620le

I have had a DNS/connectivity issue for about 3 weeks now and seem to be getting nowhere with Millenicom tech support. Hopefully someone here can help me figure out what is going on.

The service had been stable for the first couple months of service. Millenicom 20GB Verizon hotspot plan, 100% -70db signal strength, 4620LE device

Basically, I can browse and resolve web pages for a few minutes, then not for a minute, then I can for a few, then not. This repeats continuously.

Throughout this cycle, I can maintain a connection to instant messaging clients without any disconnect.
There is no signal drop indicated on the device.
I can run a continuous ping to a target website without interruption.
Connecting to the device via usb tethering makes no difference.
This happens on all devices connected to the network, it is not specific to a particular computer.
It does not matter if one or many devices are connected.
I can connect to my Verizon 4G phone as a hotspot and do not experience this problem.
There is an occasional windows event log entry "DNS Client Events 1014" indicating "name resolution timed out", but this does not occur with every unresolved site during the downtime.

These are the steps taken by Millenicom so far:
Reset device. This has been done endless times. Both via the reset button and the admin interface.
set the 802.11 mode to g+b+n
set WWAN Preferred Mode to LTE Only
set Automatic Shutdown to Never
take the device 10 minutes down the road to get on a different tower, same behavior
disable windows firewall, UAC
confirm Windows 8 identifies network as "Home Network"

The support has been pretty variable. I have talked to 4 different people over the past 3 weeks. They have all repeated the same general troubleshooting steps and don't seem to document anything, which is frustrating. I have been working with the same support person for the past week or so with no progress, they seem to be looking for issues with my computers.

Any ideas?

Instant messaging clients are a poor indication of network stability as they have their own timeouts and are pretty flexible where that's concerned. Some of them will pretend to still be connected for a while even when I remove the ethernet cable.

Millenicom tech support is really poor and consists of them turning on and off devices and checking their screens for activity. So dont expect a lot there (they tried to get me to buy a new 3G device instead of helping me fix mine, had to do it myself). By the way, them having you turn off Windows Firewall and UAC is REALLY bad support.

It sounds like your device is in a variable signal area and is being either put to sleep or losing signal strength for a moment then going back up to normal again. You could try changing the DNS IPs and see if that helps. »developers.google.com/speed/publ···cs/using

IM client may be a poor indication, but what about my continuous ping (ping site.com -t)?

There doesn't seem to be a signal variation going on. I can stare at both the 4620 and my phone and see no signal drops during this process. The 4G towers is 2-3 miles away, I could probably spot it once the leaves fall.

I did try using the google dns 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 on one of my computers but it didn't seem to matter. I will give it another try though and see what happens.

I personally think it is most likely tied to a firmware bug that Novatel hasn't or is reluctant to fix. Googling "4620LE dormant" brings up a lot of information on the subject, although no solutions. Being the issue does not seem to be universal, it very well might be tower or spectrum specific.

I tried troubleshooting for months to no avail, literally iterating though every setting on the device - changing one thing at a time.

It don't believe this to be a DNS issue as I've tried scores of different ones including popular options like Google and OpenDNS as well as DNS servers more local to me. A good program to trouble DNS is namebench which will show which DNS server is the best from your location. In my case, 85% of the DNS servers the program was attempting to ping would timeout whenever it was run, although that 85% would always change. The device seemed to disconnect every 90-180 seconds for 30-180 seconds causes huge timeout gaps. I'd highly recommend running it to see if you have the same symptoms.

I took the advice of others on this forum and moved to a used UML290 usb device off of Amazon, using the 4620LE sim card and have it in a USB router (Peplink Balance 20). It works flawlessly, to the point I don't even think about my connection any more. It's just on all the time and fast.

I just switched to google dns again, and continued to experience the same problem. Though I expected that. I confirmed there was no DNS redirection using »www.grc.com/dns/dns.htm as suggested in another thread here.

The UML290 suggestion is pretty good. They are cheap and readily available. That does limit the flexibility of having the 4620 on the road, but would be fine for home use.

I actually have a Cradlepoint CTR 35 which I use on the road. I just keep it charged up and grab my usb stick on my way out the door.

Namebench: »code.google.com/p/namebench/downloads/list

Edit: Whoops, I meant a PHS300 for the road. Honestly I have a drawer full out mini routers being I've tried almost everything to get a solid connection. The CTR 35 was great for 3G with a USB760.

An update on this issue...

Millenicom offered to replace the device, confirmed my shipping address and shipped the device. Then I get an email with the "Terms and Conditions" of the new device which included:

"3. In the event we find that your device does not have a factory defect (whether it operates properly or that the discovered defect was operator caused such as water damage, abuse, etc.) you agree to be charged $99.99 for the replacement device as well as $19.99 for activation and $15.00 for shipping ($134.98 Total) and we will mail you back your device. "

So, I replied to them indicating that I did not agree to the terms put forth. If they find that it works properly for them, I wont be forced into paying for a replacement. Millenicom's support staff decided to replace the device, not myself. I indicated my refusal of the terms 4 days ago and again yesterday when I received the device. I have not opened it yet and asked them how to proceed. I have yet to receive a reply.

I wish I had some other internet option at my location. I could go with straight Verizon service but could only get 10GB/month for the same price as Millenicom.