When I set up my new Route10 a few days ago I had no internet connection when it was connected directly to my ISP’s modem. Couldn’t work out why as it worked fine when plugged into my old router. Long story short - it’s my ISP’s fault.
We’re on VirginMedia’s 1130Mbps service and have their “Superhub 5” switched to modem mode. The hub has 1 x 2.5Gbps port and 3 x 1Gbps ports. In February they released a firmware which stops the 2.5Gbps port from working unless you can disable Energy Efficient Ethernet on whatever device you’ve plugged into the port. So I either need to disable EEE on the Route10, use a 1Gbps port, or wait for VirginMedia to fix something they broke almost a year ago (UK readers will know VirginMedia’s reputation for being a bit … well … awful).
Is it possible to disable EEE on the Route10?
If yes, how is the best way to do it?
And is it a good idea to disable it? Will it create other issues or increase power consumption/heat etc?
Thank you!
(A link to a news article about this issue - ISPReview)
Yes it’s possible but it’s not a setting that’s exposed currently, so right now there is one way—by shell (web terminal or direct ssh, both are the same). I do not know the plans there, yet.
Are you using the default WAN1 (eth3)? If so, here’s an example command to check the status: ethtool --show-eee eth3
Now, that won’t be a persistent change, but first I may suggest trying it to make sure it’s working as expected. If it is then we can use a script to apply it automatically.
If you need it for full PHY negotiation then I think it would be acceptable. The main thing may be some increased heat, but as long as it’s a decent environment then it should be okay (i.e. not in an oven, etc). 802.3az may actually introduce some latency due to the power saving mechanisms so latency could be lower with it disabled (possible benefit). It could affect compatibility technically, but if the upstream device requires it for the PHY to run at full speed, then that shouldn’t be an issue here.
I am indeed using the default WAN1 and was able to run the 2 commands you provided which showed the exact same output as your screenshots. I switched the cable over to the 2.5G port on the modem and it worked straight away!
It would appear from the experience of others with this issue that, once you’ve disabled EEE, it should be fine long term.
Having it persist through reboots might be useful but, now my network is up and running, hopefully I won’t need to reboot the Route10 too often!
No problem! I’m glad to hear that worked. We’re reviewing this and may change to default off instead of default on. But in the interim the script would be the best way to make it persistent.
I’ve prepared some instructions below, but if you’d prefer I could also just implement this on your behalf, I would just need to be invited to the site to do so. If that’s preferred, please just let me know. Otherwise see below.
Basically we need to create a file in a specific location, add the above command, and set the appropriate permissions. There are numerous ways to achieve this, and here’s one example:
Connect to Route10 via SSH or use web terminal.
touch /cfg/post-cfg.sh
chmod 755 /cfg/post-cfg.sh
You have the option of nano or vim if you have a preferred text editor. For simplicity I’m going to focus on nano. nano /cfg/post-cfg.sh
Paste the previous command: ethtool --set-eee eth3 eee off
Press Ctrl + x, to save and close
Press Y to confirm
Lastly, press enter to confirm the file name.
vim is pretty straight forward too, after you open the file vim /cfg/post-cfg.sh, press i for input mode, then after the command is inputted you can press escape, :wq, enter (that specific key sequence) to exit and save the file. As it’s one line you could technically use echo, or other commands as well. Like I said, there are options.
