All network devices freezing when Airport Extreme Base Station is connected. Any ideas?

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I've been troubleshooting this issue for a while, and through a series of events have it narrowed down to my airport extreme base station. I like this router, since I'm able to connect to IPV6 sites without any insane configuration (my alternate router is too old and doesn't support v6).

My question is: Has anyone else had this issue, if so how is it resolved? If not, can you recommend a good IPv6 router?

Here is how I came to the conclusion that it is the router:

Devices: XBOX 360, HTC Incredible, Home-Built machine running FreeBSD, Home-Built machine running Ubuntu 10.04.

1.) Noticed freezing on Ubuntu Box. 2.) Noticed freezing on XBOX360 3.) Noticed freezing on HTC Incredible (only when connected to my network wirelessly).

The above all happened at random times throughout the past few weeks. Over the last few days, I was playing XBOX and noticed that the XBOX and Ubuntu machines both froze. I picked up my phone, and it was also frozen. I reset all devices, power-cycled my router, and all was fine again. About two hours later, it happened again (I was playing Forza III, the XBOX froze; I went to the Ubuntu box and it was frozen; unfortunately, the HTC phone was not connected wirelessly, and the FreeBSD box was turned off).

I can't even begin to imaging what a router could be doing to freeze devices with such differing hardware/software/OS, and I feel absurd for coming to this conclusion, but I have nothing else. I hooked up my archaic Netgear router, and have had no problems since. :(

Jon

Posted 2010-07-10T03:07:58.100

Reputation: 11

When frozen, the devices are absolutely inaccessible? (ie there's nothing diagnostic you can do with them?) – Andy – 2010-07-10T09:36:14.530

That's correct. Phone had to have the battery removed; Xbox had to be powered off and then on. The Ubuntu box didn't respond to CTRL+ALT+F2, nor did it respond to ALT+SysRq+REISUB. Completely unresponsive (couldn't SSH to it, either). – Jon – 2010-07-10T16:32:52.417

I need to put away the "jump to ridiculous conclusions mat". I knew this sounded too ridiculous to be true, and it was.

Found an ath5k patch for kernel 2.6.32 (fixes system freezing issue with certain wireless cards). Changed the code in the appropriate files, recompiled kernel, rebooted. No freezes since then (connecting to the airport extreme).

Cleaned out my xbox (dust), haven't seen further freezes, but it could just be a problem with it. No further freezes on the phone, could be a one-off.

Seems this was a series of coincidences and I looked for the obvious connection between devices. – Jon – 2010-07-11T23:46:25.540

Answers

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  1. Applied patch to ath5k drivers on ubuntu machine, recompiled kernel, loaded new module, reboot. No further freezes on Ubuntu box.
  2. Cleaned dust out of x-box. Haven't seen further freezes, but I haven't played very much. I'll keep an eye on it and see if there is some unrelated problem with it.
  3. Not sure about the HTC phone. With the fix of the Ubuntu box, I have to make the determination that this is also unrelated.

I have to chalk this up to sheer coincidence (albeit a very odd coincidence that I'd have three devices freeze at similar times, and have that occur twice; plus individual freezes over the past few weeks). At least the ubuntu box is working properly, and haven't seen further phone problems. I'll need to play more video games to see if there is something wrong with my xbox.

Jon

Posted 2010-07-10T03:07:58.100

Reputation: 11

Asked: 2010-07-10T03:07:58.100

Viewed: 558 times

Active: 2013-02-26T16:26:12.013