Forum Discussion
Wifi intermittent across devices
I've got TELUS PureFibre Gigabit Internet, an ActionTec T3200M modem, and within the last month, all of my devices in the house (though at different times) have dropped the wifi, then tried to reconnect, then sorta connected, just to drop it again, and then hang in a "authenticating, disconnected" cycle until they give up. It's happened across Macbook laptops, iPhone's (17pro, 13pro), and our Sony Bravia TV.
Once a device is in this one second it's connected, one second it's not connected death spiral, it eventually times out after a while and the only recourse is hard rebooting the modem. I've tried resetting / hard rebootting the devices as well (start/stop laptop, start/stop TV, etc.) but only the modem seems to allow them to function okay again.
While this is happening, it's not unusual for other devices in the home to have solid, well functioning connections.
Getting pretty tired of this (work from home) and am also getting tired of the TELUS support options that tell me to restart my machine, have I checked the connection, etc.
Anyone on here experienced the same thing? I've got SmartSteering turned on, there's lots of TELUS wifi in our neighbourhood that I see amongst the dozen or so other wifi networks visible...
Had the same setup since Fibre was installed, haven't done any changes to the modem, but it's become increasingly flakey as of late.
14 Replies
Hi Gordonr,
Our issues definitely began when we upgraded iPhone 14 to 17. Nothing else was changed. After the multiple tech visits and replacing our T3200M modem, we still had the same disconnect/reconnect issues. As noted below, taking off the smartsteering and putting the iPhone 17 on the 5Ghz band and most other devices onto the 2.4Ghz band seems to be working. I did add the smart tv and MacBook to the 5Ghz band for faster speed with no issue - still not sure if we could add more or not. Critical point seems to be keeping that iPhone on the 5G band? It is definitely a hassle updating all the device wifi settings…
We have a similar issue, same modem but no optical cable in our area. Our problems began last fall with the update from an iPhone 14 to the 17. Whenever the phone was in the house, the wifi on one of the other phones or iPads would start the on/off cycle and we’d have to reboot the modem and have the phone off😬. We had the Telus tech out 4 times trying to figure it out and he finally replaced the modem (same model) which we thought would work. Then went down south right after and just returned…no luck. Wifi problems are still there…but it all worked fine in Arizona with an older modem and Netgear router. We blamed the phone, so made sure all the apple device software was updated - local apple store says they have never heard of our problem? So we are stuck with unplugging the modem regularly - is there some issue with new apple software and this particular modem? Is there an alternative configuration that would work? Help!!
TELUS_SupportOfficial Support Team
Redrock30 That's a bit of a head-scratcher and sounds annoying. Let's try a few different things just as a process of elimination.
On the phone:
Disable "private wifi address" by tapping on Settings > Wifi > Tap on the "i" next to your network name then tap on off.
Evaluate to see if that helps.
If that doesn't make a difference (keep it off), try disabling "Limit IP address tracking".
Again, evaluate whether these two steps combined make any difference.On your router
Something else to consider would be disabling band steering (SmartSteering/Smart Wi-Fi).
Log into your modem (address and password are on a sticker affixed to your router).
Look for wireless settings and disable Smart Wi-Fi. This will give you to separate Wi-Fi bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz (you can rename them).
Try connecting your new iPhone to 5GHz and older devices to the 2.4GHz band.Changing phone settings did not work. However, turning off Smartsteering on the T3200 seems to do the trick. Currently have the iPhone17, computer and smart tv on 5G, and other household devices, iPads and other phone on 2.4. Everything has been stable for 24 hours. Is there a limit to number of devices that can use the 5G band?
im having a very similar problem on my iphone 15
the wifi disconnects for about 10 seconds, then reconnects for about 10 seconds. it continues that problem until i unplug my modem and plug it back in, then it will do it again the next day or even just a few hours later.
other people have issues with my wifi on their phone, i’ve noticed sometimes it affects my xbox and tv but not always.
im not very tech savvy so im unsure what else to try, but unplugging it is definitely just a sort term solution. the modem looks completely normal while the problem occurs, no flashing lights, no orange lights, just two solid green lights. i live in an apartment and ive noticed sometimes the lights flicker so i was thinking maybe that problem is linked to my wifi issue but im unsure.
- TELUS_Support
Frequent drops followed by short reconnects usually point to a modem or signal-related issue. To get this resolved as quickly as possible, the best next step is to connect with our Tech Support team so they can run live diagnostics on your modem. You can reach them through chat here anytime: support.telus.com/home-expert-sm
2.4GHz is on channel 3
5.0GHz was channel 149, had other networks around on 149, changed to 153Firmware is 31.164L.22, current as of 2020 (last updated firmware available from TELUS as best I can tell)
Have not yet turned off SmartSteering.Rebooted the modem, came back up, laptop happy so far, but Sony TV downstairs immediately upset even after a hard reboot of the TV and AppleTV box attached. Both dropped WIFI and went into authentication loop.
So after a channel change, issue still happening.
Is it a DHCP issue? Should I expand the range and/or try for some kind of hard renewal reset on the modem end?
- TELUS_Support
Thanks for all the details, that really helps. Since the issue continued even after changing channels and rebooting, we’ll need to take a closer look at your modem settings to pinpoint what’s causing the authentication loop. The best next step is to chat directly with our technical support team so they can review your setup in real time and apply any required fixes.
You can reach them here: support.telus.com/home-expert-sm.
After having split the SSID into two by turning off SmartSteering, I've now got my 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz networks visible. I managed to connect a couple of devices (iPhone, laptops) to the 5.0GHz network, but as I tried to connect a several others tonight (another iPhone, a Windows laptop), they rejected the password and were unable to connect. The password has not changed.
Meanwhile, the same devices could connect to the 2.4GHz SSID.
I also spent 90 min on hold and over 30 minutes on the phone with a tech, running the Visual Support app. TELUS is sending a new modem. I'm hopeful this resolves the connectivity issues.
- TELUS_Support
Hi there, thanks for the detailed description. What you’re experiencing sounds like intermittent Wi-Fi interference or modem instability. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:
- Check for interference: Since you have multiple Wi-Fi networks nearby, try changing your 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels on the ActionTec T3200M.
- Consider temporarily turning off SmartSteering to see if the devices stay connected more consistently.
- Modem placement: Ensure the modem is elevated, central in the house, and away from large metal objects, microwaves, or other electronics that could interfere.
- Firmware updates: Confirm the modem firmware is up to date via the modem’s web interface.
Because this is affecting multiple devices intermittently, it may be a modem or network-side issue rather than the devices themselves. We recommend contacting TELUS Home Expert Support at support.telus.com/home-expert-sm so a technician can review.
