NVG589 DNS Dropouts

A few things, as I'm still having problems with both the DNS and the NVG589 firewall simply dropping legitimate traffic to my devices even though I've done my best to disable it (which I don't want to and shouldn't have to do in the first place). 

1. While switch your local to Google DNS (8.8.8.8) prevents the DNS dropouts, it also renders your devices unable to resolve anything by name inside your network as it no longer relies on the NVG589 for DNS. Good luck finding a printer, smart tv or any other devices by name. The real solution would be AT&T unlocking the ability to change the DNS used by the NVG589 -- rather than attempting to bypass it. Then forcing a fallaback so the NVG589 can access whatever it needs to on the AT&T network by name. Don't hold your breath. 

2. After digging through 5 years of complaints about the DNS issue. I did see someone else having success disabling IPV6. Didn't work for me. 

3. I continue to experience dropouts -- which I've traced in the logs back to the allegedly disabled firewall and packet filtering. Huge swaths of blocked traffic back to my local IP. Seems to genuinely hate on asynchronous web traffic you'd see from say, any site I'm developing or less common sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Google -- you know those guys. 

If anyone manages to figure this out entirely, I'll paypal you some serious beer money. I just need a solid internet connection, the faster the better as I'm a software engineering consultant and code deployments take time, less time when my internet works as it should and time is literally money for me. 

I can copy and paste the exact same issues. 17 calls 8 tech visits out of 12 scheduled (4 never showed up). At a loss!

The DNS server definitely causes this problem.  To solve this without AT&T you will need to use your own router and put the NVG589 into bridge mode.  I recommend you purchase a router with a firewall as part of the solution involves disabling the firewall on the NVG589.  I am using the Netgear prosafe FVS318G 

When you do this properly, you can change the DNS server and your problems disappear.  A great guide for doing this can be found here:

https://forums.att.com/t5/Features-and-How-To/How-to-put-the-Motorola-NVG589-in-bridge-mode-or-as-close-as-you/td-p/3552057

Hopefully AT&T will get their act together and fix the issue with their DNS server.  Until then, we are going to have to do our own routing.

I don't believe they have fixed their DNS servers yet. See my post. 

As russianj pointed out, they have definitely not fixed their DNS servers.  I'm getting drops multiple times a day here in Texas.

2015-08-24T19:49:19-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[2795]: no responses from nameserver '99.99.99.53'
2015-08-24T19:49:19-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[2795]: nameserver '99.99.99.53' is now responding

It looks like AT&T is using the same name servers for IPv6 and IPv4 now - but whether IPv4 or IPv6 is chosen from the router options, DNS continues to time out.

Primary DNS	68.94.156.9
Secondary DNS	68.94.157.9
Primary DNS Name	DNS query timed out
Secondary DNS Name 	DNS query timed out

I have AT&T Gigapower, and I'm having to type this tethered to my phone.

A secondary router to use for DNS (placing the Motorola NVG589 in bridge mode) may be the only solution.  

ps. I know the network team is working hard to fix this and it's appreciated, but this DNS timeout issue has been persistant since early summer.

Maybe the new 802.11ac access point/router would help, or allow some increased timeout options.

Recent log output, below.

2015-10-15T00:36:09-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[749]: no responses from nameserver '68.94.156.9'
2015-10-15T00:36:09-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[749]: no responses from nameserver '68.94.157.9'
2015-10-15T00:36:16-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[749]: nameserver '68.94.156.9' is now responding

2015-10-15T06:31:38-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[2985]: no responses from nameserver '68.94.157.9'
2015-10-15T06:31:42-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[2985]: no responses from nameserver '68.94.156.9'
2015-10-15T06:31:48-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[2985]: nameserver '68.94.156.9' is now responding
2015-10-15T06:37:10-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[2985]: no responses from nameserver '68.94.156.9'
2015-10-15T06:37:16-05:00 L3 dnsmasq[2985]: nameserver '68.94.156.9' is now responding