[PROBLEM] web UI disconnects for a few seconds

[Mark Dirac]

When I'm navigating through the config screens, and clicking "set" within config screens, Chrome reports "This site can't be reached" for a couple of seconds, and then shows the moOde "reconnect" screen for a few seconds, once or twice. Mostly but not always after each and every UI change or page-to-page navigation. Sometimes Chrome does not reconnect at all.

I have just updated from v7.4.1 to v8.2.5 64bit, running on Allo USBridge. Connection via ethernet on Allo, wifi on PC.

I tried restarting the router and clearing Chrome's cache and cookies.
Chrome Version 109.0.5414.75, on Windows 10.

After upgrade, the same IP address was allocated and Chrome reconnected to moOde without any intervention.

[Tim Curtis]

Thats very odd. The symptoms suggest a network or possibly a uSD card issue.

You could try a 20 sec ping test from PC to USBridge (or vis versa) to see what the ping stats look like.

Code:

# From PC
ping HOSTNAME of USBridge

# From USBridge
ping HOSTNAME of PC

# Ctrl-c to exit the ping and print the stats

You could also see if there are any TX or RX errors or drops reported for the Ethernet (eth0) interface on the USBridge.

Code:

ifconfig

[Mark Dirac]

Thats very odd. The symptoms suggest a network or possibly a uSD card issue.

You could try a 20 sec ping test from PC to USBridge (or vis versa) to see what the ping stats look like.

Thanks Tim.

1. I've created a new SD card ('cos the original one was crappy) - a brand new SanDisk Ultra. Problem is worse if anything.
   
2. The problem only happens with Chrome for Windows. It doesn't happen on Chrome for Android!
   

I'll not have a chance to run & copy pings today.

[Mark Dirac]

oops oops

[Tim Curtis]

Thats very odd. The symptoms suggest a network or possibly a uSD card issue.

You could try a 20 sec ping test from PC to USBridge (or vis versa) to see what the ping stats look like.

Thanks Tim.

1. I've created a new SD card ('cos the original one was crappy) - a brand new SanDisk Ultra. Problem is worse if anything.
   
2. The problem only happens with Chrome for Windows. It doesn't happen on Chrome for Android!
   

I'll not have a chance to run & copy pings today.

The result below suggests the issue is isolated to the Windows PC.

Code:

"The problem only happens with Chrome for Windows. It doesn't happen on Chrome for Android!"

You might want to check if any Chrome extensions are interfering with Browser throughput.

[Mark Dirac]

Thats very odd. The symptoms suggest a network or possibly a uSD card issue.

You could try a 20 sec ping test from PC to USBridge (or vis versa) to see what the ping stats look like.

Thanks Tim.

1. I've created a new SD card ('cos the original one was crappy) - a brand new SanDisk Ultra. Problem is worse if anything.
   
2. The problem only happens with Chrome for Windows. It doesn't happen on Chrome for Android!
   

I'll not have a chance to run & copy pings today.

The result below suggests the issue is isolated to the Windows PC.

Code:

"The problem only happens with Chrome for Windows. It doesn't happen on Chrome for Android!"

You might want to check if any Chrome extensions are interfering with Browser throughput.

Good idea, but not extensions - I only have three extensions:

1.  AdGuard AdBlocker, which was always disabled for moOde's URL, and is now disabled for the whole PC.
2.  Google Translate, which I have disabled.
3.  Chrome Remote Desktop, which I have also disabled.

Yes, Windows PC, or perhaps the way it's networked. (It worked with 7.4.1 release of moOde.) Windows and Android connects over wifi to eero router. Then ethernet to USBridge. eero router connected via ethernet to ISP's ADSL router.

Pings from Windows to USBridge:

Code:

C:\Users\markj>ping -n 20 moode.local

Pinging moode.local [192.168.5.51] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=20ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.5.51: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 192.168.5.51:
   Packets: Sent = 20, Received = 20, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
   Minimum = 2ms, Maximum = 20ms, Average = 4ms

[Tim Curtis]

The ping results look fine.

You could try Chrome - View, Developer, Javascript console and see if there are any errors but I don't have any experience debugging on Windows and so can only offer generic suggestions.

[Always_In_The_Moode]

I wonder if it's worth doing a constant ping to the server and as soon as you notice the UI disconnect, go straight to the ping output and see if there's been any time outs or large delays etc.

Wifi is unreliable sometimes, I've experienced issues in the past with conflicting neighbouring routers for example especially on 2.4Ghz which causes things like this to happen.

You could also try an alternative browser installed with default settings and nothing addition installed to it, for example, Firefox. Have you tried Edge as well? Do they exhibit the same behaviour?

[Mark Dirac]

Thanks for giving this some thought Tim. My PC and network are well-maintained & plenty powerful-enough. I reckon it's best to wait to see if anyone else experiences this or some other web server quirk. And I do have a good workaround - Android.

[TheOldPresbyope]

@Mark Dirac
@Tim Curtis

Just so we don't get too focused in on MS Windows---

I've seen this same effect in Desktop Chromium browser running on my Linux laptop (but not today). Since until very recently I didn't use Firefox routinely on my laptop, I can't say for sure the effect never occurred in it as well but I don't recall it happening.

I was never able to track down the cause and since it hasn't happened in any browser on my Android/iOS/iPadOS devices I haven't been motivated to do a deep dive. Until proven otherwise, I'm content to suspect x86 Chromium and its JavaScript engine are running into some sort of corner case. I have no reason to suspect hardware or network problems because of all the other stuff I do.

As for using the developer's console in either Chromium or Firefox, I always see various messages which usually look fixable (if you're a JS/CSS wiz, which I'm not) but they have never looked to me like a proverbial 'smoking gun'. 

A few random examples from Chromium looking at a moOde 8.2.5 player (I added the #lines) this morning:

Code:

# identified as lib.min.js related; occurs a number of times
[Violation] Added non-passive event listener to a scroll-blocking 'touchstart' event. Consider marking event handler as 'passive' to make the page more responsive. See https://www.chromestatus.com/feature/5745543795965952
[Violation] Added non-passive event listener to a scroll-blocking 'mousewheel' event. Consider marking event handler as 'passive' to make the page more responsive. See https://www.chromestatus.com/feature/5745543795965952
# occurs once
[Violation] Forced reflow while executing JavaScript took 35ms

While from Firefox

Code:

This page is in Quirks Mode. Page layout may be impacted. For Standards Mode use “<!DOCTYPE html>”.

Regards,
Kent

PS - Mark, as a retired physicist I'm moved to ask, is there any relation to Paul Adrian Maurice Dirac, creator of the Dirac Equation for which he was awarded the 1933 Nobel Prize (shared with Erwin Schroedinger)?