Since BT still hasn’t fixed the intermittent DNS issue, I ended up building a workaround.
I put together a small project called Router Watchdog that automatically power-cycles the router if it loses internet.
It works like a dead man’s switch:
A Tasmota smart plug controls power to the router
The plug runs a local countdown timer
A small service on a cheap VPS resets that timer via MQTT every 15 minutes
If the router loses connectivity, the plug can’t receive the reset
The timer expires and the plug power-cycles the router
Because the timer runs locally on the plug, it still triggers even when the internet is down.
It’s not a fix for the root cause, but it’s stopped me having to manually reboot the router every time DNS drops.
I’ve put it on GitHub here:
[mod edit: third party link removed as community terms]
You’ll need a Tasmota smart plug and a basic VPS (mine costs about £2 per month).
