Routers: my Bane :(

[eggy]

Ok, I consider myself a technically-sound computer user; but this is just baffling me.

Setup: 3 pcs connected via 100mb RJ45 to a router. Router connected via ADSL to 2mb broadband.

<internet working fine for a week>

Suddenly, I go LD on two accounts (two computers). Once daoc has closed, message pops up from the LAN connection "network disconnected", then instantly "network connection established".

Wait a few minutes for computer to sort itself out with an IP etc; woohoo back on the internet.

This will then get more frequent, until it starts occuring every 2 minutes. All computers do the same. Using the web interface to router, it appears the internet disconnects and reconnects.

<eggy thinks router is fucked. eggy buys new router>

Plug in - woohoo working, no problems.

<internet working fine for a week>

Suddenly, alt tabbing from a game, I try and open Firefox. Opens up, won't connect to websites (eh?!!). No new connections are being allowed to open - can't connect to Teamspeak etc; but current connections (ie daoc/msn) working just fine. (this is the same on ALL pcs).

A router reset does the trick; but the problems occur more frequently.

<eggy thinks router is fucked. eggy tries old router>

<internet working fine for a week>

wtf?!

It seems my routers work every so often. At the moment, I'm swapping the routers every 4 days or so to keep my internet working.

Can I really have two dead routers? I'm so confused

Routers are Netgear and Linksys wired/wireless .g ones.

 

[scorge]

make model of routers, is its a hybrid ADSL modem/router or just a router connected to an ADSL modem?

are you using wireless to connect the computers to the router or ethernet cable?

what OS are you using (windows xp?)

Who is your broadband ISP?


are you using a telephone extension to connect your ADSL up or using the main wall socket?

will have some answers for you later

 

[Dali]

If the network connection drops "Network cable is unplugged" it sounds like the router is resetting itself, switching off/on or soft reboot.
If your just loosing inet, more than likely (adsl) youve lost sync with the DSLAM at the exchange (this sounds liek your second router). Ive come across 2 situations that sound similar.

1st:

Built a computer for a neighbour, used my own broadband etc... updated blahblah. It worked fine at his place until he got adsl installed. His internet kept conencting and disconnecting every 15 seconds. I took my shuttle over everythings fine, plugged his back in it wouldnt work. So its his machine i thought. But then (without unplugging his comp) i plug mine in and it wont work... Tried unplugging the modem from all comptuers still same problem, so i figure how can a device not plugged into a pc be effected by a pc. Only option is to take the main phone supply off to check the socket, and in turn, the cable.
Turns out the cowboy that built the house used alarm cable instead of cat3 phone/cat 5. Alarm cable is untwisted and hence lacks the shielding (what little of) provided by the twist. This meant when he'd ran the main input from the street access, via alarm cable, which ran in parallel to the power to his house and the 550W psu in his computer started to draw power (i later tested 5 or 6 psu' and it was anything above 500) it caused interference and his modem lost sync.

2nd:

Ive also seen a treadmil plugged into an opposing ring main, it doesnt seem to effect the modem if its placed on the same ring, and according to the electricians at work the same earth, drop the sync the modem has with the exchange.
Im no electrician so i can only tell you what those here suggest. But as soon as the treadmil draws enough power you get a resonance over the earth (which provides the circut) which interferes with the modem/router...

Solution to problem 2 was a power filtering device, note this is not a surge protector thats a totaly different thing. A UPS should act as a power filter.
If you can borrow a UPS try that.

For 1, i dont really know. Are you living in a detached/semi/terraced house or flat? This could give u an idea of possible sources of disruption. The first thing i would try, if your confident you can, is to isolate the main socket.
Disconnect the extension sockets of the phone line around your house and plug the modem direct to the main. Check its connectivity after the time period.

 

[Kaelimar]

1 question you dont happen to have gigabit lan on your computers?

i had a similar problem that was realy strange

i could surf on web all day long. but then i started a online game and BLAM connection lost , cable unplugged etc

solution i had to update drivers and disable that hardware flow control since that i haven´t got any probbs

and certain ISP have different standard on their dhcp servers. that makes some routers go nuts

example

Dlink and a swe ISP (comhem) drops ip from time to time

 

[Dali]

Just another note.

Some of the nvidia onboard NIC have Hardware Checksumming enabled by default. So if you have a nforce 2+ (i beleive) try turning this on/off. This effects DAoC but shouldnt effect webpages..

 

[eggy]

make model of routers, is its a hybrid ADSL modem/router or just a router connected to an ADSL modem?

are you using wireless to connect the computers to the router or ethernet cable?

what OS are you using (windows xp?)

Who is your broadband ISP?


are you using a telephone extension to connect your ADSL up or using the main wall socket?

will have some answers for you later

I'll get the models later. Connecting via wires, but wireless drops as well. They are hybrids, modem/router combined.

Windows XP SP2 on all PCs.

Plus.net

Plugs directly into wall socket.

 

[eggy]

If the network connection drops "Network cable is unplugged" it sounds like the router is resetting itself, switching off/on or soft reboot.

Yeh it's doing that.

The problem is, it happens irregularly; sometimes 20 times a night, sometimes never in 7 days; so it's hard to find the fault. Keep the answers coming I'll summarise and try things later.

Thanks so far!

 

[scorge]

Suddenly, I go LD on two accounts (two computers). Once daoc has closed, message pops up from the LAN connection "network disconnected", then instantly "network connection established".

This would sound like a router problem as it is acting as a DHCP server, but as you are having other problems with two routers ( i take it they are the same make/model) then it is unlikely.

As dalby mentioned above you could be surfering from EMI (electo magnetic interferance), is there a microwave (mobile phone mast near by) or electrical power lines over head. Try moving your router away from its location by using an extension, it could be that a badly shielded mains wiring is passing by the telephone socket.


more answers to come

 

[scorge]

article i found on EMI and ADSl

http://www.ce-mag.com/archive/1999/novdec/Neelakanta.html

 

[scorge]

try changing your ADSL filters if you haven't allready

 

[scorge]

you can test your ADSl ysing the BT test domin should work for any provider as long as you use BT for your local loop (not NTL)


How to resolve common ADSL connection Problems:


ADSL connections can sometimes stop working for what appears to be no reason at all, and will then not reconnect. There follow three tips that can help in this situation.

1) If your ADSL connection uses a BT Nat router, enter the ip address of 192.168.254.254 into your web browser and select disconnect, or connect depending what it is displaying. In other words disconnect it if it is connected or connect if it's disconnected. You can try login in with the bt test usernames 1) startup_user@start_domain 2) bt_test@startup_domain 3) bt_test_user@altohiway.com This can cure the problem when the router gets into an unknown state.

2) If your ADSL connection uses a BT NoNat router, enter the ip address of your default gateway into your web browser and select disconnect, or connect depending what it is displaying. In other words disconnect it if it is connected or connect if it's disconnected. You can try login in with the bt test usernames 1) startup_user@start_domain 2) bt_test@startup_domain 3) bt_test_user@altohiway.com This can cure the problem when the router gets into an unknown state.

3) Power cycle your router, simply turn the power off and leave it for 30 seconds and then turn it back on. This can clear the router from a crashed state which can happen from time to time.

4 ) Turn the power off for a longer period of time, about 10-15 minutes at least, and then back on again. This can clear a frozen tunnel from your router to the BT home gateway connected to our network.

 

[scorge]

eggy, do you have SKY digital at all? or anything that uses a set top box?

if you need to use a phone splitter so that you can use multiple devices at one socket it must be fitted into the filter. The filter must always be the first item which fits the socket. The splitter must then be placed into the filter and all other devices must be must be connected into the filter.

- Ensure that all equipment attached to the phone line in your property is connecting through a Broadband filter. If any of the following equipment is connected to your line without a filter it can interfere with the broadband reception of your modem:
- Phone
- Fax
- Answer-Machine
- Cordless Telephone Base Units
- Alarm Systems
- Surge Protectors
- Sky Digital Set Top Boxes
- Dialler Boxes
If you are in doubt as to whether a piece of equipment attached to the telephone line is causing a problem, simply disconnect the item in question and try your broadband connection again

 

[eggy]

eggy, do you have SKY digital at all? or anything that uses a set top box?

if you need to use a phone splitter so that you can use multiple devices at one socket it must be fitted into the filter. The filter must always be the first item which fits the socket. The splitter must then be placed into the filter and all other devices must be must be connected into the filter.

- Ensure that all equipment attached to the phone line in your property is connecting through a Broadband filter. If any of the following equipment is connected to your line without a filter it can interfere with the broadband reception of your modem:
- Phone
- Fax
- Answer-Machine
- Cordless Telephone Base Units
- Alarm Systems
- Surge Protectors
- Sky Digital Set Top Boxes
- Dialler Boxes
If you are in doubt as to whether a piece of equipment attached to the telephone line is causing a problem, simply disconnect the item in question and try your broadband connection again

The router is in a separate building to the house. I don't have Sky, however we are fairly near power lines. Everything is filtered correctly and they have been replaced to no avail.

 

[scorge]

The router is in a separate building to the house. I don't have Sky, however we are fairly near power lines. Everything is filtered correctly and they have been replaced to no avail.

all i can recoomend then is to use an entension cable and move the router away from its current location, to se if any EMI is fucking up the line, also ask plus.net to get BT to do a line test, although as the problem is intermitant it might show as clear

 

[scorge]

how many phones do you have on the line the "ren" voltage might be dropping?

 

[eggy]

how many phones do you have on the line the "ren" voltage might be dropping?

Just one. BT say the line is fine.

 

[scorge]

Just one. BT say the line is fine.

thought they would say that

try the extension cable see if moving the router helps. will pass any more info i get on