Intermittent internet connection failure

[epaulson]

OK, new problem. I seem to intermittently lose my Internet connection for no apparent reason. If I go into my wireless router web interface and click apply on the set up page, thus resetting, the connection starts back up.

I have DSL service with a Linksys WRT55AG wireless network. The DSL modem is a Broadmax. Operating system on the main computer is Windows XP Pro. The DSL modem is configured to act as a bridge, as my ISP uses a PPoE connection. The username and password information for my ISP is set up in the wireless router and it is set to PPoE. Firmware for the DSL modem and wireless router are up to date. Wireless router is not connected into a UPS at the moment, so power spikes could be occuring.

Thoughts?

 

[plucnik]

You're losing the internet connection at the DSL modem or at a wireless connection? Do you have a 802.11b or g wireless router? (b = 11mbs g=54mbs) A "g" has a stronger signal also. I had a problem like you're having and it turned out to be the wireless card in my laptop. Do you have a PC hardwired to the router and is that losing it's connection? Like "Johnny 5" says.........need info.

 

[epaulson]

I am losing the hard line Internet connection. No problems with the wireless connection, when the DSL connection is working. The DSL modem connects to the upload link in the Linksys router and then the Linksys connects back to the main computer via an ethernet port. Works fine about 75% of the time, but then it just shuts down until I refresh the router via the web interface.

 

[plucnik]

If I understand you correctly, it seems that problem originates at the router. Just to make sure, have you tried bypassing the router and plugging the cable from the DSL modem directly in to the PC? If that connection is solid, I would say that the router is bad or misconfigured somehow. Can you access the roter interface through your web browser and make sure that some sort of "time out" process isn't active? (although I've never heard of one on a router)

 

[epaulson]

Yes, when the modem is plugged directly into the computer, all is well. The issue somehow lies between the router and the computer. I have checked the interface for the router and the only thing I can see that may indicate a time period is with regard to PPoE and I have that set to "keep connection alive".

 

[jtatsud]

Since you haven't had the courtesy to update the status (or resolution) of your other problem, I'm not sure why I should take time to help with this one.

 

[epaulson]

Been away from home for the past couple of days. Just updated the other one. No go with your suggestion.

 

[jtatsud]

(Thanks for updating your other item.)

First, just to confirm. When the hard wired system loses connectivity, the wireless system still works?

Have you tried using a different cable and connecting to a different port on the router?

If this does not help your issue, the next time your connection fails, open a Command Window (DOS prompt), and type the following:

ipconfig /all > c:\results.txt

This will create a results.txt file in the root directory of your C-Drive. Use Notepad to copy and paste the results here.

Finally, if your operating system on the desktop is XP or 2000, open a Command Window and type the following to see if this gets your connectivity back:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

If your operating system is ME, 98, or 98SE, you'll need to type this instead:

ipconfig /release_all
ipconfig /renew_all

Good luck

 

[epaulson]

OK, I"ll give this a try. Its most likely that I won't lose my connection again until tomorrow sometime.

To clarify: When the hard wired system loses connectivity, the net is down. Wireless or hardline do not work. Different cable has been used, but I can't use a different port on the wireless router, as it only has one upload port for Internet connectivity.

 

[epaulson]

Update. The connection has not been lost since my last post. I haven't changed a thing in the set up, however, I have been using it more requently. When the connection has dropped in the past, it was during periods of 18-20 hours of inactivity.

 

[epaulson]

Update. OK, this definitely has something to do with how frequently I use the wireless network. It hasn't gone down thi weekend, as I've been using it once every 3-4 hours. I'm sure it will be down when I get home tomorrow night, so I'll try the IPCONFIG steps then. Interesting that it doesn't go down when it is used frequently.

 

[epaulson]

OK, lost the connection again, after about 10 hours of non-use. Here is the ipconfig log

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connecti
on
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-C0-A4-B2-C3-44
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.102
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
207.69.188.187
207.69.188.186
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, April 27, 2004 8:53:45 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, April 28, 2004 8:53:45 AM

Ipconfig release and renew didn't resolve the problem. Had to reset the router via the we interface, then per usual, the connection started right up again.

 

[jtatsud]

Some possibilities that I can think of...

Does your router have a setting something like: "Ping from WAN" If so, you should try setting it to Respond (or something similar).

Your ISP may be deliberately changing the IP address that it provides to you if there is no traffic on the line for an extended period of time. This is to discourage folks from trying to set up home networks on their own. They want to charge you more $$$ if you have a router connection. I think that Earthlink may be one of these. I would recommend that you talk to your ISP or take a look at your ISP's policy regarding home networks.

Or, per previous posts in your other forum item, there may be a bug in your router's firmware.

 

[epaulson]

Thanks for the reply. Internet connection went down completely for a day. Had to reset my router and start from scratch. So, we'll see what happens now.

The ISP idea sounds quite likely, as I know Earthlink charges 10 bucks for the home networking option. I'll take a look and see if I can learn anything on their website.

 

[epaulson]

FYI - problem seems to have gone away for the past few days (knock on wood) after resetting my DSL router and reconfiguring it. I'm wondering if I really had it set in bridge mode previously. Thanks for the help.