Patrick said:
Someone suggests that it may be due to the router / ADSL Modem. Would
it be correct ?
Patrick
Something you might consider, is what protocol your computer is using,
and whether you've installed any software from the ISP. I can give
an example.
I have ADSL. When I first started, I had no router. Just an ADSL modem
provided by the ISP.
(PPPOE)
telco ---- ADSL_Modem --------- computer (ethernet connected)
(needs ISP software)
The output of the ADSL router is "PPPOE" or point to point protocol over
Ethernet. At that time, the computer I was using, did not understand
that protocol. The ISP provided software, which converts PPPOE into
ordinary packets. That means an ISP software package is running all
the time, inside the computer.
If the ISP software is poorly written, the computer could lose contact
with the Internet.
Later, I purchased a router. A lot of routers now, understand various
protocols coming from modems. Which may include things like PPPOE.
Now, with the router in place, I can use a web browser, to connect to
the router. I click the "connect" button in the web browser, and the
router carries out the PPPOE protocol, sending the username and password
automatically to the ISP.
If, for any reason, I have a problem with this setup...
(PPPOE) (normal)
telco ---- ADSL_Modem --------- router -------- computer (ethernet connected)
the first step, is to use the web browser on the computer, to tell the
router to "connect" again. If that fails, I turn off the power on the
ADSL_Modem, turn off the power on the router, and wait a few seconds.
I turn on the power on the ADSL_Modem, and wait for the lights on it
to stabilize (30 seconds). I turn on the router. I use the web browser
again, to click the "Connect" button.
The advantage of adding the router to the picture, is two fold
1) Router terminates PPPOE. ISP software is no longer required.
My setup works much better, when the computer has no ISP provided
software. The computer thinks it is on a Local Area Network (LAN).
The computer can use DHCP, to get a private IP address from the
router. The computer setup looks relatively "automatic".
2) The router has four wired Ethernet ports. I can run multiple
computers. I can use the web browser on any of the computers,
to monitor what the router is doing, and click the "connect"
button. None of the four computers needs any ISP software.
The computers all share the same "public" IP address, but have
their own unique private addresses 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3 and
so on.
So my response to poorly written software termination of PPPOE, was
to use a router and let it take care of the details. The result
has been more stable for me. It really depends on the router
brand, as to how true this is. I had a Linksys BEFSR41 for a few
years, and that required a little too much power cycling for my
tastes. I tried several firmware versions and all had their problems.
My current router (no longer for sale), is much better in that regard.
Even good brands go bad once in a while, in their search to cut costs.
Perhaps your "repair" is being affected by the AV software ?
HTH,
Paul
