Losing connection - any ideas?

[DL]

I have read recently of problems with chipsets used in some routers and
certain providers, you might want to try Linksys support.

 

[RReis]

Can someone help me/?

I keep losing connection to the internet. I have a brand new Dell computer
with Windows Vista (purchased in Dec/07). My pc is connected to Linksys
router WRT54G. My moden is motorola SB5120. I have Cox Communications
cable.

When I loose connection, the globe in the network icon dissapear. All the
lights in the modem stays on. I have to unplug the modem and router in order
to re-connect. I contacted the cable provider and I was informed that my
connection is working fine. The router was purchased in Nov, 2006 and the
firmware has been updated. (Note: I had the same problem with my old
computer.)

I contacted Dell and they suggested the following:

1) Replace the surge protector (since my was more than 10 years old)
2) Replace the cables (from modem to router and router to pc)
3) Move the router location (previously it was on top of the woofer - now it
is on top the the pc).
4) Replace the router.

Since the router is relative new, should I replace the router? Any other
ideas or suggestions. Thank you.

RReis

 

[Alias]

4) Replace the router.

Since the router is relative new, should I replace the router? Any other
ideas or suggestions. Thank you.

RReis

You can find out by connecting a computer directly to the cable modem.
If all is well, then you know it's the router. If you have to replace
the router, I would recommend buying an Edimax router.

Alias

 

[NoStop]

Can someone help me/?

I keep losing connection to the internet. I have a brand new Dell
computer
with Windows Vista (purchased in Dec/07). My pc is connected to Linksys
router WRT54G. My moden is motorola SB5120. I have Cox Communications
cable.

When I loose connection, the globe in the network icon dissapear. All the
lights in the modem stays on. I have to unplug the modem and router in
order
to re-connect. I contacted the cable provider and I was informed that my
connection is working fine. The router was purchased in Nov, 2006 and
the
firmware has been updated. (Note: I had the same problem with my old
computer.)

I contacted Dell and they suggested the following:

1) Replace the surge protector (since my was more than 10 years old)
2) Replace the cables (from modem to router and router to pc)
3) Move the router location (previously it was on top of the woofer - now
it is on top the the pc).
4) Replace the router.

Since the router is relative new, should I replace the router? Any other
ideas or suggestions. Thank you.

RReis

Here's something you can try to eliminate the possibility that the problem
is Vista. Go and download the liveCD version of Ubuntu. After you burn the
ISO to a CD, you can boot your computer from the liveCD. This will allow
you to run Ubuntu on your computer without in anyway touching your Vista
hard drive. It'll run just from the CDROM. Run Ubuntu for a time, surfing
the Net and see whether you continue to have disconnect problems like this.
If you do, then you will know that the problem is outside your computer
box. If you do not, then you'll know that the problem is something wrong
with your Vista installation.

You can download Ubuntu from here ...

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

.... that's assuming that you can maintain a connection long enough to get
that ISO file. If not, use a friend's computer to get it.

Cheers.

--
Frank's Brain Activity Plotted (watch the red line):
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/Astronomy2/PreformanceMonitor.jpg

The Rolling Stones Love Vista:

Frank - seek help immediately! Visit ...
http://www.binsa.org/

 

[Alias]

Here's something you can try to eliminate the possibility that the problem
is Vista. Go and download the liveCD version of Ubuntu. After you burn the
ISO to a CD, you can boot your computer from the liveCD. This will allow
you to run Ubuntu on your computer without in anyway touching your Vista
hard drive. It'll run just from the CDROM. Run Ubuntu for a time, surfing
the Net and see whether you continue to have disconnect problems like this.
If you do, then you will know that the problem is outside your computer
box. If you do not, then you'll know that the problem is something wrong
with your Vista installation.

You can download Ubuntu from here ...

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

... that's assuming that you can maintain a connection long enough to get
that ISO file. If not, use a friend's computer to get it.

Cheers.

Great idea. I had a power failure once and couldn't connect to the Net
with XP Pro so I ran an Ubuntu Live CD to find that Ubuntu had no
problem getting online. The conclusion, of course, was that Windows was
the culprit and after a reinstall of XP Pro, all was well.
Interestingly, another computer, which has only got Ubuntu installed,
had no problem with the power failure. Both computers have identical
hardware except one has a slightly slower CPU.

Since then, I have purchased a UPS ;-)

Alias

 

[Subrosa]

I would be more inclined to blame the modem. I had a similar problem about
two years ago and after
many months of frustration I demanded a new modem from the cable company.
They replaced my old
Motorola modem with a new upright Motorola DOCSIS modem, and since then I
have rarely lost a
connection and actually noticed a significant improvement in overall
performance. My sister and her
family went through the same experience with the same result.

 

[Frank]

RReis wrote:




Here's something you can try to eliminate the possibility that the problem
is Vista. Go and download the liveCD version of Ubuntu. After you burn the
ISO to a CD, you can boot your computer from the liveCD. This will allow
you to run Ubuntu on your computer without in anyway touching your Vista
hard drive. It'll run just from the CDROM. Run Ubuntu for a time, surfing
the Net and see whether you continue to have disconnect problems like this.
If you do, then you will know that the problem is outside your computer
box. If you do not, then you'll know that the problem is something wrong
with your Vista installation.

You can download Ubuntu from here ...

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

... that's assuming that you can maintain a connection long enough to get
that ISO file. If not, use a friend's computer to get it.

Cheers.

What a stupid waste of time.
Forget any suggestion made by "nostop"...as he's a linux troll and will
do or say anything for linux and against MS.
Contact Linksys.
Frank

 

[NoStop]

What a stupid waste of time.

You got any better ideas Frankie Boy, the marketing genius?

Forget any suggestion made by "nostop"...as he's a linux troll and will
do or say anything for linux and against MS.
Contact Linksys.

Wow, now that's a good idea! Can just imagine how they'll resolve the
problem. You fscking idiot.

Frank

Please read my sig. It's there to help you!

Cheers.

--
Frank's Brain Activity Plotted (watch the red line):
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/Astronomy2/PreformanceMonitor.jpg

The Rolling Stones Love Vista:

Frank - seek help immediately! Visit ...
http://www.binsa.org/

 

[Mr. Arnold]

Can someone help me/?

1) Replace the surge protector (since my was more than 10 years old)

Since the router is relative new, should I replace the router? Any other
ideas or suggestions. Thank you.

All you got protecting your equipment is some surge protector laying on the
floor plugged in to some electrical outlet? Your stuff is taking hits. The
more hits they take will cause them to go defective. You need to protect the
router and the modem with a UPS that keeps the power to such types of
equipment clean and constant.

 

[RReis]

Thank you for all the suggestions. Some of them, I already tried.
1) replaced the surge protector
2) replaced the cables
3) the modem I have is the one suggested Motorola SB5120

I'm going to try Alias suggestion - connect the computer direct to the cable
modem. By the way... I had the same problem with my old computer (windows
xp)

RReis

 

[Alias]

Thank you for all the suggestions. Some of them, I already tried.
1) replaced the surge protector
2) replaced the cables
3) the modem I have is the one suggested Motorola SB5120

I'm going to try Alias suggestion - connect the computer direct to the cable
modem. By the way... I had the same problem with my old computer (windows
xp)

RReis

Let me know if that's it.

Alias

 

[DL]

There was an article in a magazine that reported such problems with ADSL
connections & routers using the Texas Instruments AR7 chipset

 

[Alias]

There was an article in a magazine that reported such problems with ADSL
connections & routers using the Texas Instruments AR7 chipset

He has cable so it's not relevant.

Alias

 

[w_tom]

I'm going to try Alias suggestion - connect the computer direct to the cable
modem. By the way... I had the same problem with my old computer (windows
xp)

Those 'try this and try that' suggestions are called wild
speculation. Did any reason exist to justify the work? No. This
post takes a complete different attitude. You see the problem before
fixing it. Or what they say in CSI: "Follow the evidence".

First, what do you have? A computer connected to a Linksys router
to a cable modem to Cox. A connects to B connects to C connects to
D. According to a previous post (this posted to confirm what was
suggested), C is connected to B and D? IOW C (the modem) has an
indicator that is on constantly saying modem is connected to Cox
(confirming what Cox claims). In your case, this would be one light
for each (of two) channel - send and receive. Both flash when modem
is first powered and then stay on constantly? (Better assistance means
your post should be more specific with what is actually happening
rather than interpreting/concluding from those facts). OK - the C to
D connection exists.

Does the connection from Linksys to modem exist? Yes it not an
answer. Why do we know? On modem would be another indicator that is
on constant when the connection exists AND flashes when Linksys and
modem exchange data. What does that light (PC Activity?) do?

Same indicator would exist on Linksys. What does the Internet
indicator say? It should agree with the corresponding indicator on
modem and both should indicate same when the ethernet cable is
disconnected and connected. Now we know the connection between C and
B exists.

Unfortunately we don't know the internal state of C - the modem -
because the technology does not provide a useful status page. Best we
can do is assume C is also good only on Cox's word.

You claimed the computer could sometimes make a connection. Well
was the connection to the internet or to cached pages already inside
the computer (no network connection required to see those pages)? A
computer will sometimes display the page seen previously rather then
get a new page. How did you know that connected did exist then? Did
the displayed web page have a date and time?

IOW looking at A and B - computer and the Linksys. Of course the
Mac address has been properly loaded in the Linksys as required by
cable? If not, then computer may have only been displaying cached
pages - never made a connection.

If connecting the Dell direct to the modem, well, was the new Mac
address provided to Cox? Mac address must be cloned. Did you do
this? IOW B must provide address information to D.

We determined B connects to C. But how is B - the Linksys -
configured? You had to make some changes to the Linksys default
settings. What did you do? There is a long list of options here. Is
DHCP enabled in the router? Or are local network devices (ie
computer) using static IP addresses? We know that one setting - MAC
clone address - had to be changed from default. What are all other
changes? That is to confirm integrity of B.

Moving on to a connection between A and B - computer and router.
First, when the cable is connected at both ends, then the ethernet
connection is confirmed by lights at both ends. And both lights
indicate 100 Mb (not 10 Mb) connections. If the physical connection
exists (and this assumes you are not complicating the solution by
using wireless), then we confirm higher level connections exist. Does
the computer (A) talk to the server (inside B)? This is only about A
and B and the connections between - completely ignores C and D. On
Internet Explorer, enter the address for the Linksys server:
192.168.1.1 is the URL. Does the computer and Linksys server talk?
Does the A to B connection work properly?

Each paragraph is about a separate part of the A-B-C-D system.
Don't fix the ABCD system by swapping parts. That is called
shotgunning. First location which system part ABCD or connection
between those parts is defective. Only then are we ready to make any
changes. This is exactly what they mean in CSI - follow the evidence.

Another made recommendations for a UPS to solve problems that do not
exist. What are those problems? He does not know. But he recommends
hardware to solve a mythical problem. Hardware that does not even
claim to solve that problem. Why would he recommend hardware to solve
a problem when the hardware does not even claim to solve the problem
and the problem does not exist? Two reasons why his recommendations
do nothing for you (except waste money). And another example of
shotgunning. Solving problems using wild speculation rather than first
learn what is the problem. Move on to actually identify a problem
long before replacing anything.

If problems are seen between A and C, then removing the Linksys (as
Alias suggests) would confirm a problem with Linksys (B), connections
from B to either A or C, or maybe even the Mac address - from B to D
or from A to D (depending on how Linksys was configured). Nothing says
the Linksys is defective. If the problem is B, is it a problem
created by you or is the hardware defective? Answer that question
before blaming Linksys.

This is what the, "Don't work harder; work smarter" means. Report
back what these various inspections and tests reveal because you might
see a problem but make an obvious (and misguided) conclusion. Take
advantage of others with better knowledge. Don't short the help of
information. Don't tell us what you think the lights are saying.
What are the lights actually doing?