Possible Router Problem?

[Jim]

My high speed service provider is Comcast for the past several years. During
this time, I've always had the same fixed IP address.

In the past month or two, I've been losing my internet connection about
every 10 days or so. I've discovered that if I disconnect the power cable to
my Linksys router for several seconds, my connection is restored. When I
then re-check my IP address, it has changed.

My question - is this a router problem or a Comcast problem and how do I
determine what the problem is?

TIA

Jim

 

[Sooner Al [MVP]]

My high speed service provider is Comcast for the past several years.
During this time, I've always had the same fixed IP address.

In the past month or two, I've been losing my internet connection about
every 10 days or so. I've discovered that if I disconnect the power cable
to my Linksys router for several seconds, my connection is restored. When
I then re-check my IP address, it has changed.

My question - is this a router problem or a Comcast problem and how do I
determine what the problem is?

TIA

Jim

Really the only way to test this is to either temporarily replace the modem,
router or connect your PC directly to the modem and see if the problem
remains or goes away. I suppose you could have Comcast check the levels on
your connection and modem to see if they can see a problem.

As far as the IP changing if your on a residential account there really is
no guarantee you will keep the same IP. If you have a business account
and/or pay for a static IP then you need to contact Comcast.

If you need access to your home LAN via Remote Desktop, VNC, FTP, VPN,
etc...etc...that is based on your IP not changing then you might either look
at a free dynamic naming service like DynDNS or No-IP.com or you need to pay
for a static IP address. Many consumer grade routers support DynDNS or No-IP
or other such services with a built-in configuration and connection
function. Check your router or go to the DynDNS or No-IP.com sites to
download a small client program that you load on one of your PCs.

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...

 

[Barb Bowman]

you don't have a static IP, but you were lucky enough to pull the
same IP for an extended period. there is no "fixed" IP other than
static via workplace or workplace at home and those require a
special modem/router combination piece of hardware.

it sounds like you need to upgrade the firmware in the router. which
Linksys router (model and hardware rev) and what firmware is it
running now?

My high speed service provider is Comcast for the past several years. During
this time, I've always had the same fixed IP address.

In the past month or two, I've been losing my internet connection about
every 10 days or so. I've discovered that if I disconnect the power cable to
my Linksys router for several seconds, my connection is restored. When I
then re-check my IP address, it has changed.

My question - is this a router problem or a Comcast problem and how do I
determine what the problem is?

TIA

Jim

--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

 

[smlunatick]

My high speed service provider is Comcast for the past several years. During
this time, I've always had the same fixed IP address.

In the past month or two, I've been losing my internet connection about
every 10 days or so. I've discovered that if I disconnect the power cable to
my Linksys router for several seconds, my connection is restored. When I
then re-check my IP address, it has changed.

My question - is this a router problem or a Comcast problem and how do I
determine what the problem is?

TIA

Jim

A few thing:

1) Unless you pay for a "fixed" IP address service, your ISP (Comcast)
has the "right" to change you IP address. This type of service is
usually understood to provide a "dynamically" assigned IP address.

2) Most ISP that have "dynamically" assigned address "ranges" will be
implementing service "rules" where they will force the "customer"
access units (like your) to refresh the IP address. If you need to
constantly have "Internet" access into your "home" network, look at
www.dyndns.org and add 'Dynamic DNS" services for your connection.

3) You can check to se if your "router" or Comcast "unit" is defective
by replacing each and test for a few days.

 

[Jim]

Thanks to all who replied.

I really don't care that my IP address is changing. What troubles me is
losing my Internet connection every week or two and having to reset my
router.

Jim

 

[Jack \(MVP-Networking\).]

Hi
When you lose the connection check the Router to see what is actually lost.
It might be a leasing problem involving the local IPs rather the any thing
to do with Comcast IP.
Alternatively, if your Router, and or Modem are old, it can be that one of
them is Approaching End of Life.
Some times it just a matter of the power "Brick" of the Modem. or the Router
that got tired and become unstable.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

 

[Lem]

My high speed service provider is Comcast for the past several years. During
this time, I've always had the same fixed IP address.

In the past month or two, I've been losing my internet connection about
every 10 days or so. I've discovered that if I disconnect the power cable to
my Linksys router for several seconds, my connection is restored. When I
then re-check my IP address, it has changed.

My question - is this a router problem or a Comcast problem and how do I
determine what the problem is?

TIA

Jim

The first paragraph of Sooner Al's response is the bottom line: there
is no easy or sure way to determine what your problem is without testing.

There are several possibilities. As you can see from looking at some of
the posts here:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=comcast+dropping+connection&btnG=Google+Search
some people claim that *some* (mostly older) Linksys routers fail in
this way; other people point to overloaded cable nodes (cable service is
"shared" in a way between several users in a given locality). Random
problems at Comcast are yet another possibility.

One thing you might check is the physical connections to your cable
modem, particularly the ones outside -- these can corrode after a while,
leading to problems. I recently had problems with my hi-def TV that
turned out to be a corroded connection at an outside cable splitter.
Similarly, if you have recently added devices (TV, recorders, other
Internet modems) to your cable connection, you may splitting the signal
too many times or using low-quality splitters or the wrong type of co-ax
cable, particularly if you did any of the installation yourself.


One potential show stopper for testing is if you can't live for up to 10
days with your computer connected directly to your modem (cutting out
the router). This will temporarily eliminate access to the rest of your
local area network, but it will certainly tell you -- if your connection
drops -- that the problem is *not* with the router. If you do this,
make *sure* you have installed a good firewall *before* you connect your
computer directly to the cable modem.

--
Lem -- MS-MVP - Networking

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

 

[Jim]

Again, many thanks for all your suggestions/comments.