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I keep losing my internet connection


Sunwatcher
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My internet connection keeps dropping out. I have a new TV/Phone/Internet service with a cable modem. From there, I have a new D-Link DIR-825 router which link directly to my wired desktop and to a couple of wireless computers. The cable modem is a new installation as is the D-Link router.

 

Something, though, keeps dropping my internet connection. I have been testing as best as I can, and this is the behaviour that I see: the wired desktop will connect for awhile, then drop the connection with Firefox saying that it cannot connect. At the same time, wireless connections seem to keep working. Sometimes the wireless goes out too, but less frequently. I've made another wired connection with another computer, but it shows the same problem.

 

I've had the cable company out, and the only thing they've noticed is a slightly less than average signal strength on the cable going into the modem. (It is apparently only slightly below normal.) The modem seems to be fine, but they said it may still have something wrong with it.

 

I am dual booting Vista on my main desktop. The other wired desktop runs only Mandriva 2008, and my laptop runs Ubuntu 9.04.

 

My question is this: is there anyway I can detect where the problem actually is? It is in the cable modem, or is it in the D-Link router? Thanks for any advice.

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Hi there Sunwatcher, you say that the wireless connections keep going sometimes, do they stay connected to the internet or just the local network?

If it's the internet then the router may well be at fault. Not to say that it is faulty but you may have a bad connection between the pc and router.

If the wireless stay connected to the local network and sometimes the internet then the problem may lie with the modem. Are you able to hardwire to the modem for a while and see if it stays connected?

I once traced a fault similar to yours to the connection at the cable back of the modem not being fit securely. I only had to tighten it hand tight and it was fine and is still fine now some three years later.

To find where the fault lies I feel you will need to bypass the router if possible.

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I agree, go direct to the cable modem and see how it runs. If the internet goes when connected to the D-LINK, then both wired and wireless connections would fail and not access the internet at all.

 

If the internet works fine, you then need to test and find out what on the D-LINK is failing. Is it the wired, or is it the wireless, or is it both? Another alternative can be that the cable that connects the cable modem directly to the internet might be problematic.

 

Also, cable modems or DSL modems connected directly to a router/firewall - especially with DHCP assigned addresses when they fail, it will take time for the internet to come back and active on the router. The router will be waiting for the address to be assigned and this could explain your time outs when you lose connectivity for a while. If that is the case, then you simply have an unstable internet connection or some of the settings on the connection are incorrect. You'll need to check if PPPOA or PPPOE and check if you are using VC-Based or LLC-Based connections as well as the VPI and VCI settings. Even with these slightly out, you can get a connection, but fail regularly.

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Thanks guys. I'm pretty much a noob at everything, especially networking. Anyway, I connected to the D-Link without the cable modem and was usually able to get to the webpage access for it, but this seemed buggy to me. Then I disconnected it and ran directly off the cable modem. I clicked around the internet with abandon for an hour without any disruption. (The cable company did come to re-string some of my cables to give better power.) Back to the D-Link, dropouts right away. Seems that the router is bad.

 

I began doing some research online about this particular model, the DIR-825. Seems that is does not have a good reputation. Should have done this earlier! Well, back it goes. Thanks for all the advice.

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Check what firmware version the DIR-825 has, and then perhaps try a firmware upgrade if there is a new one available. I had a D-LINK DSL router that used to drop out all the time but firmware sorted it. Even Netgear routers had similar issues - so it might just need a firmware upgrade.

 

Try this link, I see two models, so you'll have to login to your web interface, find out which one you've got then download the appropriate firmware.

 

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=DIR-825

 

to the right of the router, click support resources, and then the model you've got. Oh, and only upgrade using a wired connection, never do it through wireless.

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