Problem with my router!

[Jeremizzle]

Every once in a while my router wildly disconnects from the internet for no reason that i can find. Then to get the internet back, i go in qand play with the settings that dont matter if you change them, such as dmz, and the internet comes back! even if i disable dmz again. Then, later it disconnects again. This is what it shows under router status when it disconnects


http://img84.exs.cx/img84/475/RoutergoogMedium.jpg

I have a netgearWGT624v2 router and Bellsouth Fast Accessess DSL (PPPoE)
I'd appreciate the help if anyone could help me stop it disconnecting from the internet.

[fire1811]

http://192.168.100.1/

try going to there and what is you downstream Signal to noise ratio, powerlevel

and also what is you power level upstream.

and is this cable?

[SeeK]

Every once in a while my router wildly disconnects from the internet for no reason that i can find. Then to get the internet back, i go in qand play with the settings that dont matter if you change them, such as dmz, and the internet comes back! even if i disable dmz again. Then, later it disconnects again. This is what it shows under router status when it disconnects


http://img84.exs.cx/img84/475/RoutergoogMedium.jpg

I have a netgearWGT624v2 router and Bellsouth Fast Accessess DSL (PPPoE)
I'd appreciate the help if anyone could help me stop it disconnecting from the internet.

fire1811: DSL

It sounds like they reintroduced a bug that was fixed in the previous firmware. http://kbserver.netgear.com/products_automatic/WGT624v2.asp

You could try to flash it back to a previous version to see if it helps.
Also check out www.dslreports.com

[fire1811]

oh i see DSL now missed it on bottom

[temps]

The reason your internet comes back when you change a setting is because when it changes a setting the router resets itself. I have no idea why your internet goes out in the first place though.

[brianlojeck]

get an inexpensive (<5minute runtime) APC UPS for your router and your (if you use one) external wireless links (assuming you don't use an internal wireless card).

these routers are very sensitive to "dirty" power, and computers put out some of the dirtiest power around due to their switching power supplies.

the UPS's will run you about $40 each, but will do wonders. There are cheaper UPS's, but I've found (my opinion here) that they don't work as well, and generally do not have the same quality transformer and do not switch to battery power as cleanly or quickly as an APC.

and remember, power strips and "surge protectors" are worthless.

the other poster was correct, changing a random setting fixes the problem because the router resets itself, unplugging would do the same thing.

I have to reboot my 802.11b network about once every 6 weeks for some odd reason, but it's not enough of a problem to go and fix. It occured MUCH more often before I put in the UPS's...

[Jeremizzle]

get an inexpensive (<5minute runtime) APC UPS for your router and your (if you use one) external wireless links (assuming you don't use an internal wireless card).

these routers are very sensitive to "dirty" power, and computers put out some of the dirtiest power around due to their switching power supplies.

the UPS's will run you about $40 each, but will do wonders. There are cheaper UPS's, but I've found (my opinion here) that they don't work as well, and generally do not have the same quality transformer and do not switch to battery power as cleanly or quickly as an APC.

and remember, power strips and "surge protectors" are worthless.

the other poster was correct, changing a random setting fixes the problem because the router resets itself, unplugging would do the same thing.

I have to reboot my 802.11b network about once every 6 weeks for some odd reason, but it's not enough of a problem to go and fix. It occured MUCH more often before I put in the UPS's...


Hmm, thats strange. My friend has Fast Access DSl too, and he uses both cat 5 and wireless a in his house. Why would it never go out on his?

[brianlojeck]

Hmm, thats strange. My friend has Fast Access DSl too, and he uses both cat 5 and wireless a in his house. Why would it never go out on his?

1: some buildings have cleaner power then others

2: some routers are more resistant to bad power then others (there's a reason a Cisco Pix costs $1000+, and a Cisco/Linksys WAP11 costs $70)

3: I've never used it, but from what I've heard 802.11A is vastly more rock-stable then b,c,g, mega-g, ultra-g, etc...

4: I could be wrong. ;-)

[Jeremizzle]

fire1811: DSL

It sounds like they reintroduced a bug that was fixed in the previous firmware. http://kbserver.netgear.com/products_automatic/WGT624v2.asp

You could try to flash it back to a previous version to see if it helps.
Also check out www.dslreports.com


Which firmware version do i need to downgrade to?

And heres a picture of the basic settings, is everything set up right in there?

http://img71.exs.cx/img71/1820/router2Medium.jpg

[Jeremizzle]

1: some buildings have cleaner power then others

2: some routers are more resistant to bad power then others (there's a reason a Cisco Pix costs $1000+, and a Cisco/Linksys WAP11 costs $70)

3: I've never used it, but from what I've heard 802.11A is vastly more rock-stable then b,c,g, mega-g, ultra-g, etc...

4: I could be wrong. ;-)

He lives right down the street, he has a netgear router similar to mine, just with wireless a, and he uses wired on his some comps too, and neither wireless or wired go out?

[Jeremizzle]

I found this at microsoft.com

Maximum Transmission Unit
There is no ability to configure the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the PPPoE connection from the properties of the connection. By default, a Windows XP PPPoE connection uses an MTU size that is 20 bytes less than the IP MTU of the LAN adapter over which the PPPoE packets are sent, which in most cases is 1480 bytes. The 20 bytes of overhead consist of the PPPoE header (6 bytes), the largest possible outer PPP header (4 bytes), the largest possible Multilink PPP header (4 bytes), the largest possible PPP header for compression and encryption (4 bytes), and the PPP header that identifies the actual packet being sent (2 bytes).

If a lower MTU is required, then do one of the following:

• Instruct your ISP to configure their access devices to negotiate a lower MTU using the PPP maximum receive unit (MRU) option. This the recommended solution.

• Or, manually change the MTU size for all non-VPN miniports by setting the following registry values on the computer running Windows XP. (This will change the MTU size for the Windows XP PPPoE miniport.) Change:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\NdisWan\Parameters\Protocols\0\ProtocolType to 0x0800.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\NdisWan\Parameters\Protocols\0\PPPProtocolType to 0x0021.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\NdisWan\Parameters\Protocols\0\ProtocolMTU to the required MTU size. PPPoE will use the lesser of this value and the default (the LAN adapter MTU less 20).
(The second solution is not recommended because it affects the MTU used by all miniports except the built-in VPN miniports.)


Mines set at 1500, woud taking it down to 1480 fix it?

http://img80.exs.cx/img80/5552/thingMedium.jpg

[brianlojeck]

I found this at microsoft.com


I wouldn't worry about it. If you have a linksys router, you most likely are not sending any PPPOE packets from your computer. That will be done by the router.

also, a problem with PPPOE would show up as an inability to access the network at all, due to authentication errors, not a transient failure of the system.

also, packet sizes and the like are pretty well standardized on the Internet. As scary as this article sounds, they aren't really describing any problem with XP, as much as explaining how stuff works. The changes would be for non-standard environments.

[brianlojeck]

He lives right down the street, he has a netgear router similar to mine, just with wireless a, and he uses wired on his some comps too, and neither wireless or wired go out?

like I said, maybe i'm wrong, maybe he's got cleaner power at his house, maybe he's got a sturdier router, or maybe 802.11a is really as stable as I've heard.

try taking your router to his house, see if it still causes problems.

-or-

if you have a cordless phone, during a network failure, see if you hear all sorts of beeping/whistling interference on the phone. they can often interfere with an 802 wireless network if not set up right.

[Jeremizzle]

poop

[Jeremizzle]

like I said, maybe i'm wrong, maybe he's got cleaner power at his house, maybe he's got a sturdier router, or maybe 802.11a is really as stable as I've heard.

try taking your router to his house, see if it still causes problems.

-or-

if you have a cordless phone, during a network failure, see if you hear all sorts of beeping/whistling interference on the phone. they can often interfere with an 802 wireless network if not set up right.

Theres never a problem with my phone or anything, this seems to be strictly on the router, theres nothing wrong with the internet connection or anything, because i can always direct connect to it fine.

Plus this only happens every couple of days, its not that serious or anything, but it gets a little annoying after a messing with the router every other day.

[brianlojeck]

That sounds exactly like the problems I was having prior to installing UPS's on my kit.

[Jeremizzle]

Would a plain old surge protecter not do any good?

Is this UPS ok?

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=42-106-114&DEPA=0

Actually, right now the router is just plugged up to a regular wall outlet, because its on the side of the room with nothing plugged in, so its not connected to anything else before the outlet.

[brianlojeck]

Would a plain old surge protecter not do any good?


a surge protector is nothing but a 15 amp circuit breaker on a 6-way splitter. it does not protect your equipment, all it does is pop off if you run your microwave and your toaster oven at the same time.

There are some surge protectors that cost upwards of $50, but I've never bought one to see what they do.




Is this UPS ok?

never used that brand, but the cheap 5 minute APC ones are just about the same price. If it were my money I'd go with APC, but I am an opinionated old guy...

Anything is vastly better then just plugging up to the wall.

also, keep in mind a good UPS is HEAVY. shipping might be expensive.

[SeeK]

FedEx Saver shipping is only $8.

Don't mess with any MTU settings. XP handles them fine. The only time I had to mess with MTU size was with early VPN clients.

Halogen and flouresent bulb also give off RF interference. You could also try changing the wireless channel from 11 to something else. You'd need to run the software on a wireless card to see what other channels are in use around your house. They may cause the disconnection at a specific time when the user gets home.

WGT624v2 Downloads

Firmware
Version 4.1.11
Version 4.1.8
Version 4.1.4

Installation Notes
Installation Guide

Verify that you have WGT624v2 by looking at the bottom of the router. You are already at 4.1.11 so try 4.1.8 and if that doesn't work then try 4.1.4.