Linksys router - connection disconnects after 10 minutes

[MyMelody]

I just hooked up a Linksys BEFW11S4 (ver 2.) to my pc. The install went fine but after 10 minutes of connectivity. the Diag light turns red. Ive reset the router, rebooted, cycled my cable modem (cox HSI) and the router works fine....for about another 5-10 minutes until the Diag light goes red again. Ive done this over 10 times in one night. Spent time with tech support who troubleshooted, had me flash the firmware, then determined that I had a bad router. I returned it directly to Linksys for a new one that was supposedly tested. Took it home, hooked it up and bam. Same problem. I dont think its the router. Does anyone know what may be the cause of this? It works fine even idling for 5-10 min then goes out. All the other lights, connection etc show fine.

 

[vi edit]

Cable company rejecting the mac address? Can you try and spoof your old mac address?

 

[MyMelody]

Spoof? Sorry Im a bit new to this networking thing. Please explain.

 

[JackMDS]

Many Cable ISPs use the MAC number of the provided NIC as a mean of authentication (password).

If you have Cable/DSL Router, find the MAC number of the PC that works directly with the Modem, and make sure it is cloned to the Router (Look in the Manual for cloning instructions).

MAC number is a unique ID that is given to most Networks' components.

To find the MAC number of the Network Card, open a DOS box, and type netstat -r the third or fourth line will show your MAC number.

If you would like to know a little bit more about these "Network Thinks"

AnandTech - FAQ . Basic Options for Internet Connection Sharing

AanadTech - FAQ. Hubs, routers, switches, DSL, LANs, WANs...?

 

[Texun]

I had a Linksys for over a year and it started doing the same thing, and I am also on Cox HSI, but I know the IP and MAC's were okay. I flashed it again and again but had the same results. Replaced it with a Netgear for $60 and haven't had a single problem since.

I don't believe it has anything to do with the ISP. The cable guy said they see this problem a lot with Linksys routers but almost never with Netgear. I wish I knew the answer. I have the Linksys but gave up on rebooting it.

 

[MyMelody]

Not good news. Ill try to clone the mac address. Im sure I did it with the first one to no avail. I hope I didnt waste some good money on a linksys! Thanks for the tips

 

[PlatinumGold]

I don't believe it has anything to do with the ISP. The cable guy said they see this problem a lot with Linksys routers but almost never with Netgear. I wish I knew the answer. I have the Linksys but gave up on rebooting it.

weird, i have the netgear and i have to reset every 45 min or so. it's really annoying. i check diagnostics and it has lost the ip and i have to renew the wan ip address, sometimes this does it other times i have to reset the router. really annoying. i'm gonna set up smoothwall to replace my netgear next week, that's why i haven't bothered to replace it.

 

[MyMelody]

Update

Well I called linksys tech support again. Ran through the same motions. Same result. They said I had another defective router. I asked them what the likelihood was that it wasnt the router after all and that maybe it could be the cable service since ive gone through 2 new Linksys routers in 2 days. They insisted that since the red Diag light was on, the router was bad. They want me to RMA it again for a new one. I have a strong bad feeling that my third one will be the same. I asked them if they had reported problems from Cox HSI users as I live in Irvine, CA where they are based. They said that its not a commonly reported problem and that there are no problems with Cox HSI. Go figure. This is pretty frustrating. Id return it for my money back but I got it thru amazon on one of those crazy deals so it would be more of a hassle to get my $30 bucks back. Thanks for trying to help me. Any other thoughts/suggestions?