Losing Internet Connection on Router.... Network Still Operational

[mastertech01]

Is there some common reason to lose Internet connection via the router but not lose network connectivity to other computers? Recently I started experiencing this several times per day. I thought my ISP was down.. for hours at a time.. only to discover that it was simply a need to reboot the router to get back the net. All during this time I had access to all my other nodes in the network. Each time, just unplug the power to the router, it redetects everything and all is fine for another spell and then sudden lock out from the net. Actually what it often does is let me access the last site I was at. I can continue to browse that site, but if I try to go to another it shows no access to them. Only the site I was on when this lock occurs. If I reset my cable modem then I lose all sites and internet connectivity. The only thing that restores it is to restart the router. RT314 Netgear. Is there some interfereance or cross cabling or cross linking causing this?

Thanks for your help

John

 

[JackMDS]

Try to connect directly to the Modem (No Router), and see how it works.

 

[mastertech01]

Hi Jack, and thanks for your reply.

I would love to do that but since all my nodes need internet connection for a DC project I really need to stay connected to the network as much as possible and sometimes its hours before it will do this, sometimes all night, its not really possible for me for any length of time.

Curious notes would be that is seems to do it shortly after I switch off my monitor and head for work, (my daughter is home and noticed this) and when I come home switch on the monitor and start surfing again. The monitor is a good 12 feet from the router however, and it doesnt always do it at these times. I could be in the middle of posting a message or checking stats for D2OL and then suddenly I am locked onto that site. Not only MY computer but also my daughters and the others on the network.. where ever they are they are locked there. Daughter uses instant messanger a lot and she will be locked to the Instant Messanger and that will work fine but no other internet access. Its almost like the router is having a software lockup. I have tried new cat5e cables from the modem to the router and to the nodes. No change. I tried a second switch to try to more isolate the networked computers from the router's switch but same thing.

Its very odd.

 

[llc00ljoel]

Check for heat issues...I used to stow away a SMC router and it was actually overheating and wouldn't be very stable...as soon as I got it some air, it seemed to work better...another suggestion is to update firmware.

 

[FoBoT]

this exact same thing happened to me with a test lab at work
it has DSL (don't know what ISP, Qwest probably) going to a Cisco 678 router

the periodicity varies from every few days to every few hours , but the only way to fix it is to cycle power to it

i finally just bought one of those lamp timers, the ones that you can use to turn a lamp on/off at certain times of day, i set it for 3am and it reboots the stupid thing daily

the other people at work that use it blame it on the ISP , i think its the dumb router itself , but i never tried a different router


good luck!

 

[isofilez]

i have a netgear rp114 and i experience the same exact problems, ive come to live with it though.

 

[WarSong]

I used to have an RT314 and it did the same thing. Are you using DHCP assigned by the router? The DNS redirection stops working for some reason once inawhile. To test if this is the problem, ping an external IP. It will probably still work. If this is your problem then manually specify external DNS servers (your ISP's) instead of using the netgear's IP for your DNS. That solved the problem permanently for me.

 

[lowride42]

Hmmm.....I have a similiar problem with my linksys router and the two computers hooked up to it.
Mine only does it periodically, certainly not for an hours time though.

 

[mastertech01]

Thanks for the tips everyone... yes it can do it 4 or 5 times in an hour! I am using DCHP. I have temporarily slowed it down by placing all the nodes on a separate switch and use only one switch port to the router to uplink. Ill give setting manual DNS a try if I can remember how to telnet this thing.. LOL

Much appreciated.

John

 

[mastertech01]

Hey, would Cat5 E make a difference? I put some new Cat5 E on some of the machines several days ago. I replaced them with standard Cat5 on all but the router today and so far no locks... hmmmm.

 

[vi edit]

With my DSL line, if I loose my DSL connection for whatever reason, I have to go into my linksys router and hit the "reconnect" under the PPPoE page.

Once I hit reconnect, I have browsing ability again.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I seem to be hearing about tons of issues with PPPoE that I've never seen using Comcast and a DOCSIS modem. Mine is up for weeks at a time, and I don't remember the last time I rebooted my router.

 

[mastertech01]

Well under normal circumstances when I lose internet from the cable modem, it will reset itself and I never have to mess with the router. I have added several nodes and maybe its too much of a load.. Yesterday it wasnt near as a problem as the few days before.