Sporadic Internet Connection: Modem or ISP

[damocles]

Quite commonly when i connect to the Internet (Win98, ME and 2k all do this)i get lulls of no net activity, then a burst, then nothing etc. It plays havoc with Web browsing and gaming.

Anyone know how i can tell what is causing this?

My modem is an oldish Motorola Kflex-flashed to V.90 (External Voice surfer)
Thanks

 

[Modus]

Neither: phone line

It sounds like you've tried all the obvious fixes, like new drivers and flash ROM updates. You might also try signing up for a free ISP temporarily, to see if the problem is specific to your ISP. Most likely, however, it's periodic line noise on your phone line, and you modem is retraining the signal to compensate (basically it handshakes all over again.)

Probably not much you can do. The phone company will tell you to piss up a rope unless their are voice quality problems.

Modus

 

[xtreme2k]

try download from your ISP's FTP

this SHOULD give u a test between you and your ISP and not a test between you and the internet

i would also do what modus ask u to do is to sign up a free ISP or borrow your friends other ISP accounts and test with those.

one thing, do u have a cell phone near your comp?
try switch that off.

i dont know why exactly but my net dont seem to disconnect at ALL with the cell away from the modem, but then tends to disconnect more frequently with it close to the comp.

also if anything else is connected to your modem/phoneline, get them out of the way

do u get any CRC errors??

 

[thorin]

I actually totally agree with Modus on this one.

But I would add that you should try a different jack in your house and/or changing the cable between the comp and the phone jack.

Thorin

 

[damocles]

Hmm It has happened in 2 houses and i have the phone companies out. They 'say' the line is fine. I will try a free ISP
cheers

 

[Nemi]

Go to www.pingplotter.com and get the program Pingplotter. It shows all the hops in a trace to a destination. You can see where your connection has stopped. I use it all the time to see if its my ADSL router not sending/receiving or if it stops at my isp's routers(happened more than once), or if it is just somehwere on the internet in general(very often).