Linksys and Internet connection disconnecting, needs constant rebooting
Question:
Our Linksys system is constantly going in and out and losing connection. We’ll have to restart it nearly every hour, every day. The Comcast High Speed Internet folks have talked us through restarting everything, checking connection, and have even come out and re-wired the cable cords out of the modem. But the problem persists.
Often, the router will still have a signal, but it gives us “limited access” (no internet access)- when we’re wired to it and when we’re wireless. The router too, will randomly just stop working, and we have to reset it. Is there something we can buy to beef it up? I’ve heard about a “repeater” but these are $100 and are for increase wireless usage. We just need it to remain constant. We tried a couple other routers and have had the best luck with this one so far. But its really driving us crazy now.
Answer:
So you’re having problems with the wireless access and Internet? For example, will a computer that’s wired to the router continue to work, while a wireless-connected PC keeps losing connection? Or do both wireless and wired-conntected PCs keep failing?
Reply:
Both keep failing- Maybe not every hour- but several times a day. I tried connecting directly to the modem (thru the blue ethernet cord) this morning, and it wasn’t working, had to restart the system. It usually always comes back on, but doesn’t stay on…
Answer:
Okay, now we’re getting to the root of the problem:
You should be able to connect directly to the modem. Plug a PC right in to the modem, using the same ethernet cable that normally plugs in to your Linksys wireless router, and you should auto-connect to the internet (a modem reboot may be required, or possibly specific setup on your PC to establish a PPP connection – when you first got your connection set up, you should’ve been given documentation with this information).
Either way, plug that PC in to the modem. And if you’re up with 100% effectiveness, you know the problem is probably with your Linksys router. If you continue to lose connection, then you either have a bad modem, bad wiring, or a bad Internet connection.
If it’s wiring or a connection, your ISP can determine that and fix it. If it’s a bad modem, your ISP can probably replace it (and they also sell such things retail for under $100, though you’d have to replace it yourself and work with the ISP to configure it).
Rob Steenwyk:
This could be caused by a lot of traffic going over the router, such as bit torrent. Consumer grade routers, like Linksys, don’t have a whole lot of memory and if a fair amount of traffic gets sent over them their databases can get filled up and stop accepting new connections.
Depending on the model of your router, you could try putting DD-WRT on it http://www.dd-wrt.com/. DD-WRT does a better job of managing the routers limited hardware resources, and also gives you a lot more options on what you want to do with certain types of traffic.
Otherwise, do a little research and find a nice router for under $100 that meets your needs.
14 September 2008, 4:46 pm