Router stays connected, but internet cuts out periodically

Marty9231

Marty9231

Posts: 142   +1
Hello,

So, a description of the issue. I've had this about 5 times now spread out over a couple of months. The internet will just (completely randomly, without apparent trigger) stop working completely. When I check, the router will still have an IP and the "Internet" light will still be flashing green (indicating active internet connection) on the front panel.

So far this has happened at completely random times:
- While playing a game (LoL) the internet just cut out and didn't come back for hours.
- I came back from a shower and the internet wasn't working anymore, similar to other times.
- I was working on a school document, not using any internet at the time (Skype was running, maybe Steam) and it just cut out.
Et cetera.

The reason I don't think it's a disruption from the side of my ISP is that, sometimes, clicking "Renew Lease" in the router page seemed to fix it, though sometimes it wouldn't work until I'd refreshed it multiple times. Also, the internet light doesn't go out on the router, and usually there isn't even any problem indicated in windows except from the internet just not working. I.e. no yellow exclamation mark in the little internet icon.

Further information: The router is a (by this time, quite old) Netgear Wireless GR614 v7, and I have upgraded the firmware to the latest version. Also, my phone AND tablet will remain connected to the wireless network, but without any usable internet connection. I have double checked all the cables and connections, everything seems to be in working order. I live in an apartment building and we all share a big internet connection (I have a cable coming in from a central modem so I don't have a specific connection that I can contact an ISP about), which also means I have no modem to configure or help me.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially regarding whether or not it could be my router at fault and if a new one could fix it. Thanks in advance. :)
 
This isn't my area of expertise by a long shot but I have had these issues as well with my cable set-up. Sometimes I needed simply to restart my router. I have found at other times I would have to reset the box the cable company installed in our cellar by powering it off for 10 seconds and then on again. Once in awhile I will have to do this to my modem.

Our biggest issue was the splitter. It went bad and since it was outside the house and Comcast's equipment they replaced it for free which restored everything to working order.

I would say though that it is probably time to replace the router. I had a good Linksys G for years but then it would constantly drop connections. I replaced it with my current Netgear and it has served my entire household well.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
 
If possible get the latest firmware for that router.

Secondly, on the WAN side, set the MTU to 1492 which will stop something called packet fragmentation and reassembly.

btw: I'm on a RP614v2 and it's been as solid as a rock
 
Yes, restarting the router seemed to work sometimes as well, though not at all reliably. The firmware is up to date, but that didn't seem to solve anything.

Again, I have no access to the modem or splitter or central unit in the building, since it's an apartment building. I am technically not a direct customer at the ISP, but if I'm sure the problem is not on my side I can contact the owners of the building about it.

Lastly, I changed the MTU from 1500 to 1492, hoping it'll change something.

On a side note, the cable that exits the wall in my room has the end cut off, and is manually connected to a little box (not with the usual Ethernet connector, but with the individual loose wires), and that little box is where I put the cable to my router in. It looks kind of 'ghetto' as if it's very fragile, however I don't ever touch it so I don't see how this can suddenly cause problems that are gone the next minute. I just thought it's worth noticing.

Since the problem only rarely occurs, I'll keep an eye out and update if it does again.
Thanks for the help!
 
Marty9231 said:
Lastly, I changed the MTU from 1500 to 1492, hoping it'll change something.

On a side note, the cable that exits the wall in my room has the end cut off, and is manually connected to a little box (not with the usual Ethernet connector, but with the individual loose wires), and that little box is where I put the cable to my router in. It looks kind of 'ghetto' as if it's very fragile, however I don't ever touch it so I don't see how this can suddenly cause problems that are gone the next minute. I just thought it's worth noticing.
Click to expand...
OUCH!!! Really need to get that fixed. All cables to/from the router need solid connectors properly attached. This is all high frequency data and it is very sensitive, including temperature and humidity. This condition can not help you in getting reliable Internet service.

Bravo for being forthcoming with that tidbit.
 
I may not have explained it correctly, because it's connected securely, it just looks a bit weak. This is a picture of what it actually looks like.

I'm not very knowledgeable about this, but I'd like this to be as clear as possible, and I'd like to not have to replace this, as I would have to figure out a way to get a connector on the top wire.
 
Those are just fine - - that's a DSL line using what we call RJ32 connectors.

I do hope that setup is INDOORS and not some service closet outside the home.
 
That's good to hear, and yes it's indoors. I will update whenever I have more info!

Update: Today it's happened again, several times, and the "renew lease" did not appear to fix it, neither did restarting the router completely. I am suspecting the router is dying on me, but somehow I can't rule out the ISP having some kind of malfunction.

Is there anyway I can find out for sure?
 
Last edited:
It happened again, along with the WiFi not working on my phone anymore. I decided to get a new router (TL-WR1043ND, cheap and heavily recommended to me) and I'm now seeing if it improves. This router shows an increase in both wireless and wired speed, so I'm guessing the previous router was slowly dying of old age.

I'll update if I get any more information.
 
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So, to finally close this thread, to whomever it may concern: Issue fixed with new router.

After about 2 months of very heavy use, I can conclude that the router was the issue, and the new one does an amazing job of not breaking. Yay! Thanks for the help, even though it's a little late for that :)
 
In the future check the diagnostics on your cable modem. This will depend on the modem that you are using, however most of the modems can be reached by typing this address in the browser:

192.168.100.1

Next depending on your manufacturer it might ask you for the login info (look that up online).

The GUI interface will give a list of stats are important in order to troubleshoot your cable modem connection.

This might vary a bit depending on the area that you are in but the stats should be within these norms for a stable internet connection:

-Upstream signal – no higher than 52DB

-Downstream signal – between -10Db and +10Db

SNR should be around 35DB or so, but that will vary




On top of all of these things such as: bad splitters, bad connections, water getting into the wiring will impact your system. If you experience connection that comes, and goes after a rain – than most likely you have a chew on the line, or water getting in somewhere. When the moisture builds up, the connection goes bad, when it dries up-evaporates your connection will come back.


So check your signals on your modem, anybody can do it. The IP needed to log in might vary, but you can get that from the command line by typing Ipconfig/all
 
dkbroadband said:
In the future check the diagnostics on your cable modem. This will depend on the modem that you are using, however most of the modems can be reached by typing this address in the browser:

192.168.100.1

Next depending on your manufacturer it might ask you for the login info (look that up online).

The GUI interface will give a list of stats are important in order to troubleshoot your cable modem connection.

This might vary a bit depending on the area that you are in but the stats should be within these norms for a stable internet connection:

-Upstream signal – no higher than 52DB

-Downstream signal – between -10Db and +10Db

SNR should be around 35DB or so, but that will vary
Click to expand...

Not to revive an old thread here, but I would love to find my signal strength and logged in to my router as you described. Tons of information, but I don't see signal strength or SNR anywhere. Clicked through every page. Router is TP-Link. Is there some other way of finding this info? A command line or something?

Thanks
 
ITbecauseIam said:
Not to revive an old thread here, but I would love to find my signal strength and logged in to my router as you described. Tons of information, but I don't see signal strength or SNR anywhere. Clicked through every page. Router is TP-Link. Is there some other way of finding this info? A command line or something?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Open your command prompt then type ipconfig/all press enter and watch the magic happen.
 
I hope that someone is able to fix my problem, both my ISP and the ISP that own the ADSL infrastructure seem to not know what they're doing! :D(n)
 
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