Intermittent router problem - advice appreciated

Hi all,

I have been using a Netgear MR314 router for some time now, and it's
always been fine. I have two PCs wired to it and a portable usually
connecting via wireless.

Recently I started to get an intermittent problem where Windows would
say the cable was unplugged and the router would go off-line, with the
Test led flashing. You could see, by the pattern of lights going on and
off that it was in test mode (as per it's boot sequence). Sometimes it
would come back on-line fairly quickly, other times not for a long time.
I've tried powering it off (sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a
couple of hours), resetting it, resetting it another way (as advised by
Netgear) - none of these things solve the problem - if it's 'dead' when
I power off it is still dead when I power up again. Then it will start
working ok, for no apparent reason.
I tried swapping cables around, etc. and could not pin the problem down
to any one thing, so I concluded that the router was faulty.
I got a new Netgear WGR614 router, and that has been working fine for a
while now. So... it was the MR314, it seems.

Lately I decided to test the MR314 again, just with the portable (wired
connection this time) and an old PC. Now it seems to be working ok. It
did drop out once but recovered and has been ok for several hours now.

The only other symptom I can think of is that during the problem period
we were having exceptionally hot weather. Are routers heat-sensitive, do
you think?

I'd just like to get some idea of what the problem actually is/was, for
future reference. Any thoughts, similar experiences?

John

John Fryatt wrote:
> The only other symptom I can think of is that during the problem period
> we were having exceptionally hot weather. Are routers heat-sensitive, do
> you think?

Yes, just like any other piece of electronics. I really think routers
should be actively cooled with fans and heat fins. Of course this would
cause a lot of noise and annoyance to people, so it looks like the
manufacturers won't be going that direction anytime soon.

This isn't isolated to Netgear. I've had similar problems with Dlinks
and Linksys.

Yousuf Khan

On Wed, 16 Aug 2006 08:25:08 GMT, John Fryatt <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I have been using a Netgear MR314 router for some time now, and it's
>always been fine. I have two PCs wired to it and a portable usually
>connecting via wireless.
>
>Recently I started to get an intermittent problem where Windows would
>say the cable was unplugged and the router would go off-line, with the
>Test led flashing. You could see, by the pattern of lights going on and
>off that it was in test mode (as per it's boot sequence). Sometimes it
>would come back on-line fairly quickly, other times not for a long time.
>I've tried powering it off (sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a
>couple of hours), resetting it, resetting it another way (as advised by
>Netgear) - none of these things solve the problem - if it's 'dead' when
>I power off it is still dead when I power up again. Then it will start
>working ok, for no apparent reason.
>I tried swapping cables around, etc. and could not pin the problem down
>to any one thing, so I concluded that the router was faulty.
>I got a new Netgear WGR614 router, and that has been working fine for a
>while now. So... it was the MR314, it seems.
>
>Lately I decided to test the MR314 again, just with the portable (wired
>connection this time) and an old PC. Now it seems to be working ok. It
>did drop out once but recovered and has been ok for several hours now.
>
>The only other symptom I can think of is that during the problem period
>we were having exceptionally hot weather. Are routers heat-sensitive, do
>you think?
>
>I'd just like to get some idea of what the problem actually is/was, for
>future reference. Any thoughts, similar experiences?
>
>John

Could certainly be heat related, especially if the guts are covered with
accumulated dust bunnies. Use a grounding strap, open it up and clean it out,
then see if it's a happier router.

Yousuf Khan wrote:
> John Fryatt wrote:
>> The only other symptom I can think of is that during the problem
>> period we were having exceptionally hot weather. Are routers
>> heat-sensitive, do you think?
>
> Yes, just like any other piece of electronics. I really think routers
> should be actively cooled with fans and heat fins. Of course this would
> cause a lot of noise and annoyance to people, so it looks like the
> manufacturers won't be going that direction anytime soon.
>
> This isn't isolated to Netgear. I've had similar problems with Dlinks
> and Linksys.
>
> Yousuf Khan

Ok, thanks for that. I tend to agree re. cooling. Some bits of equipment
do seem, to me, to get pretty hot. While it doesn't seem to make them
fail straight away, it can't be good for their longevity.

John

daytripper wrote:
> On Wed, 16 Aug 2006 08:25:08 GMT, John Fryatt <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I have been using a Netgear MR314 router for some time now, and it's
>> always been fine. I have two PCs wired to it and a portable usually
>> connecting via wireless.
>>
>> Recently I started to get an intermittent problem where Windows would
>> say the cable was unplugged and the router would go off-line, with the
>> Test led flashing. You could see, by the pattern of lights going on and
>> off that it was in test mode (as per it's boot sequence). Sometimes it
>> would come back on-line fairly quickly, other times not for a long time.
>> I've tried powering it off (sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a
>> couple of hours), resetting it, resetting it another way (as advised by
>> Netgear) - none of these things solve the problem - if it's 'dead' when
>> I power off it is still dead when I power up again. Then it will start
>> working ok, for no apparent reason.
>> I tried swapping cables around, etc. and could not pin the problem down
>> to any one thing, so I concluded that the router was faulty.
>> I got a new Netgear WGR614 router, and that has been working fine for a
>> while now. So... it was the MR314, it seems.
>>
>> Lately I decided to test the MR314 again, just with the portable (wired
>> connection this time) and an old PC. Now it seems to be working ok. It
>> did drop out once but recovered and has been ok for several hours now.
>>
>> The only other symptom I can think of is that during the problem period
>> we were having exceptionally hot weather. Are routers heat-sensitive, do
>> you think?
>>
>> I'd just like to get some idea of what the problem actually is/was, for
>> future reference. Any thoughts, similar experiences?
>>
>> John
>
> Could certainly be heat related, especially if the guts are covered with
> accumulated dust bunnies. Use a grounding strap, open it up and clean it out,
> then see if it's a happier router.

Good idea. I'll try it. I do clean out my PCs from time to time, but
never thought of it for the router.

John