Losing connection (Computer->Wireless->Router->DSLmodem)

Hi, I did some searches and there are lots of people having connection
issues but I couldn't find exactly what I'm experiencing. We have a
(Dell) notebook with a AirLink+ USB wireless device and a no-name
desktop with an AirLink wireless card. They both connect to a Linksys
router which is now connected to an SBC/Yahoo DSL modem. We switched
about a week ago from another DSL provider where things were working
fine then (but the costs were much higher).

The desktop has only been used the last few days and it seems ok. But
for the last week, I've been trying to use the notebook but it seems to
lose internet connectivity every few minutes. At first, I was doing an
ipconfig /release and /renew which worked most of the time (but it
seems to be dropping down to only half the time). Then I noticed that
I could always get to my router and if I used their utilities to do a
traceroute to something like Yahoo, that would pretty much always work
and then everything else would (usually) start working again after that
(ping would sometimes work in this situation but never from the cmd
line, only occassionally from the router utilities page).

I'm not sure how to fix this. We're both running XP, using wireless,
to the same router but the notebook keeps losing the connection. One
difference is that I installed the SBC/Yahoo programs from their CD on
the notebook and then disabled them from 'net access using ZoneAlarm
when I found out they send info to SBC. The one time I let them run,
it didn't seem to drop the connection (but it also doesn't (usually)
drop it as long as I'm actively using it without breaks). I'll likely
just uninstall those at some point.

So is this related to firewall settings, dhcp, dynamic IPs, MTU,
something else? I have line filters everywhere and I've scanned my
machine for malware multiple times (with several programs) in the last
week.

Thanks for any suggestions!

On 15 Aug 2006 17:17:16 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote in
<(E-Mail Removed). com>:

>Hi, I did some searches and there are lots of people having connection
>issues but I couldn't find exactly what I'm experiencing. We have a
>(Dell) notebook with a AirLink+ USB wireless device and a no-name
>desktop with an AirLink wireless card. They both connect to a Linksys
>router which is now connected to an SBC/Yahoo DSL modem. We switched
>about a week ago from another DSL provider where things were working
>fine then (but the costs were much higher).
>
>The desktop has only been used the last few days and it seems ok. But
>for the last week, I've been trying to use the notebook but it seems to
>lose internet connectivity every few minutes.

What are the _exact_ symptoms? Does the wireless icon in the system
tray show a red X? Or this just a browser problem? Can you ping the
wireless router?

>At first, I was doing an
>ipconfig /release and /renew which worked most of the time (but it
>seems to be dropping down to only half the time).

The next time it happens, Run:
%COMSPEC% /K IPCONFIG /ALL
and post the results here.

>Then I noticed that
>I could always get to my router and if I used their utilities to do a
>traceroute to something like Yahoo, that would pretty much always work

Pretty much?

>and then everything else would (usually) start working again after that
>(ping would sometimes work in this situation but never from the cmd
>line, only occassionally from the router utilities page).

What happened _exactly_ from the command line?

>I'm not sure how to fix this. We're both running XP, using wireless,
>to the same router but the notebook keeps losing the connection. One
>difference is that I installed the SBC/Yahoo programs from their CD on
>the notebook and then disabled them from 'net access using ZoneAlarm
>when I found out they send info to SBC. The one time I let them run,
>it didn't seem to drop the connection (but it also doesn't (usually)
>drop it as long as I'm actively using it without breaks). I'll likely
>just uninstall those at some point.

With a wireless router you don't need the SBC/Yahoo software -- get rid
of it.

>So is this related to firewall settings, dhcp, dynamic IPs, MTU,
>something else? I have line filters everywhere and I've scanned my
>machine for malware multiple times (with several programs) in the last
>week.

Hard to say without a lot more information.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

Hi John,

Thanks for your reply.

John Navas wrote:
> What are the _exact_ symptoms? Does the wireless icon in the system
> tray show a red X? Or this just a browser problem? Can you ping the
> wireless router?

I have 2 icons: the WLan Utility for the wireless device and the
network connection icon. I've had the X before but in these cases,
both seem to show that I'm connected (but sometimes the little
animation for each one isn't going). During this time, I can't ping
any sites from the command line (ping just sits there for a long time
and then gives an error - maybe a lookup issue?). I *can* ping the
router from the command line. And I can get to it from the browser
(but no other sites). If I do ipconfig /release and /renew or if I use
the router traceroute utility (from the browser), things usually start
working again.

> The next time it happens, Run:
> %COMSPEC% /K IPCONFIG /ALL
> and post the results here.

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : <my computer name>
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected <it
usually says this>
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast
Ethernet
Controller (3C905C-TX Compatible)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : <my builtin ethernet card
mac addr>

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : IEEE 802.11g USB Wireless
LAN #3
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : <my usb device mac addr>
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.100
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, August 15, 2006
20:37:59
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, August 16, 2006
20:37:59

> >Then I noticed that
> >I could always get to my router and if I used their utilities to do a
> >traceroute to something like Yahoo, that would pretty much always work
>
> Pretty much?

Usually it would work, sometimes (rarely) it wouldn't.

> What happened _exactly_ from the command line?

c:\>ping yahoo.com
Ping request could not find host yahoo.com. Please check the name and
try again.

C:\>ping 192.168.1.1

Pinging 192.168.1.1 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
....

Browser can access router but nothing else. After /release /renew (or
router traceroute), everything works again for a few minutes (cmd line
ping, browser, etc).

> With a wireless router you don't need the SBC/Yahoo software -- get rid
> of it.

Ok.

On 15 Aug 2006 21:24:24 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote in
<(E-Mail Removed). com>:

>John Navas wrote:
>> What are the _exact_ symptoms? Does the wireless icon in the system
>> tray show a red X? Or this just a browser problem? Can you ping the
>> wireless router?
>
>I have 2 icons: the WLan Utility for the wireless device and the
>network connection icon. I've had the X before but in these cases,
>both seem to show that I'm connected (but sometimes the little
>animation for each one isn't going). During this time, I can't ping
>any sites from the command line (ping just sits there for a long time
>and then gives an error - maybe a lookup issue?).

What _exact_ error? Guesswork makes it much harder to help.

>I *can* ping the
>router from the command line. And I can get to it from the browser
>(but no other sites).

Good. Then you have wireless connectivity, and the router is probably
working. Thus the likely problem is Internet connectivity. Does the
router have a status page that shows WAN/Internet status? If so, what
_exactly_ does it say when this problem occurs?

>If I do ipconfig /release and /renew or if I use
>the router traceroute utility (from the browser), things usually start
>working again.

How about when you sacrifice small animals?

>Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:
>
> Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
> Description . . . . . . . . . . . : IEEE 802.11g USB Wireless LAN #3
> Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : <my usb device mac addr>

Why would you withhold the MAC address?

> Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
> Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
> IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.100
> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
> Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
> DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
> DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

That's a proxy in the router.

> Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, August 15, 2006 20:37:59
> Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, August 16, 2006 20:37:59

So DHCP is working and the computer is properly configured. Thus
Release and Renew aren't called for.

>> What happened _exactly_ from the command line?
>
>c:\>ping yahoo.com
>Ping request could not find host yahoo.com. Please check the name and
>try again.

Then DNS is failing. The router may have lost Internet connectivity.

Focus on finding out if the router is losing Internet connectivity and
why. Start by checking the router status screen, and checking the
lights on the DSL modem. The next time you have a problem, try just
restarting the DSL modem.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

John Navas wrote:
> What _exact_ error? Guesswork makes it much harder to help.

Sorry - I did include it below. There really isn't any specific error
that points to the problem - otherwise I'd use that to search for a
solution.

> Good. Then you have wireless connectivity, and the router is probably
> working. Thus the likely problem is Internet connectivity. Does the
> router have a status page that shows WAN/Internet status? If so, what
> _exactly_ does it say when this problem occurs?

It does have a few status pages (Router, Local Network, Wireless).
>From what I recall when I last checked these when things weren't
working, everything looked alright (I'll check again when the problem
recurs).

> How about when you sacrifice small animals?

I only have one so I haven't tried that yet.

> Why would you withhold the MAC address?

For fun?

> That's a proxy in the router.

ok......

> So DHCP is working and the computer is properly configured. Thus
> Release and Renew aren't called for.

Except that things *aren't* working unless I do that. It _looks_ like
everything is fine when the problem happens but I can't get to any
sites past the router (including sbc) until I get the router to do
something that seems to reset things.

> Then DNS is failing. The router may have lost Internet connectivity.

Ok, but why/how? And how come the other computer works (I can have
this issue several times at the same time the other one is working fine
- very strange).

> Focus on finding out if the router is losing Internet connectivity and
> why. Start by checking the router status screen, and checking the
> lights on the DSL modem. The next time you have a problem, try just
> restarting the DSL modem.

Ok.

Thanks.

On 15 Aug 2006 22:00:35 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote in
<(E-Mail Removed) .com>:

>John Navas wrote:
>> What _exact_ error? Guesswork makes it much harder to help.
>
>Sorry - I did include it below. There really isn't any specific error
>that points to the problem - otherwise I'd use that to search for a
>solution.

I need to know _exactly_ what it says.

>> So DHCP is working and the computer is properly configured. Thus
>> Release and Renew aren't called for.
>
>Except that things *aren't* working unless I do that.

Something else is going on.

>It _looks_ like
>everything is fine when the problem happens but I can't get to any
>sites past the router (including sbc) until I get the router to do
>something that seems to reset things.

The key word there is "seems".

>> Then DNS is failing. The router may have lost Internet connectivity.
>
>Ok, but why/how?

I can't tell without more information, which is why I asked for router
WAN/Internet status.

>And how come the other computer works (I can have
>this issue several times at the same time the other one is working fine
>- very strange).

Hard to say.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

John Navas wrote:
> I need to know _exactly_ what it says.

Can you email me so I can send it to you that way? I'm not sure what
info is ok to disclose publicly. It just happened again and everything
besides access to the router through the browser was dead. The status
pages had the same info as before (ie. when it's working) and a refresh
didn't change anything (nor was there any errors/messages/etc). After
trying some cmd line pings, router traceroutes, and a few other things,
a cmd line ipconfig /release /renew finally fixed it.

On 15 Aug 2006 22:56:29 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote in
<(E-Mail Removed). com>:

>John Navas wrote:
>> I need to know _exactly_ what it says.
>
>Can you email me so I can send it to you that way?

My email address here is valid.

>I'm not sure what
>info is ok to disclose publicly.

Just don't disclose passwords. Your public IP address is already
disclosed in your posts here, and nothing I've asked for has any bearing
on your privacy or security. (Your MAC address, for example, isn't
anything to be concerned about.)

>It just happened again and everything
>besides access to the router through the browser was dead. The status
>pages had the same info as before (ie. when it's working) and a refresh
>didn't change anything (nor was there any errors/messages/etc). After
>trying some cmd line pings, router traceroutes, and a few other things,
>a cmd line ipconfig /release /renew finally fixed it.

If Release-Renew is really fixing it, then there's something you're not
telling me. Download this ZIP:
<http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=70F0F2437FED88EE >
and extract the script. Then next time you have the problem, instead of
Release-Renew, run the script, and copy & paste the exact result here
(scrolling the window to get all the output).

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

John Navas wrote:
> My email address here is valid.

Ok, I'll get the info and send it to you shortly (or post it here).
I'm now connected to work via VPN and it doesn't seem to happen then.

> Just don't disclose passwords. Your public IP address is already
> disclosed in your posts here, and nothing I've asked for has any bearing
> on your privacy or security. (Your MAC address, for example, isn't
> anything to be concerned about.)

Ok.

> If Release-Renew is really fixing it, then there's something you're not
> telling me.

Well, I'm telling you everything I know. Maybe there's something I
don't know that I'm supposed to be telling you. One thing I just
thought of was maybe some sort of temporary loss of the name lookup
service. So Yahoo, Google, etc, don't work via ping or browser but my
router does (since I use the IP addr). Not sure how ipconfig fixes
this or using the router utils (maybe it caches the lookup service?
[sorry don't know much about this]).

> Download this ZIP:

Ok.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
>> Then DNS is failing. The router may have lost Internet connectivity.
>
> Ok, but why/how? And how come the other computer works (I can have
> this issue several times at the same time the other one is working
> fine - very strange).
>
>> Focus on finding out if the router is losing Internet connectivity
>> and why. Start by checking the router status screen, and checking
>> the lights on the DSL modem. The next time you have a problem, try
>> just restarting the DSL modem.


If your other computer is STILL working (as you say above), it is NOT
anything to do with the router/dsl/etc, but the one computer that fails
(while the other still works).. Is it a laptop? If so, does it hibernate or
the hard disks turn off? (check power management) when it is left for a
while?