Weird Problem with Dropping internet connection

I have an hp pavillion dv5000 with the broadcom 802.11 b/g wireless
adapter onboard. I am using a zxyel 330 router connecting to comcast
via a US Robotics cable modem.

If the system sits for awhile, or hibernates, I lose all internet
connection unless I reboot. I have tried disabling/re-enabling the
onboard adapter, tried the repair function, stopped and started wzc,
turned off wzc and tried the broadcom wireless config utility, have
disabled the power saving and minimal power consumption options for
the adapter - the problem still occurs. This morning I discovered
that if I disconnect from my router and grab a neighbors open router
signal, it immediately works without having to reboot. As well, if I
then disconnect from the neighbors signal and reconnect to my wireless
connection on the zyxel router, my connection is then alive again.
What could possibly be causing this and is there a better fix than
hopping around the neighborhood for a "jump start."

Shawn

On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:48:57 -0500, SJ <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
<(E-Mail Removed)>:

>I have an hp pavillion dv5000 with the broadcom 802.11 b/g wireless
>adapter onboard. I am using a zxyel 330 router connecting to comcast
>via a US Robotics cable modem.
>
>If the system sits for awhile, or hibernates, I lose all internet
>connection unless I reboot. I have tried disabling/re-enabling the
>onboard adapter, tried the repair function, stopped and started wzc,
>turned off wzc and tried the broadcom wireless config utility, have
>disabled the power saving and minimal power consumption options for
>the adapter - the problem still occurs. This morning I discovered
>that if I disconnect from my router and grab a neighbors open router
>signal, it immediately works without having to reboot. As well, if I
>then disconnect from the neighbors signal and reconnect to my wireless
>connection on the zyxel router, my connection is then alive again.
>What could possibly be causing this and is there a better fix than
>hopping around the neighborhood for a "jump start."

Try turning off all wireless adapter power management.

Otherwise, the next time this happens, run the script at
<http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/FixDHCP_script>, and post the exact
output here.

--
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>

>SJ <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have an hp pavillion dv5000 with the broadcom 802.11 b/g wireless
>adapter onboard. I am using a zxyel 330 router connecting to comcast
>via a US Robotics cable modem.
>
>If the system sits for awhile, or hibernates, I lose all internet
>connection unless I reboot. I have tried disabling/re-enabling the
>onboard adapter, tried the repair function, stopped and started wzc,
>turned off wzc and tried the broadcom wireless config utility, have
>disabled the power saving and minimal power consumption options for
>the adapter - the problem still occurs. This morning I discovered
>that if I disconnect from my router and grab a neighbors open router
>signal, it immediately works without having to reboot. As well, if I
>then disconnect from the neighbors signal and reconnect to my wireless
>connection on the zyxel router, my connection is then alive again.
>What could possibly be causing this and is there a better fix than
>hopping around the neighborhood for a "jump start."
>
>Shawn

I had the same problem, and Jeff gave me the fix. He said:

Disable the DNS cache.
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;318803
The worst part is that it will also cache failed DNS lookups for 15
minutes and valid (but out of date) DNS lookups for a full day.

--
Dave

On Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:59:42 -0500, Dave Rudisill <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote in <(E-Mail Removed)>:

>>SJ <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>I have an hp pavillion dv5000 with the broadcom 802.11 b/g wireless
>>adapter onboard. I am using a zxyel 330 router connecting to comcast
>>via a US Robotics cable modem.
>>
>>If the system sits for awhile, or hibernates, I lose all internet
>>connection unless I reboot. I have tried disabling/re-enabling the
>>onboard adapter, tried the repair function, stopped and started wzc,
>>turned off wzc and tried the broadcom wireless config utility, have
>>disabled the power saving and minimal power consumption options for
>>the adapter - the problem still occurs. This morning I discovered
>>that if I disconnect from my router and grab a neighbors open router
>>signal, it immediately works without having to reboot. As well, if I
>>then disconnect from the neighbors signal and reconnect to my wireless
>>connection on the zyxel router, my connection is then alive again.
>>What could possibly be causing this and is there a better fix than
>>hopping around the neighborhood for a "jump start."

>I had the same problem, and Jeff gave me the fix. He said:
>
>Disable the DNS cache.
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;318803

Then there's something else wrong, because DNS caching does work. You
may want to investigate further, because it contributes significantly to
performance. Turning it off to solve the problem is like not driving
your car because the rear view mirror is fogged up.

>The worst part is that it will also cache failed DNS lookups for 15
>minutes

My Cable-DLS Guide has long had advice on how to disable negative DNS
caching, which does make sense -- see link below.

>and valid (but out of date) DNS lookups for a full day.

There really is no such animal -- something is wrong.

--
Best regards, Navas' Cable-DSL Tuning Guide:
John Navas <http://Cable-DSL.home.att.net>

>John Navas <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:59:42 -0500, Dave Rudisill <(E-Mail Removed)>
>wrote in <(E-Mail Removed)>:
>
<snip>
>
>>I had the same problem, and Jeff gave me the fix. He said:
>>
>>Disable the DNS cache.
>> http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;318803
>
>Then there's something else wrong, because DNS caching does work. You
>may want to investigate further, because it contributes significantly to
>performance. Turning it off to solve the problem is like not driving
>your car because the rear view mirror is fogged up.
>
>>The worst part is that it will also cache failed DNS lookups for 15
>>minutes
>
>My Cable-DLS Guide has long had advice on how to disable negative DNS
>caching, which does make sense -- see link below.
>
>>and valid (but out of date) DNS lookups for a full day.
>
>There really is no such animal -- something is wrong.

Since implementing Jeff's suggestion in January, the problem, which was
occurring daily, has not occurred once.

I have noticed no degradation in performance, but that's merely a
subjective observation from somebody who attaches to networks with
wildly varying performance almost daily.

Jeff, as usual, was right.

--
Dave

On Sun, 05 Nov 2006 09:43:10 -0500, Dave Rudisill <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote in <(E-Mail Removed)>:

>>John Navas <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:59:42 -0500, Dave Rudisill <(E-Mail Removed)>
>>wrote in <(E-Mail Removed)>:
>>
><snip>
>>
>>>I had the same problem, and Jeff gave me the fix. He said:
>>>
>>>Disable the DNS cache.
>>> http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;318803
>>
>>Then there's something else wrong, because DNS caching does work. You
>>may want to investigate further, because it contributes significantly to
>>performance. Turning it off to solve the problem is like not driving
>>your car because the rear view mirror is fogged up.
>>
>>>The worst part is that it will also cache failed DNS lookups for 15
>>>minutes
>>
>>My Cable-DLS Guide has long had advice on how to disable negative DNS
>>caching, which does make sense -- see link below.
>>
>>>and valid (but out of date) DNS lookups for a full day.
>>
>>There really is no such animal -- something is wrong.
>
>Since implementing Jeff's suggestion in January, the problem, which was
>occurring daily, has not occurred once.
>
>I have noticed no degradation in performance, but that's merely a
>subjective observation from somebody who attaches to networks with
>wildly varying performance almost daily.
>
>Jeff, as usual, was right.

About what? DNS caching definitely does work, and (as I wrote) turning
it off to solve the problem is like not driving your car because the
rear view mirror is fogged up.

--
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>

Dave Rudisill <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>>SJ <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>I have an hp pavillion dv5000 with the broadcom 802.11 b/g wireless
>>adapter onboard. I am using a zxyel 330 router connecting to comcast
>>via a US Robotics cable modem.
>>
>>If the system sits for awhile, or hibernates, I lose all internet
>>connection unless I reboot. I have tried disabling/re-enabling the
>>onboard adapter, tried the repair function, stopped and started wzc,
>>turned off wzc and tried the broadcom wireless config utility, have
>>disabled the power saving and minimal power consumption options for
>>the adapter - the problem still occurs. This morning I discovered
>>that if I disconnect from my router and grab a neighbors open router
>>signal, it immediately works without having to reboot. As well, if I
>>then disconnect from the neighbors signal and reconnect to my wireless
>>connection on the zyxel router, my connection is then alive again.
>>What could possibly be causing this and is there a better fix than
>>hopping around the neighborhood for a "jump start."
>>
>>Shawn

>I had the same problem, and Jeff gave me the fix. He said:
>
>Disable the DNS cache.
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;318803
>The worst part is that it will also cache failed DNS lookups for 15
>minutes and valid (but out of date) DNS lookups for a full day.

I'd be interested to see if this solves the problem, but I don't think
it will help. This is a different problem. As I vaguely recall, your
problem had to with either "anycast" DNS servers or an ISP with a
broken DNS based load balancing scheme.

I have a similar Hp ze2000 series notebook with a similar Broadcom
card, that does not have this problem with my wireless routers.
However, I have gone to customers, where I let the laptop go into
hibernate, and end up with a useless connection when it recovers. I
don't know the exact failure mechanism, but my guess(tm) is that it's
something the Zyxel 330 is doing (or isn't doing). Some things to
try:

1. Take your laptop to a local hot spot or other wireless router and
connect. Force it into hibernate mode. Wait at least 2 minutes for
the router to recognize that the connection is gone. Hit the <alt>
key to wake up the laptop. Duz it work? Do the same with your Zyxel.
I'm trying to determine if it's router dependent.

2. When your laptop comes up comatose, try:
Start -> Run -> cmd <enter>
ipconfig (scribble down your IP address)
ipconfig /release
wait about 10 seconds
ipconfig /renew
Then run:
ipconfig
and see if you still have a valid IP address or if it has changed. If
it changed and is now working, then what's happening is that the
router is expiring your IP address, or the hibernate function is not
forcing the DHCP client to renew the IP when it wakes up. I've been
told that this is a problem if you have AOL 9 installed, which
replaces the DHCP client. Treat this as rumor as I could find no
substantiation.

3. Also try the above test without the:
ipconfig /release
Just run the:
ipconfig /renew
and see if you can force the renewal in case the hibernate function
forgets. It might work. Dunno.

Actually, it's probably best to try these in the reverse order in
which I posted them, but I'm too lazy to edit my own posting.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

>Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

<snip>
>
>I'd be interested to see if this solves the problem, but I don't think
>it will help. This is a different problem. As I vaguely recall, your
>problem had to with either "anycast" DNS servers or an ISP with a
>broken DNS based load balancing scheme.
>
<snip some more>

Jeff:

Here's what I posted back in January, with your reply (only disabling
the DNS cache fixed the problem):

>Dave Rudisill <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>We travel full-time, so I connect with different WiFi networks all the
>time. I have had a nagging problem that occurs regardless of the network
>and regardless of which WiFi adapter I use.
>
>I boot up (Windows XP SP2), find a nearby network, and connect. Works
>good. I disconnect after doing my business. When I reconnect with the
>same network from the same location later, I almost never get name
>resolution until I reboot the laptop; then things work fine again.
>
>I have tried:
>-- "Repair" the connection
>-- Disable/unplug the WiFi adapter, let Windows rediscover it, and
>connect again
>
>Any suggestions?

Yes, two:

1, Run:
IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS
to clear the cache.

2. Disable the DNS cache.
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;318803
The worst part is that it will also cache failed DNS lookups for 15
minutes and valid (but out of date) DNS lookups for a full day.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Dave Rudisill <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>Here's what I posted back in January, with your reply (only disabling
>the DNS cache fixed the problem):
>
>>Dave Rudisill <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>
>>We travel full-time, so I connect with different WiFi networks all the
>>time. I have had a nagging problem that occurs regardless of the network
>>and regardless of which WiFi adapter I use.
>>
>>I boot up (Windows XP SP2), find a nearby network, and connect. Works
>>good. I disconnect after doing my business. When I reconnect with the
>>same network from the same location later, I almost never get name
>>resolution until I reboot the laptop; then things work fine again.
>>
>>I have tried:
>>-- "Repair" the connection
>>-- Disable/unplug the WiFi adapter, let Windows rediscover it, and
>>connect again
>>
>>Any suggestions?

So much for my photographic memory. That wasn't the problem I thought
I recalled.

It's still a totally different problem. Your problem revolved around
switching locations and wireless routers, not a hibernation recovery
problem. Your IP address was getting updated properly, but your
Windoze DNS cache still had stale entries left over from the previous
connection. Flushing the cache or simply disabling the feature was
sufficient to fix that.

I've been running Ethereal on my desktop for the last hour of
tinkering (mixed bag of eBay, usenet, web surfing, and email). I
temporarily disabled the DNS cache. Most of the DNS lookups came from
web surfing. Based on number of packets, DNS lookups for the last
hour of surfing worked out to 0.68% of the packets. With the cache
re-enabled, and just clicking through my history list for todays
browsing, I get 0.15% of my packets are DNS lookups. Not very
scientific or repeatable, but good enough for ballpark estimate.
Caching certainly reduces the number of lookups, but the actual amount
of traffic it saves is trivial.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>Caching certainly reduces the number of lookups, but the actual amount
>of traffic it saves is trivial.

I was wondering if I could aggravate the problem. I fired up Skype,
which uses clients as a distributed server, and generates large
numbers of hits on port 27727. I also fired up various simple netstat
monitors that run reverse DNS lookups on anything that hits the
computer. I also switched from Ethereal to WireShark. Running for 15
minutes and doing nothing but scanning for incoming junk, 80% of the
packets sniffed were DNS lookups with the rest being ARP requests and
miscellaneous junk. So if you're doing network tinkering, cacheing
the DNS lookups might be a good idea.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558