Router Issues From Hell

[FlyingCanOpener]

Im being bedeviled by some network issues at my house, and Im trying to figure out what my next step should be.

 

In May my old router died and I bought a nice big Linksys router with the bells and whistles, and it worked like a charm. Suddenly last month, I started losing Internet connection (DNS wasnt working was the error on my desktop on the wired and laptop on wireless connections), and Id have to reset the router. The time where it would work before needing to reset got to the point that I was resetting my router every 15 minutes. A factory reset would fix it for 2-3 days then I was back to the restarting every 15 minutes. Unplug the router and connect directly into the wall, and the connection is fine.

 

I contacted Linksys and we jumped through a bunch of hoops, which made it work fine for a week... and the router started showing the issue again. Linksys says corrupted firmware and are RMAing me a new router.

 

So in the meantime I go and purchase the cheapest router I can find at Walmartanother Linksys. After 3 days, Im dealing with the same issue as before: Internet suddenly drop, and I have to reboot it to get a connection for about 15 minutes.

 

So I have 2 theories:

1: Linksys has a bad firmware release and its affecting multiple devices.

2: Somethings up with my ISP thats causing the router to disconnect.

 

Im about to go get a third router from Netgear and try it in the meantime before my RMAed router returns. I had a higher-end Linksys tech assist me with the first router and he was scratching his head, but is there any networking tool or something I can use to see whats is happening when the connection dies? Anyone with a similar issue?

Edited September 10, 2018 by FlyingCanOpener

[Stuart Galbraith]

I had not dissimilar problems, but only when it was raining. I have old copper phoneline, and its not insulated very well I think. Every time it rained, it dropped the connection, but I could usually then get it back and hold it. It didnt really seem to go away till the phone company did some jigging to the wire.

[Ssnake]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a security hole in the Linksys firmware, and bot armies eventually invading through it. At least this would nicely explain why it works fine for a while, and once that it has been hijacked, that it very quickly reconnects to their bot masters. The bot net activity may then cause your device to be forcefully disconnected.

 

Just a theory.

[rmgill]

Are you going through a DSL modem?

[FlyingCanOpener]

Nope, fiber connection. It was working fine from May-August, and since then its been this issue; I found it interesting that the issue cropped up on a second router. Im going to go get a cheap Netgear and see what happens there.

 

Ive checked the computers for security holes, but the connection would die even if there were no devices on the network. Its like the router is just disconnecting itself from the fiber line to the outside world.

[Ssnake]

Are you going through a DSL modem?

 

Yes, I do. FritzBox, in case you were wondering. AVM has a track record of updating even long outdated firmwares.

[TTK Ciar]

It could be the router, could be your local wiring, could be your ISP. Hard to nail it down without more information, but your ISP should be able to look at line diagnostics and see if there's anything amiss.

 

A few years back we had odd problems with our connection going down when it was windy or raining. After repeated calls to our POTS provider they sent a technician who found that the junction box on the pole at the street had been chewed open by squirrels and stuffed full of acorns. The wiring was chewed on, too. They replaced everything and we've been problem free since then.

 

That having been said, I've found router quality to be hit-and-miss, mostly miss. Netgear does seem to work slightly better, and I've bought Netgear when I've had the choice, but you just won't know until you try it.

 

I've gotten slightly better results researching routers' customer reviews before buying. When a lot of people complain about the same kinds of problems, it's a big red flag. Unfortunately nobody seems to report back how long their router lasted. Some seem to go bad after just a year or two.

Edited September 11, 2018 by TTK Ciar

[rmgill]

 

Are you going through a DSL modem?

 

Yes, I do. FritzBox, in case you were wondering. AVM has a track record of updating even long outdated firmwares.

 

 

That could be your problem. I've seen instances where an xDSL modem has a component that starts to fail and has to have the connection reset. It renegotiates and then over time fails again. I've been at this house since 2001 and had the same internet service the entire time. I had 2 modems fail in this way over the course of about 5 or so years. It manifests as increasing error rates and reduced speed with line resets every few weeks, then every few days and then every day and eventually a dead unit.

[Ssnake]

Uh, I'm not the one who's reporting trouble. FCO is.

[FlyingCanOpener]

It could be the router, could be your local wiring, could be your ISP. Hard to nail it down without more information, but your ISP should be able to look at line diagnostics and see if there's anything amiss.

 

A few years back we had odd problems with our connection going down when it was windy or raining. After repeated calls to our POTS provider they sent a technician who found that the junction box on the pole at the street had been chewed open by squirrels and stuffed full of acorns. The wiring was chewed on, too. They replaced everything and we've been problem free since then.

 

That having been said, I've found router quality to be hit-and-miss, mostly miss. Netgear does seem to work slightly better, and I've bought Netgear when I've had the choice, but you just won't know until you try it.

 

I've gotten slightly better results researching routers' customer reviews before buying. When a lot of people complain about the same kinds of problems, it's a big red flag. Unfortunately nobody seems to report back how long their router lasted. Some seem to go bad after just a year or two.

I reviewed this one before I used it and it all had rave reviews. Strangely enough however I have had better success with Linksys routers than I have had with Netgear routers. However I did purchase the cheapest net gear I could find at Walmart last night and have it running now. So I will see if the problem manifest itself again and if it does then the ISP is going to be on the hook for that

[sunday]

Were there electric storms in your area just before the router failures?

[FlyingCanOpener]

Nope. Just out of the blue it stopped working.