View Full Version : Modem or router problem?
I came home on Friday to find internet not working. Phoned Tech Support to see if there were any issues in area. After being asked to switch modem on and off I was told modem was faulty and an engineer was being arranged.
I have tried a few things yesterday and today. I was using a D-Link router - checked leds and only power led was lit - no connection between networks pcs. So I changed over to the Virgin router that I had.
Internet was restored but dropped out after a few minutes. Over Saturday it has got better but connection still drops out - no great pattern. This morning it worked fine for half an hour or so but since then it drops out frequently.
I don't need to reboot anything - it just comes back itself.
I tried pinging the modem. When the connection is fine over the network I get;
Reply from 192.168.100.1:bytes=32 time =1ms TTL = 63
When the internet connection goes down over the network I can still access files on each pc but no internet. When the modem is pinged during this down time I get;
Reply from 192.168.1.1: Destination net unreachable
Modem directly attached to pc has been working for last half an hour with no dropouts.
Before Friday I had never any problems and was using a D-Link router. I have tried my Virgin Netgear router and a normal Netgear router with same dropout problem.
Upstream level shows 56.0 dBmv and downstream shows 2.9 dbmv SNR is 40
Is my modem faulty or 3 routers?
What would Tech Support have been sending to decide the modem was faulty and would a dead D-Link have given them wrong info or do they connect straight to modem?
They would have connected straight to the modem. If you aren't experiencing any problems directly connected to the modem (so far) then it could be a faulty ethernet cable between the modem and router or router and pc? Also, when it drops out, are the sync and ready light stable or off or flashing?
I changed the cable between modem and router.
Same dropout happens with two pcs - one connected from router to pc directly and one other pc connected from router to switch to pc. So I don't think it's a cable problem.
Sync and ready lights are both stable on.
It seems as if your modem doesn't like being attached to a router.... I don't know whether your power levels are good or bad but Moldova may be able to analyse those if online.
We only support our own equipment so we would ask you to remove any 3rd party equipment as they can give incorrect information to our online tools when attempting to connect to the modem.
Your Upstream is borderline to high at 56dBmv and possibly may be higher with the router in place.
What model is the ambit modem that you have click this link to find out LINKY (http://www.chetnet.co.uk/articles/index.php?page=index_v2&id=91&c=4)
We only support our own equipment so we would ask you to remove any 3rd party equipment as they can give incorrect information to our online tools when attempting to connect to the modem.
Does that include the Virgin wireless router?
What model is the ambit modem that you have click this link to find out LINKY (http://www.chetnet.co.uk/articles/index.php?page=index_v2&id=91&c=4)
It's a NTL 250.
My connection has worked for years with a router in place. The D-Link was the most recent router but appears to be dead.
However both the Virgin Netgear and normal Netgear both have this dropout problem yet the Virgin router worked perfectly at my son's yesterday with no dropouts.
I can't believe 3 routers are all faulty.
It will be your Upstream causing the issue and the NTL250 should be fine on a 10Mb connection.
Let us know what the engineer does after the visit.
It will be your Upstream causing the issue and the NTL250 should be fine on a 10Mb connection.
We have a 20mb connection - is that still ok with 20mb?
Let us know what the engineer does after the visit.
Will do - engineer is booked for 4-7pm tomorrow.
Your Upstream is borderline to high at 56dBmv and possibly may be higher with the router in place.
Please explain to me how an ethernet connected router would affect the signal quality at the CATV side.
If his upstream power level is near max, this is NOTHING TO DO with a router, it is a cable drop/cabinet problem.
Please explain to me how an ethernet connected router would affect the signal quality at the CATV side.
If his upstream power level is near max, this is NOTHING TO DO with a router, it is a cable drop/cabinet problem.
Sometimes when running through a router the power levels go up and when the router is removed they go down, it happens and we can see the effect with our online tools and when you log into the modem configs.
Also we quite often get slow speed calls which when we remove the router from the equation turn out to be fine as the slow speed was due to the router.
What has CATV got to do with a router by the way.
Slow speeds and intermittent service due to routers being used is fine, theres some particularly nasty cheap routers out there that do affect that. I understand this is why you ask customers to do tests with the cable modem connected directly to a PC and I can't fault that.
By CATV, i refer to the coax system between the house and the cabinet. I fail to see how loss of service due to poor upstream conditions can be caused by a router, as that is the other side of the cable modem "bridge". Advising someone that their router is the cause of their poor upstream conditions is incorrect technically.
Cable modem levels fluctuate normally anyway, so if his signals already on the edge, it can easily lose service intermittently. Here is a graph of my own cable modem's signals taken by my home server's Munin node as an example.
By CATV, i refer to the coax system between the house and the cabinet. I fail to see how loss of service due to poor upstream conditions can be caused by a router, as that is the other side of the cable modem "bridge". Advising someone that their router is the cause of their poor upstream conditions is incorrect technically.
We ask you to remove the router because it is unsupported and can give incorrect information to our online tools and in many cases are then found to be the cause of the slow speeds and even the cause of the disconnections that may be occurring.
We see this every day so I rather doubt that it can be in any way proved incorrect as the router may be causing poor throughput.
Cable modem levels fluctuate normally anyway, so if his signals already on the edge, it can easily lose service intermittently. Here is a graph of my own cable modem's signals taken by my home server's Munin node as an example.
Last night it was fluctuating between 56 and 57.5dbmv both with a direct connection to pc and with connection via router.
This morning it's at 55.5dbmv via router.
Yesterday morning my internet connection worked perfectly for around an hour or more. During the day and evening I was having constant dropouts.
Last night it was fluctuating between 56 and 57.5dbmv both with a direct connection to pc and with connection via router.
This morning it's at 55.5dbmv via router.
Yesterday morning my internet connection worked perfectly for around an hour or more. During the day and evening I was having constant dropouts.
If you are still having issues then call in and we can can check out your connection.
If you are still having issues then call in and we can can check out your connection.
I thought I would wait until the engineer called today between 4-7pm.
It just seemed to get worse over the course of the day so thought I'd check the levels this morning.
I thought I would wait until the engineer called today between 4-7pm.
It just seemed to get worse over the course of the day so thought I'd check the levels this morning.
How are the levels today.
How are the levels today.
This morning was 55.5dbmv.
Can't check now as I'm at work.
This morning was 55.5dbmv.
Can't check now as I'm at work.
Still borderline high so let us know what the engineer does.
OK engineer has been.
He has swapped out the modem for a Virgin Media 256 modem - said the NTL 250 should only be for 10mb customers.
Five minutes after he left - same problem.
Last night we had the modem connected straight to the PC with no issues for hours. As soon as we connected to the router back to dropouts.
I have now put my old Linksys back into operation - it had been acting simply as a switch. It has worked for no dropouts for the last 90 minutes.
Power levels are still 57.5dbmv - I asked about this and was told as long as it was less than 60dbmv it was fine. I did say that I had been told here that it was too high but didn't get anywhere. He told me as long as it didn't fluctuate wildly it was fine.
What I can't understand is why the router works fine for the network - i.e. I can transfer files no problem. The modem works fine on its own. However put them together and it doesn't work. Both my Netgear routers do not work in that both suffer dropouts. My D-Link worked fine but does appear to be dead - no lights apart from power. The Linksys appears to work although very old.
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