cable forum kills my router!

[magpie]

I've had a problem with accessing this site for quite a while now - often, when I click on a link, my router will stop responding and require a reboot.

I remember first noticing this just before nthw became cf - I would download a page, but all the avatar images would be missing - it turns out the router crashed during the page download. This happened several times, sometimes with none of the page downloaded at all.

Of course, I first put this down to either a dodgy router or some sort of signal level problem. However, this has been going on for a few months now, and I've come to realise that the router has NEVER crashed, except when accessing cf! Even other vBulletin sites like DigitalSpy don't seem to cause a problem.

I've tested this by leaving WinMX running for over 24 hours - sure enough, it was still downloading and uploading happily. Then, within 4 or 5 links followed on cf, the router had crashed. I know it's my router crashing and not my BB because I'm also then unable to access the router's config page from any machine (192.168.0.1 on my network).

My setup is:

• 600k BB by SACM (not sure of model, but it says ntl:home on the front).
• Netgear 54Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 (latest firmware v2.15RC4)
• 1 PC connected wirelessly using "Belkin Wireless 54Mbps Desktop Adapter"
• 1 PC connected using ethernet (no spyware or viruses on either PC)

I'm aware how ludicrous one website crashing a router sounds - that's why I've left it so long before asking - but that's what seems to be happening! Can anyone shed some light on another possible reason or fix?

Thanks

[danielf]

Very odd

Does this happen on both the pcs, or just on one of them?

[Paul K]

Does the router have a intrusion log and does it show any significant activity before the router freezes up?
Does the same thing happen if you access the forum in a different way? eg. via the IP.
What browser are you using to view the site?

[magpie]

It only happens on the wireless PC. Just checked the ethernet PC, and it was fine (followed 20-30 links no problem). Then onto the wireless PC - opened the BB speed increase thread to the last page, then went back a page, then went back another, at which point I lost the connection.

I can't check any of the router's logs, as they are reset when the router reboots.

I'm using MSIE6 on WinXP.

If I try to ping www.cableforum.co.uk, it attempts to ping 69.72.137.98, which times out. Putting this into IE yields a "no website here" page.

tracert's also time out at hop 13:

Tracing route to cableforum.co.uk [69.72.137.98]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 2 ms 1 ms 1 ms [MY IP REMOVED]
2 9 ms 52 ms 10 ms 10.144.127.254
3 9 ms 14 ms 11 ms nott-t2cam1-a-ge-wan43-124.inet.ntl.com [80.4.46.9]
4 32 ms 31 ms 13 ms nott-t2core-a-ge-wan74.inet.ntl.com [80.1.79.73]
5 12 ms 44 ms 12 ms lee-bb-a-so-300-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.33]
6 16 ms 15 ms 17 ms pop-bb-b-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.238]
7 21 ms 19 ms 19 ms tele-ic-1-so-000-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.82]
8 20 ms 18 ms 50 ms linx.ge-0-0-0.gbr1.ltn.nac.net [195.66.224.94]
9 85 ms 89 ms 87 ms 0.so-0-3-0.gbr2.nwr.nac.net [209.123.11.209]
10 108 ms 87 ms 104 ms 0.so-0-3-0.gbr1.oct.nac.net [209.123.11.233]
11 109 ms 103 ms 96 ms 209.123.182.243
12 86 ms 94 ms 87 ms 69.57.170.3
13 * * * Request timed out.
14 * * * Request timed out.

I take it this isn't normal?

Again, thanks for any help

[Alan Waddington]

Very odd indeed.

I have had some problems with my linksys recently, requiring me to go to the configuration pages & release & then request a IP lease (renew doesn't work) This is probably due to NTL's broadband router being reset due to ongoing engineering work.

Doesn't sound like your problem though. Stumped

Best of Luck
Alan

[danielf]

bump

Anyone?????

[magpie]

I think I've figured it out:

I noticed that it was always only certain pages that were causing the router to crash, and even then, not all the time. I made a note of these pages, and took a look at them on the ethernet connected PC.

They all have one similarity - they contain posts by "Chrysalis", or, more specifically, his/her signature (the one telling you your IP and OS).

I haven't done that many tests (going up and downstairs to reboot the router becomes tedious after a while!), but that sig appears to crash my router somewhere between 50%-75% of the times I access it.

Judging by the relatively small interest in this thread, I guess I'm the only one having this problem - at least maybe this can be a good reference for people in the future, should the same happen to them.

My temp fix for the time being is to turn off signatures in the user cp. I think I'll email Netgear next to see if this is a known bug.

Thanks to all who tried to help