Topic: Whose to blame here, Comcast or Linksys?

[NJAntman]

Well its time for fun with routers and cable internet, Linksys and Comcast edition. My connection through comcast has been spotty for the past few months. "Normally" we loose connection to the net through Comcast cable once a week but that gets resolved by cycling the power on the router. Today we lost it for a few hours and any manner  of powering on/off , or reconnecting ethernet plugs to/from the router and/or cable modem wouldn't solve it.

I even ran through the Linksys Adviser program and it seemed to have lost the settings for my network, although the network works as I can still move data between the desktop, laptop, and Tivo. Whenever I ran the Linksys Adviser it would try to setup up the network again but stop when it couldn't find an internet connection. Problem with Comcast I assume.

Well, little while ago for sh*ts and giggles I hit the internet icon and the homepage pops right up.

YET, if I run the Linksys Adviser right now it will again stop when it cannot find an internet connection. Obviously that connection exists while I'm typing this. So what gives, I'm connected to the net but the router can't recognize that fact?

[Sirgod]

Man I wish I could help. I have two pc's and I have tried everything with my linksys monitor to get them both to talk to each other , and connect to the web also.

Sorry bro.

Stephen

[Javora]

First things first...

When you find you can't connect to the internet, unplug the router from the cable modem and plug a computer directly into the cable modem and see if you have internet access.  If you don't then the problem is with Comcast.  The intermittent connection could be on Comcast side.  We had that problem a couple of years ago, turned out to be a mouse eating the wires trying to make a nest and keep warm.

If Comcast is not the issue then I would suggest resetting the router and starting over from scratch.  Yeah it's a pain but a sure way of solving the problem.  Hope this helps.

[toasty0]

Janora is correct, his should be the first move. Also, power down bother devices then be sure to cycle cabel modem (make sure it is fully on) and router in order of modem first, router secound.

Also, any time you "lose connection' to the internet ping your router. Its ip address should be listed either on the back or bottom of the router. If you can ping it, that could be indicative that you need to check your cable modem.

Hope that helps.

[NJAntman]

"Ping the router" as in type in the router address in the explorer address bar to bring up the admin page where I can change the settings (the old fashioned way)? If so, hadn't thought of that, or Javora's suggestion of plugging directly into the cable modem. Seems obvious now.

It's almost a knee-jerk reaction for me to blame Comcast but I'm starting to wonder if it may be the router, especially when the Linksys wizard claims I have no connection even when I'm surfing the net in another window.

Anyone know of a site or utility to check on when a ISP has gone down? Do they have to report or make public that kind of info?

[toasty0]

Start-->Run

Enter 'cmd' in the textbox. This will bring up the command prompt

In the cmdprompt window type ping "ip address here without quotes". If you get anything but a reply message your computer and router are not communicating.

[toasty0]

PS: If you're using Vista let me know and I'll give you direction on using the command prompt in Vista.

[NJAntman]

Using XP

1st try I got "destination host unreachable"

So I pulled the router power cord out for 5 seconds, plugged back in, about 10 seconds later the Cisco Systems symbol goes yellow so I know the routers back on, at ifrst I still get a  "destination host unreachable"; tried the internet connection about15 seconds later and it connects  & the ping returns "reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32  time=1ms  TTL=64".

So does this mean the router is screwy? Going to try the Linksys EasyLink Advisor again and see if it stalls with a "cannot find internet connection" while keeping the internet connected in another window, then ping it to see what it says.

Side question: Is the Atomic Clock site a good site to show wether or not I'm currently connected? I assume if it looses the internet signal the clock won't change.

OK, tried the Advisor program and it is showing the Internet connection symbols as greyed out with a yellow exclamation mark (no internet?) yet the clock is running and the ping returns a reply. So I'm thinking something is screwy with the router. Yes?

[toasty0]

Though I can not be 100% certain it does sound like your router is acting a bit wonky.

A ttl of 64 is a bit high for your setup. I can usually average a 34 to 45 ttl when pining yahoo.com from las vegas.

[FCM_SFHQ_XC]

So I pulled the router power cord out for 5 seconds, plugged back in, about 10 seconds later the Cisco Systems symbol goes yellow so I know the routers back on, at ifrst I still get a  "destination host unreachable"; tried the internet connection about15 seconds later and it connects  & the ping returns "reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32  time=1ms  TTL=64".

Well some routers do take a moment to aquire the WAN IP address as soon as it is finished booting up, not usually a super long time, but its reasonable for it to take 2-5 seconds after power on is complete, especially if the ISP is busy that night on a cable connection.

[Javora]

have you tried to plug a computer directly into the cable modem yet?  I can't tell from your response if you have or not.

[NJAntman]

Not yet, perhaps tonight after making sure the Tivo has updated. Then I think I'll leave it like that for a few days to see if the problems stop.

Question for Toasty: what is the ttl# and why does 64 seem high?

[Just plain old Punisher]

Does the router have a factory reset button? Try using that..should be a small button that you press with the tip of a pen or a paper clip.

[toasty0]

Not yet, perhaps tonight after making sure the Tivo has updated. Then I think I'll leave it like that for a few days to see if the problems stop.

Question for Toasty: what is the ttl# and why does 64 seem high?

A link to save me a lot of typing. 

[NJAntman]

Haven't had the chance yet to cut the router out and go with just the modem directly to th PC.

But about 10 minutes ago when I tried IE to get on the net it wouldn't load, but the ping was returning "reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32  time=1ms  TTL=64". Cycling the power to the router fixed it; so was that instance an actual Comcast no signal or the router and the modem not in synch, or what?

[FCM_SFHQ_XC]

if your having your modem in a type of bridge mode, it's hard to tell since the router still needs the signal from the modem to connect.

There are too many variables here, you need to try it without the router ASAP for the most effective way to determine these types of problems

[Javora]

Haven't had the chance yet to cut the router out and go with just the modem directly to th PC.

Cycling the power to the router fixed it; so was that instance an actual Comcast no signal or the router and the modem not in synch, or what?

Can't answer that question yet because you haven't tried what I suggested.  Remember when you can't get on to the internet is when you want to try connecting directly to the cable modem.  That will tell you pretty quickly where the problem is.

[toasty0]

I'm starting to wonder if the problem doesn't lie with the light switch on the wall...

[Czar Mohab]

Had similar problem with Comcast a few years ago, but in the end the problem was narrowed down to a splitter (or whatever it is called, been a while) in the line that had gone bad (long story short - nearest cable jack to the TV/Modem/router was ~35 feet away in a different room, had 3 things plugged into it).

If you discover that the problem is Comcast/modem related, you should, for a month or so, buy their "wire protection insurance" or whatever it is called (for me, and where I was, was 48 cents a month) and call out an inspector to test your lines (to make sure you can actually recieve full signal on your modem, TV, etc.). Paid 48 cents for a $75 call out, $5 part, and whatever one hour of labor was. That 48 cents also would have covered, if it was needed, any new lines run from their box to inside the apartment, and to the modem/TVs/digicable box. Not bad for 48 cents. (Do take note that prices will most likely vary, it was a couple of years ago and where cable TV/I'net was rather cheap to begin with.)

For me, the I-net would go out for about 6 hours daily, around the same time as I needed it, and around the same time, every day.

Czar "Never thought I'd say this publicly, but I miss Comcast," Mohab, who HATES Charter. 

P.S. Could also be that the modem itself is going south of working. On the off chance that you rent (or bought) yours from Comcast, shouldn't be too big of a deal to swap it out.

P.P.S. Sorry I can't help you with the router, but my guess is that if your issue is with the modem/Comcast, fixing that should fix the other. My Router acted similarly to how yours is, however, would work fine when the i'net was up, but would complain about not knowing what to do with itself without being reset (daily) after the I'net came back.

[Nemesis]

Czar Mohab does have a good point.  Cables and splitters can go bad.

My parents had a problem with their cable where their main TV (of 3) couldn't clearly display the channel that displayed the TV guide for the area.  I tried a number of things but the only one that worked was disconnecting the TV they used the 2nd most which was unacceptable.  I finally changed the cable from the splitter to the primary TV and the problem was solved.  That particular cable was the original one to the house installed many years before (it was visibly old).  Most likely its shielding either had degraded or just wasn't up to modern standards.

I also had a problem on my own network where a relatively new cable failed. fortunately I had a spare and was able to experiment without spending money.