Diagnosing Connection Issue?

[Sylvus]

So all of the sudden my internet connection is behaving very shittily. I'm not sure if it's the cable modem or the router, but multiple computers on my home network are having sporadic timeout/dns issues. I've tried rebooting all devices to no avail. Any tips on what you guys would try next?

I am a Comcast customer, if that makes any difference with settings or DNS servers or anything that I should try. All of the documentation I can find says to just let windows/the router automatically detect settings.

[Fash]

just to troubleshoot... try setting your DNS server to opendns:
208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220
and see if you still have issues...

[Soreali]

Do a speed test too... http://www.speedtest.net

Wired or wireless?

Do you DL a lot? If its not just one computer and its your whole network, Comcast might actually be fucking with you.

[Sylvus]

It's happening to both wired and wireless (coming off the same router). I think my girlfriend might have a router that isn't being used, I may try swapping that out to see if that helps at all.

Haven't downloaded much of anything at all lately (in months).

Tried switching my DNS to OpenDNS, need to do more testing to see if that helped. It seems like it did a little, but didn't solve all my problems.

[Ashur]

Bypass the router (assuming it's not the original access point, in which case your provider should support it. If not, they'd tell you to do this anyway...) and plug the Cat 5 from the cable modem directly into a PC. If the connection is fine, then it's your router. The last time I swore it was my cable company I did this little test myself and found it was my POS router. Once replaced all was well.

[Winnow]

Bypass the router (assuming it's not the original access point, in which case your provider should support it. If not, they'd tell you to do this anyway...) and plug the Cat 5 from the cable modem directly into a PC. If the connection is fine, then it's your router. The last time I swore it was my cable company I did this little test myself and found it was my POS router. Once replaced all was well.

Good advice

[Soreali]

Bypass the router (assuming it's not the original access point, in which case your provider should support it. If not, they'd tell you to do this anyway...) and plug the Cat 5 from the cable modem directly into a PC. If the connection is fine, then it's your router. The last time I swore it was my cable company I did this little test myself and found it was my POS router. Once replaced all was well.

What he said..

[Winnow]

Bought a new router. I was getting disconnected from the net once a day at various times and unplugging my router was getting me back online.

One hint that it was dying was that the electronics inside the router were whining. I'd get a high pitched whine from the router which was hella annoying.


Did research on new routers.

Requirements:

1. Gigabit Ethernet
2. Wireless N (fastest wireless protocol)

Conclusion from my research: All routers get crappy ratings, mostly because people are idiots and don't know how to configure them.

After some reading, and wanting to avoid D-Link, I went with the Netgear WNR3500

Biggest complaints about it were that the setup CD sucks....well setup CDs are for pussies. If you don't know how to setup a router you're probably too tech stupid to even figure out the difference in speeds etc. (you probably can't tell the difference between Wii graphics and 360 graphics as well)

It also got some bitching about lots of stuff but that's before the router firmware matured. It's been around for a year + and the firmware is new on the current retail stock (although it's very easy to upgrade the firmware with this router)

Bought it,

antennas are built into the box so while the box is bigger than most routers, you don't have those god awful ugly antennas sticking out all over. It has eight antennas inside the box.

recognized and configured internet right away (turn off router, turn off modem, plug router into modem, turn on modem, let modem boot up, turn on router...done)

nice web based setup with help text built into the setup pages.

got iPhone configured with WAP2

got laptop wireless configured

PC recognized gigabit speeds

got remote desktop connection working both for LAN and Internet.

-------

Seems pretty good so far. Solid connection on wireless with Laptop, tried out streaming some high res movies. Internet good, max speeds on giganews. Hopefully it doesn't crap out too soon. Would like to get 1-2 years out of it.

Cost: about $100.00

[Ashur]

Why gigabit Ethernet Winnow, do you have some sort of NAS?

[Winnow]

Why gigabit Ethernet Winnow, do you have some sort of NAS?

Got TB NAS Server with Gigabit/Jumbo Frames. Transferring large files (disk images, OS backups, etc) over 100/lan is poky.

Laptop wired sometimes with gigabit although wireless N is nice now.

[Funkmasterr]

I just wanted to point out that you used the word "hella", winnow. That's all.

[Winnow]

West coast term!

hella

very, totally; lots of

N.B. Generally used in Northern California.
1. That party was hella sketch. What with all those skanky-ass girls.
2. There was HELLA weed tho!

[Aslanna]

We know what it means.. Just that it's so 90s. Nobody has used that word for years.

[Aardor]

We know what it means.. Just that it's so 90s. Nobody has used that word for years.

I think you might just be old..., I know plenty of people who are younger than me, and use that term.

[Fairweather Pure]

Hella younger than you?

[Aslanna]

I was trying to be nice. Let me put it another way... No cool person uses that word anymore. So if you want to be seen as a mental defective go ahead!

[miir]

That word is so two thousand and late!

[Sylvus]

miir just went all Boom Boom Pow on your asses.

[Winnow]

Do a search for hella on VV. More people than me have used that word!


You East Coast people peeps can stick to your "wicked" verbiage!

[Ashur]

miir just went all Boom Boom Pow on your asses.

Yeah, it was hella cool.

[Soreali]

You East Coast people peeps can stick to your "wicked" verbiage!

Dont group us with those assholes up in Boston!

[Aslanna]

I live in the midwest!