[re_guderian]

Can wireless routers slowly die? I've been having problems with mine keeping a wireless, and wired, connections. This happens with multiple laptops, and even when I plug a laptop into the wired connection. Wireless signal will drop even when laptop is ~2 ft. away from router. I'm having a hard time keeping either signal going for more than 15 min. straight. Sometimes it comes right back, sometimes takes a few minutes.

This is a Netgear router, ~3 years old. Before I jump into replacing the router, is there any diagnostics that can be done?

[BLKDOG40]

Not a networking pro or anything but heres some ideas-

Are there firmware updates for the router?
Possible IP address conflicts- you using dhcp or static IP addresses?
You sure its the router and not your internet connection- can you ping your router? hit start-run-command- type ping 192.168.1.1 (that is a typical default address, yours may be different)

[RavenTai]

are you sure it is not your internet conection? try going straight to the moden for a few days and see what you conection is like

here is a handy conection logging program

http://www.remotetek.com/Software/LiveCon/

[swank60]

Originally Posted by RavenTai

are you sure it is not your internet conection? try going straight to the moden for a few days and see what you conection is like

here is a handy conection logging program

http://www.remotetek.com/Software/LiveCon/

That'd be my guess.

I :heart: ISPs.

[re_guderian]

Thanks guys, I'll try these, and keep you posted.

[re_guderian]

Originally Posted by BLKDOG40

Not a networking pro or anything but heres some ideas-

Are there firmware updates for the router?

Not any new ones. I have downloaded all the previous ones, but there haven't been any for months.

Originally Posted by BLKDOG40

Possible IP address conflicts- you using dhcp or static IP addresses?

Not using static IP addresses.

Originally Posted by BLKDOG40

You sure its the router and not your internet connection- can you ping your router? hit start-run-command- type ping 192.168.1.1 (that is a typical default address, yours may be different)

No, not sure. Here in a second, I'll go direct to the modem, but then I can't work and surf mud simultaneously... . Here's what I get when I ping. Sometimes it works good. Next minute, it will tell me a network cable is unplugged, and give me the "request timed out" error. This makes me think router? This is on my desktop which is a cable connection to the router, so no wireless issues involved. On my laptop with wireless, the signal strength will periodically oscillate between good and poor about every second or so.

C:\DOCUME~1\EMILY>ping 192.168.0.1
Pinging 192.168.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64
Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 7ms, Average = 2ms
C:\DOCUME~1\EMILY>ping 192.168.0.1
Pinging 192.168.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 13ms, Average = 7ms
C:\DOCUME~1\EMILY>ping 192.168.0.1
Pinging 192.168.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 1ms
C:\DOCUME~1\EMILY>ping 192.168.0.1
Pinging 192.168.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64
Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 0ms
C:\DOCUME~1\EMILY>ping 192.168.0.1
Pinging 192.168.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),
C:\DOCUME~1\EMILY>

[re_guderian]

OK, laptop direct to cable modem with ethernet cable seems to be working fine. I think my router is ...

[RavenTai]

that is what it sounds like,

[brett76]

how close is it to your modem? if its within four feet sometimes you have to reset your router because the rf signal interferes with it

[re_guderian]

Originally Posted by brett76

how close is it to your modem? if its within four feet sometimes you have to reset your router because the rf signal interferes with it

For 3 years I had it right next to the cable modem, no problem. For the last 6 months it's been ~4 feet away. I wasn't aware that a cable modem generated RF interference.

[brett76]

i found out because my router would just stop working. was told that and so now i just go and unplug for thirty seconds and plug back in and everything is fine. hope you find the root of your troubles

[mabrodis]

Originally Posted by re_guderian

Can wireless routers slowly die?

Basically yes. I've seen a dlink to that exact thing. Range slowly went down...without ever moving a computer the signal strength went from excellent (~10' away) to poor, to no signal at all, over about 2-3 months. My sister then sent it back to dlink, who replaced it free...

[re_guderian]

Hmm... well before I dropped $100 on a new router, I changed a few settings (MTU size) that had been re-set by firmware upgrades, and also turned off my Windows firewall, which had been turned on by recent XP upgrades on both my home laptop and desktop. So far, so good... We'll see over the next few days. Also moved it to the other side of the desk, though still about 2' away from my modem. Automatic upgrades of both router firmware and OS can be a blessing and a curse, I guess...

[thelal]

U're pings look fine (starting off a little high and then down to <= 1ms).

Routers can go bad -- but not normally.
If flashing a new firmware (sometimes try a version or two back from latest) doesn't slow the problem and u c the same symthoms then it may imply "heating" issues. As in the longer u live it on the 'slower' it gets.
Try turning it off (e.g. every night) for some periods of time and c if it makes any difference.

Routers are so cheap these days ($45 4 Linksys WRT54G which u can flash 3+ different firmwares from different 'vendors', OpenWrt, DD-WRT etc..) that its may not b worth the hassle factor.

I won't keep directly connected 2 the modem 4 long without getting a firewall/router inbetween.

[lavarunner]

sounds like a good excuse to kick someting and get your revenge on the computer world..