Internet dropped for a few seconds, mostly afternoon time. Desperate

[Crosha]

Hi there Forum, I'm really affected about this issue. I'm not english born nor I live in an english country but alas I've searched everywhere and I just couldn't find a solution for my problem and I'm getting really annoyed and desperate for help.

You see, the problem as the title states is that my internet connection will drop off for a few seconds and reconnect aftewards. I Do a lot of online playing and thus I need a constant connection, when I get this problem the game mostly kicks me away. This has been happening for the past month at least.

Now here's some basic information I hope it helps:

1-My house network is displayed as follows:

Street Wire with TV/Internet -> Splitters -> Modem SB5101u -> Router WRT54G -> 2 Wired Connections to Win7 and WinXP systems, 4 Wireless connections to 2 androids phones, 1 iPhone and 1 Win7 Laptop.

2-When this event occurs, the connection drops off of EVERY device at same time and it reconnects at same time as well. That would make me belive that the issue is router/modem/ISP based, YET...I've ran diagnostics, antivirus, malwarebytes, everything I came up with, I made driver updates, Microsoft updates, everything you can imagine. Yet so, nothing changed (and I didn't really expected to change anyway).

3-Alas, thinking the router might be the problem, first I tried to check its firmware and/or update it. Since it was WRT54G ver.6 it didn't have any updates so i chose to flash it with DD-WRT. Successfully flashed. Problem persists.

4-I tried different setups and builds, tried to turn off wi fi, or disconect PC's from it. Yet, it happened anyway (confirming its not a PC or device issue).

5-I called my ISP, they sent a tech who said their side signal was OK, and the only thing he could tell me was "Your router is asking for many IP's, mostly during afternoon", but didn't said that as a problem really. Other than that, it was fine. They told me to change my router.

6-Then so I chose to but a TP-LINK841n hoping it would be the end of my troubles. Yet, nothing changed. Bought the damn thing, installed it, nothing happened, problem persists.

7- Called again ISP, they told me they would made an speed test from their system. They did, they told me there was some packet loss in between and that they would eventually call me again because they "elevated the issue to a tech department". Yea, things here are pretty lame actually, I'm 90% sure they won't call me.

8-I tried then again to locate the problem now between specific machines and the router/modem. Then so I tried a direct connection with a wired cable to my laptop and started checking if any connection at all had to do with the drop, having my display as follows:

Street -> Modem -> Router -> Wire JACK to my Laptop. As soon as the connection dropped, I switched the connection of my laptop directly into the modem, thus, surpassing the router at the time the connection droped. I can't say it was a proof since the connection reconnected itself so quickly, but I think that gave me a clue that the problem might've been the modem/router conection.

9-Then I came up with the idea that the Modem/router connection may be the problem. I was dumb enough to not change the modem/router wire while I was installing it. So I changed the wire that connects the modem to the router for the one that came up in the router's box. Connection seemed to stabilize, at least for the day, but then again, I did this at night (when connections do NOT tend to drop). Prior to this I resetted the modem, disconnect and reconnect everything out of it.

10-Next day (today) I was able to play and surf the web mostly all day until 6-7pm, then the drops started again. It dropped at least 1 time during the time of writing this.

11-Here I am, still trying to work out this f***ing puzzle. I do know how to access the router and the modem, and I have some logs that I don't fully understand but could gently provide you. Also I don't know if there are any outside programs that could help me (like some device that could tell me what the f*** is making my connection get dropped). I have a couple of hints, altough I'm a full time ignorant on this, but

11.a) before I called my ISP for the second time (the one they made me do a speed test and """"elevated"""" the issue) my upstream signal (whatever that is) was most of the time around 55.2dbmv, my STNR was 37.8 dbmv and my downstream around 0.6dbmv. Now I don't know anything about this stuff but I read that 55.2dbmv constantly its way a high upstream value and that can make you get these drops because your modem freezes or whatever.

11.b) Now for some reason, after making that call and after switching wires between router and modem (point 9) these values seem to be the ones:

Frequency 615000000 Hz
Signal To Noise Ratio 37.0 dB
Power Level 1.1 dBmV (downstream)


Upstream Value
Channel ID 26
Frequency 30200000 Hz
Power 48.0 dBmV

Even so, the problem persist, though I would add it's less frequently.

12) Something yet has to be tested carefully. I think that when this drops occurs (which yet hasn't happened thankfully) I'm not being able to access to my router interface for the time being until conection has recconected. This makes me think if maybe and just maybe what get screwed is the LAN/WAN network and not the internet connection per se. Could this be?




Aside from all this depressing adventure I'm desperately trying to end, I'm no blind to the fact that connections drops out mostly between 6pm-11pm which is when most traffic happens, so I can't stop thinking this may be an ISP traffic Issue of some sort. I only see now that I belive I wasted every thing I could've done, except from changing the router and/or the wires from the street to my house...

I think now it has to do with something associated to packet loss but I'm unable to check or log that as I don't have the required information to do that. Is there a way...?

Please, I beg for help, my brain is literally exploding from frustration, specially because I'm not and expert on this issues and I can't find a solution not even on the whole internet.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Crosha]

Something really weird happen although I'm not entirely sure this has to do with the problem. I was reading some post and someone said that this problem could be because of some IpV6 set, so I configured my LAN and WAN networks withouth ticking the IPv6. Strange thing is, while trying this from my laptopt it seems Okay, but from my PC (the LAN one), while I de-ticked the option, I'm still connected but the "Identifying..." logo (the yellow triangle) appears over my connection. Even though, I'm still connected. It's weird but I think it has to do more with my OS Reg than anything else.

 

[Brad1087]

I'm not sure where you are, but it sounds like it might be a faulty wiring connection. I had a similar experience some time ago, and cured it by essentially buying my own RJ11/45 crimping tool, and a handful of RJ45 terminal ends (and a few RJ11 ends for the telephone connections). I then went through all of the wiring, starting from where the wire comes in from the street (to the house), between the various devices, to the end computer - making sure all the connections were properly and tightly crimped with new plug ends. And inspecting that the wiring itself was in reasonably good order. My connection went from an unreliable < 1Mbps connection, to a solid >15Mbps - which only stops when the power goes out (rarely).

You might be right, that it could in fact still be the router. Unfortunately, it will be a process of elimination - not knowing what the state of your wiring is - I'd start with that, before buying a new router. If you're comfortable that your wiring is all good, I'd try removing the router from the equation and see whether continuity is retained without it.

Hope this helps.

 

[Crosha]

Ok I'll check the wires but I'm not yet conviced it has to do with them, at least with the JACKS going from the PC's to the router. Could a faulty JACK connector be capable of bringing down every connection in the house including the WAN? I have no clue truly. I'll update.

 

[Brad1087]

"Could a faulty JACK connector be capable of bringing down every connection in the house including the WAN?"

Absolutely! If that jack sits between your router and the Internet, which is why I suggested starting from where the line enters your house (from the street), and working your way back to the router. There might be several connections in between which might be affecting the central connection (depending on which your country you're in) - things like, a mode 3 house alarm, lightning arrestors, central ADSL splitters, other phone lines. I found a pair of wires simply twisted together - and this was done by an authorised telecoms guy! So who know what dodgy workmanship you will find. Crimping tools are available on eBay, as are the jacks etc etc...Plenty of wiring diagrams on the Internet to show you how to wire RJ45/Ethernet.

 

[Crosha]

I meant if a Jack going from a single PC to the router could bring every connection WAN and LAN at the same time off, thats why I meant, and in that case that would be some malware which im pretty aware it has nothing to do with this issue since Im almost certain this keeps happening when I connect a laptop directly into modem.

PS: I did a ping test from my pc to both the router and google.com. No packets loss, although I ran those tests only once. This leads me to belive the problem is within my ISP and their wires to my house and not in my house at all..

 

[Crosha]

Days have passed and yet I can't find a solution for this although I DID find a pattern that may lead me to the problem:

You see, my upstream values changes drastically. For example at 2:00 am the value can be 46.7dvmb but at 4:00pm it goes up all the way to 56.1 dvmb. I did read that signals changing so much in so little time only means that theres a line problem and can lead up to Disconnections, especially when the signal is at the borderline (57 or 58) it tends to fall much more often.

I'm waiting for a tech to come and replace the line, i think thats it. Is there a way to control the upstream with some sort of program?