connection loss using a netgear DG834G

stephend · Nov 17, 2009, 12:42:19

I have been using IDNet since early this year and found the connect great. Until last week or so where I get disconnected and when I try and reconnect nothing happens until I restart the router. Can some please give me some advise on where to start trying to troubleshoot before I ring IDNet or BT so I have as much information as possible.

Thank you

Lance · Nov 17, 2009, 12:49:15

Welcome to the forum

If you haven't made any changes to your router, then it sounds like it may be failing. Support may be able to lend you a test unit if you haven't got a spare.

If you have made changes to your router, I would make sure that if there is an option for keep alive or reconnect after loss (or something similar) are correctly set. I've not got a netgear, so that may be totally useless help though

Rik · Nov 17, 2009, 13:11:03

Hi Stephen and welcome to the forum.

What Lance said plus it might be worth updating the router software and doing a factory reset.

What else is connected to the phone line?

Ray · Nov 17, 2009, 13:19:26

Simon · Nov 17, 2009, 13:25:19

stephend · Nov 17, 2009, 13:34:03

Thanks Lance and Rik for the quick response.

I have a telephone and a Sky Plus box plugged in to the same socket.

My Router is currently running the latest firmware for netgear. I will try thr factory reset tonight.

Lance · Nov 17, 2009, 13:35:21

If you are outside of your 12 month Sky contract and don't have multiroom, I strongly recommend that you disconnect the Sky box from the line

Rik · Nov 17, 2009, 13:59:14

Seconded. If the phone is a DECT unit, try to keep the base unit and power supply well away from the router.

stephend · Nov 17, 2009, 14:20:01

Thank you I will try both of those suggestions and let you know.

Sebby · Nov 17, 2009, 15:36:09

stephend · Nov 18, 2009, 13:10:34

Thanks for the advise. The disconnect usually happened around 6pm and it didn't happen last night so it could have been a BT thing as I saw the vans driving around my area. but if it happens again I will start off moving the sky plus box.

Thank you again

Lance · Nov 18, 2009, 13:21:26

Hi Stephen. Regardless of any problem, I strongly recommend unplugging the Sky box from the line as long as you are out of your 12 month contract and don't have multiroom. They can cause so much trouble.

stephend · Nov 18, 2009, 13:27:51

Lance
Don't Sky then try and charge you a penalty for not having it connected? I have heard of people getting £30 charges for doing this.

Lance · Nov 18, 2009, 13:39:55

I've never heard of any charges.

If you are outside of your 12 month contract then you have no obligation to have it connected to the phone line (and within your 12 months the worst I've ever heard of is a letter being issued). If you have multi-room, however, they do police that and people have had calls/letters asking them to plug it back in.

stephend · Nov 18, 2009, 13:46:34

Lance,

I will certainly give it a go. Do you think it may improve my connection speed. My stats are currently

ADSL Link    Downstream    Upstream
Connection Speed    3392 kbps    448 kbps
Line Attenuation    62.5 db    31.5 db
Noise Margin    7.0 db    16 db

Lance · Nov 18, 2009, 14:05:01

Its hard to say. It may reduce noise on the line which would improve sync. THe best bet is to do a before and after comparison with stats.

Even if it doesn't improve your speed, it will help ensure the most stable connection possible.

Sebby · Nov 18, 2009, 14:06:35

Quote from: stephend on Nov 18, 2009, 13:46:34
Lance,

I will certainly give it a go. Do you think it may improve my connection speed. My stats are currently

ADSL Link    Downstream    Upstream
Connection Speed    3392 kbps    448 kbps
Line Attenuation    62.5 db    31.5 db
Noise Margin    7.0 db    16 db

That's about as good as it's going to get with that kind of attenuation (you must be a fair distance from the exchange). In fact, it's actually a very good connection rate, better than I'd expect.

Glenn · Nov 18, 2009, 14:30:34

I would be happy with that connection

Rik · Nov 18, 2009, 14:47:09

I agree, that's a very good connection for the attenuation.

stephend · Nov 19, 2009, 09:30:12

Thank you for your advise on this.

I have now removed the sky plus box and made sure the phone is far enough away. During the course of last night I had 2 disconnects. both were resovled by unplugging the filter and the waiting for the dsl light to flash and then plugging it back in.

Any more suggestions.

Rik · Nov 19, 2009, 09:41:16

Can you borrow a different make of router?

stephend · Nov 19, 2009, 11:56:32

Rik,

I have just phoned IDNET and they said they will rsie the noise to 9db to see if that helps as it could be an exchange disconnect to make sure the line is stable.

the router in under 12 months old so if it was the router I would be completely hacked off.

BT only stat that for my postcode they can only insure 1.5 Mbps so in a way I am laughing.

Rik · Nov 19, 2009, 15:41:54

I had 9db set on my line for similar reasons, I lost some speed but had absolute stability. Let us know how it works out for you. You may want to consider trying the 2-Wire 2700 router as an alternative, they can be picked up on eBay for £15 or less delivered. Many of us with longer lines have gained speed and/or stability from this router.

Sebby · Nov 19, 2009, 17:13:15

I also had a 9dB target margin, which, tbh, was much better for my line.

Lance · Nov 19, 2009, 19:24:53

I have and it is too

bridgej · Nov 27, 2009, 13:00:59

My DG834 v4 Router has started playing up since my upgrade to Windows 7.

If there is internet traffic, then I don't have a problem, ie if I leave it on with Windows Live checking for email every 10 minutes or so.

If there is no internet traffic, then after a period of time, say over night, I cannot connect to the router, I can't login to the router or do anything until I reboot it.

So is it a problem with my router (no settings have been changed) or is the a compatibility issue with Windows 7 or is there a setting in Windows 7 I need to change.

As I say when I'm using the PC, there is no problem, it only occurs when the PC has been idle - I'm not green and the hard drives never turn off etc in the power management settings.

Any ideas?

Rik · Nov 27, 2009, 16:16:32

Check that the router doesn't time out after a period of inactivity. There's a screen in the Netgear which sets this, but it's been so long since I looked at one that I can't remember quite where. Work your way down the menus at the left of the screen if no-one tells you exactly where. Check also that you don't have Windows putting the NIC to sleep to save power.

bridgej · Nov 27, 2009, 18:00:15

Quote from: Rik on Nov 27, 2009, 16:16:32
Check also that you don't have Windows putting the NIC to sleep to save power.

How do I do this?

Rik · Nov 27, 2009, 18:05:23

I haven't used 7, but assuming there is still a 'My Computer', right click on properties, then Hardware > Device Manager. Locate the network card and, under power management, check that the "Allow computer to turn this device off to save power" is not enabled. Also available through Control Panel > System.

bridgej · Nov 27, 2009, 18:08:56

OK thanks, sorted, the option 'allow the pc to turn this device off' was ticked, so it's now unticked

Rik · Nov 27, 2009, 18:27:17

Phew.

wecpcs · Nov 28, 2009, 10:57:23

Quote from: Rik on Nov 27, 2009, 18:05:23
I haven't used 7, but assuming there is still a 'My Computer', right click on properties, then Hardware > Device Manager. Locate the network card and, under power management, check that the "Allow computer to turn this device off to save power" is not enabled. Also available through Control Panel > System.

Thanks for that Rik, as that has cured a problem I had also, because every time my PC woke from a sleep state it took quite awhile before I could access my Home Server and the rest of my network. I did not realise that Windows 7 had that on by default compared with Vista.

Colin

Rik · Nov 28, 2009, 10:58:24

I had no idea, of course, Colin. It seems a particularly stupid decision by MS.

wecpcs · Nov 28, 2009, 14:31:24

Quote from: Rik on Nov 28, 2009, 10:58:24
I had no idea, of course, Colin. It seems a particularly stupid decision by MS.

It has not cured my problem after all, so I must just put it down to the Sleep mode option which I never used in Vista. I will either have to live with it or simply just turn it off as I cannot find any other setting at all, in my Netgear DG834G v4 or Windows 7.

Colin

Rik · Nov 28, 2009, 16:08:55

It might be worth asking overn on ThinkBroadband, Colin.