ADSL steady but internet light sometimes goes off

[krysia]

Back in April, we had quite a bit of trouble that started with our BT phone line going dead but but, strangely, we could still connect to the internet.  Without going into all the nitty-gritty details, our phone line quickly came back but then the internet connection was gone, even though the ADSL light remained steady and IDNet couldn't find any problem with our line.  The problem continued on-and-ff for several days and then resolved itself, so I figured BT had been doing something at the exchange without telling anyone.

Our connection since then has been steady, until yesterday morning, when we found the internet light on our TP-Link TD-W8960N router was again off, although the ADSL light was steady.  IDNet could again find nothing wrong with our line.  The problem resolved itself when I shut down both router (which we always leave on) and desk-top computer (which we shut down each evening) and went for a long walk.  When I returned I turned them both on, and the internet light came back on.  So far, so good.

Can anyone suggest what might be causing this occasional problem?   I would assume faulty equipment would cause connection problems more frequently than we've experienced.

[Simon]

I've no idea if it's the same issue, but I had a similar problem, also a few months ago, where I kept losing the internet connection on my Billion 7800DXL router.  IDNet couldn't find the problem, so in the end, they suggested changing my router settings from PPPoA to PPPoE.  I still don't really know what that did, or what the technical difference is, but I've had a steady connection ever since.  Might be worth a try if you've exhausted all other avenues. 

[krysia]

Thanks, Simon - I'll give that a try if it happens again!