Connection Problems: Router, ISP?

:)
I finally conceded... gave up the battle, and now pay Comcast an extra $8/mo. to rent their modem/wireless router.

Per usual, when my connection got really bad, I called for help. They told me it was my problem because my modem was too old. (DOCSIS 2). I gave in because they told me if it was my modem and they came out to check, the minimum charge would be $95.

So...

After getting the new modem, the connection problem got worse, so they had to come out. The problem was not in my modem or the new modem, but in a short in the wiring of my neighbor's Comcast TV connection, which was causing a problem in the whole neighborhood.

Comcast :mad:
 
rbmrtn said:
It doesn't make sense that you were pinging something then it timed out and your IP settings are not correct.

If your IP settings were wrong you would never get out to the internet. Almost sounds like something is getting reset or modified while you are connected.

Make note of all your IP settings ( modem, router, PC ) while it is working then compare to when the problem shows up.
Click to expand...

I don't think his IP settings were incorrect during the ping, I think he just used the wrong IP address to get to the router's admin page.

-ERD50
 
TromboneAl said:
Bingo, thanks.

I'm wireless. Now that I'm in, I can try some things.
Click to expand...
The IP address of your WGR614 being 192.168.1.2 has me thinking some more. I checked an old reference model for a WGR614v2 model, and it did have a default address of 192.168.0.1. So, something changed that, maybe firmware, or the setup person did it. Or it's pulling from another DHCP.

Normally, the ethernet cable from the ISP cable modem plugs into the internet (yellow) port of the WGR614. Unless the settings were intentionally changed, the LAN side of your WGR614 will have address 192.168.1.1 (or 192.168.0.1), and it will assign LAN client addresses (DHCP) within a default scope of addresses, like .2 through .100.

Over time the scope of addresses changed. For example, the netgear model I currently have assigns default addresses from .100 through whatever. Over time the default IP changed too. In subsequent versions of the WGR614, it was definitely 192.168.1.1.

If you make a note of the facts that apply to your gear, it helps. The modem and the router have a slew of default settings, and these may differ from the configured settings.

Does your modem itself do wireless? It would be in serious contention with your wireless router then. What modem do you have?
 
target2019 said:
It does simplify things, so you have one device instead of two. But...

To Xfinity WiFi we're all hotspots, but you don't have to be
Click to expand...

Thank you!.... :cool: I think...
I'll have to read the artiicle again, but even then, not sure I'll understand. This is going over my head.

Anyway... I think I do have wifi that I'm sharing though I have no idea how to access the internet from that "infinity wifi" connection. I haven't received any notification from Comcast that I know of, but I recently upgraded my service to get the 50mbps "burst" speed. I now connect @ about 20mbps via the wireless built in router, and about 40mbps via the cat5 connection.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but your article touched a nerve. My Modem/router is the one shown in the article. Here's a pic of the wireless connections. The Xfinitywifi unsecured , shows a two bar weak connection, but my own secure wireless connection is excellent at five bars. I don't understand this.

I'm too old to cope with this stuff...:(
 

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imoldernu said:
Thank you!.... :cool: I think...
I'll have to read the artiicle again, but even then, not sure I'll understand. This is going over my head.

Anyway... I think I do have wifi that I'm sharing though I have no idea how to access the internet from that "infinity wifi" connection. I haven't received any notification from Comcast that I know of, but I recently upgraded my service to get the 50mbps "burst" speed. I now connect @ about 20mbps via the wireless built in router, and about 40mbps via the cat5 connection.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but your article touched a nerve. My Modem/router is the one shown in the article. Here's a pic of the wireless connections. The Xfinitywifi unsecured , shows a two bar weak connection, but my own secure wireless connection is excellent at five bars. I don't understand this.

I'm too old to cope with this stuff...:(
Click to expand...

Well the article recommends what I usually tell people, get your own modem+router a send the ISPs back.

It's not unusual for WAPs to have a public or guest network. Those should isolated from your home network ( cheaper WAPs may not do isolation ).

To use it you would need to disconnect from your current wifi, then connect to the xfinitywifi hotspot. Your network center on windows will show you what you are connected to.

I would log into your xfinity modem and turn it off or at least put a password on it.
 
In the article there is mention of how to login to your comcast account and disallow the publicwifi feature in your home router.

Why do they want to do this? It allows someone who is nearby and has a valid comcast account access to comcast publicwifi (which is actually your public wifi, or is it?). It's like someone was driving by, and was thirsty. So the water department allows them free fillup through your tap.

If a mod wants to break out this sub-thread, that would be fine.
 
Today I discovered that this problem happens consistently when, first time in the morning, I do a backup of my book. A 17 MB file is copied to the Skydrive (Onedrive), and the problem happens a few seconds after that.

Perhaps the Explorer/Skydrive system is hogging all the bandwidth improperly. And maybe my disconnect/reconnect thing just happens to be complete at the same time Skydrive is done.
 
Is this an old computer that you put Windows 8.1 on? It could be the network driver on your computer. Check if there is an updated version. If this is the cause, then any other computer/phone on your network should work fine with no disruptions.

Is your router in a well ventilated space? Could it be over heating.

Have you tried a factory reset of the router and then configured for your use?
 
TromboneAl said:
Today I discovered that this problem happens consistently when, first time in the morning, I do a backup of my book. A 17 MB file is copied to the Skydrive (Onedrive), and the problem happens a few seconds after that.

Perhaps the Explorer/Skydrive system is hogging all the bandwidth improperly. And maybe my disconnect/reconnect thing just happens to be complete at the same time Skydrive is done.
Click to expand...

Did you mean 17 GB? Maybe that is triggering some bandwidth sensor with the ISP. Or it's a bug in the router?
 
Tadpole said:
I had a similar problem. Rebooting the router helped quite a bit. (Linksys E4200)
Click to expand...

+1 I've been having problems with my internet connection and I reset the router this morning and it seems to be behaving better.

The problems seem to be worse when DS and DD are both here and we have a lot of devices attaching to the network between PC's, tablets/readers, smartphones, wireless printers, satellite tv box, chromecast, wii, etc.

Could it be too many devices? If so, what would the solution be?
 
Last edited:
No, it was 17 Mbytes. I have reset everything, and the router is cool.

This is what the pings look like when I do the backup.

Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=47ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48 [Backup starts here]
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=379ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=224ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=128ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=3241ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48

Upload speed is much slower than download.

Current speeds:

3815509727.png
 
Do you have a second computer that you can ping from? or use your phone/ipod to stream audio during that time? That would eliminate your computer as a source of the issue.
 
TromboneAl said:
No, it was 17 Mbytes. I have reset everything, and the router is cool.

This is what the pings look like when I do the backup.

Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
.....

Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48 [Backup starts here]
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=379ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out. ....
Click to expand...

I'm not that fluent in networking, but couldn't this simply be the normal effect of running the upload (backup)? I mean, that data stream could be tying up your network connection on your computer while it is running, and your pings are having to try to jump in in-between all that data. Maybe they get a lower priority?

-ERD50
 
TromboneAl said:
No, it was 17 Mbytes. I have reset everything, and the router is cool.

This is what the pings look like when I do the backup.

Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=47ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48 [Backup starts here]
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=379ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=48
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=224ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=128ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=3241ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=48

Upload speed is much slower than download.

Current speeds:

3815509727.png
Click to expand...

Al,


I'm also suspicious of 8.8.8.8, is that what you want to ping?

Your running Windows 8.1? There are some things you have to do to allow windows firewall to allow ping. Assuming you've done those steps look at the log you attached. The 'request timed out message' indicates network congestion(or server not found, but we know it's there). Not good, but we don't know the offending part yet. Ping, by default, waits 4000 ms(4 seconds), notice the request that takes 3241 ms to complete, is that when the backup commits the data? My guess, maybe.

The attached will give you ideas on isolating what piece is slow(router, server, network, or a configuration issue). Best wishes:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732509(v=ws.10).aspx
 
AL,
It is interesting that you have this glitch and ping confirms that something happens and ping packets are lost. Now, after each backup, do you have to reset the computer, or everything?

I'd try pinging another IP, to see what happens. Some servers may be actively deflecting pings when too intrusive.

Look for a Trace utility that allows multiple traces. I'll try to find one. This will give you more information about the route, and exactly where something times out.

As an aside, the Google public dns--it is more reliable, but might want to test with what your ISP recommends.
 
Thanks for the info.

I did the pinging from Lena's computer too, and had the same result.

I chose 8.8.8.8 simply because that was the address suggested by a web site.

Currently everything is acceptable. Yes, things don't work right for 8-10 seconds following a backup, but I don't need to reset anything--it comes back by itself.

So, there isn't much point in pursuing it. I'll see what happens.

Thanks for all the help.
 
8.8.8.8 is a Google DNS server. A better option is to ping your router IP address. That will tell you if the problem is on your local network or outside of your network.

If this is a wifi connection, that might also be the problem. If possible, you could try an Ethernet connection on the backup system and see if the timeouts go away.
 
kiki said:
8.8.8.8 is a Google DNS server. A better option is to ping your router IP address. That will tell you if the problem is on your local network or outside of your network.

If this is a wifi connection, that might also be the problem. If possible, you could try an Ethernet connection on the backup system and see if the timeouts go away.
Click to expand...

To test if its a connectivity problem to your local isp or beyond it, find the IP address of the ISP's web site, and ping it. Often you see brief periods where parts of the net drop off and come back on as routing reconfigures itself. (You could also use your ISP'd DNS server whose address would show up on windows if you type ipconfig /all in a command prompt)
 
kiki said:
8.8.8.8 is a Google DNS server. A better option is to ping your router IP address. That will tell you if the problem is on your local network or outside of your network.

If this is a wifi connection, that might also be the problem. If possible, you could try an Ethernet connection on the backup system and see if the timeouts go away.
Click to expand...

meierlde said:
To test if its a connectivity problem to your local isp or beyond it, find the IP address of the ISP's web site, and ping it. Often you see brief periods where parts of the net drop off and come back on as routing reconfigures itself. (You could also use your ISP'd DNS server whose address would show up on windows if you type ipconfig /all in a command prompt)
Click to expand...

Thanks - those are really great ideas. When I do have problems, I always feel at a loss to tell what part of the chain might be the cause. Those sound like good ways to isolate the issue somewhat.

I'll bookmark each of those IP addresses and stick them in my "Internet Troubleshooting" folder. I also have some numeric IP addresses bookmarked there, if you can reach a site by the number, but not the 'name', then you know it is a DNS issue -

www.google.com versus
74.125.225.39 or
74.125.224.72 for example.

-ERD50
 
Last edited:
To test your LAN I would ping the gateway your router is going to. That is the first hop external to your LAN. When you log into your router look at the WAN connection info, there should be GATEWAY listed, that is where your router is sending to. For devices on your LAN your router is their gateway.

You don't know the route or how many hops pinging something like google is taking. Any one of those hops could be a problem.

Your router should also list your ISP DNS servers and there is also OpenDNS 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220

tracert command is also useful. Had a crazy problem a few weeks ago where only certain pages would not pull up ( this site was one ) but worked fine on another ISP connection. One of upstream routers was stuck in a routing loop, the data was being sent back and forth between two routers at an upstream ISP. Nothing to do but wait for them to fix it, tracert helped identify the problem

Routing loop problem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Based on some of these reccs, I played around a bit. I stored all this away in a text file for future ref, it could come in handy.

So first I did a: ping -c 5 0 ; the "0" gets directly to the wireless connection from what I understand. It showed an IP of 127.0.0.1 and the ping times were ~ 0.025mS with a very small variance - rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.017/0.025/0.033/0.008 ms

(BTW, this is all from a Linux terminal, commands and responses may be a bit different in other systems).

Then I went to speedtest.net, and that shows my IP address, and pinging that gave times of ~ 2.7 mS - rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 1.948/2.745/23.582/3.748 ms

Then I pinged my ISPs home-page ~ 13mS - rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 9.932/13.040/14.918/1.371 ms

Pings for other sites were typically about 25 mS (including google DNS 8.8.8.8. But the openDNS (208.67.222.222) was ~ 1/2 that, so I'll check that out again.

Now I want to find out about the servers my VOIP company uses (Phone Power), so I can check those.

-ERD50
 
ERD50 said:
So first I did a: ping -c 5 0 ; the "0" gets directly to the wireless connection from what I understand. It showed an IP of 127.0.0.1 and the ping times were ~ 0.025mS with a very small variance - rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.017/0.025/0.033/0.008 ms

-ERD50
Click to expand...

With that command you are pinging the computer you are on. The 0 gets translated to 127.0.0.1 ( in linux ), which is localhost. This is useful for checking your network interface is actually working. "ifconfig lo" will give config info for the interface.

You can unplug your ethernet cable from the PC and pinging 127.0.0.1 will still work. It's only running on the PC itself. which is why the rtt is so small.
 
rbmrtn said:
With that command you are pinging the computer you are on. The 0 gets translated to 127.0.0.1 ( in linux ), which is localhost. This is useful for checking your network interface is actually working. "ifconfig lo" will give config info for the interface.

You can unplug your ethernet cable from the PC and pinging 127.0.0.1 will still work. It's only running on the PC itself. which is why the rtt is so small.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, thanks - I'll make a note of that.

edit/add:

OK, so for my wireless router, this seems to ping my internal wireless network and back to the computer ( ~ 1.1mS):

ping -c16 192.168.1.1
--- 192.168.1.1 ping statistics ---
16 packets transmitted, 16 received, 0% packet loss, time 15015ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 1.072/1.109/1.158/0.039 ms

-ERD50
 
Last edited:
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