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[theracles]

Hi guys, I came upon your site whilst googling "what the hell's up with DSLzone" 
I've been having problems trying to use their site for some time, even posting a thread entitled "Does James Really Exist?", replies to which at least served to occasionally remind me that they were still alive over there!!
Now that DSL are down, I've lost touch with "thar" my trusted guru on things "wireless". 

My current problem is that my 585v6 seems to be dying.
It gradually deteriorates over time, first taking a long time to load certain sites, then being unable to find them until I refresh the page, and eventually totally ignoring my requests!
At this point my PC's wireless card (Integral to my Asus P5Q3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP @n motherboard) disconnects and can't be coaxed to life again.

The only solution is to re-boot the router then all springs back to life and runs like a whippet....then it all slowly deteriorates once more.

Does that sound like a terminally poorly router?
Any advice would be helpful! 

[roseway]

Hi and welcome

It certainly could be a failing router, or it could be a problem with the wireless interface in the PC. I would suggest two simple tests to home in on the cause:

- check if you can connect wirelessly to the router with a different computer or other WiFi device.
- connect the PC directly to the router with an ethernet cable, and see if the connection works properly this way.

[theracles]

Thanks roseway, from what you say, it would appear that is is probably a router problem.
I tried connecting my Linux PC which uses a Netgear USB wireless unit and that also couldn't connect, despite all the lights on the router being green (Power, WLAN, DSL and Internet).
I flicked the Router off and on again before thinking to try my iPad!
As soon as the router re-established contact with the net, both machines connected without problems.

I was a little concerned that the integral wireless unit on the Asus motherboard of my Windows PC should just shut up shop when there is no internet connection at the router.....is that normal?

Also, in order to be notified of replies, do I click on the "Notify" button, or will that bring the "forum police"!

Edit:- By the way, I just love your "Love Linux" Gif, hope you don't mind that I've harvested it!

[roseway]

I was a little concerned that the integral wireless unit on the Asus motherboard of my Windows PC should just shut up shop when there is no internet connection at the router.....is that normal?

The wireless connection should really be independent of the router's internet connection, but if the router is failing, then I guess anything is possible.

Also, in order to be notified of replies, do I click on the "Notify" button, or will that bring the "forum police"!

You can click the "Notify" button without fear.

By the way, I just love your "Love Linux" Gif, hope you don't mind that I've harvested it!

I don't mind at all. I found it somewhere else on the 'net. There are a few other penguin huggers here, so you can feel quite at home.

[burakkucat]

   theracles.  Meow.

[theracles]

roseway:
I agree, the PC's wireless antics when the router is down seems odd......but then, I am running Vista Ultimate on this machine!
It runs like a girl, is as rough as hell and because I'm running it under a volume licence from the school where I used to help out teaching other local retired folk (U3A).
A case of the blind being led by the partially sighted! 
The school's IT manager built me this new machine and put Vista on it when mine turned to a cinder, so I can't be too ungracious, and it has staggered along for 7 years!!

Talking of penguin huggers, here's mine:

Courtesy of my Pension provider!

Hi burakkucat, can't get to your linked .wav file, not sure if that is also my router playing up, cos it took it ages to find Pixentral to upload the pic, kept telling me that DNS server could get no reply. (this is a fairly common occurance  )
I'll have a read at your blog when I get a quiet moment! (www.centos.toracat.org)

Don't get the idea that I'm as clever as you guys, I'm really stumbling around bind with Linux, but I've managed to bend Mint 9 LXDE to my will...well almost! ....and in April it will no longer be supported

[kitz]

My beloved 585v6 died earlier this year - or rather it was the network interface in it that died.

It could well be the router that is dying, but from what youve said so far, there is also the possibility that the fault may be in another direction.

~ Do you have the same problem if you are using ethernet? Is it just isolated to wireless?

The taking long time to load and page not loading could also be a symptom of lots of errors on the line itself.  This then clears after a reboot due to a lower sync.  May be worth looking at your linestats before the reboot... to see what the state of the line is, if just for the sake of elimination if nothing else.

[kitz]

Hi burakkucat, can't get to your linked .wav file, not sure if that is also my router playing up, cos it took it ages to find Pixentral to upload the pic, kept telling me that DNS server could get no reply. (this is a fairly common occurance  )

Its not just you.. unfortunately it wont load for me either :/

[theracles]

Its not just you.. unfortunately it wont load for me either :/

sometimes it just displays Internet Explorer cannot display the page, and stops hunting for it.
other times, the "page" shows the above message whilst the tab shows "ieframe.dll" and the progress gif just keeps turning until you quit the tab or hit the "X"

Regarding Stats:
My good friend "thar" at DSLzone used to "read the entrails" for me (I find the stats to be akin to the black magic runes of old, they totally mystify me!)....also, she used to guide me when using the DMT tool.

Regarding the sync speed after re-booting the router, I almost invariably fined that it re-syncs at a higher speed than before!
....not always stable, but the last few times the connection has proved to be stable.
Current figures after this evening's reboot:-
Link Information
Uptime: 0 days, 7:12:13
Modulation: G.992.3 Annex A
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 840 / 4,451
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/MB]: 22.05 / 166.35
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.5 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 30.5 / 51.0 
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 6.0 / 5.0 
Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / µ 
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): 0
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 299 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 55,373
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 1,004
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 780

I can't physically attach the PC to the router since it is almost 30ft away!
I have for a few years attempted to breathe new life into old machines and gift them via Freecycle, usually they are running XP Home, which I can clean up, or re-install if there is a valid COAX sticker on the box, those that don't, I install Mint 9 LXDE ('cos I know it best!)
Just thinking about it, these machines were usually connected via ethernet, and though they were low spec machines, the connection rarely gave me any problems.
Having said that, the Linux box I've got running at the moment, is connected using a Netgear USB wireless unit, and that is quite fast and trouble free.

Since the arrival of my new toy, the iPad on Dec 3rd, I've noticed that my usage has rocketed!
I am on a TalkTalk package with "free" calls 24/7 and internet capped at 40GB.
Hitherto, I have never exceeded 3 or 4GB in any one month, but I noticed that just before the re-boot I had downloaded 13Gb 
That figure was probably carried over from the last re-boot, so it could represent more than a months usage, so I really need to consider some way of metering the usage at the router....which would survive a re-boot.
Any ideas?

[burakkucat]

Hi burakkucat, can't get to your linked .wav file, not sure if that is also my router playing up, cos it took it ages to find Pixentral to upload the pic, kept telling me that DNS server could get no reply. (this is a fairly common occurance  )

Its not just you.. unfortunately it wont load for me either :/

How odd. That I do not understand. 

I'll have a read at your blog when I get a quiet moment! (www.centos.toracat.org)

That is not my blog but that of my good friend, fellow co-founder of the ELRepo Project and mentor in all things Japanese, toracat

[kitz]

There are quite a few errors on those stats.  Whilst 1004 CRC errors may sometimes not be noticiable..  it is entirely possible that if they all occured during the same time frame that this very well could have been the cause of pages not loading properly and taking a long time to load.

A crc error is when your router hasnt been able to hear the signal properly from the exchange and the data has to be retransmitted, hence the slowness and delay.   

This isnt so much a problem with the router being sick, but more the condition of your line between your home and the exchange.   There could be several reasons for this - ie noise on the line...  and since its 'that time of year'.. one of the most common causes are interference from xmas tree lights etc. :/

It may be that your router is on its last legs, or it may just be something like the above.   
Does it seem worse say at night and ok during the day.

[Ezzer]

The first thing I would check with what you describe is the temperature of the router.

This is the sort of thing a router does when its too hot.

Place your hand on the router (don't forget the bottom as well) If it was a cup of tea could you still drink it ? If the answer is yes then the router's too hot and this would cause it to misbehave.

Look at the ventilation it has, even putting something underneath to increase the room below to vent heat. Avoid resting it on carpets or on other heat inducing items like electrical items or radiators. Avoid having it enclosed in a small space or having items rest on top, or have it upstanding on ite edge with a bit of room around it.

Some routers run a bit warmer than others, Voyagers tend to get quite hot hence the later ones having bigger feet.

It was a common issue and I found I could cure some faults just by moving the router to a new position.

Once in an estate agents, the Agents were all busy on the phones and pointed me to the coms box. It was jammed full of wires and hubs etc. I placed my palm on the @ wire router. "Oh hello!"
re jugged everything and hey presto their internet came back up. One of the guys was stunned I diagnosed their DSL by seeming to just place my hand new age style on the router and seemingly "communicate" with it.

I had to tell him, No its just that it was so hot you could keep your coffee warm on it which is not good.

Some times its the simplest of things

[theracles]

Thanks for that kitz,
As I have said, these stats mean zilch to me!
I bought this router on the recommendation of my friend "thar" who I've known for about 8 years via PC Advisor and the dslzone forum where she was a mod.

This is the only router I've ever had so I have little experience myself but for what it's worth, I've been well satisfied with it.
I recall thar telling me that one or other of the "error second" varieties was likely to be a bug in the software since over a period of a few days, the count can be in the high millions!
I've no idea which one of the three it was but suffice to say it's been that way from day one!

"Sam Knows" tells me I'm about two miles from my exchange, and thar reckoned the line quality could be better. She did bit of black magic with DMT, and my profile improved.
We also tried my Router (with much upheaval!) connected direct to the master socket for a few days (still connecting wirelessly) but the stats showed no appreciable difference.
I have long ago disconnected all the "bell wires", from memory, that just leaves two wires connected throughout, again no noticeable change.

Had a few minutes of IE 9 telling me we had no connection the other day, at the same time the Icon in the sys tray told me the connection was fine, which it was, but that's IE 9!
I am well used to its oddities but for some insane reason I seem to prefer it, and as I type this, I'm asking myself why I didn't try FF or Chrome when it plays up, both of which I have installed.

I'm just in the process of signing up to "TalkTalk Labs", in the hope that they might enroll me to test new routers, apparently in return for allowing automatic monitoring of your line/connection and giving your feedback on the kit, you get to keep it.

Ezzer, HaHa, I'm visualising you waving your healing hands over my poorly kit do you think it might work at a distance!
Sadly, I've just tested my router holding it between my palms, (it stands up on end) and it is surprisingly cool bearing in mind it is never switched off.
The top (right side if it were laid flat) is the only area that feels at all warm, if it were a cup of tea, it would be going in the microwave for a minute, or down the sink!
The power adapter is also surprisingly cool.