Connection Stops Working After Not Using It

[sbk]

I have DSL (shhhh!!! ) and have been having a problem with it. The connection light is still on but if the computer isn't being used for a while then the connection just doesn't work. Turning the modem on and off doesn't help, disabling and re enabling doesn't help. Only thing for it is to reboot the computer (both of them have this problem). I am guessing something is set incorrectly but am clueless what to look for.

Any ideas?

[girlx]

hey! you can finally get it in ban kai eh? it sounds like you have the modem set to time out after awhile, but rebooting it should help. anyone have other ideas? oh, also, are you sure it's not just really slow? i sometimes get less than dial up speeds with my ADSL, unfortunately.

[sbk]

Nope, adsl is not available in Ban Kai, we have friends . thats why the shhh!!!

No, it really isn't working, because as soon as we reboot it is working again. I can see the little light blinking but getting no response. How do I check the modem? it is a surecom.

[Farma]

I bought 2 surecom modems and both failed after a short time (3 months).

They had the same problem you talk about, hanging or forgetting settings even after the save settings was selected. The DSL repair guy became a daily visitor and advised we change to another modem.

We bought a different brand and haven't had problems in the 7 months since.

[stumonster]

upgrade to a modem/router(optional wifi) with a built in PPoE (point to point protocol over ethernet) client. your connection is maintained even when the computers are off.

[sbk]

Its not really an option for me right now. I have checked the modem (figured out how) and it is not set to disconnect, so is there something else I can do short of buying a new one? (I am on Koh Phangan and unless I order from the internet am kinda stuck for now)

[lopburi3]

Both of them? Are you using local network and the one modem? I had a problem when doing that and each time other computer turned on or off I would lose connection and many times had to reboot. Believe I was able to find some setting in the local connection or network settings of WIN XP that helped. Maybe dial new connection or something along those lines. I know it was not the modem itself.

[Abandon]

you do not say if you have a modem or a router. Or what brand. You do not say what OS you are using. Nor do you say what the error message is. You do not say who your internet provider is, nor what telephone line you are using.

What if you click redial? have you checked the settings in the internet connection settings ...

People never supply enough information when asking questions in this forum ... we are not mind readers.

[stumonster]

abandon is being straight to the point sbk , but fault finding anything with no information is nigh on impossible.

modem manuf and model.

is it connected via the usb or ethernet?

what OS is on your comp?

did you set up the connection with a disc supplied by the service provider?

has it worked correctly before? if so what have you done , and importantly , what have you done in attempting to fix the problem?

as the techs motto goes - we can perform miracles , but the impossible takes a little longer .

[Buff-horns]

when i had this problem it was down to noise on the line, try some filters .

maybe also a software IRQ conflict .

[JackA]

I had the same problem, with any USB ADSL modems, and it all came down to the following:

For some stupid reason, the USB root hub - "disconnects" the USB device in order to save power - even some NICS do this.

Go to device manager and expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers -> double click on USB root hub -> Power Management -> untick "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power". - repeat this on every USB root hub.

On the NIC (if there is a power management tab) do the same thing.

Good Luck.

(And a late happy new year to everyone).

[sbk]

Abandon, sorry if I was unclear; I am not on dialup but DSL so redialling isn't really an option. And I think I also mentioned that the only thing that happened was that it stopped working. If there were an error message certainly that would point me in some direction. There are two computers connected to a broadband router via ethernet on one computer and USB on the other. This timeout effect happens on both. My OS is XP sp2. My modem is surecom (as stated earlier) 4 port router with modem model annex a #EP4704 SX.

The tech guy set it up for me, it worked fine until recently, it is a new phenomenon. I have the disk. I tried going into the modem from IE as per Girlx's suggestion and the timeout was set to zero, so I am guessing that means that it is set to not timeout at all.

I will attempt the USB instructions from jacka, but it certainly doesn't feel promising since this has just started happening. One computer has had the motherboard replaced but the other one hasn't and this occurs on both computers.

[girlx]

i have an extra zyxel ADSL modem you can have if you want (i bought a combo modem/router for wifi). PM me.

[stumonster]

There are two computers connected to a broadband router via ethernet on one computer and USB on the other.

the USB bit has me a little confused?

is your setup the same as the pic at the top of this page - http://members.thai.net/hs9dmc//problem/AD...eCom_EP4704.htm

and if you start up internet explorer and poit it at the address http://10.0.0.2 can you login to the router. if so click on WAN --> ATM --> VC1 and do you have a connection type? should be set to always connected. ( am just guessing the terms used by the router as I do not have a manual )

by the way that page is explaining how to set up port forwarding for your router

[Pink Mist]

I have a similar problem, have to reboot after it hibernates.

The pute looks for the site but eventually times out and the old unavailable page comes up, do a restart and all is well, this is a recent occurence.

am using a netgear wireless ADSL firewall router DG834 connected to my pute and a wireless connection to sons WG311 v3 adapter. The router is connected to LAN and the broadband directly into the device.

Am running XP and IE 6.0.2900, on P4.

any ideas?

[stumonster]

sbk.

I have not found a manual but on this page are new firmware and USB driver? - http://www.surecom-net.com/support/download/router.htm

just be aware that if you upgrade the firmware to your router you will require to reconfigure it again.

bronco

in the manual for your router http://kbserver.netgear.com/pdf/dg834_dg83...ual_03Jun05.pdf

on page 40 it talks about login timeout - setting it to 0 means no logout.

with both these issues sbk and bronco your routers have a built in PPPoE client so I am wondering if it is something wrong with the OS on your comps and not the routers.

when you next have this problem , before you reboot the computer go to another comp on the network and login to the router and check its status - determine whether it is still online and connected ( or even interpret from the LEDs on the front of the modem ).

[sbk]

There are two computers connected to a broadband router via ethernet on one computer and USB on the other.

the USB bit has me a little confused?

is your setup the same as the pic at the top of this page - http://members.thai.net/hs9dmc//problem/AD...eCom_EP4704.htm

and if you start up internet explorer and poit it at the address http://10.0.0.2 can you login to the router. if so click on WAN --> ATM --> VC1 and do you have a connection type? should be set to always connected. ( am just guessing the terms used by the router as I do not have a manual )

by the way that page is explaining how to set up port forwarding for your router

This is what I see:

WAN Configuration

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Per VC Settings

Enabled? VPI VCI Static IP Address Subnet Mask Gateway

Yes           

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MAC SPOOFING

Mac Spoofing  Disable 

Mac Address 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATM

Service Category  UBR 

Bandwidth  kbps

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ENCAPSULATION    PPPoE LLC 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BRIDGE  Disabled 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IGMP  Disabled 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disconnect Timeout  0 seconds (Max:32767)

MRU  1492

MTU  1492

MSS  1432

Authentication  Auto 

Automatic Reconnect            Advanced PPP configuration

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DHCP

DHCP client  (not ticked).

Host Name 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Virtual Circuit: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Stu, first thing I checked was the led light and it is not blinking and the ready light is on.

Sorry, I just got a flashlight back there and they are both lan cables.

And, unfortunately, the USB thing did not work .

Thing I don't get, is why would this start happening when it worked fine before? Only new thing would be the new Microsoft critical patches.

[stumonster]

sbk

when you say you are not using your comp for a while , does it go into hiberate mode , or log you off ?

and when you activate the comp again , can you access the router via the web browser? ( ie 10.0.0.2 )

[sbk]

sbk

when you say you are not using your comp for a while , does it go into hiberate mode , or log you off ?

and when you activate the comp again , can you access the router via the web browser? ( ie 10.0.0.2 )

Nope, not hibernating, nor logged off, just not using the internet. I think it is around an hour or so after non-use that the internet stops responding.

Haven't tried that one yet, I will do it next time it stops responding and let you know. (after I reboot of course )

[bkk_mike]

I have the same issue with my laptop sometimes... (which I think is an issue with the network port, or a software compatibility issue somewhere)

Rather than reboot, it often reconnects if I "Repair" the connection.

You can do this by right-clicking on the little network icon near the clock on the taskbar, and choosing Repair.

Alternatively, if you can't find that icon, you can go to Network Connections. (Start -> Connect To -> Show all connections)

Then right-click on the connection in the window that brings up, and choose Repair.

[sbk]

OK, when the connection stops working I can enter the modem with the 10.0.0.2 address from my browser but clicking the repair button does not work, it says that the IP address cannot be renewed.

Do you think it is a software problem or is my modem dying?

[stumonster]

sbk,

the fact that you can access the router indicates your network connection looks ok.

which means its down to your router configuration.

looking at this section of your config

Enabled? VPI VCI Static IP Address Subnet Mask Gateway

Yes

it looks as if it is set to static IP address - is that what you are supposed to be getting from your ISP ? most home packages we have here in thailand have dynamic IP , ie. it reassigns an IP addy every 24 hours or every time a disconnect happens? I am also wondering if your ISP is dropping you off after a certain idle time? can you change the setting to dynamic IP?

just wondering if when it trys to reconnect with the same IP addy it gets rejected , though that does not totally gel with it working after you reboot the comp.

have you asked your ISP any questions - did they change anything on you at the same time this problem started to occur?

[sbk]

Nope, didn't get that far, but it is a possibility.I am using the ji-net mini package.

Shall I try changing it to a dynamic ip address and see how that goes then? How do I change it to dynamic then? Sorry, for being stupid!

[stumonster]

sbk,

the image below is the page from my router - an SMC barricade - so it won't be the same as yours , but on the page you can see the setting IP assigned by ISP set to yes , maybe you have something similar.

to do a screen grab the same as I have done , hit print screen ( which copies the screen to the clipboard ) , open up paint , ctrl+v ( paste ) , black out your username and password , then save as JPEG . then I open the pic with irfanview ( www.irfanview.com ) and drag a square around the area I want to keep and select edit --> crop and then save as.

Edited January 5, 2006 by stumonster

[sbk]

Just downloaded the manual from my provider and it is supposed to be a dynamic IP address. I'll give it a try and see how it goes!

[sbk]

OK stu,

now what?

Looks too small and hard to read, shall I try again?

[stumonster]

on that first screen what are the options in the dropdown menu under enabled?

[sbk]

enabled: yes or no are the only options.

[stumonster]

sbk

in the top right hand corner it has the text beside the google icon x?m dynamic IP address

if the cursor was in that drop down menu box , I'd say yes means dynamic IP address enabled.

so there goes that theory...

[sbk]

sorry, that was my search in google showing in my browser.

"Yes" , could mean static is enabled and that why no ip address is showing?

Should I ping my ip address and find out if it changes between now and tomorrow when I turn my computer back on? Wouldn't that show if my ip was changing (or not) after restarting?