Broadband dropout

[TheStormyPetrel]

Sometimes (perhaps coincidentally) as I go to a web address (can even be on a reputable site, like a thread on pprune) I get dropped from the net altogether. It is not a consistent problem. If I return to that site it may not happen again. I can't link the dropouts to anything other than having just selected a site to go to.

We have broadband, and have had for years. I think that we had this problem years ago, and I think it was the router failing, and that the problem was gone when we replaced the router, but this router is relatively new. I guess that doesn't rule it out, but I"m not sure how I'd check if it is that anyway.

Last time the router gave up and when we replaced it, the other problem was gone too. Also last time, it was the same web addresses that caused the problem (one bank site was one) and the number of addresses that caused the problem increased over time. So far that isn't the same as this time either.

It is so annoying, particularly as we are networked, and so the whole family suffers when we are dropped. Okay, we can get back on fairly quickly, but whatever you were doing has been interrupted.


Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Ausatco]

You haven't said what kind of broadband you have ...

If it's ADSL, I've heard that the ADSL connection can "go stale" and you have to refresh it from time to time by breaking and re-making the phone line connection on the modem or modem/router, or turning it off and back on.

I've had a couple of inexplicable frozen connections and that has worked. Maybe worth a try for you.

More often, I have to re-start the computer (which on my setup does not reset the ADSL connection, just the LAN). I never switch it off - it just goes in and out of Standby and sometimes it seems to get its LAN t*ts in a tangle, but not often. In and out of suspend causes regular problems with the LAN, so much so that I don't use suspend any more. (P4, XP Home.)

Once the problem is solved per the above, it's stable for a week or more. Though that's not perfect, I can live with it.

AA

[TheStormyPetrel]

Thanks for the response Ausatco.

My understanding of ADSL and Broadband are obviously a bit limited, as I thought they were the same. Does your question mean which provider?

When my problem has happened, I only have to wait for the net connection to re-establish. My computer is still working in other ways, word etc, only the net drops off.

I think my response merely shows how little I understand!!!

[Lost_luggage34]

Broadband and ADSL are quite different - quite confusing because of the way they are both marketed.

For example - in the UK BT offer 'Broadband' - it is ADSL, very old technology which has been around for years. Very smart that it uses the 'spare' capacity of a pair of copper wires.

However, there are limitations - the download speed is the 512K/1M you are quoted, but the upload speed is significantly less. Hence the term ADSL - A - Asymetric.

The cable companies have a different infrastructure. It's cable therefore you get true Broadband. I.e. the download/upload speeds are the same. It's on a dedicated piece of wire.

[Ausatco]

Stormy,

There are two common broadband methods in Aus - cable and ADSL.

Cable comes through the same cable (doh!) as your cable TV service, if you have it. I don't have it, so am not really familiar, but haven't heard of the "reset" aspect I discussed in my last post.

ADSL is via your phone line. That's the one that may require the occasional reset.

If your broadband is cable, your computer gear will be connected to the wall with power leads and a fattish (thickness of a pencil) round signal cable like a TV antenna cable, probably black but maybe white or brown. I think the connector in the wall socket will be the similar to a TV outlet - round.

If ADSL, you'll be connected to the wall with power cables and a phone line, probably flat, but could be thin round, maybe half as thick as a pencil, probably cream coloured, but maybe black. The socket in the wall will be a small (about 12mm, half inch) roughly square hole or one of those horrible big flat Telstra 4 prong things that lies flat against the wall.

HTH

AA

I\'m not sure I agree with everything LL34 said - he\'s in UK and things are different over there. (Not trying to be dismissive, LL, but fast internet is relatively new here and our telcos are doing it a bit differently from yours - and charging an arm and a leg for a lesser service.:uhoh: )

But it doesn\'t matter too much, Stormy - your high speed internet connection is either via cable which probably doesn\'t need refreshing (but am not sure about that, maybe someone with Aussie cable experience can help) or via the phone-line based ADSL which maybe does, from time to time.

Try it, see how you go.

AA

Another edit: Dunno what's going on here - tried to post a separate message after my last and the system tacked the text into my post, adding the "" characters. Tried twice, I did, same result.

AA

[TheStormyPetrel]

aaah, now I understand.

I have ADSL, which is what i thought, but now I understand how to know that - thanks. :)

And I have a reset switch which I sometimes have to use to get the ADSL to come online again.

[FJJP]

I sometimes get a freeze - I usually reboot the router (switch it off and on again, or pull out the power plug if it doesn't have an on/off switch) and that usually cures the problem.

[P.Pilcher]

I don't know whether this is relevant, but I frequently used to loose my ADSL connection. It was impossible to say what caused it. Sometimes it would work for hours then stop, sometimes it could fail twice in five minutes. In all cases, connection could be restored by disconecting the modem/radio LAN from the mains supply and reconnecting so re-initialising the connection. Extensive virus checks came up squeaky clean, but before blaming a faulty modem or worse I tried Spybot. Bingo! I am pretty sure that the culprit was the Ebay toolbar that my wife found so useful on her machine!

P.P.

[Ausatco]

Stormy, when you use that reset button you're refreshing the ADSL connection, which is what we've been talking about.

You shouldn't have to do it too often.

ADSL performance is affected to an extent by line length (ie, distance from your exchange). I think the current max distance is about 3km, but Telstra is upgrading that to 5. Don't know if they're doing that retrospectively to already-ADSL-enabled exchanges, or if they're only doing it to exchanges being newly enabled for ADSL.

Anyway, if you're near the max permitted line length, then any little glitches in the line are more likely to cause an ADSL dropout. If you feel able, check all connections in the phone line that services your computer. Make sure the contacts on all connectors, plugs and jacks are clean. Open up junction boxes in the route between the telephone entry point to your house and your computer and make sure that any joins inside are electrically sound - ie, clean conductors twisted tightly together and clamped with a screw device of some kind - and insulated from each other. (You can buy those connectors at any electronics hobby shops - Dick Smith, Tandy, Jaycar, etc. Electrical contractors use large ones for house power - they would work too, but they're really too big and clumsy for a phone application. But they'd work at a pinch.)

If you have one of those large, cream coloured flat Telstra connectors with four fingers and the covers are not sealed (ie just held on with a screw), open those and check them too.

Reason for this suggestion - personal experience. In my last house, one telephone wall socket was subject to damp and the connections kept corroding, wreaking havoc with line quality. Also, I found an ants' nest in the outside Telstra junction box. Formic acid combined with the voltage on the phone wires had just about dissolved two of the wires!

CAVEAT: You're allowed to fiddle with any part of your household phone wiring downstream from the Telstra entry point. The junction box at the entry point should only be opened by a qualified technician - not necessarily Telstra, just a qualified person. (I qualified myself ;) )

Cheers

AA

[lame]

You are lucky.

I now have Telstra Bigpond unlimited cable broadband, should be great.

However the ****** thing was out altogether for almost 24 hours over the weekend. :{

They are so useless, 23.5 hours with NO service at all, and they won't even let you access via their dial up while it is out. :{

Telstra broadband. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Ausatco]

Lame, I suppose you're contracted, so no easy out.:{

I'm with Pacific Internet. Cannot recommend them highly enough. Same infrastructure as Bigpond (ie, Telstra) but far, far more reliable and the "emergency" dialup backup is available at all times - useful for travel with the lappy. While testing something this morning, was simultaneously on ADSL and dialup from the same computer (different browsers):cool:


AA

[BusyB]

I'm no expert but aren't your symptoms similar to the "Sasser" worm?

[TheStormyPetrel]

How wondeful to have these replies to consider. Thanks guys.

Working backwards:

I have no idea about the Sasser worm. Anyone else?

I'm with Internode, after years with Telstra. They seem good so far, specially with service.

I will do the physical checks you suggested (on the weekend) - thanks Ausatco.

Also, I do only have to use the ADSL reset button occasionally. Usually it is if it is slow to come back online. Then I do 10 seconds off, on again and it usually starts okay.

I don't know about distances etc, but I'm in an inner suburb of Perth, well established and close to everything, so I'd think that would be okay.

Our Lan is hard wired, so no radio complications.

I keep Spybot, Vet etc current. (Hmmm, maybe I should check spybot again though, it seems recently I looked at it......)

Thanks again.




:ok:

[amanoffewwords]

Sasser info (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=128683)