Extreme frequent disconnects

[jam411]

I'm using bell sympatico in Quebec, Canada and i've been having this problem for the past 3-4 weeks maybe longer, basicly my connection will drop and the only way to get back online will be to reboot the modem.(happens faster if i'm downloading/streaming or playing online games.

2 computers are usually connected to it via router but i've tried connecting BOTH computers directly to the modem and the same thing keeps happening. I've changed modem/wires and a Bell tech came by yesterday telling me the wiring was getting a perfect connection. he even installed a direct line to the box outside so it's not the appartment wiring. He also tried a different modem(in case both of my modems weren't working properly) and i kept getting disconnected.

I've also reinstalled my ethernet drivers(Atheros l1 gigabit ethernet) and formatted my windows partition

modem:
System Type: SpeedStream 5242-Series
Config Part #: 003-s093-G06
Firmware Part #: 004-E242-A2M

i'd appreciate any help :)

[johnwill]

If the modem is dropping, it's either the modem or your ISP. If this is their modem, and it's been changed, there's a problem somewhere farther away from your installation.

Register at DSLReports and run their Line Quality Tests. It's useful many times to run this test several times, and we'd like to see each of the results. Post the results link from the top of the test display page for each test run here.

The link to post is near the top of the page and looks like:

If you wish to post this result to a forum, please copy/paste this URL
http://www.dslreports.com/linequality/nil/2357195 <- sample only, yours will obviously be different!
and your IP will be disguised.

Copy/paste that link here.

Note: You will have to enable PING (ICMP) request response either in your router (if you have one), or in your computer's firewall for direct modem connections. This is very important to get the most important part of the test to run.

[jam411]

Basicly even with allow incoming echo requests checked from the icmp tab under my winxp firewall i'm still not pingable...

help?

[johnwill]

Connect one computer directly to that "modem" and do this. Your "modem" is really a modem/router, so if you have another router as well, you have to enable the ping on the first one.

Hold the Windows key and press R, then type CMD to open a command prompt:

In the command prompt window that opens, type type the following command:

IPCONFIG /ALL

Right click in the command window and choose Select All, then hit Enter.
Paste the results in a message here.

If you are on a machine with no network connection, use a floppy, USB disk, or a CD-RW disk to transfer a text file with the information to allow pasting it here.

[jam411]

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Jam>IPCONFIG /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : localhost
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : no-domain-set.bellcanada

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : no-domain-set.bellcanada
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros L1 Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1
000Base-T Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-1E-8C-1A-A2-05
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.10
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
192.168.2.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, April 19, 2008 9:24:56 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, April 22, 2008 9:24:56 AM

[johnwill]

Yep, that's the issue. Of course, DSLReports line quality tests are down right now, they're having some sort of DOS attack and have taken them off-line.

Hold the Windows key and press R, then type CMD to open a command prompt:

In the command prompt window that opens, type type the following command:

PATHPING google.com

Right click in the command window and choose Select All, then hit Enter.
Paste the results in a message here.

If you are on a machine with no network connection, use a floppy, USB disk, or a CD-RW disk to transfer a text file with the information to allow pasting it here.

NOTE: Wait for the statistics to compute before doing the copy/paste!

[jam411]

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Jam>pathping google.com

Tracing route to google.com [64.233.167.99]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
0 localhost.no-domain-set.bellcanada [192.168.2.10]
1 192.168.2.1
2 * * *
Computing statistics for 50 seconds...
Source to Here This Node/Link
Hop RTT Lost/Sent = Pct Lost/Sent = Pct Address
0 localhost.no-domain-set.bellcanada
[192.168.2.10]
0/ 100 = 0% |
1 0ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% 192.168.2.1
100/ 100 =100% |
2 --- 100/ 100 =100% 0/ 100 = 0% localhost [0.0.0.0]

Trace complete.

Thanks for the help :)

[johnwill]

Something is pretty odd with that ping. I can't imagine only two hops, and it appears that the wheels fall off somewhere!

Let's try a stack reset.

TCP/IP stack repair options for use with Windows XP with SP2.

Start, Run, CMD to open a command prompt:

In the command prompt window that opens, type type the following commands:

Note: Type only the text in bold for the following commands.

Reset TCP/IP stack to installation defaults, type: netsh int ip reset reset.log

Reset WINSOCK entries to installation defaults, type: netsh winsock reset catalog

Reboot the machine.

[jam411]

Did that but still getting disconnected :(

did you want me to post a new pathping after resetting the tcp/ip stack and winsock entries?

[johnwill]

They're back up.


Register at DSLReports and run their Line Quality Tests. It's useful many times to run this test several times, and we'd like to see each of the results. Post the results link from the top of the test display page for each test run here.

The link to post is near the top of the page and looks like:

If you wish to post this result to a forum, please copy/paste this URL
http://www.dslreports.com/linequality/nil/2357195 <- sample only, yours will obviously be different!
and your IP will be disguised.

Copy/paste that link here.

Note: You will have to enable PING (ICMP) request response either in your router (if you have one), or in your computer's firewall for direct modem connections. This is very important to get the most important part of the test to run.

[jam411]

http://www.dslreports.com/linequality/nil/2376803

This is WITH "allow incoming echo request" checked under winxp firewall.

[johnwill]

You need to enable PING in the broadband router configuration, that's the first firewall encountered.

[jam411]

Sorry took a while to respond, was out of the country.

Went on my modem's ip and disabled this "block ping" security thing and was able to run the dslreports line test.

http://www.dslreports.com/linequality/nil/2381643

[johnwill]

That looks pretty normal, no packet loss that I see.

How often do the disconnects happen? I'm thinking it may simply be a defective modem at this point. The resetting the modem would seem to indicate that.

[jam411]

sometimes no disconnects for over an hour sometimes every few minutes. only happens when bandwith is being used if i leave it on all night w/o doing anything on it it will be fine in the morning. but once i start streaming then it's the worst and disconnects before i can load up any stream almost.

i'm on my 3rd modem , guy from sympadirect forums on dslreports sent me a new 2wire 2701hg-g, i'm still getting disconnects with it

i even formatted again last night and with only my ethernet drivers installed i was still getting d/c'd

i'm really confused at this point.

[johnwill]

That sounds very much like DSL line quality issues, that's a classic symptom.

One possibility is bad filters, bad phone wiring, etc. This is how I deal with interior wiring issues.


Purchase a DSL splitter and install it at the telco service entrance. Run a direct line from the DSL port on the splitter directly to the DSL modem. Connect all of the other phone instruments to the telephone output of the DSL splitter. All of the DSL analog side wiring should be CAT3 or better twisted pair from the telco service entrance to the DSL/ADSL modem. You can use one of the twisted pairs in CAT5 cable if you have that on hand.

This is as good as it gets for DSL installations, and will usually solve in-house wiring issues.

Here's a good detailed description of the process: DSL Wiring Upgrade Tutorial