Router/Modem occasionally stop talking

[richared]

Hi everyone,
This is my first post here and normally I just browse forums to find my problem but since it has been years since the beginning, I figured maybe someone could help my specific problem. I will try to describe it in as much detail as possible. I would call my network and technology experience/knowledge "fair-good". Thank you in advance for even reading this.

The Specific Issue:
Occasionally (once every few days) I will lose my connection to the internet without losing my connection to my network. The router lights don't change. It seems like the "Send" light on the modem no longer flashes when this happens. No amount of software manipulation or commands can either cause or repair this issue. However unplugging either the modem or router for a few minutes will resolve it. It is a nuisance, not life-ending, but I am sick of it. This has happened with a few different (including brand-new) routers, mostly noticed on Linksys brand.

The Long Story:
Just over two years ago I moved into this house in northern Michigan with a few roommates where the router was a Belkin something or other. Some of the people torrented hard and this disrupted my playing online games (WoW, Wc3 DotA, and Vent).

This router overheated and died (no vents on top) and I began to use my WRT54G Linksys router which worked like a charm due to its QoS service prioritizing my game packets over their torrents. But occasionally the modem and router would stop communicating and power cycling either piece of equipment (leaving off for at least 2-3 minutes in my case) would fix this problem. This only happened maybe once every few days (no big deal). I thought nothing of it and continued to power cycle one, the other, or both to solve it until its death.

A month ago I broke it and went to the nearby Officemax to get a new router - determined to not have ANY more issues with my network. I got a D-Link standard G-band wireless/wired router, which worked fine afaik without having to reboot it until one day it stopped spooling out DHCP Addresses (Static still worked fine). So I returned it for a Linksys WRT120N which came with Network Magic (which blew me away - I love this program). I experienced the router/modem not talking issue and had to power cycle with this modem virtually once a day. Unfortunately this model did not have QoS capability, or the specific one I purchased was defective in that department, so again tonight I returned it and bought a WRT320N which I am currently using. The QoS works, I have my settings all correct, and I bought a mini-fan that is solely devoted to taking the possibility of overheating directly out of the equation of my router and modem.

My questions is this: is it normal to have this much issue with having a stable network? More importantly, should I have to get up and power cycle my network devices every couple of days? Could it be:
-every specific individual router I have been unlucky enough to deal with?
-Linksys routers?
-overheating?
-a magnetic field in that spot in my house?
-the modem?
-some specific type of network traffic?
-a router setting I have failed to set?
-variable or limited power source (very few outlets in this old house - think daisy-chained power strips and extension cords all over)?
-something else?

As long as i keep having problems and Office Max keeps letting me return my routers (which they have been AWESOME about) I will try to find a connection that will stay stable for a few months or longer.

Specifications:
-All computers afaik use Windows XP Pro SP 3
-I have a netgear MR814v2 router on the network acting as a switch from port 1 (no problems here afaik even though I sawed the top off - dont ask).
-I have 2 desktops connected, anywhere between 1 and 3 wireless laptops, and two workstations for wired laptops.
-Common usage is WoW, WC3 DotA, Internet browsing, torrenting, Music and video streaming and downloading, and occasional file transfer.
-WPA2 Personal TKIP and AES encryption
-reserved as many DCHP Addresses as there are frequent computers here
-custom 192.168.0.1 gateway address (modified from 192.168.1.1)
-QoS service to prioritize packets on port 1, which goes to the netgear router acting as switch (where I have my desktop and laptop workstation connected for gaming)
-updated to most recent firmware
-Charter Communication provides the lease modem and internet service (5mbps)
-I've used many different network cables at all points in the network
-smokers in the house, no pets ... idk

Also, calls to charter tell me that the connection is good and stable and has been for a long time so likely my problem is not my modem or charter related, even though power cycling the modem resolves it. They said to rule them out as an issue to plug my computer directly to the modem and see if the problem replicates - but I can't kick my roommates off the internet for X days until it happens or doesn't happen.

All I need is a network that does this:
-has 4 wired ports (10/100 is acceptable)
-has wireless (G is acceptable) with any type of security
-has QoS prioritization so my games work while they torrent.
-doesn't need to be rebooted for months at a time.

Anything else is trivial as far as I'm concerned. Is it feasible to have this? I'm ready to spend big money on a commercial router. Please help. Thank you so much, ~Richard

[richared]

It seems that many people who told me "you're just getting unlucky with routers" were right. The same day that I wrote this I had just bought a new WRT320N, which to this day has been absolutely flawless, QoS works like a charm, has wireless with security, some LAN ports, and most importantly HAS NOT BEEN RESET since setting all the configurations. That's all I needed. So my final analysis: Don't spend less than 100$ on a router - it's just a headache.