Router Issues

[Muad_dib77]

Got my router setup..

Wlan comes in..connects by wire to main pc..
connects wireless to laptop..
wierd thing happens.. Skype and MSN seems to drop the connection every 1.5mins or so..drops the connection & reconnections..

Everything else works fine... Any ideas?

[CJ]

Skype and MSN seems to drop the connection every 1.5mins or so..drops the connection & reconnections..

I'm assuming that you don't have a load of P2P traffic etc on the wire when the connection drops? If so, stop complaining

If not, then read on:

With Skype and MSN running, launch a command prompt. Type ipconfig and note the gateway address:

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C:\ipconfig

Windows IP Configuration

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.2
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

Kick off a constant ping to the gateway address:

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C:\ping 192.168.1.1 -t

Pinging 192.168.1.1 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=8ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=8ms TTL=255
....

Open up another command prompt window and kick off a constant ping to an internet host i.e www.eircom.net:

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C:\ping www.eircom.net -t

Pinging home.eircom.net [159.134.198.138] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 159.134.198.138: bytes=32 time=76ms TTL=60
Reply from 159.134.198.138: bytes=32 time=363ms TTL=60
Reply from 159.134.198.138: bytes=32 time=285ms TTL=60
Reply from 159.134.198.138: bytes=32 time=84ms TTL=60
Reply from 159.134.198.138: bytes=32 time=73ms TTL=60
...

Arrange the 2 command prompt windows so as you can see your MSN and Skype icons in the the taskbar, as you see them disconnecting, pay attention to the two pings, scenarios are:

1. If the ping to the gateway fails, its most likely a router hardware / config issue. turn on logging on the router to see if any errors are apparent.

2. If the ping to www.eircom.net fails (but the gateway ping stays up), then your internet connection is dodgy. Check cables / call your ISP

3. If both fail, see point 1

CJ

[Muad_dib77]

Thanks CJ - I've done that now..It seems I'll be ahving a chat with my ISP come monday morning.

Oh and strangely enough it doesn't seem to make any difference in the frequency of time-out if I run a 130kbps of torrents up & down at the same time.

Odd that.

I mst say I doubt that my ISP will move a finger - cause they are generally a pretty slow bunch but they're the only ones available for me so if anybody knows of a way to make skype/msn allow for a longer time-out period before dropping the connection/declaring disconnection - please let me know... I cant see anything in the applcation setups.

(I know thats like fixing the symptom rather than then problem but hey...)

[pergau]

Would your ISP rhyme with "Irish Fraudband" by any chance.

If so, you're running about average and I doubt that you will have any luck. My suggestion is to find a real ISP instead.

In their favour, they don't block torrent traffic like some others.

Consider NTL!

[Muad_dib77]

I live in the sticks mate...we dream of Irish fraudband out here,,,,And I just soled myself with the thought NT-Hell... Oh to have broadband like everybody else...what a life it woud be ..

Full of joy
Full of pleasure

Online gaming,Legal mp3s & movies..oh oh the bliss..

..any ways... no - I'm with a small provide called Net1 - they specialise in providing internet for the challenged.. In a locational sense that is..

I'm locationally challenged..yes... that's it...

and perhaps a bit tired..

[Bernard]

At least you can get something.

I just got a land line activated but the only internet available is dial up!
The worst thing is broadband is availabe only a mile away...

Celtic tiger my a$$

[Muad_dib77]

I feel your pain mate..

- 5 houses up the road they can get standard cable based interweb..(broadband) - for some reason my house is just outside the range..

Cablelaying bastards went the long way around in the estate..rather than taking a shorter possibly more expensive route..

Scour your local newspapers for connection-schemes - it's not unheard of for village communities to pull together and do a group-scheme thing..

[Bernard]

I've heard that if you have line of sight you can 'bounce' a signal wirelessly from one house to another. Apparently the kits are cheap enough...
Sounds a little finniky to me, still you never know...

[Muad_dib77]

Yeah that was done in the previous estate I lived in..worked a treat - but it does require that you know somebody willing to share their connection & have a thing installed on their roof

[pergau]

I suspect that you are stuck with what you have - if you're too far away from the exchange, the connection quality drops off very quickly and if it's a "community" wireless scheme or so you have to put up with what you can get.