DSL Modem/Router Combo causing trouble:(

So when I connect my Router/DSL combo to my WRT5G router with dd-wrt, it keeps disconnecting me from time to time (especially when I start up my torrents).

Now, the modem is a Thompson ST516 v6, and so far I've realized that all Thompson routers are pieces of junk. I've been through 2 different models and they heat up to the point where it's uncomfortable to pick them up.

What options do I have to set on my Thompson router so that I can use the WAN port on my Linksys without any conflicts between the 2 routers occuring?

 

What version is the WRT54g? It should say on the bottom, something like WRT54g v.3. I think what's happening is that your router is running out of memory when you reach your TCP/IP open-port limit. It can't handle that kind of traffic.

EDIT: This should be in the Networking forum

 

It's a version 6, so I had to use dd-wrt micro.

 

When you look at your control panel in DD-WRT, how much free memory do you have and how many active IP connections are open?

EDIT: I have a v.3 with 16MB of RAM and it's only barely able to cope. I'm actually thinking about getting a new ASUS router.

 

It was fine. I just switched ISPs, and I used to have cable and went to DSL. It worked perfectly on the Cable-based ISP but the dsl really screwed me over.

 

Oh, well in that case, have you tried setting the modem up as a Bridge, and letting DD-WRT make all the decisions? It usually works pretty well that way.

 

Well will I be able to connect through the WAN port?

 

On the modem? I don't think I'm understanding you correctly. Wall plug --> DSL modem --> router. The WAN out port on the modem would be connected to the WAN port on the router and the router would be configured to be the bridge host, and the modem would be set in bridge mode. Bridge mode on the modem, basically just fowards everything TCP/IP to the router to make sense of, instead of the Modem hosting a DHCP server and Firewall and such.

 

The way I have it... Phone line to phone line port on the model/router combo. The ethernet cable from the modem/router combo goes into the WAN port of my Linksys WiFi router, but it doesn't work..

 

Then the settings somewhere are messed up, or something needs to be rebooted. When you plug, say, your notebook into the WAN port on the modem do you get connectivity? If so, then it's the Linksys. I've known them to just suddenly and spontaneously have ports die. Matter-of-fact, I've got 4 WRT54g's sitting stacked on my desk, all with some problem or other, with the hardware.

When everything is set-up how you have it now, can you ping your gateway IP?

Can you ping your router?

 

The internet does work when I connect it to the WAN port of the router. The Linksys works when I plug a cable from the WAN of the modem into one of the four LAN ports in the linksys, and then have another cable going from another LAN port into my computer

I've tried bridged mode, I don't understand what VPI/VCI is, but I set it to the default value it gave me. I disabled DHCP on the modem, and enabled it on the router. I then enabled PPOE on the Linksys, and typed in my username and information, and then I plugged an ethernet cable into WAN of the Modem/Router combo, and the other side into the WAN port of the Linksys.

This is so annoying, cable internet was so much more frustration free

 

The reason cable is so "frustration-free" is because all a cable modem does is act as a gateway. Basically it just forwards the ENTIRE internet to whatever is plugged into it, though some do have firewalls. DSL modems are somewhat different. They often have DHCP, Firewalls, User Configurable Options, etc.. I suggest you try this, just to minimize frustration going forward:

Reset the WRT54g to DD-WRT defaults... all the way, make sure it doesn't save ANY settings.

Unplug your Router from the DSL Modem and plug your notebook directly to the DSL Modem. Now, Hard-reset the modem. When the modem starts back up, it will re-sync the DSL line, and bring the Eth0 interface back up. Now you'll have to enter your login information again, for your ISP.

Once thats done, unplug your notebook from the modem and connect the WAN port on the modem to the WAN port on the "defaulted" DD-WRT router. Now connect to the wireless network and go to 192.168.0.1 or .1.1 which ever subnet you're on. And it'll ask you to set a default Username and password...

Look in the top right hand corner and see if you have a WAN IP of 192.168.X.X.

 

Yeah the WAN IP is 192.168.1.64. It says I have internet access I just can't go to any site.

 

I think what is happening at this point, is your router and modem/router are on the same subnet.