Linksys WRT54G & COMCAST

I got 6 computers hooked up to my wireless network which was working fine till 3 weeks ago.Since then we have been loosing connection off and on.

I called COMCAST and the technician said that everything on their end is ok.

Is there a possibility that my LYNKSIS is at fault or is there something else that
can be done to check connection failure ??

 

Linksys*


How old is the router?
How many other wireless networks can you see when you search for nearby networks?

 

I having the same problem too, but it's not the WRT that's timing out It's the router that comcast provides, mind you I still have a decent signal but cant get a connection unless I reset the router again ... which sucks cause
I have to break in to my roommate's room and I don't like that

Heres what hooked up to the WRT:

10 year old Dell desktop -wired
Xbox 360 Elite - Wired
My XPS wireless
Macbook 13

 

There are a number of factors depending on where in the states you subscribe to Comcast.
It could be that they are deploying DOCSIS 3.0 in your area, or there's some other configuration change taking place.

What cable modem do you use, and did you buy it, or are you leasing it?

 

The Lynksis I would say is about 2/3 years old and I see 5 wireless network available (neighbors)

Comcast replaced their router during last visit (MOTOROLA)
My LOcation = New Hampshire

Signal is lost and comes back by itself,no need to reset.

This started happening 3 weeks ago.Before everything was ok

 

you are losing the wireless signal or just internet connection?

 

I am loosing connection.It goes from INTERNET/LOCAL >> LOCAL.

 

Just to add - when a loose connection the COMCAST MOTOROLA router has all 4 lights on which means I am good.Also when the tech came to my house he hooked up his computer to their modem and told me that I have never lost signal since I complained about it.I have BEEN USING MY SPRINT WWAN 3G ON THE MEANTIME but my wife and kids are P...off

 

Check to see how many splitters you have on the line feeding into the modem. There is a MAX of 4, once you hit that number you have too great of signal loss for the connections to be maintained. I ran into this on a neighbor many years ago.

 

I got 1 splitter -- 1 line for COMCAST MODEM
1 line for TV

 

shadowarachh makes a VERY important point.
If you cannot confirm the integrity of your local wireless network then you are putting too many variables into the mix and you shouldn't start placing blame with Comcast. You can't just say your "losing connection" as you are connected at multiple potential points of failure and it takes only one to lose overall Internet connectivity.
If you don't know how to check whether it's the wireless LAN or Comcast by immdiately describing in a single step what to do in your next post, then you can't confirm the integrity of your WiFi network
The next time this happens you need to try to ping your Linksys router locally, or try to connect to it via the web console. If you subsequently can't ping then your wireless network is intermittent. You can then prove with another laptop with it's wifi radio disabled and connect to the router via an ethernet cable while the initial computer continues to have problem. If you can access the Internet on the wired system, then you've proved your wifi is acting up.

Cable modems communicate on a regular basis to their networks, so the tech should be able to tell if your connection was down.
I'm going to venture to say something is going on with your wireless network. It could just be that one of your neighbors bought a shiny new wireless access point..

Muscle Master: Though it may seem helpful to compare issues based on your simliar symptoms, your specific situation can vary in so many more ways than relate. So you have to unfortunately address them separately...

Also the number of lights on a cable modem is far from definitive in diagnosing the problem. In fact more lights confirms the tech's claim that your connection wasn't down. Finally I was looking for the exact model of the Motorola device. Comcast leases tons of different models, and that's just from Motorola (they use other manufacturers, too). They vary depending on which one you have specifically.

zimbros12: while too many splitters may degrade the signal to the point where you run into issues, a signal too strong may also cause problems.

 

1.I am not placing blame with COMCAST at all (misunderstanding)
2.Potential points of failure - that's what I'm trying to figure out which one is
3.Pinged 200 times and no break up
4.Neighbor using my wireless - quite possible
5.I may think that my LYNKSIS may be a gonner

 

I think he meant that neighbours’ network may run on the same channel and/or with high power radio and that may cause problems for your reception. You should secure your network BTW
I agree with hceuterpe that you should connect another computer via Ethernet to the router while the other has problems to verify that it is actually WiFi related.
You can also use an app called inSSIDer to check how good your signal quality is and what is the best channel.
http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider

 

thanks for the link.
that's what i got (MINE LYNKSIS)

 

move your router's bands so that they do not overlap if possible.

what encryption are you using and have you tried a different one?

 

>> I am on band 6 which is -5 from the highest neighbor 11
>> Encryption WAP2 have not tried another > should I ? why ??
>> Changed SSID

 

>> I am on band 6 which is -5 from the highest neighbor => 11
>> Encryption WAP2 have not tried another > should I ? why ??
>> Changed SSID
>> Upgraded FIRMWARE
>> Raised router higher from its original place

Lets see if there is any improvement.
Like yesterday between 8PM > 9PM I was with a friend of mine on SKYPE and it was very annoying because I lost connection every 3 min or so.

Any other suggestion

 

Usually router drops a lot of packets when its about to die.

I think it may be your internet modem. Have you tried testing it in via Ethernet cable?

Use WPA-PSK incase some of your devices are not WPA2 compatible

 

(. .) * The internet modem is brand new ,just replaced last week.Yes I did test it and everything was normal.

I will do a test for the next couple of days with the changes I have made.Next step if it does not work alright will be a new ROUTER.

WPA-PSK ? can't find it > just WPA-TKIP

 

Yes same thing WPA-PSK security mode using TKIP algorithm.

Anyway theres one last thing you can do before you junk the router. You can update your firmware or flash it to DD-WRT firmware

Can you check below the router and see which version of the WRT54G it is? It should say something like Model No: WRT54Gv3.1

 

It is version 6 => already updated firmware.
I ve been noticing quite a bit of improvement since I have done the changes on my previous post.
For the time being connection has been steady and pages loading very fast .

 

reporting back after 2 days:

the changes I have made worked perfectly.

net now solid as a rock.no more signal lost

thanks

 

Actually I would set the channel to 1, and keep it there.
You will get the least interference this way.

I would actually run WPA2 over WPA with TKIP. WPA2 is actually in the 802.11i standard, WPA is not and is a stop gap security measure over WEP.

I took another look at your WiFi survey scan (your graphic):
Mostly likely what happened is you did not set encryption and security on your AP. That meant anyone could have it used it, and that probably happened. That's fairly typical for those small consumer-oriented routers typically get overloaded in that situation, or your provider throttles your connection with this suspicion mind, or both.

NEVER buy a router and run it with the defaults out of the box. That's a foolish practice.

 

I am on WPA2 right now.Ch 6 is working fine.Perhaps will try 1 as you suggested and try to notice any difference.

Encryption > Yes indeed it was not encrypted.also the firmaware was updated
(bought router in 2007 and never updated firmware.

Anyway indeed appreciated your comments.Thanks