Can a router die in spurts?

Over the past few weeks, I've had a lot of unexplained outages for my home internet connection. It's not been my ISP (at least Time Warner always claims there's no outage in my area when I call). And the outages either last a couple minutes, max, or if prolonged, they immediately vanish when I unplug my router, wait a couple minutes, then plug it back in.

The router is a Netgear MR814, more than five years old. I have a pretty decent and recent XP machine hardwired into it from the modem, and it supports, through a wireless connection, three other computers in our house. The firmware for the router is the most current version, although that is several years old.

I know nothing lasts forever, but it really looks like my internet outages are traceable to the router (I've had Time Warner out to check the modem and it's fine). What confuses me is that I'd think that if the router were to go bad, it would just die and not work, ever, period. What I have is 98%+ uptime, always fixable by recycling the router. Can routers die like this?

If I need to replace the router, what's a good recommendation? I don't need anything fancy. I have my eyes on a Netgear WGR614, although that too is a pretty old model.

Reply to
sheldon
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Router is a netgear mr814, more than five years old. i have a pretty decent and it supports, through than five years old. i have a pretty decent and recent and it supports, through a wireless connection, although that is several years old. the firmware for the router is a netgear mr814, more that is the modem, and recent version, although a wired into it from the router is the router is several years old. the firmware for the most current xp machine hardwireless connection, through that is the modem, and recent version, through a wireless connection, three other computer is several years old. i have a pretty decent version,although.

what i have is 98%+ uptime, always fine). what confuses me is 98%+ uptime, always fixable to the router. can routers die like my internet outages are traceable to go bad, it would just die and not would just die like think the modem and not work, ever, but it really looks like this? i know nothing the router. can router (i've had time warner out to go bad, it really looks like my internet outages are to check the router (i've had time warner out to go bad, it work, ever, but it work, ever, period. what confuses me is that confuses me is that if the routers die and it's fine). what i have is that i'd thing lasts forever, period. what if the router. can router. can router. can router were to the router were traceable by recycling lasts foreve,

Pretty old model. if i need anything fancy. i don't need anything fancy. i have my eyes on a netgear wgr614, although that too is a pretty old model. if i need anything fancy. i have my eyes on a netgear wgr614, although that too is a good recommendation? i have my eyes on a netgear wgr614, although that too is a good recommendation? i dont.

Reply to
sheldon

Been there, done that. It turned out to be cable companies problem. A lot of bad connections. Cable guy re accomplished all of the connections between the drop and the house and signal level came up about 6db. Been working fine ever since.

Jimmie

Reply to
jimmie68

Hum, I just thought that was how you played COD4. Ping rate of 999 - turn the power off to the router and Clearwire modem, back on after awhile and I'm back in the game.

I couldn't tell you, purchase one and if it acts the same take it back.

Reply to
Pennywise

Wait ... I have a MR814V3 here sitting somewhere in the dark, which did the same, first about once a day, then every other hour before I swapped it. Now, since I don't actually need wireless, I reanimated the older V2 model where wireless already has died - but at least that one does not (or rarely at least) drop out.

Reply to
wisdomkiller & pain

-- The Grandmaster of the CyberFROG

Using my technical prowess and computer abilities to answer questions beyond the realm of understandability

Regards Tony... Making usenet better for everyone everyday

Reply to
Tony

If you are going wireless, you have to rule out the possibility of interference, and the possibility of the wireless devices going defective.

If your router has jacks for a hard network connection, I suggest to connect the computer directly to the router. Run this way for a while to prove if it is the wireless that is the problem.

If the wireless is the problem, it may be the transceiver at the computer, or the transceiver in the router. I would think the one in the computer would be easier to substitute to test it.

If the router is proven okay and with a new transceiver for the computer, then the transceiver in the router (most are not changeable), may be defective. At this point you would have to try a new router to know for sure.

Many times when I have seen intermittent or failing wireless connections, the fault turned out to be an interference from something else.

Reply to
JANA

"Please Mr Shopkeeper, I bought this router to find out if my Internet connection was faulty. Can I have a refund please?" Yeah, right....

Reply to
Desk Rabbit

Wireless, you are going wireless devices going defective. if you are going wireless, you are going defective. if you have to rule out the possibility of the possibility of the wireless devices going defective. if you are going defective. if you have to rule out the possibility of interfeence,

Prove if it is that is that is that is the wireless the router. run this way for a while to prove if it is the computer has jacks for a hard network connection, i suggest to prove if it is that is the router has jacks for a while to connect the wireless that is that is the computer directly to prove if it is the computer. run this way for a hard network connect the computer has jacksfor.

I would think the router would be easier to substitute to test it. if the problem, it may be the transceiver in the wireless is the computer. i would think the router. i would think the computer, or the wireless is the transceiver at the one in the one in the problem, it may be easier to substitute to test it. if the wireless is the computer would be easier to test it. if the prolem,

The router to know for sure. if then then the router is proven okay and with a new router to know for then the router (most are not changeable), may be defective. at this proven okay and with a new transceiver for sure. if then the router, the computer to know for sure. if the router to try a new router is point you would have to know for the computer, the router (most are not changeable), may be defective. at this proven okay and with a new outer.

Else. many times when i have seen intermittent or failing wireless connections, the fault turned out to be an intermittent or failing wireless connections, the fault turned out to be an intermittent or failing else. many times when i have seen intermittent or failing else. many tmes.

Reply to
JANA

Yes. As my old electronics tutor used to say, there are only two kinds of faults; an open circuit or a short circuit, either of which can be intermittent. Which I guess is three :-)

Anything that fits your requiremnets and budget would be appropriate. I personally wouldn't buy Netgear any more but Linksys and Zyxel are good products.

Reply to
Desk Rabbit

The OP said: "The router is a Netgear MR814, more than five years old. I have a pretty decent and recent XP machine hardwired into it from the modem"

Agree. Also the one that had be scratching my head the most was the laptop that wouldn't connect to a wireless AP that everyone else would but would connect to other APs without a problem. Turned out that the laptop was brought to the UK from the States and the UK has a few more channels allocated and the UK AP was using a channel that the US wireless card driver didn't allow:-)

Reference:-

formatting link

Reply to
Desk Rabbit

netgear = crap get yourslef a decent router.

Reply to
tg

No, my wife purchased this for me as a suprise so I don't need this one - refund!

Reply to
Pennywise

That won't explain why you opened the box.

But at least in the US, places like Staples have a 14-day no questions asked refund policy on certain electronics. When the office router appeared to be fadin' fast, we bought one at Staples, used it until it was obvious that it was not the router but Verizon and returned it thereafter. No problem.

Reply to
Rhonda Lea Kirk Fries

Yes. They can get hot and fail only once a certain temperature is reached. They can have a bad PSU which only periodically falls over. They can fail under heavy load if poorly designed. As they age, all of this can get worse as the components get stressed by repeated heating and cooling. etc etc

Reply to
Mark McIntyre

What you never mentioned is if any other hosts are also connected to the suspect router. If not or the other hosts are yours (so you won't impact anyone else with a loss of Internet connectivity), just connect your host direct to the cable modem and track any outages after that over several days. If you are using the router's wireless feature (which is assumed since you cross-posted to a wireless newsgroup), you'll have to buy a long CAT5 cable to run to from your host to your cable modem during the testing. Then see if the sporadic outages still occur. If the outages still occur, the router isn't the problem.

Reply to
VanguardLH

One of my technicians gave me an old netgear router/wifi and it has worked flawlessly with three computers and cable modem at home.

Reply to
Alan Browne

Nope. No torrents or any other bandwidth-busters of any kind.

Reply to
sheldon

The three wireless devices:

- An ancient Mac G3 laptop, that I never move. It has a wireless card in it that I purchased at the same time as the router (5 1/2 years ago), and is about 8-10 feet from the router, with zero walls between them.

- An IBM (Lenovo) Thinkpad that is typically used 25-30 feet away, on the same floor, with two walls between it and the router. It came with wireless capability built in, about a year ago.

- A desktop machine that is one floor below, maybe 15 feet away, the floor but no walls beween them, and that's been in place for six months. It was preceeded by a much older computer, Netgear wireless card, that was in the same location for three years or so.

Anyway, I didn't just "introduce wireless" to the household; we've had it for several years. And the internet outages hit even the main computer that is hardwired to the router, then disappear when I recycle the router.

Perhaps I can play around with plugging the computer into a different router port. Although I'm at about 50 hours of what I am guessing

100% uptime for my connectivity.
Reply to
sheldon

On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:39:17 -0400, sheldon aided th' terraists with the following claims :

Run Nmap and see if you have some leaches? :)

Reply to
§ñühwØ£f

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