Can anyone help me with a router problem (Dlink DIR-615)?

[zopzop]

My router the Dlink DIR-615 keeps disconnecting from the internet. Sometimes it's fine other times, I get no connectiona and I have to unplug it then replug it in. I don't understand why it would do this and yes I've tried upgrading the firmware :)

[gerardwil]

Hi,

Any possibility to restore factory settings?

Gerard

[innerpeace]

Hi zopzop,

Not sure if this will help but... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19952909?hilite=

[zopzop]

@gerardwil

yup there is an option in the router menu itself that says "restore to facotry default" but i've tried that and nothing. i've tried restoring to default, i've tried upgrading the firmware (which not only doesn't solve the disconnect problem but actually makes the wireless unstable), i've tried searching the internet for people with similar problems with this device but so far nothing seems to work.

@innerpeace

thanks for that, i've seen that before but wasn't sure how assigning dhcp reservations to my machines would work. i just now gave in and tried it. let's see how everything goes. i doubt it will work though :(

[Eldar]

Have you tried to change your channel?
Maybe something is interfering with your router. :-\
See Wireless Settings to change it and try it out what works best for you.

[markymoo]

Is there any other routers sprung up in the area detecting on your wireless console? What can happen is other routers nearby can use the same channel as your router and can interfere with connecting to your router. There can also be trying to connect to your router. Try changing the router channel in the router config. Also can try turning off DHCP and set the pc to connect to a set manual IP and set the MAC address of your network card to be the only one that can connect to your router. Also try installing the original network driver as Windows update can update and newer network drivers can play havoc with stability. Then again the wireless network card might be getting too hot or going faulty.

[wat0114]

Some more ideas thrown your way ;) Did you see D-Link troubleshooting (http://support.dlink.com/supportfaq/)? There was mention of changing the pre-amble to short in both your card and router, or possibly locking down the speed on your ethernet card.

[zopzop]

@markymoo and Eldar

it's not just my wireless that loses internet connection it's my desktop that's not connected wirelessly too. it's the oddest thing. some days it will be fine, then other days i have to unplug and replug in the router multiple times to get my internet connection back.

@wat0114

i'll try this when i get home. but i don't think it will work, it's definitely the router causing this because my old belkin router had no such problems EVER. and the only thing i changed in my setup was the purchase of this "new" router because my old belkin router didn't have WPA/WPA2 security option.

[AKAJohnDoe]

That almost seems like your ISP is dropping. Is the MODEM healthy? Do the router logs show anything?

[zopzop]

@AKAJohnDoe

but why would it happen now that i got my new router? this never happened with my old belkin router. in fact i never had a problem with my belkin router and it's like 5 years old. the only reason i even purchased this new router is because my belkin was so old it only supported 128bit WEP encryption (which as we all know can be cracked in 2 minutes or less).

[markymoo]

If what's changed then it the settings of the new router that not compatible fully with ISP or it a coincidence your ISP is acting badly. If you not using wireless WPA2 then that feature difference is not the cause of it dropping. The new router might have a different MTU, try 1500,1450 or 1400.

[wat0114]

When you do lose the connection, are you able to ping your router's LAN-side, probably 192.168.0.1? Does your router lose its ip address on the WAN-side, as assigned by your ISP? What about DNS server ip addresses in your router's WAN-side configuration. Are they listed? There might be two of them, a primary and secondary. Sorry, I'm just throwing forward ideas as they come to me.

[markymoo]

The new router can have a built in firewall and block innocent packets acting as if you getting hacked and block you. Try turning it off also turn off your s/w firewall too.

[Eldar]

{QUOTE-> The new router can have a built in firewall and block innocent packets acting as if you getting hacked and block you. Try turning it off also turn off your s/w firewall too. <-QUOTE}That's like opening a door to your house. :o

That router does have a firewall, but only to block incoming traffic, not outgoing.

What happens is that when you setup your router for the first time, your software firewall may block the connection, so it's better to turn off this firewall/suite, not the one from the router. :)

FYI I do have a D-Link DIR-655, which works great. Not once did I lose my internet connection.

I'm not too techie on that networking stuff, but it could be possible the wireless adapter is failing, not the router.

Just a wild guess. ;)

[ronjor]

Some tips. http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesstips.mspx

[zopzop]

@ronjor

it's not just the wireless that doesn't function, no internet connectivity is possible when my router acts up either wirelessly or on my pc connected directly to the router. i have to unplug and replug in the router for me to be able to go online at all.

@wat0114
{QUOTE-> When you do lose the connection, are you able to ping your router's LAN-side, probably 192.168.0.1? <-QUOTE}

nope. i opened up the command prompt and typed ping 192.168.0.1 and it says packets lost all of them 100%.

[ronjor]

{QUOTE-> i have to unplug and replug in the router for me to be able to go online at all. <-QUOTE}Try another cable. Sounds like a bad connection between your computer and the router.

[markymoo]

{QUOTE-> That's like opening a door to your house. :o <-QUOTE}

No it isn't. Just because you got no firewall on doesn't mean you going to get hacked. It means you show up on a ip scan and then they still got to find you. A hacker still got to get in and find a vulnerability in your operating system depending on what ports are open. If you have no or easy password on your Windows then it would be easy. Did you ever change your password from default on your router as that is a way hackers can modify your router settings to there own end. He's only doing it to test to eliminate. Firewalls detecting something is up block the port whether it software or hardware. I'm just throwing up possibles as i had experience of different makes of routers but not that specific router. Too much security on routers or firewalls can throw you off so just turning it off for awhile is just to see. If somebody is heavily scanning ip ranges you router can put some heavy security on. It like when you set wireless encryption. You don't set it up with the encryption on first you connect with no encryption just to get it going. It been working fine and it not working so something up we just trying stuff mate. The router tends to go faulty before the wire.

[zopzop]

@markymoo

i don't think i'm confortable switching off the router's firewall, call me paranoid :)

@ronjor

do you mean the ethernet cable or the power plug? because when i say i have to unplug my router i mean i have to unplug its power cord then plug it back in the outlet.

for now i tried to do what another unfortunate dlink dir-615 owner did in the link in the post by innerpeace. i'll let you know how it goes.

[markymoo]

{QUOTE->

What happens is that when you setup your router for the first time, your software firewall may block the connection, so it's better to turn off this firewall/suite, not the one from the router. :) <-QUOTE}

Yes software, especially if you set it on Automatic configuration or accidentally choose wrongly on manual connections. There is a difference between blocking the connection and disconnecting from the IP. I was recommending get back to basics so it's easier to eliminate the problem.

[wat0114]

{QUOTE-> ... i've tried upgrading the firmware (which not only doesn't solve the disconnect problem but actually makes the wireless unstable), <-QUOTE}

This may seem obvious but is necessary to ask to rule out other possible issues: when you upgraded the firmware, did you do so over a hard-wired connection, because over a wireless connection will likely lead to disaster.

{QUOTE->
@wat0114

nope. i opened up the command prompt and typed ping 192.168.0.1 and it says packets lost all of them 100%. <-QUOTE}

After losing connection, what do you get from the cmd line with a "ipconfig /all" ? In particular what does it show for ip address, default gateway? Do you see "Media state" as disconnected?

[markymoo]

{QUOTE->

i don't think i'm confortable switching off the router's firewall, call me paranoid :)

<-QUOTE}

You won't turn off your firewall ok but how many change the default password on there router? I bet not many.

[markymoo]

{QUOTE-> did you do so over a hard-wired connection, because over a wireless connection will likely lead to disaster. <-QUOTE}

that usually not make it work at all and kills it.

[wat0114]

{QUOTE-> that usually not make it work at all and kills it. <-QUOTE}

Still, I'd like to rule out the possibility.

[zopzop]

@wat0114

1) yup, when i upgraded my firmware i did it through my desktop pc, the one wired to my router.

2) no. i never tried the ipconfig /all command. next time i get the disconnect i'll try it.

@markymoo

i did change the factory password on my router (there wasn't even one by default). it's now some random phrase 20+ characters long.

[markymoo]

{QUOTE-> Still, I'd like to rule out the possibility. <-QUOTE}

exactly i'm just throwing up possibles too however unlikely as he doesn't have a spare router to test with.

i would swap it for another router. d-link are one of the better makes. if you go back to older firmware or can you not take it to a friends to test. IF it that bad you might as well use old router until you can find a replacement. if it WPA use a full ascii 64 character password that be very secure. It not worth buying another router just for WPA2. Sure in your case being WEP. WPA-PSK still requires brute force and using a long ascii password this becomes unrealistic to break. In these situations having spare parts or friends,family with internet is beneficial otherwise buying cables, etc. connectors to test if it faulty can become more expensive than if turns out to be router which sending back can be the less hassle. i would wait a week to see if your ISP the cause of it and ring them in the mean time.

[zopzop]

ok update, nothing i've tried works. the losses in connection continue. BUT i did notice something. the loss of internet happens when i download HUGE files (like the ubuntu iso). this only happens when i'm connected through the router. if i'm connected directly to my cable modem no problem. i've repeated this "test", ie downloading huge files when connected to the router then connected to my cable modem. the results are the same.

this new info any help?

[wat0114]

{QUOTE-> BUT i did notice something. the loss of internet happens when i download HUGE files (like the ubuntu iso). <-QUOTE}

From the DIR-615 kb accessed from the link in my first post:

{QUOTE-> Wireless Drops with large file transfers

If your wireless connection is dropping with large file transfers or downloads, please change the preamble to short on the card and the access point/wireless router. Consult the documentation that came with your wireless card and access point/wireless router for help with changing the preamble. This will allow for better connectivity on busy networks.
<-QUOTE}

Of course you mention ed earlier you were going to try this, so if it hasn't helped, then I'm not sure what else to suggest :(

[zopzop]

{QUOTE-> Of course you mention ed earlier you were going to try this, so if it hasn't helped, then I'm not sure what else to suggest :( <-QUOTE}

yup i tried it and it didn't work. to make things worse the loss of connectivity happens for both my wireless and my wired connections to the router. i don't understand what it can be.

[wat0114]

Hi zopzop,

did you try the ipconfig /all after losing the connection? Is your machine losing its ip address? You know, if the router is still under warranty, why not try returning it for another? it could very well be faulty. I'm starting to believe this.

[Arup]

D Links are notorious for using weak crappy power supplies which reset the router at the slightest fluctuation. I had the problem where the router would reset itself after every power fluctuation, the D Link service were helpless even after they changed the power supply twice. Finally I sold that router for Netgear which comes with a far beefier supply.

[zopzop]

@wat0114

it's still under warranty, i've only had it about 3 months. i'm finally broke down and emailed costumer support telling them basically everything i told you guys. they told me to call a number. i'll see how it goes.

ps ipconfig /all showed that i have an IP address 192.168.0.101.

[gerardwil]

What are your Internet Protocol Properties?
Can you post a screenshot?

Gerard

[zopzop]

well here's an update to my story. after i emailed dlink tech support they responded VERY quickly (which is a surprise since it's the weekend). in the email they told me to call a tech support number. i was connected to a tech support guy very quickly and he walked me through a series of changes to my router.

he told me to call back in an hour or so if the problem persisted. the problem was still there (losing connection). i called back and they told me not to worry that the router was probably defective and that they'd send me a new one.

man i really HATE this router but the dlink customer support staff and policy was awesome. from the reply to my email to me getting a replacement router didn't even take 24 hours! i'm sticking with dlink :thumb:

[wat0114]

{QUOTE-> well here's an update to my story. after i emailed dlink tech support they responded VERY quickly (which is a surprise since it's the weekend). in the email they told me to call a tech support number. i was connected to a tech support guy very quickly and he walked me through a series of changes to my router.

he told me to call back in an hour or so if the problem persisted. the problem was still there (losing connection). i called back and they told me not to worry that the router was probably defective and that they'd send me a new one.

man i really HATE this router but the dlink customer support staff and policy was awesome. from the reply to my email to me getting a replacement router didn't even take 24 hours! i'm sticking with dlink :thumb: <-QUOTE}

Prompt, reliable and courteous support means a lot and not too common these days. I hope it all works out in the end for you zopzop. Good luck!

[zopzop]

in my excitement of finally getting a working router i forgot to thank everyone on this thread that tried to help me solve this problem. :-[

thanks guys.

[markymoo]

{QUOTE->
he told me to call back in an hour or so if the problem persisted. the problem was still there (losing connection). i called back and they told me not to worry that the router was probably defective and that they'd send me a new one.

man i really HATE this router but the dlink customer support staff and policy was awesome. from the reply to my email to me getting a replacement router didn't even take 24 hours! i'm sticking with dlink :thumb: <-QUOTE}

great service. surprisingly he didn't ask you a lot of questions. did you drop the phone in shock?

zopzop, sorry i mistakenly called you appster who is another forum member of this board due to you having the same or very similar avatar :gack: .

[zopzop]

@markymoo

lol yeah, i was surprised at how painless the whole process was. fast, friendly customer service and no nonsense product replacement policy.

ps i finally figured out how to upload my own custom avatar, no more mistaken identities here! :P

[markymoo]

{QUOTE-> @markymoo

lol yeah, i was surprised at how painless the whole process was. fast, friendly customer service and no nonsense product replacement policy. <-QUOTE}

maybe he knew of an issue with the Dlink DIR-615 - lol just kidding. i love when it is painless for customers with genuine problem not pulling a fast one. smooth,efficient and stress free. that's why i like going to a smaller company you can get a more personal, helpful level of service.