# Internet cutting in and out constantly



## Domeran (Jun 27, 2008)

I'm having a problem where I am losing my internet connection randomly. It'll lose its connection for about 10-30 seconds, then it will reconnect. Then after about another 30 seconds it will disconnect again.

I initially tried resetting the router and modem, or checking the computers to see if they were at fault. My investigation found that the modem itself was losing the connection. When the problem originally started I was in the process of switching ISP's. 

I contacted my ISP at the time, Rogers, and told them the problem. They told me the line was fine on their end so it may be the router. 

I switched ISP's and switched routers, but the router continued to lose connection. It is very sporatic, sometimes it won't disconnect for a few hours, other times it will disconnect for hours at a time, over and over again. Usually I just ignore it and wait for it to stop, but it's getting a bit frustrating as it has been doing it for the past 8 hours, constantly disconnecting every 30 seconds.

The modem event log shows this:

Fri Aug 19 16:09:52 2011 Critical (3) DHCP WARNING - Non-critical field invalid in response. 
Fri Aug 19 16:09:43 2011 Critical (3) No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out 
Fri Aug 19 16:09:30 2011 Critical (3) Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - Re- initializing MAC 

these three messages repeat over and over again. The line coming in is supposedly fine, and the modem itself was changed and the problem persisted so I'm guessing that's fine too. Anyone know what the cause would be and how I could fix it?

(The only things I can think of left to check are the signal amplifier and the cable cords going from the line outside the house to my modem, but I scanned over all the cable cords and nothing looked damaged, same with the amplifier.


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## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

Hi Domeran, try temporarily connecting your computer directly to the modem. Power off the modem for 10 seconds, then plug it back in. See if taking the router out of the equation helps to pinpoint the problem.

I'm assuming Rogers did the wiring and you haven't added the splits or amplifiers? That can be a cause for poor signals.


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## khalz (Aug 21, 2011)

Your optimal setup should have the modem off of the very first split in the house. If they are boosting the signal to your modem via an amp, there is def a signal problem. If they are amping a bad signal, your end signal might look OK in the diagnostics, but it is still a BAD signal. Also, by amping the signal, they are affecting the integrity of your return path. In our system, an optimal return range should be somewhere between 40 and 50... Anything higher would put it in the yellow and anything higher than a 52 would put it in the red and cause intermittent connection issues.

If you plan on reconfiguring the inside wires yourself, make sure that the fittings on each break in the cable are pushed on flush (look at the connector and ensure that there are no gaps inside... you are looking for the white part of the inside of the cable to be flush against where the connector has been crimped on) Also, make sure that the center conductor (the copper stinger) is not too long. If they are long, just use a good snipper to shorten them.. The best way is to lay your wire cutter flush along the top of the connector and cut off anything that it will. It should only stick out a hair past the end of it.
Bad connectors and going through an amp will cause much havoc on your return. Also, check that your splitters are not Radio Shack splitters. Look at the Mhz rating on them. If you don't see a rating and the splitter is gold, you are going to need to replace it. We use 2150Mhz, if you have a 600 or 900, they need to be replaced.

Since you were able to access your event log in the modem, is there a diagnostics screen that tells your modem levels? If so, what is your downstream level and upstream level reading at? If you are able to bring the modem and your computer to the initial block where everything comes to the house, try to get a reading there as well to compare. I think you would use the URL of 192.168.100.1 to access it. Also, if your event log displays T3 and T4 errors, check to see if you have many.

Hope that helps some. Even if your levels look decent, you still may be getting your intermittent block sync from decent 'bad' levels.


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