Help me troubleshoot my internet/network please.

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Brothernod

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 29, 2001
Messages
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Okay, I work at a small office with around 10 computers. We have a Verizon DSL connection that we all share. Internet use is minimal except for me and the boss (who watches his stocks all day).

The problem I have been having is that everyonce in awhile (maybe once every hour, possibly more frequently) I get what feels like a lag spike. I cannot retreive websites and my AIM disconnects. Then 5 seconds later AIM recconnects and I cna use the internet again.

At first I thought it was our DSL modem as it was 4 years old so we just replaced that, and I still get the problem.

So here is our network setup.

We are all running Windows XP Pro and are on a Domain, the domain server is at another location, and we have a T1 for dealing with that communication. We have our DSL modem plugged into a Linksys Cable/DSL router. The cable router is plugges into a 20 port switch. Everyone's office is routed off the giant switch. Some of these pieces have been here for more than 5 years as they were here before I got here. The Linksys routerd was replaced less than a year ago.


Where do I start to solve this problem? My boss is fed up and is considering switching to a cable modem, since we're assuming it is still an internet problem, but I want to make sure if I can before we make that switch.



Unfortunatly I use the internet the most so I cannot poll the other workers for info about whether they are getting these same "lag spikes" that I am noticing. The boss is far to computer illiterate to try and ellicit such info from him.

Also the computers are not the problem as we have completely new computers as of 6 months ago and I had the same problems then as I do now.
 
Well, I don't know if it's your gear causing the problem. Maybe you can have a phone tech come out and check the lines?
 
I would htink it would be the lines, but we had a tech here 2 weeks ago and he tested the line or something of that nature and said he was pulling down full speeds.

I don't know how relavent a test that is since speed isn't our issue.
 
i have a similar thing happen to me at home occaisonally

it seems like when a set amount of data has passed through the router, it dies and reboots itself

perhaps something similar is happening to a peice of your equipment, although it is quite unlikely.
 
Well I replaced the Linksys with another Linksys 6month ago, maybe a year already. I have a spare D-Link (man I love their gear) at home, I guess I'll bring that in and give it a try.


Any idea how I could test it more reliably than just using it for a couple days?
 
I had a similar problem with my network as well. Mines isn't as big as yours and its wireless, but the same thing was happening where I had internet one second and the othert second I had no internet and then like 4-5 seconds later it would come back. I never knew what caused the problem I thought it was my router becuase I started to experience it when I got my new Dlink and switched to wireless, but after a while the problem somehow fixed itself and I hardly ever loose connection anymore.
 
I've been having the same problem as you are with my home network and it's definately a router problem like someone mentioned before...

We have about 10 computers in our home, as well as 2 WAPs and every once-in-a-while, if there is high internet traffic, our internet connection is lost long enough to disconnect AIM clients and stall internet surfing.

I think you mentioned above that you have all your office clients plugged into a 20-port switch and then the switch is plugged into the router... with ALL internet traffice coming through one port on the linksys router it simply gets overloaded and restarts to flush the existing traffic and starts over again.

You can try to update the firmware on the router but personally I don't think that really solves the problem, it helps but doesn't solve it.

If I were you I would suggest to your boss that you get a router with more capacity for internet traffic... maybe something like this:

http://www.shentech.com/1032702.html

You'll notice there is quite a lot of RAM and Flash memory...

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Best,

Jason
 
So I guess he must have a T-3 or OC connection. That would be the only reason an internet connection would overload a router with at least a 10BaseT connection, even a cheap SOHO router. For some reason I think he probably just has a typical dsl or cable broadband connection. If so, that is not overloading his router.
 
ktwebb said:
So I guess he must have a T-3 or OC connection. That would be the only reason an internet connection would overload a router with at least a 10BaseT connection, even a cheap SOHO router. For some reason I think he probably just has a typical dsl or cable broadband connection. If so, that is not overloading his router.
Click to expand...

The internet traffic is not what would be overloading his router, it's the intranet traffic... same thing was/is happening at my home with similar setup...

Best,

Jason
 
" the router... with ALL internet traffice coming through one port on the linksys router it simply gets overloaded "

The switch would handle local traffic. It's irrelevant to the single LAN port on the router. This is not affecting his internet connection unless the switch forwarding alot of broadcast traffic out to that port. Possible but unlikely. Depends on how his workstations are setup. If this is affecting your LAN at home then you need to work on the workstation config, not the router.
 
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