Need help troubleshooting port forwarding/remote access

[imajeanius]

UPDATE:

So after poking around some more after my post, I think I've figured out the problem. I broke down and had my wife install LogMeIn on that laptop so that I can remote in to it. Once I did that, I logged into my router, and checked out the log. I found that everytime I tried to initiate a connection from here (at work) via RDC to my laptop at home, it logs the following:

[LAN access from remote] from 75.147.xx.xxx:7575 to 192.168.1.12:0

Now I have no idea why it's pointing to .12. My Port Forwarding setting is for 192.168.1.13. I've edited that service, removed it, re-added it, but nothing. Everytime I try to connect the router logs the attempt from that 75 ip to .12. I've rebooted the router and no change. So what gives?

Have been fighting with this issue for a while now and haven't had any luck on my own. I need some other ideas/input as to maybe why this is happening.

Setup:
- Have Comcast highspeed connection at home
- Have Netgear 54G wireless router at home
- Netgear router is setup for Port Forwarding to a laptop on home network for Remote Desktop
- Laptop is running Win 7 RC

Goal:
- To connect to laptop at home from work via public IP of modem via RDC

Result:
- Success rate varies.
- There are days when I've been able to remain connected for 6-8 hrs.
- Lately, I haven't been able to connect at all.
- The days when I can connect, it will randomly drop my session. Once that happens, I am unable to reconnect.

Troubleshooting:
- Wife works at home so I'm able to get her to troubleshoot for me. First thing I've done is verify that her machine can connect to that laptop I'm trying to access via RDC. It does.
- I have her verify the router's port forwarding settings and it's never changed.
- The public IP hasn't changed.
- Rebooting the router and or modem does not change the outcome.
- I even had her boot up another laptop that I have that runs XP Pro. Had her change the port forwarding settings to point to the XP Pro laptop, and then try to connect via public IP and it still will not work.
- I don't think it has anything to do with my network here at work. I've tried to connect to my home laptop via a seperate workstation using a Verizon aircard to eliminate the possibility of it being the work network. The result is the same.

So basically I can connect to my home network randomly. What I have found is that when I'm at home, and I remote into my work network to then try to remote back into my home network, it usually works. This is usually during night time/early morning before I go into work. I don't know that the hours of the day have anything to do with this.

I don't think it's Windows, since it does work, and I've tried another laptop running XP Pro instead of 7. I don't think it's the laptop since my wife can access it from her workstation at home. I don't think it's the Netgear wireless router since rebooting it doens't seem to have any effect on the success/failure of trying to connect.

I think it maybe the modem. I just turned on the option to respond to pings so that I can ping my public IP from work. It hasn't missed a beat.

I'm stumped. Any ideas/input is appreciated. I really need some help here!

 

[tonyyy]

Are you able to DMZ 192.168.1.13?

If you DMZ and turn off port forward does it allow you to connect or does it still go to 192.168.1.12?

for kicks and giggles can you change the IP on the laptop to another IP like 192.168.1.15 and see if the log still shows it going to IP 192.168.1.12?

also is there any firmware updates for your router?

If worst comes to worse... can you use IP 192.168.1.12 instead of 192.168.1.13?

 

[IntelOwnz]

i like all the above troubleshoot steps from tonyyy. it does appear to be your router not forwarding to the correct ip address, must be some bug in the firmware thats subtracting 1 from your forwarded ip.

i would start with a firmware upgrade as the issue does seem to be the router itself, why its being so 'flaky' though is quite weird.