Do routers just die sometimes?

mdaudioguy

Well, I'm sure they do, since they're electronic products.... Anywho, got a Netgear router (WNDR3400) that I've been using for maybe 6 months, give or take. Lately, everyone in my household has been complaining of dropped wireless connections - in and out. Got on one of my desktops tonight and no internet connection... Tried manually re-connecting, but no dice. This is only affecting wireless connections. A couple of devices are connected and seemingly working fine, but it won't accept a new connection. Anyone ever run into this?

evhudsons

Yes. It happens quite a bit. I have had many people I know have a router that starts to connect for a few minutes and then disappear. Nothing fixed it other than to replace. I tried reset, reinstall, everything.

Jstas

Well, heat build up can cause the problem. If your router is in a tight spot where it can't dissipate heat then it'll cause the wireless transmitters to overheat just like any other transmitter.

But, like all transmitters, they can fail due to heat or just age and the transformers gradually open until they no longer work.

If your router is old or worked particularly hard, it's probably dead. They aren't worth fixing because they are so cheap anymore. Seems like your whole house is running on the wireless though so there's a pretty good chance it's just on it's last legs.

PreCd

I am in the same boat. About a 5 year old router and nothing seems to help. Reset. Redo. Nothing. So I am buying another.

mdaudioguy

Jstas wrote: »

Well, heat build up can cause the problem. If your router is in a tight spot where it can't dissipate heat then it'll cause the wireless transmitters to overheat just like any other transmitter.

But, like all transmitters, they can fail due to heat or just age and the transformers gradually open until they no longer work.

If your router is old or worked particularly hard, it's probably dead. They aren't worth fixing because they are so cheap anymore. Seems like your whole house is running on the wireless though so there's a pretty good chance it's just on it's last legs.

First thing I did was put my hand on it - not hot now, but that's not to say it didn't overheat and sustain some damage, and it's cooler now that the wireless isn't functioning...
Yes, we run a lot of devices off of it... gotta find something heavier duty, I guess.

PreCd wrote: »

I am in the same boat. About a 5 year old router and nothing seems to help. Reset. Redo. Nothing. So I am buying another.

Yeah, 5 years and I wouldn't be so upset (not that I'm crying or anything)... 6 months kind of sucks.

unc2701

Have you been adding more wireless crap lately? And are you certain your neighbors aren't "borrowing" your connection? Have you tried changing freqs?

I've had issues with wireless gear holding an IP longer than its DHCP lease, then the router gives that IP something else and you get a conflict. The symptoms can look a lot like what you're describing. Give everything a static IP address (most will let you do this via DHCP, you just assign one IP to each MAC address) and it solves that problem.

Anyhow, if that doesn't do the trick, get a new one and as jstas pointed out, make sure it's got plenty of ventilation.

Dennis Gardner

Can you change wireless channels? I had to change mine as a neighbor set theirs on the same channel. I show at least 5 wireless signals in my house on the same brand router, so the channels are crowded at times. Good thing I have 11 channels to choose from.

michael1947

Yup, I've junked about 3 routers. I just had Charter put one of theirs in 3 months ago and pay "rent" @ 2 bucks a month. If (when) it craps I'll just call them up.

mdaudioguy

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. In my network, I have 10 wired devices and probably a half dozen devices that connect to this Netgear router at any given time and maybe up to a dozen in total (some kids are away at college). Another router on the network is configured as a WAP (an older Linksys running DD-WRT), and about 4 devices connect to that (part of my Squeezebox network).

I only have two neighbors who use wifi and both are on channel 1. My two wireless networks are running on 6 and 11. The problem one has a DHCP pool of 50 available numbers and only 3 are in use, according to the list of attached devices.

mdaudioguy

Ventilation doesn't seem to be a problem, either. I'm thinking it just died.

Mr. Sharpe

Get a belkin, where my D-Link would conk out everywhere bolt of lightening the belkin has been through several severe storms, two today, and has been fine.

Sherardp

Yes and it happens often if your router sees a lot of network traffic. My D-link 655 is to a point where it will sometimes just stop or disconnect for awhile then suddenly come back to life and all is well. I'm waiting on a new Linksys E4200v2 to arrive now from Newegg as it's replacement. If your looking for a new router I would say find a good deal on the Linksys E4200 v1 if you can. You should be able to find them for 150.00 or slightly less.

Mr. Sharpe

Hey, what you mean by network traffic? like downloading things, or just using the internet a lot?

Syndil

Just had this same conversation with my uncle the other day. I've never had a consumer grade wireless router that did not eventually fail after a few years, and I've tried just about all the brands. D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, Zyxel, Belkin, Asus... Probably a few more that I can't think of right now. Consumer grade routers are made to meet a certain price point, and as long as they last through the warranty period, that's good enough for the manufacturer.

However the Netgear WNDR3400 you have does come with a lifetime warranty, if it was purchased on or after 1/9/2011. It is a special case, as none of Netgear's other conumer-grade routers have lifetime warranties. All of their business class gear (the ProSafe series) have lifetime warranties, but this is the only consumer router with a lifetime warranty that I am aware of.

http://www.netgear.com/home/products/wirelessrouters/high-performance/WNDR3400.aspx

This was the router that just yesterday I recommended my uncle replace his failing router with, because of the lifetime warranty.

If you want a wireless router that simply does not fail, you have to purchase a business class router, which means spending between $200 to $300 minimum. My goto router for high reliability is the Netgear SRXN3205. Expensive, but I've never, ever had an issue with one. I've set up several for clients over the years and I'm still waiting to get my first call about one failing. Hasn't happened yet.

Another route to go is separates. Get a regular wired (non-wireless) router and attach a WAP to it for your WiFi access. That generally gets you better reliability than having an all-in-one device, but of course that probably comes as no surprise to this crowd. One of my clients is a machine/laser shop that is dirty as anything you can imagine, and they have been running a couple of these for years with no issues:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156159

Bought them because they were cheap, and as dirty as the shop is, we expected that whatever we went with would fail because of the harsh environment, so no point in going with more expensive gear. But they're still kicking after 2 years.

mdaudioguy

^^^ Thanks for pointing out the lifetime warranty to me! Didn't even think to check... I think I'll pursue that, and if they provide me with a replacement, I'll just sell it. I think I need to move on to something a little more robust...

mdaudioguy

Separates seem like a good idea.

evhudsons

dang, I'm going to try these suggestions!

I have the linksys 4200 and it's fine for now, but I like the seperates idea too, and didn't know about the commercial versus consumer difference.

Serendipity

I use a wired router combined with a few separate wireless access points scattered around the house.

In the rare event that I had a wireless AP fail (and yes, they can fail due to excessive heat), I only lost one connection and not the entire house. Yes, it's more expensive. But I personally prefer using a wired router along with wireless AP's carefully placed around the house.

And for those that want to move from room to room using this configuration, Packedge's Wireless Cell Technology allows you to roam freely amongst AP's without having to rejoin another connection.

Serendipity

Just for clarification, the Packedge system is not always necessary if you are going with separates. I have an access point in the living room, which by itself only covers approximately 75% of the house. Another access point is strategically placed facing the backyard, covering the areas where the living room AP wouldn't reach by itself. When I bring a laptop from the living room to the backyard, it disconnects from the living room AP and reconnects to the newly found AP in a few seconds automatically. I don't mind this and the short time it takes to join is not a problem. Works great for me and I am happy with this setup.

Serendipity

Here is some info for those interested.

http://www.merunetworks.com/technology/wlan/virtualcell.php

BeefJerky

Another thought is that the power supply going bad. They generally include the cheapest available wall wart, so them going bad isn't exactly unheard of. If it is unable to supply enough good power under load, that could explain the intermittent wireless connections. If you happen to have another one with proper specs laying around, it might be something to try.

Sherardp

suggestions for a wired router? I'd like to read up on these.

Serendipity

Hi Sherard,

You can purchase something like the following which is a wired router:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0298447

Then, connect your access points to the wired router like the following:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0367308

Or, if you are going for a custom installed look (in-ceiling), you can purchase these:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0329971

Simply connect your access points to the 1-4 ports on the wired router, place each access point away from the others (i.e. one on each floor, on opposite ends of the house), and configure each access point. That way, if one AP goes down, your network still stays up. Just lose connection in one part of the house.

mdaudioguy

BeefJerky wrote: »

Another thought is that the power supply going bad. They generally include the cheapest available wall wart, so them going bad isn't exactly unheard of. If it is unable to supply enough good power under load, that could explain the intermittent wireless connections. If you happen to have another one with proper specs laying around, it might be something to try.

Interesting thought... I think "under load" just might be the key term here. I was up early this morning and was connected from my phone with no problem. My wife used her Nook, too, without any problem. The difference is that there are no kids here today with all of their devices connected. I'm going to keep monitoring the number of connected devices, to see if I can determine what the tipping point might be... Then I'll be contacting Netgear about that lifetime warranty.

Syndil

Sherardp wrote: »

suggestions for a wired router?

I usually stick with the Netgear Prosafe stuff. I've got a Netgear RT311 wired gateway that's over 12 years old and still works fine, and I've been selling their network gear for quite a while. Has never let me down so I haven't really shopped other brands. If it ain't broke...

If I was going the wired/WAP route today, I'd go with a Netgear FVS318.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122007

But I am sure there are other brands and models that are just as good--kind of hard to screw up a wired router.

dee1949

....happens to me. just press on all connections on the back of router to insure contact. Mine always come back

disneyjoe7

mdaudioguy wrote: »

Interesting thought... I think "under load" just might be the key term here. I was up early this morning and was connected from my phone with no problem. My wife used her Nook, too, without any problem. The difference is that there are no kids here today with all of their devices connected. I'm going to keep monitoring the number of connected devices, to see if I can determine what the tipping point might be... Then I'll be contacting Netgear about that lifetime warranty.

Does any know if this router does VPN? Sounds as it does.

bruss

I run "separates" and I use this.. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/wireless/ps5678/ps10092/datasheet_c78-502797.html

I have the single radio AIR-LAP1141N-E-K9 and my wireless is terrific. Plus it has a GIGE uplink into my LAN.

Mr. Sharpe

Belkin. http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-N300-Wireless-N-Router/dp/B004N6259Q/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

it is very fast. had it for a while. just a suggestion. probably won't go back to another router either because I had the older version of this one a while back and lasted about a year and-a half then a lost the power cord in the move. it went through probably 5 really severe thunderstorms on a cheap outlet stick thing, idk if it was a surge protector, if it was it was a cheapy. D-link on the other hand I've had 2 burned in light thunderstorms.

These are just two I've tried. If all there is is D-link and Belkin get belkin. if there others I'm sure there are better routers out there:)

coolsax

I think it may even just depend on the actual unit you get.. i had a cheap dlink forever and never had issues, but i wanted to get the faster wireless n so the first one i bought was a netgear that I couldn't get to work at all from the time i opened it.. returned it and got a cisco comsumer one and its been running great for over a year.. does run a bit warm but it has plenty of ventilation.

Syndil

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

Does any know if this router does VPN? Sounds as it does.

The WNDR3400 does not do VPN, nor do most consumer routers. They simply don't have the processing power for it. Even the open-source ones that you can put custom firmwares on like DD-WRT struggle if you do decide to run VPN on them--I know from experience. You'll be able to get maybe one VPN connection going, and the speed will be severely throttled due to the lack of processing power. If you want VPN, buy a VPN router.

Netgear's business-class routers all have VPN support. The FVS318 I linked to in my previous post supports up to 8 simultaneous IPsec VPN tunnels, and it costs only $90.