Dial on demand with 3CRWDR100A-72 1

[Mike Lewis]

I've just installed a 3COM 3CRWDR100A-72 all-in-one wireless router, firewall and ADSL modem, which I use with a broadband connection.

Several times a day, the device drops the Internet connection, and I have to go into setup program and click on the Connect button on the Status and Logs page. Is there any way of avoiding that?

I wondered about the "Dial on demand" and "Idle Time" settings (on the PPPoA Parameters page). Does "Dial on demand" mean what it says -- that the device will try to get an Internet connection whenever any user needs one? The Help suggests the opposite.

If I set the idle time to a high number, will that prevent the connection being dropped? What about if I set it to 0?

Finally, if the line does get dropped and I need to re-connect, is there a quicker way of doing it.

Thanks in advance.

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[Mike Lewis]

OK, I've worked this out now. For the benefit of any others who are puzzled by this ....

"Dial on demand" and "Idle time" mean just what they say. The router will drop the Internet connection after the number of minutes of inactivity specified by "Idle time". To avoid this happening, set the time to 0.

If you tick "Dial on demand", the router will automatically try to establish the connection whenever a client requires.

It's all obvious. It's just the Help that misleading:

The Dial on Demand feature is used to automatically disconnect the router from your ISP when there is no activity for a specified period of time.

In fact, the opposite is true. "Dial on Demand" will connect, not disconnect.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[reidu]

Mike,

Thanks for asking and answering this question. I've had one of these devices for some time now and have always had to connect to my ISP by using the Connect button. Unlike you I believed the HELP information for the dial on demand check box and had it unchecked. I've now set it as you suggested and it seems to connect automatically.

Reid
Edinburgh

 

[Mike Lewis]

Reid,

Glad my post was useful. I am a bit of a novice in this area, so it's gratifying to know I was able to help someone.

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[reidu]

Mike
The device help file and the manual completely contradicr each other

Reid
Edinburgh

Help Information from 3CRWDR100A-72 built in Help information

Dial on Demand
The Dial on Demand feature is used to automatically disconnect the router from your ISP when there is no activity for a specified period of time. For instance, placing a checkmark next to this option and entering 5 into the minute field will cause the router to disconnect from the Internet after 5 minutes of no Internet activity. This option should be used if you pay for your Internet service by the minute.


Help Information from 3CRWDR100A-72 manual

6 If you want your Router to connect to the Internet every time a PC needs
to access it, check the Dial on Demand checkbox. If this box is not
checked, then you will have to manually connect and disconnect using
the buttons on the Home Screen (see page 39).

7 If you want your Router to automatically disconnect from the Internet
automatically after a period of inactivity, specify a time in the Idle Time
(Minutes) field. Enter a value of 0 to disable this timeout.

 

[Mike Lewis]

Reid,

Yes, I noticed the same thing. Confusing. Perhaps someone ought to tell 3COM.

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)