DSL Connection problem "morning only"-Verizon

[westtest]

Can any one help resolve this morning connection problem.

When I wake in the morning , my DSL connection is lost. If my pc is on a stand alone basis , then I can merely re-sign in WinPoet (Verizon) and the connection is reestablished. However, when I have my Linksys router (connected to 1 other PC), getting reconnected involves undoing all the connections, getting the DSL working on a stand alone basis and then hooking up the router and resetting winipcfg and/or going to the Linksys set up site. The connection is never lost during the day and seems only to occur in the middle of the night. Verizon doesn't seem to know what the problem is. Last night I left the connection on with "never" turn off hard disks, thinking that might help . It didn't work. I don't have a "standby mode" on my Compaq Pentium PC.


I use Windows 98
Compaq Presario, Pentium
Westell White Modem
Linksys 4 port router.

 

[Guest_imported]

The Linksys has a setting called keep alive which would basically try to keep the connection up at all times. Have you tried this?

 

[westtest]

Yes I tried the keep alive. I was on the phone twice with the tech folks there. They couldn't find any problem with the router.

 

[TheOldMan346]

Westtest,

This sounds exactly like the configuration I have with Verizon and it works flawlessly. With the Linksys, you should remove all traces of the WinPoet software from your machines. Let the router handle all negotiation and maintenance of the line. It does it quite well. You can power off all the computers and the router will keep the line alive. It sounds to me like either the router is not configured properly or the WinPoet software on your computer is causing the problem.

Remember, with the LinkSys in place, you should NOT be doing the connect or disconnect from your computer. If you need help going over the configuration, post back.

The Old Man

 

[westtest]

TheOldMan346

Thankyou for your reply.
Now I also have more info. This morning, when I awoke the DSL connection was lost as usual , but I tried something different. Instead of disconnecting the router and rebooting on a stand alone basis, I turned off the Westell modem, turned it back on, rebooted and I was connected.
Then I went to a dslreports.com forum and found a chap who had the same problem as me and he was saying it was the modem and that it was losing sinque. Not quite sure what all that means. Will reread that thread later.

In light of this and in your opinion, should I still remove the WinPoet software and yes I would need help with the configuration.

The search for a solution has been quite an education.

Thanks again for your help.

By circumstance, I also have a spare Westell modem, I was going to put that one in place today and see if I awake to the same problem. I am most curious why this only happens in the morning AM (between 5 and 7 AM), I estimate.

Westtest (No relation to Westell), just a fan of Western History.

 

[TheOldMan346]

westtest,

OK, log into the LinkSys router.
On the Setup panel, make sure:
- the LAN IP address is set to what you want (default 192.168.1.1 is OK)
- the WAN IP address is set to obtain automatically
- the fields for DNS addresses, default gateway, subnet masks etc. are NOT filled in
- Login is set to PPPoE and the appropriate account info is filled in
- RAS Plan is 512K ethernet
- Connect on Demand is NOT checked
- Keep Alive IS checked with a 0 second redial period
***Click the "Apply" button to save the configuration

On the DHCP panel, make sure
- DHCP is enabled
- Range set to something appropriate for your subnet like 192.168.x.100 with 25 DHCP users
***Click the "Apply" button to save the configuration

Shut off the router then shut off the DSL modem.
Turn the DSL modem back on and wait for it to cycle through its process of coming up. When the lights have stopped blinking, it has gotten "synch", i.e. it has synchronized its signals with the DSLAM in the central office.

Once the modem is synched, turn on the router.
You should see its lights flash a couple of times and shortly see the Link light on the DSL modem come on and the WAN link on the router should light.

If you've gotten this far, you should be in good shape. You do not necessarily have to remove WinPoet yet but stay away from the Verizon icons and shortcuts.

On each of the computers, you need to configure them to obtain IP address automatically from the router's DHCP server. Open the Network control panel
- Find the TCP/IP protocol bound to the network adapter
- Click on the IP Address tab and make sure it is set to obtain address automatically
- Click on the Gateway tab and add the address of the router (192.168.1.1) as the default gateway. [Technically, this should not be necessary but I have found that it often needs to be filled in.]
- Save the configuration and restart the computer

Once the computer has been restarted do Start > Run > WINIPCFG and verify that it has picked up an IP address in the DHCP range that had been set on the router.

As I said earlier, DO NOT USE ANY OF THE VERIZON SHORTCUTS. Do not attempt to start the connection, do not attempt to close the connection. The router will do all of the connection handling. If you stay up overnight, then you can use NUKEPOET, available on the Verizon site, to remove WinPoet.

That's a lot of stuff and I hope it helps. Post back if any questions.
The Old Man