Internet connection disconnection

November 13, 2005 6:38 PM

TiVoInternetConnectionFilter: Help me troubleshoot my internet connection's disconnections. For some reason when my computer is plugged into the router (which is plugged into the cable modem) the internet connection drops every 30-45 minutes. When it is wired directly into the modem, all is well. My TiVo connects wirelessly to the router. Is my favorite TV accessory causing my internet woes, and how do I fix it?

My suspicion is the TiVo's hourly connections to the TiVo service. How do I make TiVo not disconnect the computer? It really isn't a problem but I see the unstable internet connection via my "online time" on AIM, which is always very short. People who have me on their buddy list are annoyed with my constant "door opening" and "door closing" sounds. I could tell them to turn off the sounds, but lets try to figure this out on my end.

Specifics of the hardware:
Comcast Cable Internet + Motorola SB5100 Cable Modem + Wired connection to Netgear MR814v3 Wireless Router + TiVo connection via Netgear MA101 USB wireless adapter = Random Internet disconnections every half hour to hour.

posted by clgregor to computers & internet (3 comments total)

I had a problem with my TiVo + 10/100 USB connection -> wireless bridge that it would quickly run through the entire pool of DHCP-able IPs on my network, and then stop connecting. See what IP it has, if it's really high, it's just as stupid as my TiVo was.

You can then either reserve a static DHCP mapping if your router does that, or manually set the IP.
posted by kcm at 6:40 PM on November 13, 2005

Well, what happens when you disconnect the TiVo from the network for a day? Does the problem go away? If so, then it's your TiVo. I like kcm's solution of using a static DHCP assignment (some routers can be configured to always give a device the same IP address, based on its MAC address).
posted by kindall at 12:19 AM on November 14, 2005

Damn. I unplugged the TiVo's wireless connection for the night and it seems to still be randomly dicsonnecting. Of course the real challenge here is that i have so many different products and services interacting and each company can just say it is the other company's product when i call them.
posted by clgregor at 5:24 AM on November 14, 2005