How to get my WRT54G router back in the loop?

July 4, 2006 12:38 PM

Is SBC/ATT screwing with my DSL?

WinXP, Linksys WRT54G router, Speedstream 5360 modem. Madison, CT. Worked okay for about 7 months. Didn't mess with anything. Suddenly I can only get it to work with the PC plugged directly into the modem.

Is this another one of those customer-hostile moves on SBC's part 'cause they don't want me using a router?

posted by ZenMasterThis to technology (10 comments total)

Could be, but I doubt it. Have you tried using another router?
posted by parallax7d at 12:52 PM on July 4, 2006

Not yet. It worked for 7 months, and still appears to be functional as near as I can tell without test equipment.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:55 PM on July 4, 2006

Have you tried using different ethernet cables?
posted by MrZero at 1:05 PM on July 4, 2006

Maybe someone reconfigured your router out from under you?

Definitely try resetting it to factory defaults, regardless of the possibility of nefarious activities.
posted by mzurer at 1:11 PM on July 4, 2006

About twice a year my SBC (now AT&T) connection just drops. I usually attribute it to the physical connection somehow getting disturbed, the router disconnecting and unable to reconnect, the DSL modem hanging, etc. I've always been able to restart the modem and router and get everything reconnected without any problem. The one time that wasn't the case, they were having known infrastructure problems.

My guess is that your router has forgotten your username and password or you've typed in the wrong password with the PPOE setup in the router. (If you're using PPOE that is.) It might also be the case that you need to enter your city's SBC/ATT DNS servers into the router manually for some reason, or if you DID have those in there to start with their DNS server IPs may have changed.

Different ethernet cable is a good suggestion. You might also check your network settings just to make sure some other application didn't change anything.

Additionally, are you using a VPN connection for work/school? If so, you might double-check that it's not running all the time or that it didn't change your network settings.

There are lots of machine specific things that can go wrong that are more likely than the entire system not working. There are also just general local connectivity and local network issues that are more likely than larger infrastructure issues.

There are so many things it could be, but really, best to sort of sit down and go through them all on a checklist, check off what you've tried, move on to the next.
posted by smallerdemon at 1:13 PM on July 4, 2006

Haven't tried different cables or resetting. Will do, although I'm afraid I won't be able to get my working settings back 100%, then I'll be fighting with my router as well.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 1:15 PM on July 4, 2006

All you need to do to reset them is unplug them or turn them off temporarily. No hard resets. Your settings SHOULD be retained, but since I am not 100% familiar with the router, don't quote me on that. :) But I have a Linksys that's six years old and it holds my settings, so I'd be shocked if yours didn't.

Out of curiosity, you have not re-arranged this equipment lately, have you? The router isn't somewhere that it can overheat is it?

Also, have you brought up the router settings in a web browser just to double check that they are all still in place? Plus, if it's a PPOE router you should have a status tab that lets you connect/disconnect to your PPOE connection.
posted by smallerdemon at 1:42 PM on July 4, 2006

My WRT54GS had a firmware update recently, and they mentioned security issues. I'd suggest flashing it with the newest firmware and changing your WPA keys and passwords. (you are using WPA, right? WEP is completely insecure.)

Make sure you get the firmware for the right version of your router... sometime recently, Linksys changed the WRT54Gs completely, converting them over to a different (and apparently inferior) OS, and cutting the RAM and flash size in half. So you've got to get the right firmware for your revision. It's on the label on the bottom.
posted by Malor at 1:48 PM on July 4, 2006

Hi smallerdemon. Thanks. Tried the soft reset (pwr on/off). Haven't rearranged any equipment lately.

Checked router settings and all look okay. Don't seem to have a status tab for PPPoE connect/disconnect.

Gotta drop-off now as we have a storm descending upon us.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 1:53 PM on July 4, 2006

I have SBC/AT&T, have for a while, there are occasional outages but I've never found a problem with the router and I don't think they have any rules against using a router, anyway. (I know Comcast used to be stupid about routers but I think they gave up, too).

Sometimes routers just die. Maybe a firmware update or router settings reset will fix it, maybe you'll need a new router, but I really doubt it's anything on the provider's end.
posted by dagnyscott at 9:33 PM on July 4, 2006