What's the source of DSL dropping?

June 11, 2008 3:49 PM

DSL is dropping - how do I know if it's modem, router or the line? Is there a way I can determine if the router or modem is the source of the problem? By the way, there's no computer permanently hooked up directly to the DSL ... all laptops are connected wirelessly.

Our Verizon DSL was recently bought out by FairPoint. Perhaps only coincidentally, our DSL has become very spotty. I'm power cycling 3-5 times daily, where before I rarely had to do it more than once a month.

Trouble is, DSL customer support blames Apple AirPort Extreme router (one year old). Apple customer support blames the modem (3 years old). FairPoint claims the line check shows the line is normal, but every time I call and wait for a customer service rep, I am ultimately disconnected after waiting 10-15 minutes and then getting a recording that the "call volume is unusually high" and I should call back later. Incredibly frustrating.

How can I figure out if router or modem is the cause?

posted by tamjl to technology (9 comments total)

How can I figure out if router or modem is the cause?

Swap one of them out and try again. Can you swap modems with a friend for a couple of days? Alternatively, connect a PC direct to the modem, sans airport, and give it a run for a while.
posted by pompomtom at 4:19 PM on June 11

Swap one of them out and try again. Can you swap modems with a friend for a couple of days? Alternatively, connect a PC direct to the modem, sans airport, and give it a run for a while.

I would not advise this. The prevalence of viruses on the wild internet that do nothing but port scan DSL and cable IP ranges and attempt to infect them is... large. Connecting an insecure desktop for even a brief period will almost guarantee ownage. At least run a firewall when you do this.
posted by autojack at 4:27 PM on June 11

I've got Fairpoint now too and haven't been having problems, just as a data point. Do any of your laptops have an ethernet port that you can plug directly in to the router? This is pretty much the standard first step to do this sort of thing. What brand of "DSL modem" do you have? Do you have one with four lights on it? If so, you can look at the light sequence and learn a lot about what is going on from the telco's perspective, at least a little bit.
posted by jessamyn at 4:28 PM on June 11

This might be "tilting at windmills" style advice, but DSL and cable modems should have logging capabilities. (Both meanings of should here- I think they do, but the ones that don't ought to).

The trick is getting to the level of customer support where the people can actually access them. And or, if your ISP pays attention to them.

As for solving the problem on your own, pompomtom is right, you have to isolate things. Hook one of the computers directly to the DSL modem and let it run some kind of logging program. Like ping plotter. If the problem goes away, it's [probably] the AirPort.

Another thought is, have they started to do some kind of anti-keep alive feature? IE, if there's no data on the line for X minutes, it drops the connection? I kinda doubt it, but it's a thought. Does it happen when you're using the service, or does it only pop up when you try to use the service after a while?
posted by gjc at 4:33 PM on June 11

>At least run a firewall when you do this.

I've got two DSL modems at home and both include firewalls. I'd be pretty surprised if a 3 year old modem didn't.
posted by pompomtom at 4:39 PM on June 11

I've been having frustrating intermittency problems with my DSL recently. There are lots of possible places where things can go wrong. Here are some troubleshooting suggestions based on my recent experience:

Is the DSL light on your modem solid, blinking, or off?

Can computers on your local network see each other, even if they can't access the internet? Can you get to your router admin page and see all the attached devices?

Can you get a loaner modem (officially, from your ISP, or unofficially from a friend) to test with?

Can you try switching jacks, phone cords, and other equipment? Are you using an extra-long phone cord?

Is your DSL line also your phone line? If so, check that all other devices plugged into the same line have filters on them.

Do you have a satellite system, burglar alarm, or any other system that uses your phone lines? Is it possible that this is causing interference?

Do you have access to your phone box? Can you try plugging your modem directly into the NID? If you can sync consistently from there, it's likely to be an inside wiring problem.
posted by expialidocious at 5:04 PM on June 11

When I had similar problems, here's what I did, each after the previous step revealed no problems:

1: I went to a wired solution to the router, to rule out sketchy wireless connectivity;

2: I swapped routers (as wired routers are cheap to come by) to rule out a bad router;

3: I set my router to respond to pings, and set up an account at dslreports.org to ping my IP address and report back on connectivity to confirm the scope of the problem;

4: I took the reports from dslreports.org to my ISP to show the scope of the problem, had them do a line test to verify the line was good, then asked for a new modem as mine was a few years old. Sure enough, once the new modem arrived everything was fine, and has been fine ever since -- as confirmed by my continued connectivity reports.

The key is to start with the most likely things that are under your control, and then get proof that it's happening and is outside your control before asking for work or replacement parts -- 95% of the calls they get for crap connectivity problems comes from the user's end, so using this method you either end up fixing it yourself or show the ISP that you've done due diligence.

sorry if this sounds like an ad for dslreports.org, but that's what I did.
posted by davejay at 5:38 PM on June 11

Next time you call your DSL provider, plug the laptop right into the DSL modem. Dont let them blame your router.

If you still get bad service, take the modem, and put it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds (or hit it with a hammer). Tell them it no longer boots up and you need a replacement. Usually they replace these for free. If they dont, skip the fraud and just buy one at your local electronics store.

If you still have problems then its most likely the line.
posted by damn dirty ape at 5:43 PM on June 11

Thanks for these troubleshooting ideas and questions! Let me answer a few questions some of you have left for me:

gjc - The DSL drops both in the middle of use and when I've not been actively using the service for a while.

All - Not so easy to borrow a modem. Have asked around, don't have geeky enough friends that anyone has a functioning spare.

expialidocious - Everything else is functioning properly, as best I can tell ... all the usual modem lights on, etc. All lines have filters on them, as have had DSL for 3 years here and the problem just cropped up in the last few weeks. Do have satellite, but have had it for 2 years, no recent changes to it or location.

It sounds like my first act ought to be to take one of our laptops and connect it directly to the modem for a while.

If I decide to replace the modem myself without dealing with FairPoint, is there a brand you all recommend?
posted by tamjl at 3:14 AM on June 12