Connection Times out!

Running Windows XP. IE8 Browser and FIrefox both time out when trying to reach the net…..DSL Modem from ATT, and Belkin router…..I have to reboot the modem and the PC in order to get on after logging of my PC…..Once on the net and leave a site up without doing anything but reading, I cannot move to another site…..The page times out……As for the modem and router, both check out OK since I can use the wife's Laptop and have no problem connecting wireless. The Desktop is hard wired…..Thanks!

Noodletech helped out first over it the Hijackthis forum and suggested I post up here. .

See our session here: http://forums.whatthetech.com/index.php?sh…30&start=30

Actually, you can't say the modem and the router check out OK. Do you have any other devices hard wired into your Belkin router? The router might just be bad. Try plugging directly into the DSL modem from ATT. You may also have a bad NIC in the desktop computer. You'll have to start eliminating some devices to find out what the problem is. If you can reproduce the exact same problem plugging directly into the ATT modem then I'll accept its the computer and we can look at that. Have you tried turning off the wireless on the laptop and plugging directly into the router with the same cord you currently use on the desktop? Its all about the process of elimination.

Thanks for picking up my problem……The first thing I did was turn off the wireless on the Laptop and plug in a ethernet cable from the Laptop directly into the DSL modem. Made a connection right off to the Internet…..I also looked to see the NETWORK connection, which showed NETWORK 3. My wireless NETWORK is SSI which is the initials of the Island I live on….I didn't want to confuse you with the SSI named network….. .The second thing I did was to go directly from the Desktop to the Modem and the Desktop made a connection to the Internet without a problem….. You said this: Have you tried turning off the wireless on the laptop and plugging directly into the router with the same cord you currently use on the desktop? Did you mean MODEM instead of the router? Also to answer your question there are no other devices plugged into the router….. :.

Thank you for that information Lewg. Being that both the laptop and the desktop can make a hardwired connection directly to the modem without issue, and that you have no other devices plugged into the router to test, it would indicate that when the desktop is plugged into the router is when there is a problem and that the router is probably messed up or programmed wrong. When I suggested you plug the laptop into the router with the wireless disabled on the laptop, I meant exactly that. The idea is to try plugging it in the same as you do the desktop when there is a problem. See if the laptop experiences the same problem. This would indicate without a question that the problem lies in the router which pretty much already appears that way. Have you tried doing any type of hard resets on the router? Please perform the additional test with your laptop plugged into the router and provide the exact model number of your router. Thanks.

I did as you said, with the wireless switch off on the laptop and plugged into the router, I am able to reach the internet using both IE8 and Firefox. Outlook Express mail works OK also…. As for the router, I have been on the phone in the past and they said all is OK….The Belkin router I am using is Wireless G Plus MIMO Router….Model # F5D9230-4… Don't recall doing any hard resets. Looks like we might have a bad router. What's next?

Is there anything else you want me to do?…..Not sure if you are still on board!

Hi. I forgot that your problem happens after some time. Have you run the desktop, while plugged directly into the modem, long enough to make sure the problem is really not still present?

I did and it worked just fine bypassing the Router…..However I started from scratch unplugging the Modem and Router, and reinstalled it as if new…..All working super fast now……Seems to be OK when shutting the PC down and restarting several times I don't have a problem reaching the Net when PC down for a day or so…….If I have a problem down the road….I'll be back! Thanks! for Lew!

Well, I'm certainly glad you got it working. Take care

Today it' started happening again……..cannot get to the net……. I am having to reboot the PC to be able to find a website…..

I also have a Belkin router, (N450 Wireless Gigabit) and it has a built-in ability to check for firmware update. I would suggest doing this with yours if it supports it. It will prompt you to save your current setup first which I would definitely do. 📎BelkinRouter.jpg

The firmware update is definitely one of the most basic, and best things to try in this circumstance. Its still not confirmed the problem is the router, because you say you did some other things. The whole process of determining what the cause is, requires that you only change one thing at a time, or are logically able to rule out certain conditions. If you plug your laptop directly into the modem and it works, but you ended up using a different ethernet cable, or you rebooted the modem, etc. then you have introduced more than once change and it is impossible to say if it wasn't one of those changes that effected your issue. But, personally, I have a pretty bad image of anything Belkin based on past experiences and that Mimo router isn't any different. I dealt with it just long enough to realize they couldn't even put a very basic, critical option in the software that EVERY other router on the face of the planet has and that was just long enough to have my client take it back to the store and get a different brand that they didn't have problems with. So, if you wanted to ask me my gut feeling - yeah, I would say its the router, but that really wouldn't be based on solid diagnostics now would it?

There is no new firmware update available for this Router! This AM I logged on the PC and used Firefox to reach the net, and a few seconds later got the window "could not reach the server". My phone rang and after several minutes had passed, I reloaded the page from the ADDRESS bar using the "RELOAD CURRENT PAGE" arrow and Firefox made it to the net….. It's acts like something has to wake up if you know what I mean. The PC, Router, and Modem are never turned off. As I said earlier, bypassing the Router using a new USB cable, the Desk top and Laptop works great. I think I am going to bypass the modem for a day or so and see if all works OK, then I will reconnect the router and if the problem comes back, I'll go with a new router…….

Hello Lewg. Did you really mean USB cable? Plugging your computer into the modem with a USB cable is NOT the same as plugging into it with an ethernet cable. This is what I'm talking about, when I say change only one thing at a time. There shouldn't be any USB cables plugged into the modem. If the computer is plugged in through ethernet to your belkin router, then unplug the belkin router from the modem, and plug in your computer to the modem through the same ethernet cable. Thats how the process of elimination works.

Yes I was using a new USB to connect to my Modem….I had it plugged into the back of the PC which is hard to reach and left it laying unconnected near the Modem for making a easy connection However the other day I connected my Ethernet cable that comes from the PC directly into the Modem instead of it going into the Router and it worked just fine all day long…….I am going to see just what happens for a few day using the original Ethernet cable that is plugged into the PC and into the Modem. Could be the Ethernet cable needs replacing. We will see! I'll continue to do a process of elimination…..Thanks!