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There is a desktop computer on my network that is giving me headaches right now. I have a fiber/LAN broadband access with a dedicated LAN port outlet in the wall. From there I have a Ethernet cable running to a 5-port switch, and then another cable running from the switch to a wireless router. The computer in question is connected to the router, with a Ethernet cable.
The problem is that I get local access to the router, but not to the Internet or the WAN side of the router. So the computer is getting an IP address from the router, which is specially reserved IP for this particular computer. I have it on the reservation list. So I know it is getting the proper IP address.
I also have MAC filtering enabled on the router enabled that allows access only from specified computers. Naturally, I have specified the MAC address of this particular computer in the list. I was looking at this just now, thinking... you know... maybe it's because I have MAC filtering enabled. But that looks fine, and I even tried disabling MAC filtering and it didn't help my case.
Now here's where it becomes really weird! I can access the web interface of the router from that same computer, and then log on to it and choose to reboot it. After the router has rebooted, not only do I have local access, I suddenly even have Internet access and I can start exploring the web! But then after a few minutes it goes downhill again. I can be surfing the web and then suddenly pages stop to load and I get timeout errors.
At the same time, the router provides Internet access on two other computers just fine! But these other two are wireless though.
What could this be? What should I look at? How can I rule out the router as the source of the problem?
I have had the problem where Internet access dies and then comes back again, but this was months ago, and it was on one of the wireless computers, and this is no issue no more. But this current situation is not like that, in this case the Internet access just dies and never comes back again, unless I reboot the router.
So far I have checked all the settings, I have obviously rebooted the router several times, and I have rebooted the computer, and I tried disabling MAC filtering and re-enabling it, I tried connecting to a different LAN port on the router, etc. What do I do next? Get a new router? Get a new computer? Ones witch will not work either?
I don't get this, the problem started today, everything worked fine for months. There were some technical issues with my ISP because I couldn't get out on the web. I was browsing the web when sites stopped responding. At that time I couldn't get any of the computers or the smartphones to get out on the web over the wifi. I tried everything and then finally reported the problem and ISP said they would investigate the case and call me back.
They told me to connect the desktop computer directly to the wall outlet (in order to bypass the router and all the rest) and ping their DNS, and so I did and I got only timeout errors, so it didn't respond. This is the very same computer that I am having problems with now.
They haven't called me yet, but when I came back home the problem seemed to be resolved because I could browse the web again. And I got response when I pinged the DNS address again. But it only worked on the wireless computers, not the wired desktop computer.
So I have Internet access again. But only on two of the computers? Not all three? Makes no sense!! I have not made any changes actually in the settings, not in the computer nor in the router. And I have wired the Ethernet cables back to to the way they were before.
Samir
Posted 2012-12-20T19:38:18.930
Reputation: 17 919
1I had a similar issue with a dlink wireless router. I suspect your router is dying. Do you have another router you can test with? You could then rule the computer out as a possible cause. – Pete – 2012-12-20T19:44:50.000
Have you tried putting the router in front of the switch?
fiber>router>switch instead of fibre>switch>router – BroScience – 2012-12-20T20:00:43.263
I can't even begin to talk about all the issues I have had with D-Link routers over the past years, and especially with this one in particular. This is the DIR-825, a lighter version of the top end model DIR-855. But I have exchanged it two times, this is the third one I got on warranty, this one came straight from D-Link Europe headquarters (D-Link House in London). It has worked for several months now with no issues, if any the issues have been on the ISP side and not the router. D-Link has worked out some of the bugs in the firmware. But boy do they suck! – Samir – 2012-12-20T20:02:56.223
The routers are fine, hardware-wise, but they really suck big time in firmware. That's kind of the Achilles heel of D-Link routers. Unfortunately I don't have a spare router to try out. Any way to tell if it's smoked? I could do a complete reset and re-flash it but I will leave that as last resort for now. – Samir – 2012-12-20T20:05:59.027
@BroScience I have to have the switch in front of the router. This is because I have an ATA (analog telephony adapter). It's a device I use for my VoIP phone service. It allows me to use regular (analog or digital) phone with regular RJ-11 phone connector. And it is issued by my provider so I can't get a DECT residential phone with VoIP, the phone number is somehow embedded in the ATA box. – Samir – 2012-12-20T20:11:32.030
The first time I got the D-Link DIR-825 home I did try connecting the ATA box directly to the router LAN port. But I didn't get my VoIP service to work properly. At first it didn't work at all. The supposedly automatic port forwarding capability of the router didn't help. I couldn't call out or get in calls. I talked to D-Link support and they gave me some ports to manually forward and settings to use. I could then call out and get calls in, but I couldn't hear the audio from the calling part, they could only hear me. That alone is a screw loose with D-Link routers and why not to buy them. – Samir – 2012-12-20T20:16:30.147
So this is the only reason I have put the switch in front of the router. I had to go past the router for my phone to work. But you have given me another idea now actually. I will try connecting the computer to the switch instead of the router and see what happens. – Samir – 2012-12-20T20:17:59.600