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This is a theoretical question about router+modem units, not a troubleshooting question per se.
I have repeated the following observation several times now, at different times of day, between computer and router restarts, and a pattern has emerged:
- Enable laptop WiFi and connect to the router
- Laptop may have internet access for up to a minute, or may connect to router and not have internet, or may not see router at all
- Within minutes, the router+modem combo box's "Broadband" and "Internet" lights are no longer green like they normally are, they are entirely off instead
- (No other WiFi device is able to connect to the router, or if it is, it is not able to get internet access) -- not interested in this aspect particularly, but just FYI
Now, I understand how a haywire WiFi device could pollute the wireless environment (disallowing other WiFi devices from connecting), or at least confuse the router enough that its WiFi stopped working (point 4 above.) Fair enough. My question is, how is it possible that the router itself no longer connects to the internet in this situation? How does its DSL connection have anything to do with its WiFi interface?
This particular router+modem box is a Thomson B102B8, but I am asking in general.
Could it be an IP conflict possibly? – Questionmark – 2015-04-29T14:34:41.930
@Questionmark, on the LAN or the WAN? Either way my question would still be the same, I think you would need to flesh out how exactly that would cause the modem to disconnect. – Kev – 2015-04-29T14:40:18.483
On the LAN. An IP conflict where your laptop had the same IP as your router would make it so that all the other devices on your network are unable to communicate correctly with your router when that laptop is on the network. I am just suggesting this as a possibility... – Questionmark – 2015-04-29T14:51:33.517
@Questionmark, please read the question again: it's not point 4 that I'm interested in (i.e. that other devices are not able to connect, either to the router, or to the internet via the router.) It's the router+modem box, itself--its apparently-resulting disconnect from the internet that I want to know more about. How can an IP conflict, or anything else for that matter, on the LAN side possibly cause a disconnect on the WAN side? – Kev – 2015-04-29T14:55:17.737
What does it take to get the router's full functionality back? Does it come back automatically after a minute? Do you have to reboot it? Do you have to disconnect the problem client? It's entirely possible it's triggering a bug in the router firmware and causing some form of hang/crash/reboot. Or maybe pegging the CPU with bad traffic, causing a kind of DoS that takes down other interfaces. – Spiff – 2015-04-30T00:40:14.643
@Spiff, I have to disable the wireless on the laptop, and I haven't tried then waiting to see if/how long; I've simply rebooted the router, and it works after that. OK, well, those are two plausible explanations...throw them in as answers! – Kev – 2015-04-30T01:11:42.433