I have had a BEFSR41 in place for several months with no problems (sharing cable modem on 1 XP and 1 Win98 computer). I recently added a BEFW11S4 to add another win98 machine that was too far away to get wired. The problem I am having (after several hour long calls to linksys) is the internet will disconnect when the XP computer is not being used. All other computers only connect when this computer connects. It requires shutting down the XP, unplugging the modem in order to get it to reconnect - very annoying. I originally thought it was the wireless, but now even with that disconnected completely I am still losing my connection. Any suggestions??
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Losing internet connection with BEFSR41 and BEFW11S4
- Thread starter oberstca
- Start date
> Any Ideas?
Yes, downgrade to an earlier release of the linksys router software. I see several of you posted after my message saying you had problems, but none of you have indicated that you tried to revert back to an earlier release of the firmware.
TRY USING SOMETHING OTHER THAN 1.442 FIRMWARE!
Yes, downgrade to an earlier release of the linksys router software. I see several of you posted after my message saying you had problems, but none of you have indicated that you tried to revert back to an earlier release of the firmware.
TRY USING SOMETHING OTHER THAN 1.442 FIRMWARE!
Hello Folks,
I have a similar problem as well. I have a BEFSR41 with a Bay Networks NetGear FS108 8 port 10/100 switch going to a SB4100 cable modem. I have four systems on my network, 2 run Windows XP Pro, another is a SparcStation 20 running Solaris 8 and the other is an SGI o2 running Irix 6.5.
My problem is that after some period of time, which seems to be random for the most part, my router appears to stop responding. Looking at the status lights everything appears to be normal. Activity light on the modem, router and switch are all moving along as though everything is fine, yet no connectivity. I also cannot reach 192.168.1.1 when this problem happens. The only solution seems to be unplugging the power on the router since the reset switch seems completely worthless.
I have tested a few different scenarios:
1. After purchasing the router with firmware 1.42.7 installed and noticing this problem, I upgraded the firmware to 1.44.2. This did make a difference, the problem became more frequent.
2. I removed the switch from the configuration, same problem.
3. Connecting a PC directly to the modem, of course, fixes this problem.
4. Purchased a used BEFSR11 single port router on ebay which has firmware version 1.44.2 as well, and so far, this problem does not occur. This would leave me to believe that the problem may be isolated to the units that have built in switch hardware.
5. I have found that if I open a DOS window and attempt to ping around a bit to different places (DNS addresses of ISP, yahoo, google, etc...) that the connection will come back *sometimes*.
The thing I have not tried yet and I am surprised that I did not think of this, is to see if the problem affects the unix machines as well. These are cross development boxes and I don't use them online very often. I will try this as well, with the BEFSR41 and leave my findings here.
I hope some of this information helps someone out.
Thanks,
Mike
I have a similar problem as well. I have a BEFSR41 with a Bay Networks NetGear FS108 8 port 10/100 switch going to a SB4100 cable modem. I have four systems on my network, 2 run Windows XP Pro, another is a SparcStation 20 running Solaris 8 and the other is an SGI o2 running Irix 6.5.
My problem is that after some period of time, which seems to be random for the most part, my router appears to stop responding. Looking at the status lights everything appears to be normal. Activity light on the modem, router and switch are all moving along as though everything is fine, yet no connectivity. I also cannot reach 192.168.1.1 when this problem happens. The only solution seems to be unplugging the power on the router since the reset switch seems completely worthless.
I have tested a few different scenarios:
1. After purchasing the router with firmware 1.42.7 installed and noticing this problem, I upgraded the firmware to 1.44.2. This did make a difference, the problem became more frequent.
2. I removed the switch from the configuration, same problem.
3. Connecting a PC directly to the modem, of course, fixes this problem.
4. Purchased a used BEFSR11 single port router on ebay which has firmware version 1.44.2 as well, and so far, this problem does not occur. This would leave me to believe that the problem may be isolated to the units that have built in switch hardware.
5. I have found that if I open a DOS window and attempt to ping around a bit to different places (DNS addresses of ISP, yahoo, google, etc...) that the connection will come back *sometimes*.
The thing I have not tried yet and I am surprised that I did not think of this, is to see if the problem affects the unix machines as well. These are cross development boxes and I don't use them online very often. I will try this as well, with the BEFSR41 and leave my findings here.
I hope some of this information helps someone out.
Thanks,
Mike
Hello again everyone,
Another update on my router testing. I tried the loooooonnngggg reset on my BEFSR41 and have not had any problems with the router since. This may have done the trick for me. Here are the steps:
1. Locate a professional grade, laser calibrated unit reset tool - LinkSys Part # 200045BZ-X (I used a bent paperclip).
2. Push and hold the reset button on the front of the router, the Diag LED will come on after about 15 seconds.
3. Hold the reset button until after the Diag LED turns off.
4. Serve and enjoy.
BTW, if you have any custom settings in the router you may want to write them down as this procedure will wipe them out.
I hope this helps someone out there!
Thanks,
Mike
Another update on my router testing. I tried the loooooonnngggg reset on my BEFSR41 and have not had any problems with the router since. This may have done the trick for me. Here are the steps:
1. Locate a professional grade, laser calibrated unit reset tool - LinkSys Part # 200045BZ-X (I used a bent paperclip).
2. Push and hold the reset button on the front of the router, the Diag LED will come on after about 15 seconds.
3. Hold the reset button until after the Diag LED turns off.
4. Serve and enjoy.
BTW, if you have any custom settings in the router you may want to write them down as this procedure will wipe them out.
I hope this helps someone out there!
Thanks,
Mike
try to go to this link:
We recently installed a BEFSR41 in a home office to one of our best customers. I became involved when my technicians could not get it to connect to the DSL service provided by Bellsouth. I noticed that the Westel Wirespeed modem had a default IP range of 192.168.1.100 which I though may have been conflicting with the Linksys default of 192.168.1.1. This was easily resolved by selecting a range of 192.168.2.1 and the router could be configured. Unfortunately no, we could not get the router configured and contacted Linksys tech support.
After two phone calls we finally received the updated firmware via email which was the first techs suggestion. Only after did I notice that we could have downloaded them straight from the web. On the third phone call to Linksys support it suggested that I attempt to connect using a different computer on the network. Using a Windows ME computer we found that we could connect to the router and configure it.
Our customer has constantly complained that he could not get online on his XP computer. I am very confendent that his machine is working properly since it is a new 2.8Ghz 512RAM Systemax. I have had to send a techician out to reconnect him so offten that he has now learned how to reconfigure his network setting so he doesn't have to call my office anymore. He now has to reset his system every time he shuts his machine off and perioticly when he is using it. This has caused him to just about lose his patiance with us and is erroding his confendace in my offices ablilities. I am just about to cut my losses and replace this unit with a Netgear RP614.
Most of my customers have Bellsouth DSL service and are still using Windows 98, or ME, am I to expect these type of issues when they start upgrading their systems? I have over 5 hours in trouble shooting this issue created by what appears to be a compatablity problem.
After two phone calls we finally received the updated firmware via email which was the first techs suggestion. Only after did I notice that we could have downloaded them straight from the web. On the third phone call to Linksys support it suggested that I attempt to connect using a different computer on the network. Using a Windows ME computer we found that we could connect to the router and configure it.
Our customer has constantly complained that he could not get online on his XP computer. I am very confendent that his machine is working properly since it is a new 2.8Ghz 512RAM Systemax. I have had to send a techician out to reconnect him so offten that he has now learned how to reconfigure his network setting so he doesn't have to call my office anymore. He now has to reset his system every time he shuts his machine off and perioticly when he is using it. This has caused him to just about lose his patiance with us and is erroding his confendace in my offices ablilities. I am just about to cut my losses and replace this unit with a Netgear RP614.
Most of my customers have Bellsouth DSL service and are still using Windows 98, or ME, am I to expect these type of issues when they start upgrading their systems? I have over 5 hours in trouble shooting this issue created by what appears to be a compatablity problem.
ShadowWolf
Technical User
Wait,
This is a very stupid question, but..... here it goes.
Are you running the Internet Connection sharing services within your home network???? This could very well be the original problem. I am only asking because you had mentioned that everything ran fine as long as the XP box was on and running...
I also upgraded, but from WinME to Win2kPro, and had the same problem. Turns out I just had to set the router to assign the ip's as the computers logged on, then rerun the Internet Connectoin Sharing Services. Been Running just fine ever since.
This is a very stupid question, but..... here it goes.
Are you running the Internet Connection sharing services within your home network???? This could very well be the original problem. I am only asking because you had mentioned that everything ran fine as long as the XP box was on and running...
I also upgraded, but from WinME to Win2kPro, and had the same problem. Turns out I just had to set the router to assign the ip's as the computers logged on, then rerun the Internet Connectoin Sharing Services. Been Running just fine ever since.
To all,
This will sound like an impossibly silly solution, but I can give you about an 60% certainty of it working.
If your BEFSRxx router is < 12 months old, call Linksys Tech Support or visit their web site and ask for a new power "wall wart" or adapter.
They will send you one free. You do not need to return the old one.
Plug it in.
Done.
This will sound like an impossibly silly solution, but I can give you about an 60% certainty of it working.
If your BEFSRxx router is < 12 months old, call Linksys Tech Support or visit their web site and ask for a new power "wall wart" or adapter.
They will send you one free. You do not need to return the old one.
Plug it in.
Done.
Some other recommendations:
If you have the BEFSWxxx series, you should upgrade to the 1.45 firmware release from Linksys, release 4/2/03.
If you have the BEFSRxx series, you should only use one of the following firmwares: 1.39, 1.42.7 (my choice), or 1.43.
In all cases of firmware upgrades, a looooong reset is often a good idea.
It is likely a new release for the BEFSRxxx routers will come soon, but these releases will stop the interrupted service problem.
The firmware for all BEFxxx series can be found at:
ftp.linksys.com/pub/befsr41/[?]
Second, if the problem is not a service interruption but a loss of DNS services with a static IP assignment for the client, then remove from the router setup page the manual DNS entries (if any), and copy the same DNS assignments that the router received from your ISP under the client TCP/IP adapter settings. This helps solve the loss of DNS in most cases with existing firmwares.
Best.
If you have the BEFSWxxx series, you should upgrade to the 1.45 firmware release from Linksys, release 4/2/03.
If you have the BEFSRxx series, you should only use one of the following firmwares: 1.39, 1.42.7 (my choice), or 1.43.
In all cases of firmware upgrades, a looooong reset is often a good idea.
It is likely a new release for the BEFSRxxx routers will come soon, but these releases will stop the interrupted service problem.
The firmware for all BEFxxx series can be found at:
ftp.linksys.com/pub/befsr41/[?]
Second, if the problem is not a service interruption but a loss of DNS services with a static IP assignment for the client, then remove from the router setup page the manual DNS entries (if any), and copy the same DNS assignments that the router received from your ISP under the client TCP/IP adapter settings. This helps solve the loss of DNS in most cases with existing firmwares.
Best.
AngryBacon
Technical User
I have had this same problem with losing access.
I am running a BEFSX41 Firewall Router and a BEFCMU10 Cable Modem, and the only thing that seems to help is resetting both devices. All three computers running on this network are Dell P4 XP machines, and all are updated regularly (i.e. they all have the XP SP1 update). Although I have really noted the access problem with the machine which is running XP Home Edition. Any comments there?
I also wanted to add wireless to my LAN and I had just purchased a BEFW11S4 Wireless Router because I could use the additional ethernet ports in addition to the wireless capability...now I'm not so sure.
DJ
I am running a BEFSX41 Firewall Router and a BEFCMU10 Cable Modem, and the only thing that seems to help is resetting both devices. All three computers running on this network are Dell P4 XP machines, and all are updated regularly (i.e. they all have the XP SP1 update). Although I have really noted the access problem with the machine which is running XP Home Edition. Any comments there?
I also wanted to add wireless to my LAN and I had just purchased a BEFW11S4 Wireless Router because I could use the additional ethernet ports in addition to the wireless capability...now I'm not so sure.
DJ
AngryBacon,
The fact that the problem machine is WinXp Home is not on its face a source of problems, but the fact that one machine exhibits more problems is suggestive.
I had one "problem" machine like this that turned out to have a corrupted Winsock stack from running AdAware. As WinXP does not provide any really good way to rebuild the TCP/IP stacks, try this little utility that has worked in two cases for me:
After unzipping, what this .bat file does is remove the two Winsock Service keys, refreshes them with a clean set of keys from a fresh XP-SP1 install, and then runs netsh ip int reset resetlog.txt for you to correct all registry values.
If you make a copy of your registry before running the .bat file, it is perfectly safe to use this utility.
I honestly have had no problems with it, and it has been a magic bullet for XP problems as you are indicating.
Best.
Bill
The fact that the problem machine is WinXp Home is not on its face a source of problems, but the fact that one machine exhibits more problems is suggestive.
I had one "problem" machine like this that turned out to have a corrupted Winsock stack from running AdAware. As WinXP does not provide any really good way to rebuild the TCP/IP stacks, try this little utility that has worked in two cases for me:
After unzipping, what this .bat file does is remove the two Winsock Service keys, refreshes them with a clean set of keys from a fresh XP-SP1 install, and then runs netsh ip int reset resetlog.txt for you to correct all registry values.
If you make a copy of your registry before running the .bat file, it is perfectly safe to use this utility.
I honestly have had no problems with it, and it has been a magic bullet for XP problems as you are indicating.
Best.
Bill
AngryBacon
Technical User
Interesting you should mention AdAware since I have run this on all my home and work machines.
I will download your utility and let you know if it helps.
Does AdAware continually cause such Winsock problems?, or was it a fluke that this occurred?
Thanks,
DJ
I will download your utility and let you know if it helps.
Does AdAware continually cause such Winsock problems?, or was it a fluke that this occurred?
Thanks,
DJ
Bill102938
Technical User
Quite honestly I have not had a single problem since I have set the router up to connect on Demand, rather than a continuous connection "Keep Alive". Since I only use the internet for an hour or so a day, this works very well and only takes about 1 second to connect when I open my browser. I will also try the winsock utility that was posted.
Gosh - funny how this problem seems so prevalent, and yet Linksys says it doesn't exist at all!
I'me having this same issue with every wireless adapter I have tried with XP. Even with the 54g routers and adapters!
I've read this thread with great interest, but very few people have come back to speak of the success or failure of the rollback to earlier firmware versions. Is this truly the answer?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!
I'me having this same issue with every wireless adapter I have tried with XP. Even with the 54g routers and adapters!
I've read this thread with great interest, but very few people have come back to speak of the success or failure of the rollback to earlier firmware versions. Is this truly the answer?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!
I strongly suggest you do not roll-back the firmware but try and stay current with it. A case could have been made with the 1.44 firmware for the BEFSR41, but has ceased to be an issue with the 1.44.2 release of the firmware.
As for your XP problems the fact that you have had problems both with 802.11b and 802.11g cards suggests something else besides firmware is at issue.
The three big "gotchas" of XP and wireless adapter:
1. Disable 802.1x authentication. It is very rare that it is in fact supported by your wireless adapter; wait for WAP, use WEP.
2. Wireless Zero Configuration. Some turn it off and wonder why their adapter will not work. Some use the included wireless client and have wireless zero configuration enabled. You cannot mix these states. Enable Wireless Zero Configuration, and do NOT use or install the configuration client. There are some exceptions, but this is a good very general rule.
3. Software stubs. As a very, very good general rule the un-installation routines for wireless products is just awful in cleaning up after an installation. I cringe to hear that someone tried brand X, returned it, and now cannot get brand Y to work either. It is not unusual to find two or three wireless clients being loaded, numerous .dlls from other clients, multiple drivers from various clients, etc.. I strongly urge a good un-install program be run prior to installing any wireless adapter software. Or, in the alternative, freeware utilities that monitor registry and file system changes. Or, at the bare minimum print out the .sys, .dll, .inf, .cfg, and .exe listing of all subdirectories on the installation disk and if you decide to change brands do a search for each one and manually remove them. Then search the registry for "Linksys" or "Dlink" or "Buffalo" or whatever is appropriate and delete the entries.
One last "gotcha" that is sometimes a factor in laptop/notebooks is the use of chipset specific cardbus controller drivers. I have had much better success under XP changing TI-specific drivers under Device Manager to Microsoft's "Generic Cardbus Controller" drivers. Linksys, for one, is now offering a TI-chipset specific driver for its 54g wireless card adapters.
I have been very happy with 802.11b under XP, and generally pleased with 802.11g, a work in process. The 802.11a implementations I have tried had range problems that made them unsuitable in my case, but worked as advertised under XP for me.
Best to all.
As for your XP problems the fact that you have had problems both with 802.11b and 802.11g cards suggests something else besides firmware is at issue.
The three big "gotchas" of XP and wireless adapter:
1. Disable 802.1x authentication. It is very rare that it is in fact supported by your wireless adapter; wait for WAP, use WEP.
2. Wireless Zero Configuration. Some turn it off and wonder why their adapter will not work. Some use the included wireless client and have wireless zero configuration enabled. You cannot mix these states. Enable Wireless Zero Configuration, and do NOT use or install the configuration client. There are some exceptions, but this is a good very general rule.
3. Software stubs. As a very, very good general rule the un-installation routines for wireless products is just awful in cleaning up after an installation. I cringe to hear that someone tried brand X, returned it, and now cannot get brand Y to work either. It is not unusual to find two or three wireless clients being loaded, numerous .dlls from other clients, multiple drivers from various clients, etc.. I strongly urge a good un-install program be run prior to installing any wireless adapter software. Or, in the alternative, freeware utilities that monitor registry and file system changes. Or, at the bare minimum print out the .sys, .dll, .inf, .cfg, and .exe listing of all subdirectories on the installation disk and if you decide to change brands do a search for each one and manually remove them. Then search the registry for "Linksys" or "Dlink" or "Buffalo" or whatever is appropriate and delete the entries.
One last "gotcha" that is sometimes a factor in laptop/notebooks is the use of chipset specific cardbus controller drivers. I have had much better success under XP changing TI-specific drivers under Device Manager to Microsoft's "Generic Cardbus Controller" drivers. Linksys, for one, is now offering a TI-chipset specific driver for its 54g wireless card adapters.
I have been very happy with 802.11b under XP, and generally pleased with 802.11g, a work in process. The 802.11a implementations I have tried had range problems that made them unsuitable in my case, but worked as advertised under XP for me.
Best to all.
Thanks for the info!
Unfortunately, my experience with this problem has been spread accross several different systems at several geographically unique locations. The pitfalls you have mentioned are actually very good, but I haven't fallen into any of them at this point.
My only big question right now is: I'm using 128 WEP on each system - could it be something to do with this? Should I set them to being completely unsecure to maintain the connection.
Each connection stays connected for exactly 3 minutes and 5 seconds - then resets. I can always get right back on - with the 11g stuff - it comes back on simply by clicking the balloon saying that a newtwork exsists, and then clicking connect. The 11b stuff usually takes the above steps, then clicking advanced, then clicking refresh anywhere from 1 to 10 times. Then it comes back. Signal strength in the above situations is EXCELLENT, same adapters and routers stay connected when used with Win98 in the same exact physical locations. All firmware and drivers have been updated as of 4/24/03. Even tried static IPs just in case something goofy was happening with DHCP. I can provide much more information if necessary. Drop a land line down to the router and everything works fine.
Linksys says that they have never heard of this issue when called and said that I should just try a different model of adapter.
HELP!!! (Thanks)
Unfortunately, my experience with this problem has been spread accross several different systems at several geographically unique locations. The pitfalls you have mentioned are actually very good, but I haven't fallen into any of them at this point.
My only big question right now is: I'm using 128 WEP on each system - could it be something to do with this? Should I set them to being completely unsecure to maintain the connection.
Each connection stays connected for exactly 3 minutes and 5 seconds - then resets. I can always get right back on - with the 11g stuff - it comes back on simply by clicking the balloon saying that a newtwork exsists, and then clicking connect. The 11b stuff usually takes the above steps, then clicking advanced, then clicking refresh anywhere from 1 to 10 times. Then it comes back. Signal strength in the above situations is EXCELLENT, same adapters and routers stay connected when used with Win98 in the same exact physical locations. All firmware and drivers have been updated as of 4/24/03. Even tried static IPs just in case something goofy was happening with DHCP. I can provide much more information if necessary. Drop a land line down to the router and everything works fine.
Linksys says that they have never heard of this issue when called and said that I should just try a different model of adapter.
HELP!!! (Thanks)
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