All Traffic up & down stop regularly

[mpg54]

Hi,

I have ADSL through ATT. I have a Netgear ADSL modem connected to a Netgear router connected to my PC. Using BitComet my ports are opened and I can download and upload just fine, greenlights for DHT and WAN. The problem is the every 10 minutes or so my download & upload speed slowly start dropping until they hit 0 Kb's. It stays like that for about a minute or two then starts to resume downloading again. When this happens my internet connection goes dead too can't connect to anything until the downloading & uploading resumes. Anyone have an idea on what's going on? I've been dealing with this for quite a while now. :(

Thanks in advance.

[kluelos]

Try temporarily connecting directly to the modem, bypassing the router. I know this can be inconvenient in some situations, but you're only doing this temporarily as a test. Remember to re-work your computer's network connection for a dynamic IP.

Let it run this way for an hour or two as you download and do other things. If the problem goes away, it indicates that the problem is with the router. Replacement routers are fairly cheap, and interchangeable -- there's no advantage to having the same brand of modem and router, any of them will work with any other of them. You should be able to pick one up at a street price of US$30 or less, sometimes a lot less.

[mpg54]

Hi,

I think your right it is the Router, I removed it per your suggestion and haven't seen a decrease yet. I'm a fan of Netgear stuff, so if I do buy a new Router I'll probably stick with them. This Router is a WPN824 v.1. Maybe I'll have better success with a newer model. Might be time for N wireless too.

Thanks for you help.

[kluelos]

This model of router is unable to handle more than a certain number of connections. Bittorrent opens a great many connections in a very short time, and apparently the router can't handle it.

NetGear's take on this is that it must be caused by a virus, not a flaw in their router, and imply that this is a universal fault in all routers. It isn't -- most routers can handle the extra number of connections without a hitch. Netgear blames the customer's system rather than offering a firmware fix. (I would take that as a solid reason not to buy NetGear product.)

You may want to swap the router with someone else who doesn't use P2P. It should be perfectly fine for other uses.

[mpg54]

Yeah that is a lame statement, surprised to hear that from Netgear.

[dana3365]

I've had the same problem for YEARS!!! My problem is with ATT. Is there any way around it for me? Speedstream 4100 modem, Linsys WRT54G router. Bypassed router--same problem, but connection does not return until I reset the modem when bypassed and the router when it is connected. Tried limiting connection right down to 10 kbps. No cigar. This happens when I am leeching and when I am seeding. I seed at full bore and tried limiting that as well.

Dayna

Edited November 22, 2009 by dana3365 (see edit history)

[kluelos]

That Linksys router is quite infamous for this issue. There are even third-party firmware hacks to try to fix it, and there are even articles about what to do if you manage to turn your router into a brick (paperweight) while trying.

New routers can often be had for a street price of US$20 or so, on sale. That's maybe 15 minutes of a repair shop's time. It's not worth any amount of trouble to fuss with one, just replace it. Or, as I said, swap with somebody who doesn't P2P, it's fine except for this.