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aefstoggaflm
Open Source Fan
Premium Member
join:2002-03-04
Bethlehem, PA
Linksys E4200
ARRIS SB6141

aefstoggaflm

Premium Member

What causes dropped connections?

REF Verizon official Forums -> Products and Services -> High Speed Internet -> Dropped DSL Connection

URL REF »forums.verizon.com/t5/Hi ··· p/898411

User reported..

#1
quote:
It's been my experience with Verizon the past few years that they will yes you to death but have little interest in actually fixing what's wrong with DSL. Verizon doesn't offer Fios where I live so DSL is the only option right now. I have been losing my connection at least 10 times a day for a few months now. For my equipment I have a new Actiontec GT784WNV modem with a dedicated shielded twisted pair line connected directly to the Verizon box. I have ferrite core filters on all the power lines near or associated with the modem. All my devices except my phones are hard wired to the modem. The Verizon switching station is about 1 mile from my house. I am told fiber runs to that station and copper runs from there out. I have spent countless hours on the phone with Verizon technicians and twice they have sent people out to my location to fix the problem. Each time they tell me the problem is fixed but nothing changes. If I'm streaming a movie I usually have to get up and restart the modem at least once sometimes more. I actually lost the connection while I was writing this and had to reset the modem. One of the technicians hinted that the old copper phone lines might be the problem. Since Verizon's push is on Fios (I have been told they don't ever plan on expanding it here) I don't believe they have any desire to spend the money to actually fix anything associated with DSL.

#2
quote:
My Actiontec doesn't reboot itself. Once it loses connection it will continue in that state until I reboot it myself. Last night when I was watching a Netflix movie I lost connection 4 times.

#3 and
quote:
my memory usage seems to run at a constant 53% whenever I check it

Some questions:

#1 What causes dropped connections, like that?

#2 What it better that they get their own router and then get that modem combo in bridge mode, even through the modem combo is not rebooting?

Please and thank you

pjsutton
join:2013-06-25
Kempton, PA

3 recommendations

pjsutton

Member

I, generally, think the gateways are pieces of garbage. The Actiontec is better than the D-Link, but still not great. About 3 years ago (maybe longer?) I got a standalone router and it was the best thing I ever did. About two months ago I got a Google Wifi and it's been even better since then. I had a TP-Link and I think it had some buggy firmware.

For most modern homes/uses, the Actiontec and D-Link just don't have enough RAM and processing capabilities as routers. My Actiontec would work fine, but the memory usage would slowly ramp up over time, then it would crash and reboot itself. It would take about 5 days. Annoying. I have anywhere between 11-15 devices connected at any given time. I really push my 3 Mbps line to its limit!

aefstoggaflm
Open Source Fan
Premium Member
join:2002-03-04
Bethlehem, PA
Linksys E4200
ARRIS SB6141

aefstoggaflm

Premium Member

said by pjsutton:

I, generally, think the gateways are pieces of garbage...

For most modern homes/uses, the Actiontec and D-Link just don't have enough RAM and processing capabilities as routers. My Actiontec would work fine, but the memory usage would slowly ramp up over time, then it would crash and reboot itself. It would take about 5 days. Annoying. I have anywhere between 11-15 devices connected at any given time. I really push my 3 Mbps line to its limit!

So I take it you agree that they should get their own router and put that modem combo into bridge mode even through the router is not rebooting?

JRave
Premium Member
join:2005-02-19
New Kensington, PA

3 recommendations

JRave to aefstoggaflm

Premium Member

to aefstoggaflm
Its mostly hardware issues, but they can be on either end of the line. When I used the Verizon supplied modems as gateways I had to reboot it every 5 to 7 days. After changing it to modem only mode and using my router for wifi etc... I only have to reboot the modem maybe once a month or so.

However, there are issues on Verizon's end even if they don't wish to admit it. Sync no Surf can be pretty common from time to time on my line. What I mean is the modem is connected with solid stats for days, but the router's PPPOE connection has dropped and is timing out when trying to reconnect to Verizon's servers. This normally requires me to reboot both devices (router and modem) but even then it still might take 5-10 minutes to finally stop timing out.

There is also another possible issue that can be something neither you or Verizon can fix easily. That is signal interference along the line between your devices and theirs. As an example, in my area not too far from my CO there is an AM radio broadcast tower. It only broadcasts during the day and if you have a tool that can monitor the DSL frequency bands on your modem, you can actually see when that tower starts and stops broadcasting. If I don't tweak my modem's SNR value, I will always disconnect when that interference happens. Using an old modem tool I can up my snr connection % to bring the base connection value of 6 (that value is where Verizon's equipment normally connects at) to around 9. Doing so allows me to avoid that disconnection from signal interference in most cases at the cost of lowering my connection speed. (Although I am lucky enough to still get around 12-13 Mbps download at 9 SNR)

I also had another Frequency issue a few years ago during the months of December/January. It happened 2 years in a row and I believe it had something to do with Christmas Lights/Decorations considering the timing and all. When it started I had a new neighbor across the alley from me (phone lines run through my alley) and although I can't prove it was something they did, the major issues stopped after they moved out. I still see frequency spikes on the DSL band during those months but nothing as bad as that period of time.

So in summary you can have 3 issues causing disconnections.

1) Your gateway is being overworked and dropping connections because it can't handle both the Modem's job and the wifi/router's job.
2) There is an issue on Verizon's end causing problems. Sometimes those problems resolve themselves, other times you need to call and get someone to fix it on their end. (good luck with that half the time)
3) There is signal interference happening somewhere on the line that might not be easily fixable by you or Verizon. Tracking down that Interference can be tricky. In my case I was able to figure it out by looking at the frequency channels and comparing it to local am radio signals. But sometimes it can be from something like lights/decorations that are not properly shielded that are near the phone line between your NID and the CO.

Smith6612
MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY
·Charter
Ubee EU2251
Ubiquiti UAP-IW-HD
Ubiquiti UniFi AP-AC-HD

1 recommendation

Smith6612 to pjsutton

MVM

to pjsutton
If they could fix the memory leaking issue in the firmware, the ActionTecs would be more than capable pieces of hardware. Again, though, they have to fix the memory leaking issue. When I had one, it was in the WiFi daemon and the DHCP Daemon. Things that should NOT be leaking 15+MB of RAM.

The Westell modems Verizon gave out prior to switching to ActionTec had far less RAM and CPU power, yet handled whatever you threw at them well. I'm talking specifically about the ones running WindRiver's stack.

JRave
Premium Member
join:2005-02-19
New Kensington, PA

2 recommendations

JRave

Premium Member

I miss my old Westell 7500. Shame the thing got fried via lightning. (along with my old Router) I still have a Westell 2100 sitting around but that thing overheats really easy and drops connection. Its only good for testing briefly and as a bandaid between modems.
KeepItSimple
join:2009-03-10
Wilmington, DE

1 recommendation

KeepItSimple to aefstoggaflm

Member

to aefstoggaflm
TSAll my devices except my phones are hard wired to the modem[/user]

Well, that's a big problem. There should be a splitter in the NID outside. Use pair 4 for DSL and pair 1 for telco.
verizon should be able to bring in a 4 pair outdoor rated cable to the inside. Punch the Verizon cable to this »www.amazon.com/Leviton-4 ··· 01U3Z4EI type of block.

You will then have two active pairs. One for DSL (pair 4)and one for telco (pair 1). Punch Pair 4 to pair one of a telco jack. If the modem is close by you can buy a CAT4 or CAT5 straight tru cable to go from the jack to the modem. The modem doesn;t care about polarity.

That panel should be expandable with a straight jumper. Telco wall to phone are crossed, but don;t ask the verizon tech that teaches this stuff.

So, a telephone plugged into a DSL capable line with the modem on will hiss at you, With the modem off, it's regular telephone line.

You can have no DSL filters if you have a splitter.

This method is not the best, but might work in your case.

if you have a "jumper" in the NID, it has to be changed to a block with a non-jumper. if you have a 1/2 ringer in the NID, It has to be changed to a block with no ringer.

Shielded cable must be connected at one one end only to ground. That end should be the source,

You MIGHT have issues, if you have a carbon protector.

Check jacks for spider webs.

The preferred way now is CAT6 RJ45 jacks with inserts to turn them into telco jacks. The jacks can then be ethernet or telco and reassigned at the patch panel. The patch panel will use straight jumpers.

An alarm tie point is an RJ31x jack before the telco distribution to the house.
tired_runner
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25
CT
·Frontier FiberOp..

1 recommendation

tired_runner to aefstoggaflm

Premium Member

to aefstoggaflm
Back when I had DSL, connection was stable all the time. Only fluctuation I experienced were speeds, usually lower during peak time.

When it comes to copper, planning and cleanliness is key. At some point I had dry loop, while other times I had to do POTS with DSL. Both implementations had same connections; single copper pair via CAT5e cable from demarcation point to DSL filter input, then output to wherever I needed it.

I used Leviton filter:
»www.amazon.com/Leviton-4 ··· 38&psc=1

... along with Leviton 1x9 board:
»www.homedepot.com/p/Levi ··· rc=aw.ds
chrismeyer
join:2002-10-13
Manchester Township, NJ

2 recommendations

chrismeyer to aefstoggaflm

Member

to aefstoggaflm
I've been using my Netgear DM200 dsl modem for over two years and that thing has been a rock. Gone are all the issues i had experienced with the Actiontec modem supplied by verizon. its super easy to set up and its just a plan modem no routeing no wifi. I it super cheap new in box off ebay I think it was 12 bucks. The last time I touched it was when it was time to pull my network rack apart for a good cleaning.
tired_runner
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25
CT

1 recommendation

tired_runner

Premium Member

I used to have a Westell Wirespeed 2100 in bridge mode. It never complained or dropped connection.

At some point I used to have a Westell 7500, which was wifi router. I always used in bridged mode. No complaints there either.