Westell 6100F modem
No router
Ethernet (Y-cable)
1.5 to 3mbps plan
Windows XP
Internet connection drops at least twice per hour for the past two weeks. DLS light remains steady green at all times. Data light blinking green. Internet light goes from blinking green to red to off - sometimes just going off.
It will come back in 10 to 30 minutes without me doing anything.
The tray icon always - always - says my Local Area Connection is connected at 100 mbps.
Network Connections always says I'm connected.
Modem status is always 'Windows did not detect any problems' - clicking 'Repair' does not change anything.
In-Home Agent either says it can help me because it can't connect or that I'm already connected and nothing is wrong.
192.169.1.1 might say I'm 'Not Connected' and 'PPP down", and might say I'm 'Connected' but won't 'Go to Internet' until the thing reconnects on it's own again.
I have reinstalled from the original CD and reset/turned off the modem multiple times, and it still happens. I have read all of the advice I can find and nearly everything is in reference to router issues. I don't have a router. (Hard to tell from the postings on some sites, as some people say that the 6100f is a router.) I have to say I'm really not interested in resetting my modem fifty million times again to 'see if the problem corrects itself'.
Here is the only thing I changed before this started: I bought the same Westell modem to use on my laptop in the next room. I had previously been unplugging the one I had and taking it in the other room and plugging in the laptop to use, then back again. At that time I was using the USB connection, not the Ethernet. I did that for months with no problem. So when I got the other modem, I did the set up process on each computer again but used the Ethernet cable, and only switch back and forth by unplugging the phone line (only) from one modem and plugging it in on the other.
The only thing I haven't tried is going back to using the USB ports - I'm afraid of just starting a new and different kind of connection hell. Besides, it was slower (I think) and every set up guide keeps 'recommending' Ethernet.
The only modem listed now in System Devices (or anywhere) is my internal modem - previously the Westell was also listed. I also don't understand if the PPPoE and DHCP are conflicting or what - I'm very novice at this stuff, and just want someone to tell me what checkboxes to check 🙂 .
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
(And yes, I have a wireless router/modem on order from Verizon. But it's the 4th time I've tried to order on online. It goes through the whole ordering process, gives me a fake order number (I am not even kidding), and that's the end of that. I attempted to order one by phone - for actual MONEY - but none of the many people I kept being transferred to at Verizon seemed to know how to SELL me a wireless DSL modem/router. Normally I'd be quite proud at the confusion in their voices, but I really do want to get that equipment. They are certainly chatty about 'bundles' , though. I'm not getting a bundle.)
