Help with randomly disconnecting DSL?
JuggLastStand
Newbie

I don't know much about the technical jargon so I would appreciate it if you explained anything you say.

We've had Verizon DSL for a few years now without any problems that I can remember except our Westell modem went out about 2 months ago, and this was replaced with an Actiontec from Verizon. Everything was peachy until a week ago.

I often play Xbox 360 online and it was during a game that i first experienced this issue. I would be playing a game and then experience horrible "lag" and disconnect from the game, and the Xbox LIVE network. I would be able to sign on again about 10-20 seconds later, and repeat. Every game without fail has "lagged out" in the past month. I also noticed that sometimes when I'm browsing on my laptop it will drop the connection for about 10 seconds then everything will be fine for another hour or so.

It seems to be much more frequent when using (I'm not sure if this term is correct) bandwith intensive applications such as video chatting via iChat, and during downloading. Or playing my Xbox 360.

I do not know if the connection actually goes away for this time, or if it simply becomes very slow or what have you, the point is that this is very inconvenient. I tutor via video chat (part time, I'm a student) and being disconnected every 5-10 minutes is difficult to cope with.

I don't notice the issue on my computer as much as my xbox, and I called xbox tech support who said to contact my ISP but failed to mention what could be wrong or what to ask my ISP. That was yesterday, and I'm planning on calling Verizon this afternoon.

Just to be clear, this came completely out of the blue, nothing about my set up had changed in the 2-odd months since the modem was replaced.

Please let me know if anything was unclear and I'll do my best to clarify so you fine people can help me out.

if it's not something I can fix myself then I'd like to know what to ask the customer service rep when I call Verizon.

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6 Replies
dslr595148
Community Leader
Community Leader

#1 What is the brand and model of your modem?

#2 What is the brand and model of your router?

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JuggLastStand
Newbie

wow how could i forget...

it is a modem/router... the xbox is connected directly to it, and the laptop is on wifi.

it's an "Actiontec GT204WG Rev. B"... not sure if the "Rev. B" part is significant.

it has Verizon branding on the top and front.

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FieldT
Enthusiast - Level 3

When you are having problems see if the DSL light on the modem is solid or flashing. It should always be solid, that means your modem is connected to Verizon's central office, if it is blinking you have lost your connection, it is like it is unplugged, nothing you can type will fix it. If you are losing your connection, that is the DSL light is blinking when you have problems check all of your connections and make sure you are using the cord that came with your modem or a very short cord from the modem to the jack on the wall. If that don't help call Verizon online and have them send a tech out to fix line. If it is solid all of the time then it is more of a computer type problem, Verizon online may be able to talk you through it or someone here may be able to help you.

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beato21
Newbie

im having the exact same problem.....and i still have my original westell 327W. i play a lot of xbl and its impossible to stand when being disconnected off and on. i was disconnected twice while typing this post =/

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Protonite
Newbie

I am having the same exact problem with my xbox live and verizon connection. i have called the verizion technical support about this, and they were no help at all. it seems that it only disconnects with certain games. I have no problem playin halo or any other online game except left 4 dead 2. whenever i log onto that game i it lags whenever i play the four player co-op as described on the case, but 3 players works just fine with no lag. but like i said i have the same problem, when in game, the internet drops out for about 10-20 seconds, then reconnects, but by time it reconnects, my game is already back in the lobby. just like jugg, i have verizon DSL with a westell 6100 modem, and a linksys wireless-g 2.4GHz broadband router with speed booster. if anyone can help, it would be most appreciated. thank you and happy holidays.

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gordonfitch
Enthusiast - Level 2

I have been tracking my DSL connection for some time using regular pings from

a Linux machine.  Periodically the link goes down and comes back within a short

period, from a few seconds to several minutes.  This seems to happen quite often

on some days and not at all on others.  You might not notice the outages when

you were not in a high-bandwidth interactive application like a game because

other applications, like a browser, will simply reconnect after awhile; it will

merely appear that a page is slow to load.  I have noticed the outages because

I use a terminal emulator via ssh to a server.  I suspect the problem is pretty

general and may have to do with Verizon's hardware or software.  It's hard

to say, and Verizon doesn't seem to be interested in pursuing the problem.

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