Internet flinches every 2 hours.
Signas
Enthusiast - Level 2

I've had an actiontec MI424-WR F for a while now, and the entire time I've had it the internet (without showing any signs in windows 7 or the router's status lights) will stop for an extremely short amount of time every 1.5-2.5 hours, just long enough to disrupt everything internet-related I'm doing.

I noticed the dhcp lease was 2 hours and that it was at 119 minutes immediately after one of these flinches occurred, but there seems to be no way to screw with it in the router's admin control. I'm pretty sure that it's doing this every time the lease is renewed.

So what do I do?

Re: Internet flinches every 2 hours.
Anti-Phish1
Master - Level 1

That does sound like it could be related to the DHCP lease.  As you noted, VZ's DHCP lease interval is two hours.  However at 50% of the lease interval (1 hour), the Actiontec should be renewing your DHCP lease for another two hours so you should never have less that 60 minutes remaining on your DHCP lease.  It sounds like the DHCP lease renewal isn't happening, but it does get renewed when it expires.  Very strange. 

DHCP lease parameters are set by VZ's DHCP server, so there is nothing that you can change. 

Have you tried a hard reset on the router?

If that doesn't fix the problem, I'd suggest requesting a replacement router.

Re: Internet flinches every 2 hours.
Signas
Enthusiast - Level 2

I've shut it off and all manner of things quite a few times, but that was just me screwing with the router's mac address to try to get a new IP.

I suppose getting a replacement would be the way to go, was already going to request an upgrade to something with a bigger NAT table. I've noticed if I just hit 'renew' in the admin control it'll stick on the status 'renewing dhcp lease' for ages, and nothing really occurs from this.

I can definitely choose when I want it to reconnect since it's always 2 hours after the last release, I just have to keep going into the control and release/renew inbetween important things to make sure it doesn't go off during them. But it's quite bothering.

Re: Internet flinches every 2 hours.
Anti-Phish1
Master - Level 1

Signas wrote:

I've shut it off and all manner of things quite a few times


When I said "hard reset", I was referring to the recessed reset button on the back.  Not to power cycling the router (reboot).


Signas wrote:

I suppose getting a replacement would be the way to go, was already going to request an upgrade to something with a bigger NAT table.


The rev F is the latest router available unless you have 150/35.

If you want a larger NAT table, you'll need to pick up a Westell 9100EM on eBay.


Signas wrote:

I've noticed if I just hit 'renew' in the admin control it'll stick on the status 'renewing dhcp lease' for ages, and nothing really occurs from this.


That supports the theory there is a problem renewing the DHCP lease.

Re: Internet flinches every 2 hours.
Signas
Enthusiast - Level 2

Right then, I'll see about resetting it and such. By upgrade that's what I meant, I thought verizon had westell ones as well, not just actiontec ones. For an official company piece of hardware this one's a bit on the weak side what with the problems and NAT issues.

Edit: That seems to have prompted me for a new password, deleted all my port forwards and registrations of all the things that have connected to the router, strange. Still not accomplishing anything with Status: Connected (Renewing DHCP Lease) though.

Re: Internet flinches every 2 hours.
Anti-Phish1
Master - Level 1

@Signas wrote:

By upgrade that's what I meant, I thought verizon had westell ones as well, not just actiontec ones.


Not sure where you're located.  Actiontecs are primarily used in the NE.  Westells in the West and South.


@Signas wrote:
For an official company piece of hardware this one's a bit on the weak side what with the problems and NAT issues.
The rev. F is a very capable router.  I have not heard any serious complaints about the NAT table in the rev. F.  Some users are afraid of it simply because of the bad reputation of the GEN1 Actiontecs (A-D),.
Re: Internet flinches every 2 hours.
Signas
Enthusiast - Level 2

New jersey, so I suppose that means no westell.

It's been doing this since day 1 I got it. I doubt something this new was faulty the instant it came out of the box, so I'm a bit skeptical on the quality of this type of router.

Re: Internet flinches every 2 hours.
tragami
Enthusiast - Level 1

I just had FiOS installed last Saturday for the first time, and ever since the installation I have been having lots of connection issues. I too am in NJ, using an Actiontec MI424-WR router, and lose connection every so often. I thought it was happening every hour, but didn't time it, so it could be every two hours. And it's not a quick blip in the connection. It lasts a couple of minutes and kills whatever I'm going online. And it happens regardless of being wireless or wired. But similarly, the router gives no indication that anything is wrong. All applicable lights stay lit up in green.

And that's only one of the problems I've been having, but I won't get into those. I'm quite frustrated. Was planning on calling support for a service call, but this router is already the third one I am on. The tech went through two others the day of the install because of all connectivity the problems.

You won't believe this. Lost connection just now as I was writing this and while plugged into the LAN.