Losing connection every 20 minutes

[Kwong742]

I am using Westell 327W modem. My connection drops every 20 or so minutes. Right now I am connected for 4 hours with no problems but I fear I might disconnect again later. Here are some of my stats:

Transciever: http://pastebin.com/TszAsrGM

Logs: http://pastebin.com/mQ8SHbZS

I was wondering if it's correct that my Broadband Connection Type says PPP instead of PPPoE when I click System Monitoring?

[smith6612]

"PPP" implies PPPoE connectivity. Nothing wrong with how it is being displayed. I don't see anything standing out that would be suggesting a disconnect besides the upstream attenuation, which suggests there may be a small (intermittent) problem with the line occurring. If you have Voice Service with Verizon, do you have any issues with it such as static during a call, or humming?

[Kwong742]

nope my phone is fine. right now my internet has been good for 6 hours without a problem and still going, but i'm not sure if the problem has been solved yet.

[smith6612]

OK. See if you can gather some more details on how the modem is running. Normally when a DSL line drops, if you reload the Transceiver Statistics you will see the margins get extremely low. If they reach 6dB or below, expect a drop soon. I have seen modems remain connected at 0dB, but at that point they are basically unable to transfer data. While the margins are low or are dipping down suddenly, listen in on the phone as I can guarantee in most cases that there will be static or popping on the line at the same time.

[Kwong742]

ok, i'll keep an eye on that. i was wondering why some part of the logs say 'dns unknown host'? sounds like a bad thing.

also what's a good number for line attentuation and how do I fix mine?

[smith6612]

The DNS Unknown Host error simply shows up when the modem (which acts as a DNS Proxy) cannot obtain a valid record for a domain name, either because it doesn't exist or because the connection was down. There's nothing to worry about in that regard.

The upstream attenuation for your line i would imagine would be in the lower 20s, rather than sitting at 30dB. Typically on a good-running like, the upstream attenuation is half of the downstream. You can see if anything improves by plugging your modem into your NID. This allows you to at least rule out your wiring inside of your home being the cause of what I believe may be a small issue.

[Kwong742]

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/5544 i followed this guide. my stats didn't really change. i use wireless if that makes any difference, cus my modem always disconnected with a wired connection, so might as well.

should i replace my modem (maybe it can't support poor wiring, i had it for 5+ years) and get another one from verizon/best buy? or switch to verizon fios? a few months ago, these two techs said it could be that I live too far from verizon's central office.

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/14487 it says here that 40db-50db line attenuation is good, so could it be a location problem more than a wiring problem?

[rmhitchens]

How/where do you find the transceiver statistics?  (Still new at this.)  Thx//Ralph

[Kwong742]

type 192.168.1.1 on address bar.

click system monitoring.

then advanced status.

then tranceiver statistics.

[Kwong742 · Accepted solution]

after one, maybe two years i finally solved the problem!

i realized that after I moved my modem in the living room, I wasn't using the modem stand. I found out online that without the stand, the modem might cause disconnections. Then I realized when I used to use the stand for 5+ years in my room, i was using it the wrong way which was laying the modem flat and putting the stand under it to balance. (i never got instructions with my modem)

i found a picture of what I guess was the correct way of using the modem stand and I followed it. My modem is now standing up like this: http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/5/6/1/9/6/8/webimg/474261233_tp.jpg

so in conclusion, the stand stopped my modem from overheating and disconnections. my modem has connected for more than a day without any problems. i see a lot people here with the same problem as me and haven't solved it, this could be the solution for them. not everyone uses their stand but it's important as I found out.