2 hour d/c problem

[Zragnarok]

I doubt it could be of any help but I remember when I first started to play FFXI, I used to DC every 2hrs. It was very annoying. I bought a new PC and the problem was solved, everything was fine from there. I had a AMD Athlon 600 with like 512 mo of RAM if you wanna know about the specs and I changed to a AMD 1.2 .

[Xanthe]

What antivirus software are you using? Some programs can be real resource (and bandwidth) hogs and can cause all sorts of problems for FFXI.

[Zragnarok]

I know the question is not directed at me but I remember having norton on my old PC and not reinstalling it on my new one. It might be that.

[Xanthe]

Yep, Norton/Symantec is one of the big offenders.

[Siya]

Spoilered wall'o'text, copy and pasted their "What is it?" section that talks about how it works. What pisses me off is the first month I had it, we didn't have any problems then all of a sudden the problems come up.

Spoiler: show

What Is Wireless Internet?
In essence, it's simply a connection to the Internet through radio. No telephone lines or TV cables are needed. An antenna connects you to our access point (the closer you are to the access point, the smaller the antenna you'll need) and information flows in both directions via radio signals.

The radio frequencies used are in the 2.4 GHz unlicensed radio band. This is the same band used by many cordless telephones and a number of other wireless household devices, as well as the wireless home networking equipment used to connect computers together within a household or office. Unfortunately, all of these devices can create interference which can affect your ability to receive and use a wireless Internet connection from us -- and, even if you don't have any of these devices, your neighbors might, or someone else in a line between you and our access point may have them. That's one of the reasons that a site survey is needed before you sign up for service.

Another reason is that the radio frequencies used travel in straight lines and do not penetrate trees, hills, or buildings very well. So, to determine whether or not you can get our signal, we actually have to come to your location and check -- we can't always tell just by looking at maps and satellite photos. But, in general, if you can see one of our access point locations from your property, you can receive and use the signal.
How does the technology that powers your wireless connection work?

The IEEE 802.11b Wireless Internet specification allows for the wireless transmission of approximately 11 Mbps of raw data at distances from several dozen to several hundred feet over the 2.4 GHz unlicensed band. The distance depends on impediments, materials, and line of sight. This specification started to appear in commercial form in mid-1999, with Apple Computer's introduction of its AirPort components,manufactured in conjunction with Lucent's WaveLAN division. (The division changed its name to Orinoco and was spun off to the newly formed Agere corporation with a variety of other Lucent assets in early2001.)

802.11b Wireless is an extension of Ethernet to wireless communication, and as such is ecumenical about the kinds of data that pass over it. It's primarily used for TCP/IP, but can also handle other forms of networking traffic, such as AppleTalk or PC filesharing standards.

PCs and Macs may communicate intercompatibly over 802.11b, using equipment from a variety of vendors. The client hardware is typically PC card or a PCI card, although USB and other forms of 802.11b radios are also being introduced. Adapters for PDAs, such as Palm OS and PocketPC based devices, are also available.

Each radio may act, depending on software, as a hub or for computer-to-computer transmission, but it's much more common that a WLAN (wireless local area network) installation uses one or more access points, which are dedicated stand-alone hardware with typically more powerful antennae. The access point often includes routing, DHCP server, NAT, and other features necessary for small to large business operation. Similar to access points are residential gateways, a new class of device, which offers similar features but without the advanced management required for corporate networks or high-traffic installations.

The standard is backwards compatible to earlier specifications,known as 802.11, allowing speeds of 1, 2, 5.5 and 11 Mbps on the same transmitters.

Several newer, incompatible protocols have been released as well, including 802.11a (54 Mbps over the 5 GHz band), 802.11g (56Mbps over 2.4 GHz), and Texas Instruments' PBCC 22 Mbps standard. Equipment conforming to the 802.11g standard is also capable of connecting to 802.11b equipment; the reverse is also usually (but not always) the case. Another newer standard being developed is802.11n, which also uses the 2.4 GHz band but promises higher speeds and greater distances.

An industry group known as the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA) certifies its members equipment as conforming to the802.11b standard, and allows compliant hardware to be stamped Wi-Fi compatible, short for Wireless Fidelity. The Wi-Fi seal of approval is an attempt at a guarantee of intercompatibility between hundreds of vendors and thousands of devices. (The IEEE does not have such a mechanism, as it only promulgates standards.)

802.11b has become the main standard deployed for public short-range networks, such as those found at airports, hotels, conference centers,and coffee shops and restaurants. Several companies currently offer paid hourly, session-based, or unlimited monthly access via their deployed networks around the U.S. and internationally.

[Bikpik]

After you switched your ip, go to the address listed above to check if in fact changed (I doubt it because your ISP assigns dynamic or static depending on the package).

Are you connected wireless? Go to device manager and look for power management, see if "allow computed to turn device off to save power" is unchecked.

Can you remove the router out of the equation, connect straight to a modem? Does it happen w/ other machines?

Did you check this? Also does it happen at the excatly the same time on all the computers you have connected to this network?

[Siya]

Well happens when I'm wired too, and yes all computers go down at the same exact time

[Bwelch]

Are you running any internet cables through a surge protector? I had a similar problem and it turned out to be the culprit.

I would disconnect from somewhere between 8:00PM-8:30AM and reconnect the following day around 9:00AM.

[bebeci]

I had the same problem with another router (I think it was dlink).
I could have bugged their CS for a replacement, but it was more hassle than it was worth, and I ended up getting a new router.

[Siya]

Are you running any internet cables through a surge protector? I had a similar problem and it turned out to be the culprit.

I would disconnect from somewhere between 8:00PM-8:30AM and reconnect the following day around 9:00AM.

I have it running near a light (kinda close) could the light be heating it up and making it happen? ... but then again it happens even at night when the light is off, unless it was permanately messed up by the heat.