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[jabarac]

I recently installed a D-Link DIR-645 Whole Home Router in our home network and I've been having connection issues similar to some other postings in this forum.  I connected the router to my Verizon Fios router and went through the setup process without any problems.  I've been able to connect to the wireless access point from all devices that I own (2 Windows 7 laptops, Android phone and tablet).  It seems like at least once a day, the router loses connectivity to the internet.  All of my devices will show that they are connected to the wireless access point, but cannot reach the internet.  Rebooting the DIR-645 usually works, and connectivity is restored.  I've done some reading and saw that sometimes the router has connection issues when in 802.11n mode, but I checked the settings and verified that I'm using mixed mode with n, g, and b.  I also enabled unicasting as recommended in another thread, and that did not fix the problem.  Any assistance would be very much appreciated.  Thanks.

[FurryNutz]

Link>Welcome!

• What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under router.
• Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on routers web page under status.
• What region are you located?

Internet Service Provider and Modem Configurations

• What ISP Modem Mfr. and model # do you have?
• If this modem has a built in router, it's best to bridge the modem. Having 2 routers on the same line can cause connection problems: Link>Double NAT and How NAT Works. To tell if the modem is bridged or not, look at the routers web page, Status/Device Info/Wan Section, if there is a 192.168.0.# address in the WAN IP address field, then the modem is not bridged. If the modem can't be bridged then see if the modem has a DMZ option and input the IP address the router gets from the modem and put that into the modems DMZ.
• Check ISP MTU requirements, Cable is usually 1500, DSL is around 1492 down to 1472. FIOS maybe different. Call the ISP and ask. Link>Checking MTU Values

Router and Wired Configurations
Some things to try: - Log into the routers web page at 192.168.0.1. Use IE, Opera or FF to manage the router.

• Turn off ALL QoS or Disable Traffic Shaping (DIR only) GameFuel (DGL only and if ON.) options, Advanced/QoS or Gamefuel.
• Turn off Advanced DNS Services if you have this option under Setup/Internet/Manual or under Setup/PARENTAL CONTROL/Set to>None: Static IP or Obtain Automatically From ISP.
• Turn on DNS Relay under Setup/Networking. Link>Finding Faster DNS Addresses using Name Bench
• Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices ON the router. Setup/Networking. This ensures each devices gets its own IP address when turned on and connected, eliminates IP address conflicts and helps in troubleshooting.
• Ensure devices are set to auto obtain an IP address.
• If IPv6 is an option on the router, select Local Connection Only or Disable IPv6 options under Setup/IPv6.
• Set Firewall settings to Endpoint Independent for TCP and UDP under Advanced/Firewall.
• Enable uPnP and Multi-cast Streaming under Advanced/Networking. Disable uPnP for testing Port Forwarding rules. Enable IPv6 Multi-cast Streaming for routers that have a Media Server option. Disable IPv6 Multi-cast Streaming if IPv6 or Media Server is not being used.
• Turn off WISH, and WPS under Advanced.
• WAN Port Speed set to Auto or specific speed? Some newer ISP modems support 1000Mb so manually setting to Gb speeds can be supported by the router. Advanced/Advanced Networking/WAN Port Speed
• Set current Time Zone, Date and Time. Use an NTP Server feature. Tools/Time.
• Check cable between Modem and Router, swap out to be sure. Link> Cat6 is recommended.

Wireless Configurations
Links>Wireless Installation Considerations and Managing Signal Congestion

• Ensure the default (dlink) SSID name is changed. Can be anything and not something thats already in use by any neighboring WiFi routers. Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.
• 2.4Ghz Routers only: Try single mode G or N or mixed G and N?
• Channel Width set for Auto 20/40Mhz or try 20Mhz only.
• Try setting a manual Channel to a open or unused channel. 1, 6 or 11. 11 for single mode N if the channel is clear.
• What security mode are you using? Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support AES, so you might want to try TPIK only or Auto TPIK and AES.
• Any cordless house phones?
• Any other WiFi routers in the area? Link> Use InSSIDer to find out. How many?
• Try turning off Short GI, WLAN Partition,and Extra Wireless Protection if you have it. Under Advanced/Advanced Wireless.
• Enable WMM Enable Under Advanced/Advanced Wireless.

3rd Party Security Software Configurations

• Turn off all anti virus and firewall programs on PC while testing. 3rd party firewalls are not generally needed when using routers as they are effective on blocking malicious inbound traffic.
• Turn off all devices accept for one wired PC while testing.

[jabarac]

Thanks for your reply, answers inline.

Link>Welcome!

• What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under router.

A1

• Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on routers web page under status.

 1.01 Fri 08 Jul 2011

• What region are you located?

I live in Crofton, Maryland

Internet Service Provider and Modem Configurations

• What ISP Modem Mfr. and model # do you have?

We use Verizon's standard Fios Router, Actiontec MI424-WR Rev. C

• If this modem has a built in router, it's best to bridge the modem. Having 2 routers on the same line can cause connection problems: Link>Double NAT and How NAT Works. To tell if the modem is bridged or not, look at the routers web page, Status/Device Info/Wan Section, if there is a 192.168.0.# address in the WAN IP address field, then the modem is not bridged. If the modem can't be bridged then see if the modem has a DMZ option and input the IP address the router gets from the modem and put that into the modems DMZ.

The WAN IP is 192.168.1.11, so it looks like it is bridged properly.

• Check ISP MTU requirements, Cable is usually 1500, DSL is around 1492 down to 1472. FIOS maybe different. Call the ISP and ask. Link>Checking MTU Values

I found documentation on Fios's website that the Fios network has an MTU of 1492, so I went ahead and changed from 1500 to 1492 in the router's settings.

Router and Wired Configurations
Some things to try: - Log into the routers web page at 192.168.0.1. Use IE, Opera or FF to manage the router.

• Turn off ALL QoS or Disable Traffic Shaping (DIR only) GameFuel (DGL only and if ON.) options, Advanced/QoS or Gamefuel.

This was already off.

• Turn off Advanced DNS Services if you have this option under Setup/Internet/Manual or under Setup/PARENTAL CONTROL/Set to>None: Static IP or Obtain Automatically From ISP.

Yes, this is what it was already set to.

• Turn on DNS Relay under Setup/Networking. Link>Finding Faster DNS Addresses using Name Bench

Confirmed that DNS Relay was enabled.

• Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices ON the router. Setup/Networking. This ensures each devices gets its own IP address when turned on and connected, eliminates IP address conflicts and helps in troubleshooting.

Yes, this is how it is set up.

• Ensure devices are set to auto obtain an IP address.

All devices are configured to use DHCP to obtain an IP address.

• If IPv6 is an option on the router, select Local Connection Only or Disable IPv6 options under Setup/IPv6.

Yikes.  I know better than to use IPv6.  

• Set Firewall settings to Endpoint Independent for TCP and UDP under Advanced/Firewall.

By default these had been set to Port and Address Restricted, so I changed to your recommendation.

• Enable uPnP and Multi-cast Streaming under Advanced/Networking. Disable uPnP for testing Port Forwarding rules. Enable IPv6 Multi-cast Streaming for routers that have a Media Server option. Disable IPv6 Multi-cast Streaming if IPv6 or Media Server is not being used.

uPnP and Multi-case Streaming were already enabled.  I didn't see any options for uPnP under Port Forwarding rules.

• Turn off WISH, and WPS under Advanced.

I didn't see where these options are.  Advanced, and then what from the side panel (Virtual Server, Port Forwarding, Application Rules, etc...)?

• WAN Port Speed set to Auto or specific speed? Some newer ISP modems support 1000Mb so manually setting to Gb speeds can be supported by the router. Advanced/Advanced Networking/WAN Port Speed

This was set to Auto.

• Set current Time Zone, Date and Time. Use an NTP Server feature. Tools/Time.

Already set to use dlink's NTP server.

• Check cable between Modem and Router, swap out to be sure. Link> Cat6 is recommended.

Just swapped with another one of my devices which has been working for ages.
 
Wireless Configurations
Links>Wireless Installation Considerations and Managing Signal Congestion

• Ensure the default (dlink) SSID name is changed. Can be anything and not something thats already in use by any neighboring WiFi routers. Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.

Yes, it is unique.

• 2.4Ghz Routers only: Try single mode G or N or mixed G and N?

I'm not totally sure if all my devices support N, or for that matter G, we've got some old laptops lying around.

• Channel Width set for Auto 20/40Mhz or try 20Mhz only.

Set to Auto.

• Try setting a manual Channel to a open or unused channel. 1, 6 or 11. 11 for single mode N if the channel is clear.

Manually set to 11 now.

• What security mode are you using? Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support AES, so you might want to try TPIK only or Auto TPIK and AES.

Using WPA-Personal, don't want to change.  Confirmed the adapter supports AES. As I mentioned, we CAN connect, we just lose connectivity every so often.

• Any cordless house phones?

Yes.

• Any other WiFi routers in the area? Link> Use InSSIDer to find out. How many?

Yes, our Fios Router sits right next to this one, along with a few low signal networks from our neighbors.

• Try turning off Short GI, WLAN Partition,and Extra Wireless Protection if you have it. Under Advanced/Advanced Wireless.
• Enable WMM Enable Under Advanced/Advanced Wireless.

Disabled short GI, didn't see the other options.

3rd Party Security Software Configurations

• Turn off all anti virus and firewall programs on PC while testing. 3rd party firewalls are not generally needed when using routers as they are effective on blocking malicious inbound traffic.
• Turn off all devices accept for one wired PC while testing.

I use Norton 360, but didn't see a need to turn it off.  I don't believe the product is blocking my traffic as I can connect at times, and I can always connect using my other router.  I will mention that after I made the change to use channel 11, the router lost connectivity to the internet similar to what we've observed before.  So, I'm not sure if anything I tried helped, but I will keep you updated about whether I'm still having this problem.  Thanks for the advice.

[FurryNutz]

Answers inline Green.

Link>Welcome!

• What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under router.

A1

• Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on routers web page under status.

 1.01 Fri 08 Jul 2011

• What region are you located?

I live in Crofton, Maryland

Internet Service Provider and Modem Configurations

• What ISP Modem Mfr. and model # do you have?

We use Verizon's standard Fios Router, Actiontec MI424-WR Rev. C

• If this modem has a built in router, it's best to bridge the modem. Having 2 routers on the same line can cause connection problems: Link>Double NAT and How NAT Works. To tell if the modem is bridged or not, look at the routers web page, Status/Device Info/Wan Section, if there is a 192.168.0.# address in the WAN IP address field, then the modem is not bridged. If the modem can't be bridged then see if the modem has a DMZ option and input the IP address the router gets from the modem and put that into the modems DMZ.

The WAN IP is 192.168.1.11, so it looks like it is bridged properly.
The modem is not bridged correctly. If the modem was bridged correctly, the WAN IP address would be a ##.##.###.### address and not a 192.168.0.1. If the modem can't be bridged then see if the ISP modem has a DMZ option and input the IP address the router gets from the modem and put that into the modems DMZ.

• Check ISP MTU requirements, Cable is usually 1500, DSL is around 1492 down to 1472. FIOS maybe different. Call the ISP and ask. Link>Checking MTU Values

I found documentation on Fios's website that the Fios network has an MTU of 1492, so I went ahead and changed from 1500 to 1492 in the router's settings.

Router and Wired Configurations
Some things to try: - Log into the routers web page at 192.168.0.1. Use IE, Opera or FF to manage the router.

• Turn off ALL QoS or Disable Traffic Shaping (DIR only) GameFuel (DGL only and if ON.) options, Advanced/QoS or Gamefuel.

This was already off.

• Turn off Advanced DNS Services if you have this option under Setup/Internet/Manual or under Setup/PARENTAL CONTROL/Set to>None: Static IP or Obtain Automatically From ISP.

Yes, this is what it was already set to.

• Turn on DNS Relay under Setup/Networking. Link>Finding Faster DNS Addresses using Name Bench

Confirmed that DNS Relay was enabled.

• Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices ON the router. Setup/Networking. This ensures each devices gets its own IP address when turned on and connected, eliminates IP address conflicts and helps in troubleshooting.

Yes, this is how it is set up.

• Ensure devices are set to auto obtain an IP address.

All devices are configured to use DHCP to obtain an IP address.

• If IPv6 is an option on the router, select Local Connection Only or Disable IPv6 options under Setup/IPv6.

Yikes.  I know better than to use IPv6.  

• Set Firewall settings to Endpoint Independent for TCP and UDP under Advanced/Firewall.

By default these had been set to Port and Address Restricted, so I changed to your recommendation.

• Enable uPnP and Multi-cast Streaming under Advanced/Networking. Disable uPnP for testing Port Forwarding rules. Enable IPv6 Multi-cast Streaming for routers that have a Media Server option. Disable IPv6 Multi-cast Streaming if IPv6 or Media Server is not being used.

uPnP and Multi-case Streaming were already enabled.  I didn't see any options for uPnP under Port Forwarding rules.

• Turn off WISH, and WPS under Advanced.

I didn't see where these options are.  Advanced, and then what from the side panel (Virtual Server, Port Forwarding, Application Rules, etc...)?

• WAN Port Speed set to Auto or specific speed? Some newer ISP modems support 1000Mb so manually setting to Gb speeds can be supported by the router. Advanced/Advanced Networking/WAN Port Speed

This was set to Auto.

• Set current Time Zone, Date and Time. Use an NTP Server feature. Tools/Time.

Already set to use dlink's NTP server.

• Check cable between Modem and Router, swap out to be sure. Link> Cat6 is recommended.

Just swapped with another one of my devices which has been working for ages.
 
Wireless Configurations
Links>Wireless Installation Considerations and Managing Signal Congestion

• Ensure the default (dlink) SSID name is changed. Can be anything and not something thats already in use by any neighboring WiFi routers. Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.

Yes, it is unique.

• 2.4Ghz Routers only: Try single mode G or N or mixed G and N?

I'm not totally sure if all my devices support N, or for that matter G, we've got some old laptops lying around.

• Channel Width set for Auto 20/40Mhz or try 20Mhz only.

Set to Auto.

• Try setting a manual Channel to a open or unused channel. 1, 6 or 11. 11 for single mode N if the channel is clear.

Manually set to 11 now.

• What security mode are you using? Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support AES, so you might want to try TPIK only or Auto TPIK and AES.

Using WPA-Personal, don't want to change.  Confirmed the adapter supports AES. As I mentioned, we CAN connect, we just lose connectivity every so often.

• Any cordless house phones?

Yes.

• Any other WiFi routers in the area? Link> Use InSSIDer to find out. How many?

Yes, our Fios Router sits right next to this one, along with a few low signal networks from our neighbors.

• Try turning off Short GI, WLAN Partition,and Extra Wireless Protection if you have it. Under Advanced/Advanced Wireless.
• Enable WMM Enable Under Advanced/Advanced Wireless.

Disabled short GI, didn't see the other options.

3rd Party Security Software Configurations

• Turn off all anti virus and firewall programs on PC while testing. 3rd party firewalls are not generally needed when using routers as they are effective on blocking malicious inbound traffic.
• Turn off all devices accept for one wired PC while testing.

I use Norton 360, but didn't see a need to turn it off.  I don't believe the product is blocking my traffic as I can connect at times, and I can always connect using my other router.  I will mention that after I made the change to use channel 11, the router lost connectivity to the internet similar to what we've observed before.  So, I'm not sure if anything I tried helped, but I will keep you updated about whether I'm still having this problem.  Thanks for the advice.

[jabarac]

Thanks for the tip.  In doing some research about how to bridge my router, I came across this document:

http://support.actiontec.com/doc_files/Can_I_Bridge_the_Actiontec_MI424WR_FiOS_Router.pdf

Which says that they do not support bridging.  The Actiontec could be replaced by the d-link if the line in was ethernet, but on ours it is coax, and it would require a service call to Verizon to get it switched, which I'm not excited about.

I also found this regarding using a second router along with the Actiontec:

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios/3.0_Networking#12506

This one recommends setting a static IP for the secondary router (in this case, the d-link) and configuring the primary router's DCHP range to start after the static IP of the secondary router.  I think I remember reading another post where you recommended against setting a static IP, although I don't recall why.  Anyway, I decided to try it and things seem to be working so far, will keep posted.

Just FYI for anyone else who might want to try this, I had to look up Verizon's DNS servers so that I could input them into the d-link router.  I was able to do this by logging into the Actiontec, click on My Network, Network Connections, Select Broadband (Coax), and it will list the DNS server IPs along with other settings.

[FurryNutz]

• If the modem can't be bridged then see if the modem has a DMZ option and input the IP address the router gets from the modem and put that into the modems DMZ as another option.