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[obliox9]

I am a new user of the DIR-615, it was a gift from a friend. I have had a rock solid internet connection for many years using a linux box as a firewall and router. Recently I decided to try netflix and replaced my linux router with the DLink DIR-615.
It was very easy to set up.
Every day or two I find that I have been disconnected from the MUD I play, and also folks get disconnected from the chat server I run. This had never happened before.

I have read the forums and have tried the following that I found in the forums as provided by FuzzyNutz:

Ensure DNS IP addresses are being filled in under Setup/Internet/Manual? You can copy and paste these from under Status/Device Info/Wan section.
Turn off ALL QoS (DIR only) GameFuel (DGL only and if ON.) options.
Turn off Advanced DNS Services if you have this option under Setup/Internet/Manual.
Turn on DNS Relay under Setup/Networking.
Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices on the router.
Ensure devices are set to auto obtain an IP address.
   note: my chat server is a debian linux box and is set for fixed ip address my other
   two boxes..XP and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS are auto dhcp. All boxes are set in DIR-615 as
   reserved ips
Set Firewall settings to Endpoint Independent for TCP and UDP.

One thing I do notice is that at times (like now) all the hard wire link lights blink repeatedly (about once a second), all at the same time. I am sure this is not correct. The lights should only blink when there is activity.

This problem shows up on average about once  a day.
My best uptime lasted 2 days and then all hard wired machines disconnect.
I have had one disconnect on the wireless Roku device I have hooked up.

I am not sure what to do, this seems such an odd problem. I doesn't seem to matter whether or not it is wired or wireless.

Also, before retiring I was a network administrator for a small ISP so I am fairly familiar with how things should work?

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should try next? I like the product and would hat to have to go buy a different manufacturer. My cable provider (COX cable) recommends Netgear.

Thanks you.

[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?

Has a Factory Reset been performed?

What ISP Service do you have? Cable or DSL?
What ISP Modem make and model do you have?

Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices ON the router. Including the debian server.

I would turn off ALL PCs and devices and attempt to see if using just one PC is seeing any issues, the graduate adding another, keep doing this until the problem appears.

What wireless modes are you using? Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.
Try single mode G or N or mixed G and N?
Try single mode G or mixed G and N on 2.4Ghz and single mode N on 5Ghz?
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.

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

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.

Check cable between Modem and Router, swap out to be sure. Check ALL cables.

[obliox9]

Link>Welcome!
Thank  you

What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under router.
the sticker states C1

Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on routers web page under status.
Firmware Version :      3.11NA , Tue, 23, Jun, 2009 and router states this is the latest version.

What region are you located?
Arkansas

Has a Factory Reset been performed?
No, I didn't want to have to set up the network all over again

What ISP Service do you have? Cable or DSL?
Cox Cable as stated in my original post

What ISP Modem make and model do you have?
Cisco DCP 3010

Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices ON the router. Including the debian server.
Did that already.

I would turn off ALL PCs and devices and attempt to see if using just one PC is seeing any issues, the graduate adding another, keep doing this until the problem appears.
It is hard to do since I use my computers for work. Currently only my Ubuntu and Debian boxes are hard wired to the router.

What wireless modes are you using? Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.
Mixed 802.11n 802.11g 802.11n

What security mode are you using? Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support
Security Mode is WEP
I am not using any wireless equipment other than a Roku player.

Any cordless house phones? yes, one on my desk.

Any other WiFi routers in the area? Link> Use InSSIDer to find out. How many?
yes, 9 others...they are all on channels 1 or 3 or 6. My info says channel 6+10??
my signal strength is very good, all the others are -70dbm mine is -10dbm

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.
Currenly I am only running linux boxes, XP is off for now..so no firewall or anti virus stuff running.

It seems to me that the Dlink should NOT reboot or reset it self by itself. I am going to monitor the log files or perhaps there is a place where I can monitor the uptime of the router. I am not sure whether it is actually rebooting itself or just dropping all my connections for just a sec or two.

Based on your response I have changed my wireless channel to 11. I don't think this will solve the problem of the router disconnecting me or rebooting itself if that is what it is doing.

Thank you for the prompt reply.

[FurryNutz]

What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under router.
the sticker states C1

Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on routers web page under status.
Firmware Version :      3.11NA , Tue, 23, Jun, 2009 and router states this is the latest version.
v3.13 is available:
FIxed Blackberry RIM connectivity issue.
Support DLink DNSSEC Spec.
Add SMTP Server Port
Which includes fixes from:
3.12   Fixed: “User” access issue.
Fixed: Wireless connection issue.
Fixed: DHCP reservation issue.
Fixed: Static IP issue.

Let see if some troubleshooting and suggestions help resolve this first before updating FW.

What region are you located?
Arkansas

Has a Factory Reset been performed?
No, I didn't want to have to set up the network all over again
Save off the current router configuration to file, then try a factory reset and do a basic setup and configruation of the router. Test it and see what happens. Then load the Configuration file and test again.

What ISP Service do you have? Cable or DSL?
Cox Cable as stated in my original post

What ISP Modem make and model do you have?
Cisco DCP 3010
I don't think the 615s do Gb speed on the WAN port however you might set a manual WAN port speed of 100Mb and see what happens.

Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices ON the router. Including the debian server.
Did that already.

I would turn off ALL PCs and devices and attempt to see if using just one PC is seeing any issues, the graduate adding another, keep doing this until the problem appears.
It is hard to do since I use my computers for work. Currently only my Ubuntu and Debian boxes are hard wired to the router.
Test two the two PCs online and all others off if you can. This might help to narrow down if something is causing the problem.

What wireless modes are you using? Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.
Mixed 802.11n 802.11g 802.11n
I recommend using Mixed G and N only if you dont have any devices using B mode any more. Most current devices mainly use G and or N.

What security mode are you using? Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support
Security Mode is WEP
I am not using any wireless equipment other than a Roku player.
WPA2 and AES only is preferred and is more secure and has best performance.

Any cordless house phones? yes, one on my desk.
Is it 2.4Ghz by chance? It's best to keep all other devices away 3-6 feet from routers.

Any other WiFi routers in the area? Link> Use InSSIDer to find out. How many?
yes, 9 others...they are all on channels 1 or 3 or 6. My info says channel 6+10??
my signal strength is very good, all the others are -70dbm mine is -10dbm
Hopefully by you chancing to 11 will keep your WiFi going. You maybe hitting a WiFi congested area on 2.4Ghz. Keep an eye on the amount of other Wifi routers near by, if you seem to see alot of issues or problems with WiFi on your router, you'll need to upgrade to a 5Ghz router and adapters.

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.
Currenly I am only running linux boxes, XP is off for now..so no firewall or anti virus stuff running.

It seems to me that the Dlink should NOT reboot or reset it self by itself. I am going to monitor the log files or perhaps there is a place where I can monitor the uptime of the router. I am not sure whether it is actually rebooting itself or just dropping all my connections for just a sec or two.
Only reason we can figure out why routers reboot is that there is a problem and they are having to stop and reboot due to something on the line is not right, or stop and try to change channels due to WiFi interferences.

Based on your response I have changed my wireless channel to 11. I don't think this will solve the problem of the router disconnecting me or rebooting itself if that is what it is doing.

Thank you for the prompt reply.

Keep us posted.

[obliox9]

Thanks. I just had a disconnect while trying to post here.

The Dlink kept blinking away..just like everything was ok, except it dropped all my connections both wireless and wired. This is extremely frustrating.
I had to physically power the box down and back up to get it working. The other times I have seen this problem, it has been overnight, and when I come to my desk in the morning, my stuff is disconnected, but I can reconnect without a power down/up. Not sure why that is so.

So changing the wireless channel did NOT solve the issue.

It seems pretty difficult to make all those changes you recommend at one time and see if there is any difference...so for now I have done the following:

>I don't think the 615s do Gb speed on the WAN port however you might set a manual >WAN port speed of 100Mb and see what happens.
It is set for 10/100 I have set it for 100mb

>I recommend using Mixed G and N only if you dont have any devices using B mode >any more. Most current devices mainly use G and or N.
I have set it to mixed G and N only

I will wait and see what happens with these changes
If these don't work, then I will go ahead and do a factory reset and also change the wireless security at that time.

I currently have only my 2 linux boxes hard wired to the dlink. The roku player is also online.
I also have a wireless card in the XP box, and an ethernet card so I can use it either way but it is off for now.

Thank you

[FurryNutz]

One thing to try for this test, turn OFF the WiFi radio. See if the wired connections still drop or not.

Keep us posted.

[obliox9]

ok I have turned off the wireless stuff for now
I will keep you informed of my progress. It might take a day or so to find out.

Thank you for helping me.

ps I looked up the specs on my phone, here they are:

The Advanced DECT1580 cordless phone operates on the newly released 1.9GHz frequency band.
So I don't think the phone is interfering.

[FurryNutz]

Ok, phone shouldn't be a cause of interference however as a test, try to move the phone as far away from the 615 router as possible to be sure.

Keep us posted on the progress.

[obliox9]

The phone has to be on my desk, which is in my dedicated computer room. It is 8ft away, as the crow flies. I can try and have my incoming line rewired, but I don't think that should be necessary to get this working.

As an aside, I used to have a linksys BEFW11S4 plugged in to my switch and used it as an access point for when friends came over. It worked flawlessly. My linux box did the DHCP and firewalling, the linksys did the wireless.

The only reason I removed it and started using the Dlink was that I could not get the Roku player to work with it, even after working tirelessly with the Roku support staff. Now that I have removed the linux box I suppose I could also remove the Dlink and then use the Linksys as my router, instead of just an access point. That would be an interesting test if I get really frustrated. I could also put my old setup back and try and use the Dlink as the wireless access point.

Again, thank you for helping me, I really appreciate it.

[FurryNutz]

Ok, 8ft should be good then, DLink recommends 3-6ft.

Is the Switch still connected to the 615 or is everything connected to the switch? Just want to be sure the switch isn't introducing any problems either. If it's connected,  I would remove the switch as well and directly connect to the 615 to test.

Seem some issues with Roku. Is the Roku wired or wireless to the 615? I presume the Roku worked on the previous router before?

[obliox9]

I apologize, I didn't mean to be confusing.

OLD SETUP
-------------
Cable modem --> linux box --->switch
switch had 3 computers connected to it and the linksys
Linux box did DHCP and firewalling. Linksys did the wireless for when friends visited and brought their laptops or smart phones.
Worked perfectly for many (10+) years.

When I got the Roku player I had problems. It would find my wireless network but would not log onto the local network side. I never used passwords since I was using MAC address filtering. I worked very hard with Roku to solve the issue, including trying to use passwords,  but could not. The linksys was an old unit and no longer supported by Cisco.

So, I had the DLink that I had received as a gift so:

NEW SETUP
--------------
Cable modem -->Dlink router -->
currently 2 computers connected via ethernet and wireless radio off.

I really like the way the Dlink operates...port forwarding is working great. Reserved IP seems fine. The web interface is very intuitive and easy to use, especially if you turn off QoS. I would like to be able to keep using it, and would really regret having to put back my old setup, but I will if I have to.

Hope this helps you understand both my old and new setups.
Thanks so much

[FurryNutz]

Wish more users would post there information like you do. LOL
Really helps us here to kind of get an over view of users network systems.

So using the Roku now, is it connected wired or wireless to the 615 when you have it connected? Have you tried the Roku with the 615 at all yet?

[obliox9]

Thanks for the nice compliment, after working for many years in the isp and with people, I understand the importance of good information.

I have used the Roku with the Dlink wireless and it works pretty good. It has disconnected once while playing a Netflix stream, but it works excellently when running. I currently have wireless radio turned off.

My current connections are:
Debian irc server with myself and one other connected.

Ubuntu personal box:
3 instances of Mudlet running, one for each character.
XChat connected via ethernet to Debian irc server
Firefox web browser for google mail and Dlink Forums

Thank you.

[FurryNutz]

Ok, you might test the roku wired if you get a chance too.

Keep us posted on how the wired testing goes. I'm hoping we can narrow the problem down.

[obliox9]

The Roku player does not have an Ethernet port.

I will keep you posted on my results.

Thank you.