AT&T 2Wire 2701HG-B Disconnects / Drops

[cb6614]

Hey Kenny, I got back later than I expected tonight. The way the screenshot posted, I can only see about half of the values. From what I can tell, you subscribe to 6Meg service? That means your modem should be syncing at just over 8120Kbps downstream but you're syncing at just Over 6000Kbps. Then your signal looks like its interleaved where tech support puts what they call a noise profile on the line. It's supposed to help customers with interference or loops that are too long for the speed they subscribe to keep a stable connection. The problem is that those 2Wires don't like interleaved signals. Try asking for a remediation to 3Meg service and ask them to put you on a FAST profile. That might resolve your intermittence.

[ekkenny]

cb

Please explain how asking them to drop my speed by half is going to help.  And what is a FAST profile? I use the internet for connecting via VPN to various places.

Why did I never have this problem when I was connected via DSL over dialtone? It seems like there is a piece of this puzzle missing.

Also, is there a good techincal resource to study up on the basics of DSL?  There has to be a state diagram that explains how the circuit is setup and what happens when  there are problems. Is there anything like the O'Reily books for DSL?

ekenny

[rvpdsl]

---

rvpdsl wrote:

...

Here's what I think would work (none of them have been tested):

1. Plug in another modem between the 2Wire and the telephone jack on the wall and take the 2Wire off of broadband, just use it for LAN. Taking it off of BB will need to be done on the MDC console.

2. Replace the 2Wire with something not 2Wire. Pace 4111n is a 2Wire product; maybe they've fixed the problem in it.

I am going to be trying workaround #1 with an older modem that I already have or get a new one from my new ISP ;-)

---

I went with workaround #2 and I have not seen DSL disconnects/resyncs so far. It's been about 5 days now. And the new one is an 802.11n router + modem.

I couldn't try workaround #1 as my older modem is too old to connect to the ISP. I wont be trying workaround #1 anytime soon.

[cb6614]

@kenny... I recommended trying the connection at the lower speed because of your sync rate. For 6Meg service, the modem should sync at just over 8000Kbps. Yours is syncing at just over 6000Kbps. So either your data cable connecting the modem to the wall jack is too long, you've got a defective filter connected to the modem (which shouldn't be filtered on a stand alone DSL line anyway), or you're too far in the loop for 6Meg service. In addition to the low sync rate on the diagnostic page you posted, it looks like the signal is interleaved. That means the people who manage the "network" part of the connection have added what they call a "noise profile" to the DSL signal in an effort to make the connection more stable. They'll interleave a signal when a customer is too far from the CO/DSLAM for the speed they subscribe to in order to raise the signal to noise ratio on the line. The longer the loop, the more the DSL signal attenuates, so a faster DSL signal will break up after traveling so many feet from the CO/DSLAM to get to the modem. For 6Meg DSL, this is usually between 5500 and 6500 feet from the CO/DSLAM but I have seen some people on REALLY good lines maintain a stable 6Meg connection on loops as long as 8000 feet. It really just depends on the CO, network card at the CO, the F2 cable from the CO to the house, the NID (Network Interface Card) at the house, and the wiring from the NID to the modem.

The other thing you asked about was "What is a FAST profile?"I was referring to the network profile for your connection. There are FAST profiles and there are INTERLEAVED profiles. A FAST profile means the DSL signal you're using is stable without the network support group needing to add anything to the signal to keep it from dropping. INTERLEAVED profiles are for connections where there's either a "distance issue" or there is interference with the DSL signal that cannot be isolated or resolved. An interleaved signal may be able to accommodate more interference and travel farther but it will experience some latency from the interleave. I've found quite a few 2Wire routers that react negatively to an interleaved signal. Many times they will remain in sync with the network (steady green DSL light) but they will intermittently drop their Internet connection. I've seen this drive people totally batty because they've been unaware of the 2Wire's aversion to an interleaved signal, had the wires replaced, gone through multiple 2Wire routers, and anything else they could think of only to find the intermittence persists. Finally once the interleave was removed, the connection stopped dropping.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I've also seen many, many complaints of unresolved intermittence where the user has had the modem drawing its power through a surge protector or power strip. I've seen people go through modems like water in some cases when the modems have drawn their power that way. I'm not sure if there's an issue with the voltage fluctuating as other devices are powered on/off, if it affects the way the current to the modem is grounded, or possibly if there is some sort of EMI/RFI that occurs when a modem draws its power from anywhere other than a standard, 2 receptacle power outlet, but I've seen way too many modems on power strips constantly drop connections then have the power strip removed, the modem connected directly to the wall outlet, and suddenly they stop dropping connections. So if you're connected to one, try removing it and see if it gets better. I hope I answered your questions and maybe in some form, actually helped. Good luck.

[rvpdsl]

cb6614, That is an interesting brief on interleaved vs. fast profiles. Thank you.

[mikey630]

need help with mine Troubleshooting – DSL Diagnostics General Information DSL Line (Wire Pair): Line 1 (inner pair) Downstream Rate Cap: 8128 kbps Downstream Atten. at 300kHz: 40.1 dB Uncancelled Echo: -14.1 dB Ok VCXO Frequency Offset: -53.8 ppm Ok Final Rx Gain: 18.4 dB Ok Impulse Noise Comp. Tones: 3 Suspicious - impulse noise detected Excessive Impulse Noise: 0 Ok Impulse noise protection: 0.00 Delay of latency path: 0.25 ms Training History Downstream Upstream Time Line Rate Max1 Max2 Max3 Mgn1 Mgn2 Attn Pwr CRCs FECs INP DLY Rate Max Mgn Attn Pwr CRCs FECs Mode Vendor State Exit Code Echo VCXO Rx Gain INC Tones 2012/01/16 02:09:40 EST 1 8000 8128 8128 8128 16.0 16.0 42.7 19.7 3 0 0.00 0.25 512 876 17.0 20.0 11.9 0 0 G.DMT Annex A Unknown 229/103 N/A -14.1 -53.8 18.4 3 Notes: Time Time of last update Max1 Max. rate at start of connection Max2 Current or final estimated max. rate Max3 Current or final estimated max. rate without INC Mgn1 Noise margin at start of connection Mgn2 Current or final noise margin DLY Delay of latency path Bitloading | | | ||| ||| |||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| |||| | | | | ||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||| || || |||| | | | |||||| |||||||| |||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||| |||||| |||||| ||| | ||||| |||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||| |||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||| ||| |||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||| ||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||| ||||| |||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||| ||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| || |||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 0000000554568899999578887665420000000045567788999AABBBAABBBBBBBC0BCBBBBBBCBBCCCBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB2BBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBB8877AB9AA9BABA9999A9877999986566789999A9A9AAAAAA9AAAAAAAA9AAAAAAAAABAA9AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA9AAAAAA9AAAAAA9AAA9A9999999999999999999999 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 16 32 48 64 80 96 112

[ekkenny]

cb6614

hey--- thanks for all the help. I can tell you know what your talking about because I have done support work for 40 years. It is refreshing to talk to someone that can communicate and not just spread baloney like most others do. There are a few things you should know about how this issue evolved. I had 6M service over dialtone for years. Then I dropped AT&T for my dialtone provider for reasons that we don't need to go into. Let's just say they burned me.

　

Before going to dry loop, my old Speedstream modem took a dump. It was old.!! So I got a Motorola 2210. Working OK and speed was acceptable. Argonne Labs is close and their speed test showed 5.2 to 5.4 M downstream all the time. There was a linksys wrt54g for the routing. no issues there.

I then went to dry loop because I dropped the dialtone and went to Vonage. The loss of internet stated within a month. The issue is not Vonage, because I actually disconnected this for 48 hours and let it forward to my iphone. Still loss of internet.

My son needed a router. I gave hime my linksys and put in a mac airport I had in the back room. Convenient because of the usb printer port on the router. I would still get intermittent loss of internet, but I was still getting a good/synced DSL .I disconnected the airport at night, and I would still lose internet overnight while nothing was connected but a laptop. So it's not the airport.

I then called AT&T again and that's when the tech offered me the 2701, so now I am using it exclusively --- no airport. Loss of internet sometimes 10 in one day, then no problems for a week or two.

I not trying to be smat about the power, but the power supply/transformer for the 2710 does not event have a ground lead on the plug. I'm using a Monster power distribution strip and I have even put a power graph (Dranitz) on the ooutput. No problems. I have 14 equipment rooms at work with hundreds of HP and Dell blades running HPUX or windows. All off them run off power strips of one sort or another. Our comm room has DSL/async/x25 modems or mutilplexers stacked on each other --- all running off a zip strip of some sort.  For AT&T to ask for a dedicated outet for a residential DSL modem is bordering on the adsurd.

I guess the bottom line here is that AT&T has a modem that has design problems or they just have not kept up with technology. All you have suggested makes a lot of sense. But I should not have to do this to get the service I am paying for. I expect AT&T to fix this, or prvide equipment that works.

Again, thank for your help. I'll sit and think about what I do next and let you know.

Ekenny

[karloff]

I've been having serious issues with the 2701HB-B, and I've only had the service for a few days!

I see most of the people in this thread are complaining about the wireless dropping them, my complaint seems to be different. I don't use the wireless, the modem is connected to my PC with an ethernet cord. My problem is that every 2 or 3 hours (sometimes much less) I will hear the modem click and look over and see all the lights go off, then the power light will be blinking and the wireless light will come on and be solid for about 15 seconds or so and turn off. Another click and the ethernet light will come on as well as the DSL light which will flash red for a bit and turn green, then everything I have already said will happen at least once or twice again before all the lights are green. This will happen about 5-8 times a day, maybe more I don't know what it does when I'm not there.

Is this likely a problem with the service or the modem itself? I tried plugging the powercord directly into the wall socket but all the lights except ethernet became solid red.

I have AT&T's DSL without phone service, if that matters.

[DGMAX99]

I also have a AT&T supplied 2Wire 2701HG-B gateway with built in wireless that has worked great for years, until approx a week ago... Recently, the gateway has started "rebooting" for no apparent reason. Google search finds a lot of similar issues dating way back, but few are clear on a true fix. Appears those who have contacted AT&T support have been given the runaround with canned flip chart answers from foreign sounding individuals... always pointing the problem back to the user... typical... And now I find this thread that has been going on for a while now.

So far I have:
Cleaned all my connections.

Tried it with two different phone cable runs to my outdoor phone box (one a direct tie with Cat6a cable).

Disconnected my 2.4GHz phone which was sitting close to the modem (BTW, the modem worked fine for years with the same phone sitting there but I moved it, just in case...)

Installed a phone line filter on the main phone line feeding all my house phones. Previously, I only had the filters installed locally on some of the phones in the house, but it worked fine. 

Tried it with no house phones connected to the phone line at all.

Tired different Ethernet cables from the main PC to the modem.

Eliminated all Ethernet connections except the main computer, including any wireless linkups (I have had up to 2 Ethernet computers linked, 1 XBox Ethernet link, 2 smart TV wireless links and 1 laptop wireless link up and running at basically the same time in the past with no issues, that is before this "rebooting" issue randomly started).

Still same results, it just reboots for no reason, anytime of the day, sometimes multiple reboots at a time. It cycled for almost a full day last week, then reconnected like nothing happened.

Obviously this is very frustrating. Ideas?

Thanks in advance

[cb6614]

Hey DG, welcome to the discussion. It reads like you've done some homework on this subject and tried a few things but have been unsuccessful. Here are a couple of other suggestions:
Shorten the 802.11 broadcast spectrum. I've run into quite a few of these routers that seem to have an issue broadcasting a mixed mode WLAN signal. I'd recommend logging into the Management and Diagnostic Console http://192.168.1.254/mdc and clicking "wireless" on the left under "local network". Then scroll down to the wireless broadcast mode and see if you're broadcasting in 802.11b/g mode. If so, change the mode to 802.11g ONLY and save the setting. Monitor the connection for a while and see if you get some relief. If it continues, log back in and try it with 802.11b ONLY for a couple days. People have raised the argument that reduces the throughput of the wireless at 802.11b but the max transfer rate for "b" wireless is 11Mbps. Your Internet connection for DSL is 6Mbps so unless you're streaming movies from one local machine to another, you shouldn't really notice any restriction. Let us know how it goes and good luck.

[DGMAX99]

 Thanks cb! I gleaned what you have suggested from some of the previous posts and plan on giving them a try when I get home tonight. I did looked at the setup stuff the other night and if I remember correctly mine was set for the 802.11b/g mode, but was hesitant to change it since it had been working pretty good for a few hours.

The amazing part is this same modem worked flawlessly for years with the same settings and then all of a sudden, boom! she starts dropping out randomly. I have also verified the phone line connectivity while the  modem was cycling and verified it does at least have a phone side connection/dial tone, for what its worth... When it does cycle, it’s like it has lost sync with the DSL/digital servers or something, and is hunting to link back up.

[DGMAX99]

BTW, I have been considering replacing the 2Wire with an Actiontec GT724WGR, GT784WN or Netgear DGND3300 after reading some web reviews. I’m just afraid it will be a waste of money if the problem is really on AT&T’s end, which some people seem to be finding out in the long run...

If anyone has any experience with these router/modems (or any others) feel free to post up!

[cb6614]

Hey again DG,

I just saw your reply to my earlier post and I think that adjusting the WLAN broadcast frequency will most likely help you with your problems. I've seen a lot of people with those 2Wires that have worked for a long time and suddenly they notice intermittent losses of connectivity when the 802.11 mode is set for mixed broadcast. The only thing I can think of to explain it would be that the the wireless traffic load has increased on the router and there seems to be some sort of hardware issue where a significant WLAN load on that device causes issues when the WLAN is broadcast in mixed mode. I'm not saying that's your particular issue for sure, but it's been a lot of people's issue I've come into contact with. As far as replacing the router, I wouldn't recommend any of the ones you've listed earlier for one simple fact.... They're not supported at the "free" level of AT&T's Tech Support and if you need assistance configuring one of those, you've either got to pay for the "advanced" tech support subscription service AT&T offers or you have to find support on your own. There are some alternatives though and one of them is the Westell/Netgear 7550 B90. It's a wireless N router with 4 port switch. I't's not a simultaneous dual band router that can broadcast 802.11n and 802.11b/g at the same time like some of the other "high end" routers you find on the market today but it seems to be a pretty solid device from what I've seen from it so far and as far as the support for any configuration issues you may have in the future, the price is right because its fully supported by AT&T's DSL Support at the "free" level that comes with your Internet subscription every month. Plus it's IPv6 compatible and if you read any of AT&T's websites these days, you're going to see something about the upcoming conversion from IPv4 to IPv6 addressing. Here's a link to their online equipment shop where you can order one:

http://tinyurl.com/86safna

One last thing, if you're concerned this may be a "line" or "signal" issue that's causing or adding to your intermittence and might be causing some slow speeds on your connection you can take a screen shot of your modem's "diagnostic" page, post it here in the forum, and I or someone else who's familiar with the diagnostic info can interpret the readings for you so that you can get an idea on the state of your DSL signal. Just go to http://192.168.1.254/mdc then click on "DSL Diagnostics" under "Troubleshooting". When you've got that page displayed, take a screenshot (Ctrl+Print Scrn keys at the same time on your keyboard) then you can save the screenshot to a Word document on bitmap (like Microsoft Paint) and upload it with your post. (Just click the picture of the "tree" above where you type your response and follow the directions for uploading images) Be sure you include the info listed at the top of the screen and the info listed in "Bitloading" at the bottom and that you take a screenshot instead of just selecting all of the text, copying it, and posting it with your reply. The screenshot preserves the visual display of the bitloading and we need that to help determine whether your signal is experiencing interference and where. Once again, good luck and let us know how it goes.

[DGMAX99]

Quick update! Did make the change to XXXX/b and XXXX/g with no observable improvement, modem cycled randomly with both settings. Did notice one night that when my son tried to log on his XBox for online playtime the modem cycled within a few minutes of the XBox first connecting. We repeated the occurrence once the modem reconnected with the same result, dropped connection.

I completely depowered and disconnected the modem last night and popped the side cover off to see if anything was amiss, did not see any obvious issues inside. I did clean the RJ11/45 and power connections on the back plane since they were not really “bright and shiny” like I would expect plated connectors to be (the power receptacle is a standard DC connection). After checking the Ehternet cables I have in use wiht the modem for proper continuity and no shorts (all checked good!), I reconnecting just the minimal connections (DC supply, phone line and main PC Ethernet) I fired it back up. It went through several cycles and when it did finally lock in and connected, I tested the wireless linkups (one desktop and one laptop) and then gradually connected the other Ehternet cables one at a time (one to my wife’s PC and one to my sons XBox). After it maintained a connection for a while, I had my son try his XBox login again while I watched his wireless connection signal on the PC in his room. As the XBox logged in it appeared the wireless strength did fluctuate noticeably, but XBox was successful in logging in without the modem losing connection or the PC losing the wireless linkup. Don’t really know if it was related to the issues I have been experiencing for last couple weeks. He has played his XBox through this same modem for at least 2 years without issue (with a wireless adapter at first and then an Ethernet cable since around Dec 2011). Anyway, I was out of time at that point, off to bed!!  

The more I read about all the ongoing issues people have been having with this 2Wire modem the more I think it is just may be best to quit wasting time with this 2701 and upgrade to something newer. I actually feel I have been pretty lucky to have used it since mid 2009 without experiencing any problems!

I am not afriad to try a unsupported ADSL modem/router as many posts on the internet indicate that others have been successful in setting them up but I may end up giving the Netgear 7550 a shot... That is IF I stay wiht AT&T!!!

Which leads to another question, anyone have any experience they can share about the 7550?

Thanks!

[jr9730]

The Pace 4111N is now being sent out as well as the 7550 and I have not seen any compaints on the 4111 as of yet..

[gator1]

Hello everyone,

          I see where people are still having problems with, and trying to fix their 2Wire Modems, and while I do admire your persistance and all th ebrain wracking that goes into it, I thought I would offer my 2 cents worth. 

          I too went thru the same thing several months ago, thats how I found this board and my thanks go out to all the  far more knowledgeable  people who offered, and are still offering their help. However, all I've seen seen are workarounds and band-aids suggested to fix the problem with what has, for what ever reason, become a router that doesn't work any longer. Mine worked up to the point that I started having the exact same problems I'm still seeing here.In my case, I feel that I may have gotten lucky in that after all the automated, script reading support on att's help line, when they did send out the repair guys they cut to the chase and solved the problem. after doing all the line tests, mine and theirs, running a dedicated line from outside my house to the inside, what ultimately fixed the problem? A new, different brand router. I had read on this board that someone else had att replace their 2Wire with the Motorola/Netopia "business" router and it solved their problem. I suggested this to the repair guy and he said that he had also done the same think, but asked to do some tests first. I agreed and for two days they did line tests, droppage tests, loop tests and so on. Then the replaced the router and the problem was solved. I see where att is now sending out another type router for new cutomers and to replace the troublesome 2Wires.In my experience this is the best solution instead of some work around.

[gator1]

I can type and spell better than that ...honest

[DGMAX99]

Well, I bit the bullet and snatched a Netgear DGND3700 Modem/Router and so far everything is working great. Unit is kinda pricey, but I had some gift cards from Christmas I needed to expend anyway! LOL Needed to get "up to date" on my equipment anyway... I did get it up and running quickly last night but have not had much time to completely set it up for my home network, and check out its features. I did note an immediate increase in speed and, with a quick speedtest.net confirmed I was now running at close to the rated speed for my service now (a little over twice that of the old 2Wire 2701).

 Kudos to AT&T for the “Update” application that helps assist in alignment of the user ID and PW stuff, and provides help on how to setup an aftermarket modem. I still had all my info from when I first signed up with AT&T DSL but let the update app confirm it all. Appears the update app will assist those that have misplaced and/or forgotten all that info, as long as you can answer a few key, specific to your account, questions.

Below are some of the key setup parameters to get a 3700 linked up. I guess I plan on keeping the 2Wire as a backup and for troubleshooting purposes.

Netgear DGND3700 Setup for AT&T DSL

Using the modem Setup Wizard or manually, ensure modem is set for PPPoE

On the Netgear DGND3700:

Login = ATT Member ID

Password = ATT Network Pasword (The permanent PW issued by ATT at time of signup)

Service Name = Leave Blank

Idle Timeout = 0 (Zero)

DSN =  Set to get “Automatically from ISP”

Thanks for the help with the 2Wire.

[calltechgal]

This issue happens when you are on a wireless connection. So here's the quick fix.

1. Access 192.168.1.254 on your computer that is currently hardwired or connected via ethernet thru the modem

2. Click on FIREWALL [You will see 4 picturethes on the top of the page: SYSTEM, BROADBAND LINK, HOME NETWORK & FIREWALL. You have to click on the icon.]

3. Click on ADVANCE SETTINGS [blue hyperlink]

4. On the left hand side on your screen, you will see and option that says ATTACK DETECTION. You need to uncheck PACKET FLOOD. Then SAVE the changes.

5. Click on the  HOME NETWORK icon on the top.

6. Tap EDIT SETTINGS on the bottom right hand side of that page.

7. Scroll to the bottom left. Under ADDITIONAL SETTINGS, WIRELESS MODE should be set to 802.11b

8. Click on SAVE on the bottom left.

NOTE: 2WIRE MODEM WILL PROMPT YOU TO ENTER THE SYSTEM PASSWORD EVERYTIME YOU MAKE CHANGES ON THE MODEM. THIS IS THE PASSWORD THAT YOU INITIALLY SET-UP WHEN YOU GOT THE MODEM. IF YOU DONT REMEMBER IT CLICK ON I FORGOT PASSWORD AND IT WILL GIVE YOU A HINT. IF YOU STILL DONT REMEMBER IT. CLICK ON I STILL DONT REMEMBER THE PASSWORD. IT WILL ASKED FOR THE SYSTEM KEY WHICH IS A 10-DIGIT NUMBER ENCLOSED IN BRACKETS AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR MODEM. THEN CREATE A NEW PASSWORD.

[PerfectInsanity]

CB - I respect and appreciate all the assistance you've offered people. I'm sad to say I'm looking for guidance myself. I've tried everything here, and more. I'm a tech at a telecommunications company that also deals (rarely anymore) in DSL, so I'm familiar with how it functions, the equipment used, many of the quirks, etc. I have a long history in support, am one of our lead techs, and also have a CCNA. I say this only so you know you can speak to me technically, as I'd like to not waste your time explaining something you don't need to.

Service: 3 Mbps DSL dry line (I'll be upgrading to 6 Mbps if I can get this stable)

The problem: Internet connectivity drops and poor performance for the past few months, much more often recently. (not the DSL link, however)

When it 'drops':

   - The 'drop' occurs for anywhere from 3 seconds to a couple minutes.

   - In the longer drops, the PPPOE connection drops. The 2Wire has stated no ATM circuit is available in the diagnostics screen.

   - In the case of the shorter drops, sometimes the PPPOE drops and sometimes I can only reproduce the failure through pings failing between the WAN on the router and the Gateway IP. (sample below)

As others have stated, I've noticed that the connection drops a lot more frequently when other devices initiate new connections or stress/push utilization on the circuit. (i.e. Opening Firefox and loading a previous session or starting up a newsserver download that utilizes 15-20 individual server connections)

My setup:

2Wire (1 year old) > Linksys WRT54GL running OpenWRT (functioning off the switch ports and WiFi)

•  The 2Wire started as being setup in DMZPlus mode, doing DHCP to the Linksys, with a separate private block setup behind the Linksys and the Linksys handling everything related to my network, including WiFi. While the dual private range is not an ideal setup, it worked and I had no complaints, so I left it alone.
•  In troubleshooting, I reached a tech who gave me the steps needed to change it to bridged mode. I did that and setup the Linksys to handle the PPPOE authentication.
• Regarding the 2 different setups above, when the 2Wire was handling the PPPOE auth, the connectivity drops were at most 30-60 seconds. (shorter, more common)  When the Linksys was handling the PPPOE auth, the drops lasted at least a minute and took as long as 2 minutes at times. (noted so you have all information I have)
• At that point, I ordered the Actiontec modem and tried that, and saw no change in behavior.
• Since switching to the Actiontec, I switched back to the 2Wire to try the various settings combinations mentioned in this thread. (and the additions noted below)

Other details from troubleshooting:

I tried everything mentioned in this thread. While I don't use the 2Wire's wireless function, in troubleshooting, I enabled it and I tried all of the settings mentioned. (802.11b, 11Mbps, etc) I also disabled all Attack protection in the firewall, as I have the Linksys doing that and have no need for it (and wanted to rule that out, too).

Nothing has changed in my home setup. That said, I've checked everything out and tried a large number of combinations. I've tried multiple RJ11 jacks, multiple power outlets and running it through a 1500VA power filtering UPS. This was done with both the old and new modem. I also checked the internal cable run and the connections at the external housing and see no clear issues. Everything looks clean and secure. (I've exercised the jacks and cleaned contacts)

In working with the previous technician prior to the swap from 2Wire to Actiontec, she had one of the network techs make a change to the config of my line, so I'm thinking they changed it to the Interleave setup. I had asked her about DSLAM issues in the area also, which she said she checked and didn't see any. It's not sounding like it'd be the DSLAM anyways after having read through the variety of locations in this thread.

My thoughts at this point:

The drops between the 2Wire acting as the WAN device and the Gateway IP means the issue is either the modem/router, last mile cable run, DSLAM, or other equipment leading to that Gateway IP.  Being that I changed the 2Wire out to a brand new Actiontec and have the same issue, that removes the modem as a source of the issue.

Being that the Interleave setting may be on my line and I'm not sure if the Actiontec likes it, it's remotely possible if I get them to disable it (I'll try to call them tomorrow in the timeframe when they're open and able) and switch back to the Actiontec, maybe it will work. I'm not too hopeful of this, being that the issue has remained the exact same.

The techs have repeatedly checked the line (like with so many others here) and tell me everything is great and I'm operating at a much lower speed than the line is capable of, so it should be running really well. I don't know if I should push them to dispatch a line tech with respect to the errors shown below, but they are a fairly recent occurrence. When I first started troubleshooting this, they were scarce.  I don't want to pursue a pointless, and likely painful and time consuming, request.

Hopefully I've nailed everything you need.  I came home from work to continue working on this tonight (after about a week of previous work on it), so I'm a bit tired. I'll be checking tomorrow in the AM, so whenever you're able to reply, I'll get a response to you shortly.

Side note:  Only recently, since switching back to the 2Wire, did I look into the detailed log section and at this point, I haven't seen anything show up, even though I've seen the stats below and have seen my traffic fluctuating and packets dropping sporadically.

Broadband Link – Statistics

DSL		Down		Up
Current Rate:		3008 kbs		512 kbs
Max Rate:		8624 kbs		1004 kbs
Current Connection:
	Current Noise Margin:		16.0 dB		21.0 dB
	Current Attenuation:		36.9 dB		18.0 dB
	Current Output Power:		6.7 dBm		11.5 dBm
ATM		Cells		Errors		%
Transmit:		3088042		0		0
Receive:		24873705		0		0
IP		Bytes		Packets		Errors		%
Transmit:		129740842		575730		0		0
Receive:		1173710614		860477		0		0

Broadband Link – Detailed DSL Statistics

Collected for 2:13:58

ATM		Since Reset		Current 24-Hour Interval		Current 15-Minute Interval		Time Since Last Event
Cell Header Errors:		11		11		1		0:04:20
Loss of Cell Delineation:		0		0		0		0:00:00
DSL
Link Retrains:		0		0		0		0:00:00
DSL Training Errors:		1		1		0		2:13:03
Training Timeouts:		0		0		0		0:00:00
Loss of Framing Failures:		0		0		0		0:00:00
Loss of Signal Failures:		0		0		0		0:00:00
Loss of Power Failures:		0		0		0		0:00:00
Loss of Margin Failures:		0		0		0		0:00:00
Cumulative Seconds w/Errors:		20		20		3		0:02:36
Cumulative Sec. w/Severe Errors:		0		0		0		0:00:00
Corrected Blocks:		0		0		0		0:00:00
Uncorrectable Blocks:		32		32		3		0:02:36
DSL Unavailable Seconds:		97		97		0		2:12:20

PING results:

Pinging [76.226.175.254] 100 times with: 64 bytes of data

ping successful: icmp_seq=0 time=114 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=1 time=108 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=2 time=124 ms
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping successful: icmp_seq=5 time=161 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=6 time=69 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=7 time=54 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=8 time=87 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=9 time=80 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=10 time=103 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=11 time=132 ms
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping successful: icmp_seq=15 time=106 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=16 time=92 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=17 time=49 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=18 time=52 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=19 time=61 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=20 time=65 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=21 time=89 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=22 time=98 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=23 time=102 ms
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping successful: icmp_seq=31 time=48 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=32 time=91 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=33 time=99 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=34 time=140 ms
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping successful: icmp_seq=38 time=87 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=39 time=77 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=40 time=73 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=41 time=57 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=42 time=78 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=43 time=88 ms
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping timed out
ping successful: icmp_seq=47 time=84 ms
ping timed out
ping successful: icmp_seq=49 time=117 ms
ping successful: icmp_seq=50 time=84 ms

[PerfectInsanity]

I've now spoken to another tech. Interleave was not left enabled, so that isn't (part of) the issue. I'm at a loss. The connection is horrible today and has been dropping roughly every 5 minutes (resulting in new IP assignments), which the tech I spoke to could see in the logs. (which were limited to the latter half of today because of how many drops happened)  He confirmed the line looks perfect and cannot see any issues with the line itself, which is reinforced by the fact that the DSL link light never drops. (nor does it show it dropping in the router/modem logs) He also again checked the DSLAM and isn't seeing anything off/wrong.

From my discussion today, it sounds like the only possibility is an issue with the router upstream providing the Gateway IP, which can only get to being reviewed at that level after reproduction by a field tech. (according to the tech I spoke to) That also seems unlikely due to how many people are having this issue, as that type of issue would usually be isolated to a specific device failure. (whether some odd mistaken config change or hardware failure)

I'm truly at a loss here, but need to get this back up and stable. We have a dispatch pending for Thursday evening, but I don't see it turning up much from everything I've read here and factoring in everything I've done and found.

Any insights are greatly appreciated.

[afaik7]

I ran into the issue of having my 2wire router restart as soon as a wireless device was connected to it a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, any device connected via ethernet cable was perfectly fine. I went through the bulk of this thread, as well as another one, trying out all the work arounds and wireless setting tweaks. None of them worked for me. 

Luckily (I guess), my house had another 2Wire 2701 HG-B router that my sister had left behind. I replaced my router with hers, and instantly ran into the exact same issues. This left me really suspicious about whether the router itself was broken at all. 

I decided to borrow a 2Wire ac adapter from a friend and replaced my adapter. WIthout changing a single wireless setting, my wireless is now perfectly stable. 

The theory is the ac adapter was starting to break, but was still providing enough power to enable ethernet connections, but not enough to supply a consistent wireless signal. Getting a fully functional ac adapter fixed the issue. When you think about it, it kind of makes sense considering how poor the quality of the ac adapter is, hence this widespread wireless issue. 

[queen.of.gotham]

im new to this forum but not new with this 2 wire. this will surely help. open internet explorer or any browser on the computer that is wired connected to your modem. and type 192.168.1.254 on the address bar of that browser. you will see the 2wire home page. click home network. click edit settings under wireless settings. it will prompt you to enter your password, click i forgot my password if you forget the password, once on the wireless settings page, scroll down and change the Power Settings to "10" then save.

[Rotated Grid]

PerfectInsanity, thanks for the thorough post.  I don't have the 2-wire unit.  I have an Apple Airport Extreme with similar problems as posted here.  Having tried with 3 different Airports and 2 different DSL modems, I'm now convinced the problem is somewhere in AT&T's service.  How do we get AT&T to acknowledge and diagnose this problem?

[PerfectInsanity]

Rotated Grid, no problem. Just trying to save people as much time as possible and hopefully lead to a resolution. I'm still working on that part of it and will report back when done. I'm working with AT&T still at this point.

I can tell you at this point it's not the modems/routers (have tried 3 now), internal wiring, or the local loop. We're looking at a possible issue upstream, the other side of the local loop. (cable run from the central office)

[abbzer0]

Hello - I troubleshot this problem extensively with a packet capture spanning the vlan between the 2wire router and my DD-Wrt router.  (Used to run it on a wrt54G, and then upgraded to a buffalo router running dd-wrt, but problem still continued.)  I saw the drops coming from the ATT 2-wire router and had them replace it.  GREAT!! The problem no-longer occurred!  A few days later I realized I was no longer in DMZ+ mode, so switched things back around.   What do you know, the problem started re-occurring on me!   The issues are no packet loss, because TCP would retry.  The issue is with hung connection states.   I am not 110% sure if it is on the 2wire side, or the way dd-wrt interprets the DMZ+ mode configuration.  (Although my previous cable modem connection, with the public IP on the dd-wrt box NEVER had an issue)    I have been doing double port forwarding for the past 1.5 years now.  I do however plan to hook up a different firewall to the ATT box and turn on DMZ+ mode.  We will see if the issues re-occur.  

[abbzer0]

Upon additional investigation, try this, maybe it will help:

http://www.comprepairgurus.com/att-u-verse2wire-gateway-and-dd-wrt-router-in-dmz-mode/

I have not yet tried it, but am hopeful!

[Ga_Peach]

I am having trouble with my connection (Modem is 2wire 2701HG-B).  Mostly, I don't know what the stats mean, but I took a screenshot of the stats page.  Can someone provide guidance please?  My computer is connected via ethernet cable, not wireless, but I do have some wireless connections set up.

[Ga_Peach]

I just ran a ping test (pingtest.net).  Ouch!

I ran several more tests which provided better results using various servers across the country and the connection appears to be very intermittent.  Any suggestions are appreciated.

[steveap1]

I'm late to the party, but in summary, the 802.11b works for me, while none of the other settings work. I did not have to change the max connect settings, and the packet flooding setting seems to make no difference. My dsl speed is 6mbps, so the 11mbps max for 802.11b should not be a problem.

I haven't read the entire thread, so please let me know if I missed anythingI need to know. I can see no reason to replace the modem, although it looks like Best Buy has expanded their selection of dsl modems...hmmm.

I have thee of these 2701HG-B routers now, sent to me by ATT in attempt to solve the problem. The support folks are nice, but this seems like a major oversight on their part.