Strange Modem Behaviour

[RhysAndrews]

I've had some very strange problems with my Linksys AM300 ADSL2+ Modem ever since I've gotten it.

At first I'd have the problem where every few days, we'd wake up to find that the internet wasn't working - although the AM300 said it was receiving internet activity and most of the time its pinging and trace-route diagnostics worked fine.

We haven't had that problem for a while, but we have had another very strange problem. Every so often I cannot access Google and some other sites I often go to, like Tech Report and Facebook. I often get the "error while negotiating a link" error on Firefox, and trying again doesn't usually work for a while.

I thought the SPI firewall was the problem here, so I turned it off. But I found out that whenever I change a setting that requires the router to reconnect to the internet, the DSL activity led flashes 3 times and then stops for a while, then flashes 3 times again, and continues indefinitely - and of course, the internet activity LED is off permanently and I receive no connection.

Changing various cables doesn't work... but you know what does? Taking the modem to another phone line in my house, letting it connect to the internet, and then taking it back to the original port. What the hell?

On top of this, the thumbnails in youtube and google images almost never load since I bought this AM300 modem. What could the problem be there?

Any help would be much appreciated!
-Rhys

 

[PvilleStang]

Well, I would check your DNS server settings on the modem itself. It sounds like you're routing to an invalid DNS server which can't resolve the names to valid IP's. You might also want to consider problems in the phone line (possibly the insulation has worn away in the drop somewhere and the copper pairs are either crossing or grounding out).

I would call your ISP and get your DNS servers and gateway, and statically assign them in your modem for the time being, and see if that fixes it. If that doesn't work, check your phone line for any exposed copper, or consider redropping it (HINT: Check at the connection point outside for exposed copper, most common area IMO).

 

[RhysAndrews]

I don't know if this would help your diagnosis...
The reason we got the AM300 modem in the first place was due to a storm, where my parents (I wasn't there) heard a very *VERY* loud snap and lightning strike sound. No power went out, but when I got back home my previous modem-router and my mum's onboard network card had completely stopped working. Strangely, our wireless router (which was the middle-man between the LAN card and the modem) still works fine.

Since we got the AM300, we've had another storm, and another sound, very similar but apparently much louder. It happened *while I was using the internet* and nothing had appeared to stop working, but I didn't look for long because I was trying to turn everything off as fast as I could.

We're having an electrician come out soon to make a few other adjustments to our house, I will make sure to ask him to check the phone lines, so thankyou for that advice.

-Rhys