Linksys Router cannot maintain Internet Connectivity

[Oswaldo]

I have a home network configured with few computers which are connected to a single router to share the same Internet connection. The Router in turn is connected to the cable modem from where the Bandwidth is received. Out of the 6 computers, 5 computers are running on Windows XP while one computer is running on Windows 7. The Router which I am using is a Linksys router. The problem I am facing is that The Linksys router is not able to maintain Internet Connectivity. The router shows all the computers connected to the network, but loses connectivity to the Modem. I cant figure out if the Router or the Modem is faulty. I have also heard that computer running on Windows 7 creates problems in the Network consisting of Windows XP computers. Is it true? Please help

[Milton.J]

I would suggest you to check the configuration of the network first. Many times it happens that the configuration of the network components changes which leads to disconnection of the network. This can be due to many reasons such as sudden shut down or power failure. Hence check the configuration of each an every device connected to the network and make the necessary changes if any. After changing the configuration, save the settings and reboot all the computers. The network should not get disconnected after changing the configuration.

[Spyrus]

Linksys router has three indication LED's on the front panel. One LED is for Power on, 2nd is for Link status and third LED is for Wlan. If your router is not configured for Wireless then the Wlan LED will be off. Check the Status LED when the network loses connectivity. Status LED indicates the Link status. If the Router does not receive any bandwidth then the Status LED will not glow. If the Status LED is glowing even when there is no connection then there is something wrong with the network. If the LED is not glowing then the router is working fine but is not receiving any bandwidth and hence is losing connection.

[Snake08]

I think the problem is with the Link which is providing the Internet connection to the network. If the Router does not receive any signal from the remote device then the network will not be able to connect to the Internet at all. Contact your Internet service provider and get the link checked. You can also check the link on your own by disconnecting the router and then connecting one computer directly to modem. Then PING some good known site and check the packets sent and received by the computer. If the you get an Request Time out then the link is not providing the bandwidth. Therefore tell your ISP to fix it.

[Big Fish]

The basic troubleshooting step which should be followed while facing such problem is Full Power cycle. To perform a Full power cycle, follow the steps below :-
1) Shut down all the computers in the network.
2) Shut down the Router.
3) Shut down the Cable modem.
4) Remove all the cables connecting the computers to the router and modem.
5) Wait for sometime and then reconnect all the cables properly.
6) Now Power on the Cable modem first and then let it stabilize.
7) Once the Modem is up, start the router and let it stabilize.
8) Once the router is up, start the computers one by one.
Check if the router still loses connectivity or not. Ideally it should not lose connectivity after a Full Power Cycle.

[Zachary]

The Default IP protocol of Windows 7 operating system is IP Version 6 while the default IP protocol of the Windows XP is IP version 4. Hence if two computers which are running on Windows 7 and Windows XP are connected then the communication will not happen successfully as the IP versions are different. Hence to use a Windows 7 based computer on the Windows XP network, disable the IP V6 support of the Windows 7 from the TCP/IP utilities. Go to TCP/IP utilities and click on properties. Now remove the Checkmark against the IP V6 and then apply the settings. The LAN will get disabled and then enable automatically. Hope after changing the IP version you will not face any problems.

[Shen]

All the routers work on the algorithm which is nothing but the software. Like any software the algorithm of the router also gets corrupted. This algorithm or the operating system of the router is known as firmware. If the firmware is corrupted then the router will not work properly. Therefore you will have to update the firmware of the router. Download the latest firmware available for the model of the router you are using on some other computer which has Internet connectivity and then connect the router to the computer using Console cable. Log in to the router using this computer and then update the firmware of the router. Updating the firmware will solve the problem.