WAN stopped working. Tried 5 different routers now, no luck. Works directly though.

[Stefan Lundmark]

Hi guys,

I hope this is in the right section. I'm pulling my hair out here.
Here's what happened:

Suddenly our WAN basically "stopped" working, one day. No hardware changes done.
I get pings through but no bandwidth to speak of, so can't even browse the web. TPTEST reports 6 bytes average / s. We got 8mbit DSL. The setup I've been using has worked for around 5 years without any issues.

Connecting my workstation directly to our modem (Zyxel brand) works, so I figured it was the router (Linksys WGL5 something). I replaced it with an old router (NetGear RangeMax) but the same problem surfaces!

I thought maybe the cables are fried, so I replaced them too but no luck.
Tried a friends D-link router, one of those $20 ones.. and it worked. So I went out to buy a new router and got a NetGear 3500L. Now, this one doesn't work either. Tried different firmware on all of them. But the same issue appears with the bandwidth! ISP says its on our end, too..

What on earth could be the issue here? Cables between modem and outside, in the house walls? Then why would a direct link, or the d-link router work?

Any ideas would be so appreciated.. I'm so lost and I have no idea what to do next.
/Stefan

 

[thiggins]

Maybe your ISP doesn't really want you buying routers. Do they officially support sharing a connection? If so, do they offer their own routers?

Why not get the same make/model D-Link that worked?

 

[Stefan Lundmark]

Maybe your ISP doesn't really want you buying routers. Do they officially support sharing a connection? If so, do they offer their own routers?

Why not get the same make/model D-Link that worked?

Hi Thiggings, thanks for your reply.

Like I mentioned, my old setup has been working for 5 years. Everybody I know has the same ISP, use routers and I've been a customer of theirs for over 12 years. They've always supported routers, and no they don't sell any. They suggested me to talk to the router manufacturer, which is BS considering 4 out of 5 fail, even new ones from the store. It can't be the routers...

The D-Link model goes down under pressure, and sometimes randomly. Besides, I shouldn't have to get a subpar model when the better ones has worked for so long.

 

[thiggins]

Well, something changed and I suspect it's on your ISPs end and they're not telling you. Perhaps bandwidth management software. Do you do a lot of Torrenting?

Are any of your neighbors having the same problem? If not, maybe you could swap modems with them temporarily to see if the problem follows the modem.

 

[Stefan Lundmark]

Well, something changed and I suspect it's on your ISPs end and they're not telling you. Perhaps bandwidth management software. Do you do a lot of Torrenting?

Are any of your neighbors having the same problem? If not, maybe you could swap modems with them temporarily to see if the problem follows the modem.

I do very little torrenting compared to my friends. But then again, it works just fine when I connect my PC directly to the modem so couldn't be throttling then?

Good point about testing with another modem though. Thanks, it's good to hear a second opinion. Your site is awesome, too.

If anyone else recognizes this situation and has any more hints, please chime in.

 

[thiggins]

If anyone else recognizes this situation and has any more hints, please chime in.

Might be helpful to identify the ISP...

 

[Mr. Chenevert]

Are you power cycling the modem when you try new routers?

Modems often mate with the MAC address of the device behind it. If that MAC address changes the connection may fail. A power cycle of both devices should fix that.

Would it be possible that the test of the D-link involved a power cycle while the other 4 tests did not?