linksys wireless router keeps making me lose points!!

[Posidon42]

Ok, this has got to stop!! Last weekend I added a couple more machines to my farm and my router has become extremely unstable. My network has some winxp, 2k, 98 and overclockix machines on it. When it dies, the router just stops working until I power cycle it. When it isn't working, I can't connect to it via the network configuration utility but all the lights are blinking and it seems to be working. Help me figure out what is going on here!!

Network flow:

Cable Modem
Stupid Linksys wireless router
wired connection -> hub -> my main machine (xp), spare machine (xp)
wireless connection -> xp box in basement, using onboard NIC for network sharing to rest of the computers -> 16 port switch -> 5 win98 machines, 2 win2k machines and one overclockix machine.

I really can't figure this one out and could use some help with this. My points average has dropped 25% since this stupid router has started acting up and this is with 4 more computers!!! ARGH!!

 

[walaka7]

Had same problem with my linksys router.. two weeks before my trip to the ranch in december, the thing gets all flakey where i had to reset it once or twice a day. I bought another one after trying to reflash the firmware on it a day before we left, cause i didnt have time for RMA BS. Sounds like same situaion, where lights would blink, but no connection exhisted

 

[Xenocide]

do you use the wireless alot on this router?, if not try using something with out it. linksys routers HATE multiple connections. they start to take a dump when you go over 100 IIRC with alot of computers that is easy. try setting up a smoothwall. (http://www.smoothwall.org) see if that tones down the router problem. i had the same problem here, switched to smoothwall last week, been running great since then

 

[Posidon42]

I have to say I have never heard of a smoothwall. While poking around the linksys site, I noticed they had a new firmware out for my router. My old version was almost a year old. I updated it and will monitor progress from now on.

As for the wireless connection, it is the only thing keeping my folding machines with data. Since I already have the wireless router and have no $$ to buy another wireless NIC for the other computer, I have to keep my setup the way it is for now.

 

[FizzledFiend]

WELL I BE! I was just heading here to post the same problem! I jsut lost a Tinker with 238 frames done due to this crap.

I already flashed my firmware to the latest version and i have the same problem. this didn't start up till I added my 3rd machine. so now i have 1 wireless and 2 cabled. hope we sort this soon as it gets really old fast!

 

[Posidon42]

well it is still doing the same thing even with the newest firmware... I have two computers connected directly to the wired ports, 2 wireless laptops, and 9 folding layers running through the wireless connection. Anyone else have any suggestions??

 

[Tebore]

Hey me too. When I was away I lost a hell of a lot of folding time. I have to reset my router at least once a day. I have one of those 4 Port Linksys routers with 802.11B. 2 cabled and 1 wireless laptop.

 

[Posidon42]

sounds like something is wrong with these routers. Anyone have an idea how we can check to see what is going on? I really hate having to keep rebooting this stupid thing.

 

[squirrel]

Are you broadcasting SSID? If not, turn it on. See this thread:
http://neowin.net/comments.php?id=21013&category=main

 

[sifu quoc]

which router are you guys using? cuz im about to buy a wireless router... and if the problems arent figured out... i dont want the ones you guys have... hehe

 

[Karbon]

I have the SMC7004AWBR - Barricade
http://www.smc.com/index.cfm?sec=Products&pg=Product-Details&prod=63&site=c

never had a problem with it, have 2 on wireless, 1 to a switch with 3 pcs works fine

 

[Posidon42]

as for the SSID broadcast thing, I already had it on so that isn't the problem. I think I am going to install win2k on all my computers so I can get rid of all this xp nonsense. My wireless NIC has win2k drivers and it still has the internet connection sharing that I want. Hopefully it is all the fighting between OS's that is causing the problem and not that the router just can't handle more than 5 computers or so.

 

[FizzledFiend]

as for the SSID broadcast thing, I already had it on so that isn't the problem. I think I am going to install win2k on all my computers so I can get rid of all this xp nonsense. My wireless NIC has win2k drivers and it still has the internet connection sharing that I want. Hopefully it is all the fighting between OS's that is causing the problem and not that the router just can't handle more than 5 computers or so.

thats not the problem.. all of my machines are XPpro and I still have the problem :| maybe a call to linksys is in order here

 

[Tebore]

thats not the problem.. all of my machines are XPpro and I still have the problem :| maybe a call to linksys is in order here

I think we should start a petition and send that in to Linksys demanding to fix the problem or replace our router.

 

[Posidon42]

lol, good luck. I called them about this same problem last year and they wouldn't do anything until I sent it back in to them. Even with that, I had to have the original reciept or they wouldn't do anything. I think I am just going to start shopping for another router and offload this on someone with fewer computers. Everything was working very well until I added those overclockix machines last weekend.... hrm...

 

[Tebore]

I read on this problem and found that the router just can't take that many connections. Not physical, just like if you were using P2P you have over 1000 connections, and this router just can't handle that many for a long time. So if you're using Bit torrent it just can't handle it.

 

[Posidon42]

why is it that a router can't handle a dozen computers? It doesn't seem like it is all that difficult. Three wireless connections and one ethernet connection and it is barfing? What is this about 1000 connections? Please explain.

 

[FizzledFiend]

HA I am talking 3 machines 2 hardwires 1 wireless yet I have this problem!

 

[Tebore]

why is it that a router can't handle a dozen computers? It doesn't seem like it is all that difficult. Three wireless connections and one ethernet connection and it is barfing? What is this about 1000 connections? Please explain.

The router can handle a bunch of physical connections just fine. By physical connections I mean cabled or wireless computers hooked up to it and go through the router to access the net. It just can't handle a high number of connections from the internet to the computers, about 1000 connections to each computer. Internet explorer alone can use up to 5 connections to browse one site.

 

[Posidon42]

but the computers aren't doing anything but folding. Only two of the machines are actually used to browse the internet and such. So even at worst case scenario, 5 connections times 14 computers = 70 connections << 1000 connections... All they are doing is trying to send in WU's and it keeps crapping out.