Linksys Wired Router Drops Connection

[double b26]

i bought this Linksys wired router yesterday...model BEFSR41. the problem is that every 5 minutes (give or take), it drops connection to my PC and my Xbox 360. not just internet, but connection all together (like its resetting itself). it stays off for only a second (literally), then comes right back on and works fine for another few minutes.

it was working fine last night. but today i tried to run Azureus (a bit torrent program) and it was firewalled. so i opened up the ports on the router that it needs to work. it started downloading, but shortly after, the disconnects began. so i tried adding the pc in the DMZ setting to let it have free reign. that didnt help. so then i tried to use xbox live (to see if it was affecting everything, or just the computer). when the router disconnects, it affects the xbox and the pc. so i reset the router to default settings. then i set everything back the way i had it the night before (when it wasnt dropping signal). but still, the same thing..quick disconnects every few minutes or so.

when i am logged on to xbox live, and it disconnects for that split second, i get booted. and if im streaming music to the 360 when it disconnects, its cuts off the music. on the pc, it pops up that little bubble on the task bar (by the clock) that says a 'network cable is unplugged'....but only for a second.

in between the signal drops, everything works great. ive ran network tests on the 360 and its all good. xbox live is all connected and NAT is "open". all the computer connection tests (for streaming) check out okay. and i can surf the web on the pc w/o any major problems (except for the occasional 'cant find the server' message).

im pretty sure its a problem with the router, as i never had any disconnects before i got it (with the cable modem to the pc via usb; the 360 hooked to the pc's nic via ethernet). but i dont know much about routers at all...this is the first one ive had or used.

is there some setting(s) that i should adjust??

 

[Trizoy]

Is the router sitting on the carpet, or somthing cloth that can absorb and hold the heat? It sounds like it might be overheating. If it is sitting on a firm surface, I would try updating the firmware... then if that don't work, bring it back.

 

[double b26]

Is the router sitting on the carpet, or somthing cloth that can absorb and hold the heat? It sounds like it might be overheating. If it is sitting on a firm surface, I would try updating the firmware... then if that don't work, bring it back.

no it not on carpet or anything like that. i have my cable model lying horizontal on top of the computer tower, and the router stacked on top of that. but they arent sandwiched together..the lynksys has legs on it that keep it about 3/4" above whatever its setting on (here is a pic). i dont think its overheating. the cable modem puts out very little heat. and the lynksys has places for the feet of other lynksys modem/routers...its made to stack.

i did have a pos nexxtech router for a day or so. but it started resetting itself (all lights came on and blinked). but it wouldnt even pass internet through. i tried to use its web-based setting tools, but the computer couldnt even find it. it was just junk. so i took it back an got this one, but now something similar is happening, but not as extreme. so im leaning to it being a problem with my stuff.

i dont know much about routers. could it be my cables (wrong kind?) or would i need to call my ISP and see if they can reset somethig??

EDIT: ill try un-stacking them anyway tho. thanks for the tip.

 

[double b26]

EDIT: firmware - i updated it...see how it goes from here.

 

[zaroba]

i had that router for a short while a few months ago when my old one kicked out.

i think the problem is that its not designed for the large amount of conenctions involved with peer to peer file sharing programs. the only times i had problems with it was when i was doing filesharing, and it was the exact problems that you mention. alot of connectiosn would build up, alot of files would start downloading, and the router would pretty much crash. usually it would come back up right away, but sometimes i had to unplug it and plug it back in to get it to work again.

a much better replacement is the BEFVP41
pretty much the same model, but its designed for upto 50 VPN connections and 253 computers to allow access to the internet (threw chaining the routers together). simply put, the VP41 is designed for much higher traffic then the SR41. it is however, about double the price.

a few weeks after i baught the SR41, i went and baught the VP41 and have had no trouble at all with it. that was a few months ago, and i have 2 pcs on the internet 24/7. one running game servers and one downloading torrents and nearly maxing out my download bandwidth 24/7.

 

[double b26]

i think the problem is that its not designed for the large amount of conenctions involved with peer to peer file sharing programs. the only times i had problems with it was when i was doing filesharing, and it was the exact problems that you mention. alot of connectiosn would build up, alot of files would start downloading, and the router would pretty much crash. usually it would come back up right away, but sometimes i had to unplug it and plug it back in to get it to work again.

i considered that myself. but the thing that stumps me is that i was running Limewire and playing XBLive last night. both ran great. but like i said, when i tried to run azureus, the NAT was showing firewall. i dont know if the two file sharing programs are technically totally different in the way they operate. but if it was downloading at 20-30kb/s, and i had a good live connection, then i would think it could handle azureus by itself.

a much better replacement is the BEFVP41 pretty much the same model, but its designed for upto 50 VPN connections and 253 computers to allow access to the internet (threw chaining the routers together). simply put, the VP41 is designed for much higher traffic then the SR41. it is however, about double the price.

i will have to get rid of this one if things dont turn around. the good side is that i have 30 days to take it back, so i can save a few more dollars and upgrade to something better. i was looking at this D-Link...what do you think?
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well, i updated the firmware and reset factory settings. then i unplugged both the modem and router. rebooted the computer. re-plugged everything and ran the router setup disc again. so far, it hasnt disconnected...yet. its been about 15 minute (a record!!). i havent tried to start azureus yet. if it stays connected, ill try it in a while.