Router randomly stopped connecting

[j98]

Hi! I've been using a BT Voyager 2091 to connect to Tiscali since I got a Wii in December. So far it has worked perfectly.

Then yesterday I was connected all morning with no problems. I shut down the computer as usual, but when I rebooted a couple of hours later, it wouldn't connect. I tried restarting, unplugging, switching cables etc etc but nothing worked. The lights are on and the LAN seems to be fine. I just tried plugging it into my Xbox 360 (which has always worked before), but it said something about how it couldn't connect to the DNS server.

I haven't installed any software/hardware or changed any settings at all, and the router appears to be working ok, so I can only assume something has changed at Tiscali's end.

Any ideas? I'm now using the USB modem that Tiscali supplied originally. Am I supposed to be using a BT router with a non-BT line or am I going to get in trouble? Can I mention it to Tiscali?

As you can tell, I'm not too hot on networking etc...

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers,

j98

 

[krisboats]

Hi! I've been using a BT Voyager 2091 to connect to Tiscali since I got a Wii in December. So far it has worked perfectly.

Then yesterday I was connected all morning with no problems. I shut down the computer as usual, but when I rebooted a couple of hours later, it wouldn't connect. I tried restarting, unplugging, switching cables etc etc but nothing worked. The lights are on and the LAN seems to be fine. I just tried plugging it into my Xbox 360 (which has always worked before), but it said something about how it couldn't connect to the DNS server.

I haven't installed any software/hardware or changed any settings at all, and the router appears to be working ok, so I can only assume something has changed at Tiscali's end.

Any ideas? I'm now using the USB modem that Tiscali supplied originally. Am I supposed to be using a BT router with a non-BT line or am I going to get in trouble? Can I mention it to Tiscali?

As you can tell, I'm not too hot on networking etc...

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers,

j98

As far as i'm aware your okay using a BT router on your non-bt line. Especially if it was working for over a month anyway.

Funnily enough the exact same thing happened to me a few weeks back, all of a sudden one sunday evening it stopped working, no signal, nothing. I tried the USB modem, again, nothing.

I rang them up, they told me to do all the usual stuff, check the cables, change your filter, remove all other devices from the phone line. Even to try running my modem cable directly from the socket without any other devices or a filter.

Still no luck. I was assured they were conducting "essential upgrades" to the lines in my area and that i'd have the internet within the next 24 hours. Which came and went.

So i rang them up again. "Oh well the line seems fine our end, wait another 24 hours" is what i got from the woman in india.

Still nothing.

Third time, same thing as the second.

Fourth time, got some indian guy who could speak english elatively well, on his attempt at checking the line he said the computer told him there was a fault with the line. He referred me to an engineer status and told me i'd have the internet in 72 hours.

Which, no suprise, came and went again. So i called them up again, to be told the engineer had tried calling me, so i left my mobile number and told them to get their thumb out their ass and fix it.

2 days later no word from them, rang them again and was told they'd tried ringing on my mobile, which had been on loud and with me every moment of the 2 days and didnt ring once.

I got moved onto level 2 engineer, same story, no help, 72 hours later i was ringing again. Then level three engineer, same thing. So i got really angry one day and told them to get their supervisor, who was first out, then busy, then able to take my call.

He said i'd been assigned 4 different engineer groups who were all trying different things and cocking up each others work. He sorted it and as promised within 72 hours i got my connection back. And a nice phone call from the supervisor to make sure i was happy.


Moral of the story, tiscali are cheap for a reason . Try all the different cables and things first before ringing, this'll save you a fortune in phone bills. Tell them you want a line check and to be upgraded to an engineering team from the get-go. Ring them between 5 and 7.00 on week nights to get straight through to an operator, weekends is met with 30+ minute ques. If your even remotely dissatisfied tell them to pass you on to their supervisor, and don't let them fob you off.



P.S. What does your tiscali USB modem lights indicate? Is the left one green and the right one constantly flashing green? If so, you have a line fault.

I hope this helps in some way.

 

[j98]

Thanks for your reply! Sounds really frustrating.

I love how telecoms companies are so useless when it comes to communicating with each other It took me over a year to escape from NTL and their debt collectors letters, despite trying to cancel the account 5 or 6 times.

As for the Tiscali modem, both lights are on full and the connection is fine. It's only when I try to connect via the router that the browser (IE7/Firefox) can't find any websites.

The computer detects the LAN when the router is plugged in (which rules out an ethernet cable fault) and the USB modem can connect fine with the same phone cable. I don't think it's a line fault because I can get on with the Tiscali modem.

The reason I ask whether I should be using the BT router is because I had to replace the software so my PC thinks it's a Dynalink. I don't know if this is even legal, but it was working perfectly!