Yesterday afternoon I was minding my own business trying to get online and having a hell of a time. HK was in the other room surfing on the 'Net and laughing her ass off in the "Funny Bone" thread. I'm hard-wired into our Netgear MR314 Wireless router and she was on the laptop with a MS USB Wireless adapter. As sson as I asked her to log off I was able to get on with no problems.

What gives? Our cable connection has something like 3.8MB download and 1MB up - where did all the bandwidth go? Is it a setting in the router?

That is odd, and the netgear is a good switch too.

Been getting a lot of collisons lately. COuld setting up a DHCP server instead of relying on the router help?

Don't think so. DHCP is only called on once when the comp is rebooted or the TTL expires. You might try hard coding your ISP's DNS into the router.

get a switch , solved all my problems.

The router is a switch... it never happened before yesterday.

strieght switch , piss on the router.

I seem to get problem on and off with those things. Damn rooters. When I got loads of things running, like AIm, MSN,Kazaa, webpages...on or the other might go dead, then evive again.

I dunno.

I have 2 computers sharing a fairly slow DSL connection and my router seems to do a very good job with the sharing bandwidth. I can only really see a big slowdown if both computers are doing good sized d/l's.

Sounds like you need to get rid of your wife...

Just kidding HK

Strange indeed. Of course I know you already did this but I'd put it in the providers lap.

Well last night I decided to ping myself and boy was that uncomfortable... actually I pinged this machine from the server and the IP addy that came back was whacked, it came back with the wrong address so I set a static addy and we'll see what happens when HK gets on this evening.

Well, still getting "Server Timed Out" message when trying to Online game so maybe the static IP isn't going to help.

still need more info.
When you say server. do you mean on your LAN?
ie: you have a server, your machine (both wired to the router,) and HK's laptop?
Also you were using NAT with local DHCP provided by the router? don't remember does your Router do SPI, or DMZ? any software firewall or other software (port magic, etc.) managing the ports on any of the 'puters?
Is HK messing with you?

*L*

Okay, here we go: I'm getting a Server Response Timeout" message from GameSpy. Yes, NAT is being used with DHCP in the router (Netgear MR314) with DNS provided by a Win2k DC. No software firewall in place.

Ok, go in to the router management screen and check that the ports needed by Gamespy are available and open for gamespy.
Try using your ISP's DNS see if that helps since you haven't be running a firewall, a full virus/trojan/spyware scan is mandatory, immediately, now, like yesterday!

Nah, virus scan is already in place and the Router gives good NAT. What are the ports for GameSpy?

These TCP Ports

6667 (IRC)
3783 (Voice Chat Port)
27900 (Master Server UDP Heartbeat)
28900 (Master Server List Request)
29900 (GP Connection Manager)
29901 (GP Search Manager)
13139 (Custom UDP Pings)
6515 (Dplay UDP)
6500 (Query Port)

Full info here

Ah... seems there's a situation with NWN and online play. Some have cleared it up with full reinstalls others have had to reformat and do a clean OS install...

I think you might be confusing the purpose of DCHP (provide local IP's)NAT(translations of requests from local IP's to ISP assigned IP, and back) and DNS translates URL's to numeric internet resources ie' a directory)
If you are using a local/cached DNS , and it is old/unrefreshed/damaged, your requests will fail exactly as you describe (not saying this is the answer to your problem, but it needs to be checked)

NAT does not protect you from virus/trojan/spyware , only prevents direct probes/attacks on your local IP

Right... so how do I check?

Well you said "DNS provided by a Win2k DC" so the first/easiest think to check is compare whats on the Laptop, if both are using the same DNS and it works on the laptop but not on your computer than that's probably not the problem. if they are not the same switch to the one thats working.
It 's sounding like the NWN problem is the problem

Come to think of it... I haven't configured the DNS on the laptop yet.

Disconnected the modem and my PC from the router... and the speed and reliability are back. WTF is going on?

???????? please explain what you did, and how you are now hooked up in greater detail.






It sounds like wife was not stepping on the your bandwidth, it was you!

Connected my PC directly to the cable modem and set DNS and DHCP for dynamic. The PC is not part of the domain and doesn't use the router.

incorrect.

DHCP is called on when the lease is negotiated, like you said-

then again at 1/2 the lease duration, looking for another lease, and halving the remaining time as it goes, until the client starts broadcasting for ANY DHCP server.

Still shouldn't have been an issue.

IMHO: "netgear" and "good product" should never be used in the same sentence together. Pfeh.

Hard to say what was going on, from this remote location.,

burnkat sir, I have a Netgear also and have been trying to help Bill with his problem. Mine has been perfect. Me and my 2 boys can all get online at the same time and download at ~2MB/sec on all 3 machines simultaniously on a 3 meg connection.

I would look at HK's comp to see if it's sending out any broadcasts, as that WILL kill the connection.

Reading the whole thread I have to agree with what Ace says, seems pretty basic but I would look at the properties of the connection when the problem is happening and make sure that HK's computer isn't saturating the connection with broadcast or other trafic

I would recommend setting your PC to have a static IP and setting up a virtual server with all gamespy ports forwarded to your PC's IP. It really sounds like your router is blocking the connection. You need to open the ports as well.

Here's my theory. When you only have one computer on connected to the router, the router only has one IP address to send connections too. But when you have two computers it doesn't know where to send the incoming connection. By setting up static IP and forwarding the ports to your PC whenever a connection request is sent to your router on the gamespy ports it will automatically send it to your IP.

may i sugest dump the trashie routers and get a switch or hub and use zonealarm , i did and never a problem.

and i host 4peeps games!

I've got a hub but use the router for wireless connections.