Modem spontaneously reboots

Hi, I'm having a problem that my ISP (Frontier) has not been able to fix. My Siemens Gigaset SE567 DSL modem, which I lease from them, spontaneously disconnects and then reboots itself, very intermittently.

It's as if I power cycled it myself, but I didn't do anything - I'm just on the computer and a popup will say that I've been disconnected, and I see all the lights on the modem out and then coming back on again.

It will be fine for days, and then yesterday the connection dropped 5 times in one afternoon. Today it's been fine so far.

The tech checked everything, thought it was a modem hardware problem, switched out the modem and power supply, but that didn't help.

The logs looked fine, he said, but now I'd like to check the log right after the dropout happens. Not sure where to look for that, although I do have the address to log into the modem.

Any ideas?
Thanks,
Karen

 

Is you modem connected to your computer via USB port?

 

Ethernet cable.

 

Have you tried plugging your modem into another power source?

 

Yes, I just did that today - didn't think to do that before, because everything else on the power strip is working fine. But now it's going directly into the wall - I just hope that's safe without a surge protector.

Will have to wait and see - sometimes it goes days without symptoms.

 

Doesn't this modem have logging under Gateway Options? If so perhaps displaying those logs will give us a hint as to what may be occurring? You may even have control over what you want to log.

 

Thanks.. the log only reports the current day, and the last time I had the problem was yesterday afternoon, before I knew how to access the log myself. So if the problem happens again, I'll post the log. It does show that all of the logging options are enabled.

 

Did you have a laser printer plugged into that power strip?

 

No laser printer - an inkjet, plus the computer and monitor, that's it. But I had no idea that things on the strip could affect one another! I don't think I've touched any of those plugs for a long time, since before this symptom started. It's been fine so far all weekend.

 

Ok, it happened again, 10:20 AM. A few mintues later, I got the log. Not sure why there are no date/time stamps except on the very last entry.

==============================================================================
Siemens Gigaset System Log
Copyright 2003
==============================================================================
Model : Gigaset SE567/8 Series
Firmware Version : 004-E652-A69
Config Version : 003-a102-G09
MAC Address : 00:21:04:3A:C6:99


Log Contents:
==============================================================================
0000-00-00 00:00:01 E |System |Current Mode: Bridge-Router
0000-00-00 00:00:01 E |DSL |Boost DSP
0000-00-00 00:00:02 E |DSL |DataPump Version - 07.00.02.00
0000-00-00 00:00:02 E |DSL |State: WAITING
0000-00-00 00:00:02 E |Ethernet |Link 1 Up - 100Base-TX Full Duplex
0000-00-00 00:00:08 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING
0000-00-00 00:00:09 E |DHCP Server |Address 192.168.254.1 given out to 00:08:a1:0c:41:b0
0000-00-00 00:00:09 E |DHCP Server |1 Address(es) leased
0000-00-00 00:00:12 E |DSL |State: WAITING
0000-00-00 00:00:17 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING
0000-00-00 00:00:21 E |DSL |State: WAITING
0000-00-00 00:00:24 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING
0000-00-00 00:00:29 E |DSL |State: WAITING
0000-00-00 00:00:31 E |CWMP |CWMP agent cannot reach the ACS named http://acs.isis.frontiernet.net:1111/ACS-INTF
0000-00-00 00:00:32 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING
0000-00-00 00:00:36 E |DSL |State: WAITING
0000-00-00 00:00:40 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING
0000-00-00 00:00:44 E |DSL |State: WAITING
0000-00-00 00:00:49 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING
0000-00-00 00:00:57 E |DSL |HYBRID 1
0000-00-00 00:00:57 E |DSL |Link up 1 US 448 DS 2624 (INTL:G.dmt)
0000-00-00 00:00:57 E |PPPoE |Sending PADT/LCP Terminate for Session ID = A28D
0000-00-00 00:00:58 E |PPPoE |oe00: tx PADI, id: 0000, ac: (NULL), sn: (NULL), MAC: FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF
0000-00-00 00:01:00 E |PPPoE |oe00: tx PADI, id: 0000, ac: (NULL), sn: (NULL), MAC: FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF
0000-00-00 00:01:00 E |PPPoE |oe00: rx AC Name: MERC7206-01
0000-00-00 00:01:00 E |PPPoE |oe00: tx PADR, id: 0000, ac: (NULL), sn: (NULL), MAC: 00:11:21:49:AF:1C
0000-00-00 00:01:00 E |PPPoE |oe00: rx PADS id: 08DC MAC 00:11:21:49:AF:1C
0000-00-00 00:01:01 E |PPP |LCP neg PAP
0000-00-00 00:01:01 E |PPP |LCP up
0000-00-00 00:01:01 E |PPP |IPCP nak option: 3
0000-00-00 00:01:01 E |PPP |IPCP nak option: 129
0000-00-00 00:01:01 E |PPP |IPCP nak option: 131
0000-00-00 00:01:01 E |PPP |IPCP up ip: 173.87.20.203, gw: 74.46.28.1
0000-00-00 00:01:01 E |PPP |IPCP dns: 66.133.170.2, 66.133.150.12
03/07/2010 10:21:24 EST E |SNTP Client |Updated system time from Primary server 71.252.193.25

==============================================================================

 

Being this is DSL....how many other phones or answering machines do you have plugged in? Do you have that telephone DSL filter on every telephone device? Is it possible to unplug your telephones for a while?

One thing we know from the log is that ip address 192.168.254.1 was leased to 00:0b:a1:0c:41:b0.

 

Just one land line and answering machine, everything filtered. I really can't unplug the phone because I have to use a land line to buzz people in who come to the door. The apartment security system is connected to the phone. Annoying!

But doesn't this seem to be a power issue and not a phone line issue?

Ok, and that actually means something to you? :-D

 

Hummmm thats interesting about the security system. I have seen telephones not being filtered causing problems with Internet connections on DSL.

Don't know that yet.

Yes, now we know the MAC address of the computer and will be able to match it and the IP address for that MAC in the log.

 

Latest development - This seems to tie together the two symptoms I'm having which I thought were separate - the modem resetting itself and the IP address conflict message.

This morning the modem reset itself again, and right before it did, I got the IP address conflict message again. Then all the modem lights went out, and it reset as I described. But usually when that happens, I'm not seeing the IP address conflict message, and sometimes I get the message and nothing else happens!

I got the log right after this happened:




0000-00-00 00:00:01 E |System |Current Mode: Bridge-Router

0000-00-00 00:00:01 E |DSL |Boost DSP

0000-00-00 00:00:02 E |DSL |DataPump Version - 07.00.02.00

0000-00-00 00:00:02 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:00:02 E |Ethernet |Link 1 Up - 100Base-TX Full Duplex

0000-00-00 00:00:06 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:00:10 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:00:16 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:00:20 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:00:25 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:00:29 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:00:31 E |CWMP |CWMP agent cannot reach the ACS named http://acs.isis.frontiernet.net:1111/ACS-INTF

0000-00-00 00:00:40 E |Wireless |Station MAC 00:23:32:5F:0B:16 - associated successfully

0000-00-00 00:00:41 E |Wireless |Link Up

0000-00-00 00:00:41 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:00:42 E |DHCP Server |Address 192.168.254.2 given out to 00:23:32:5f:0b:16

0000-00-00 00:00:42 E |DHCP Server |1 Address(es) leased

0000-00-00 00:00:49 E |Wireless |Station MAC 00:23:32:5F:0B:16 - disassociated

0000-00-00 00:00:50 E |Wireless |Link Down

0000-00-00 00:00:52 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:00:58 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:01:04 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:01:09 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:01:15 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:01:21 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:01:27 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:01:35 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:01:42 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:01:52 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:01:56 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:02:05 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:02:09 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:02:14 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:02:19 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:02:25 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:02:29 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:02:34 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:02:38 E |DSL |State: WAITING

0000-00-00 00:02:42 E |DSL |State: INITIALIZING

0000-00-00 00:02:50 E |DSL |HYBRID 1

0000-00-00 00:02:50 E |DSL |Link up 1 US 448 DS 2624 (INTL:G.dmt)

0000-00-00 00:02:50 E |PPPoE |Sending PADT/LCP Terminate for Session ID = D513

0000-00-00 00:02:51 E |PPPoE |oe00: tx PADI, id: 0000, ac: (NULL), sn: (NULL), MAC: FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF

0000-00-00 00:02:53 E |PPPoE |oe00: tx PADI, id: 0000, ac: (NULL), sn: (NULL), MAC: FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF

0000-00-00 00:02:55 E |PPPoE |oe00: rx AC Name: MERC7206-01

0000-00-00 00:02:55 E |PPPoE |oe00: tx PADR, id: 0000, ac: (NULL), sn: (NULL), MAC: 00:11:21:49:AF:1C

0000-00-00 00:02:55 E |PPPoE |oe00: rx PADS id: CA56 MAC 00:11:21:49:AF:1C

0000-00-00 00:03:00 E |PPP |LCP neg PAP

0000-00-00 00:03:00 E |PPP |LCP up

0000-00-00 00:03:00 E |PPP |LCP down

0000-00-00 00:03:00 E |PPP |LCP neg PAP

0000-00-00 00:03:00 E |PPP |LCP up

0000-00-00 00:03:04 E |PPP |IPCP nak option: 3

0000-00-00 00:03:04 E |PPP |IPCP nak option: 129

0000-00-00 00:03:04 E |PPP |IPCP nak option: 131

0000-00-00 00:03:04 E |PPP |IPCP up ip: 173.87.20.203, gw: 74.46.28.1

0000-00-00 00:03:04 E |PPP |IPCP dns: 66.133.170.2, 66.133.150.12

03/14/2010 08:11:26 EST E |SNTP Client |Updated system time from Primary server 71.252.193.25

 

Did you get anywhere when you presented the modem/ISP folks with the log showing the IP address conflict issue?

Is it possible todays issue have something to do with daylight savings time? Not knowing your location.

 

Not yet - have been sick and didn't think it a high priority since it didn't seem to be interfering with connectivity - although now I'm not so sure! Will deal with this more during the week.

I'm in NY. And that symptom only happened once today. But this is getting me to consider going to cable service! I really need to save money and wanted to stick with the DSL as long as possible, but maybe it's not worth the headaches!

Another question - I'm in a 12-unit apartment building. If one of my neighbors has a 2.4GHz cordless phone, could that interfere at that distance?

 

Possible...but not very likely.

I certainly understand about the expense thing....but Internet access from the cable company, in my experience, is faster and usually much more reliable.

 

Ok, thanks. Yeah, finding the money for cable might just be a necessity. Although I've heard Roadrunner has had some outages in my area recently, but maybe overall the chances are better with them.

 

This is usually a result of excessive noise to signal ratio on telephone lines for dsl modems.

I have that problem on dry days but not on rainy days. The reason is that the telephone service in the city I live has poorly grounded shielding. The rain forms a sort of ground connection for the lines. Not a preferred one but it helps.

The best you can do is make sure to have a good ground at the service entry point outside your home and run grounded shield cable inside your home for all of your phone lines.

Beyond that of course the usual filters. But the filters are something most everyone knows about and are already using.

It is a good policy to make sure your electrical system is also properly grounded. Your dsl power supply should adequately filter electrical line noises though. But if you like to commit over-kill as I do, then you can actually buy filters to run your electrical outlet through that feeds noise of to ground. I am getting ready to build my own such filter.

Beyond all of this, call at the peek times of trouble and ask your provider to check the noise to signal ratio for you. If they report it as bad then you can begin making complaints to your telephone service provider until you turn blue, for as quick as they usually get around to handling outside line problems.

 

Thanks, good info. Meantime, another tech came by and checked everything thoroughly, then changed some equipment on their end just to cover all bases, and I haven't seen the problem since then. I'm also not using my desktop PC anymore and am only on my new MacBook Pro wirelessly (yay!), not sure if that would affect this issue at all. Fingers crossed!

 

It sounds like a good guess that he corrected a problem at your outdoor service block.

I have seen where electrical power lines outside the home begin generating noise frequencies due to insulator break-down and even transformers beginning to fail. A poorly shielded phone system can pick all that noise up because it is transmitted through the air like as a magnetic force called an RF (radio frequency) signal. Unshielded ungrounded phone lines act like an antenna to pick such signals up.