My router is a Linksys BEFSR41 Ver2. I bought it this past summer and it work fine up until November. Ever since then it has been dropping my internet connection randomly. It may drop it twice or 20 times an hour. It may last for 30 seconds or 10 mins. +. I noticed that when it does this that the Internet connection icon under Network Connections will disappear. Also just before it comes back the red Diag light will come on solid for about 2-3 seconds then go off. I first called my ISP and they had be hook up the modem directly to my PC. Everything worked fine. They then said to call Linksys. I called Linksys and they had me do the following: First call- Set the MTU to 1492 Second call- Try decreasing the MTU. Third Call- Under Internet options/ connections/ LAN setup/.. had me uncheck Auto detect settings and under network connections/ local area network (my nic)/ properties/ configure/ advanced/.. set speedduplex setting to Autonegotiate for 10HD and had me delete my cookies and clear Internet history. After that I browsed and downloaded for a few hours and it worked fine.. I left the computer to download while I cook super.. came back .. and its off line again... This time some lights were off on the modem.. Rows 2 and 3 contain me and my wife.. they are usually it up.. but this time row 3 (my wife) was lit and row 4 (me) was not. then the WAN Row LINK & ACT are usually lit but they were also off. I unplugged the modem for 30 sec's and replugged it back up.. Row 3 came back on.. WAN also cam back on.. but in row 4.. the link light flickers and the other two lights for row 4 (full/col & 100) are off...... Yet me and my wife are again able to browse and download. I'm sure it will die next time I blink or turn my back.. any suggestions or should I just call linksys again... I posted this on another forum and I got three responses. Two said I need another router... which to me is odd seeing that I bought the router around August 2003. It wasn't used while I traveled for work September through November. So its been used just over three months. The third post said they had the same problem with the latest firmware.. which cam out last summer. Thanks r1013

I have had trouble lately with new Linksys routers, so getting a bad router out of the box, or having it go bad soon after, is not out of the realm of possibility. It sounds very much like a bad router. With Network COnnections indicating a disconnection, that doesn't just mean the router is dropping the Internet connection, it means it is locking up and even the internal hub stops functioning. The diag light staying light for an extend period of time is another indicator. I'd keep after them till they own up to a bad router.

From what I have seen and read, at least one out of 10 linksys routers are bad out of the box or go bad within a few weeks. When you call, complain about the Diag light coming on, the unit locking up and the unused port led's flickering. All symptoms of a defective router. Saying it is "Dropping the Internet connection" is telling the level one support person to start with the "Configuration problems, the user has messed up the settings" section of their trouble shooting charts. (playing with MTU, system settings, etc.) So don't mention the Internet connection unless they ask. Tell them about the Diag light coming on and staying on, router locking up and the unused port LED's flickering. This is telling them that you have a hardware problem. Sometimes downloading the current flash update for your router (v1.45.7) and re-flashing the router will fix strange problems like this. Have read that some Linksys routers that were left setting on the shelf (a version 2 router would have been on the shelf for a year) have a problem with their flasH memory dropping bits at random, and that rewriting it sometimes fixes it.

Hi, Just i thought, have you already RESET the router back to factory settings then tested. Then re-set up the router to your settings and retest again. Then rewrite the firmware (flash) to the router from the linksys web site and retest. Regards.

I have updated to the latest firmware but no I have not reset it. If I do reset the router how do I test it at that point.. prior to setting up for my ISP.. then how would you reccomend testing it then.. In other words exactly what test do I do and how do I check to see if its faulty before I RMA it. Thanks, r1013