Hi! I know there must be some people with a network set up such as mine but I haven't been able to find this problem anywhere. I have a cable line going into a 4-way splitter. One cable out of the splitter goes to the t.v. The other goes to the cable modem. The UTP cable from the modem goes to the WAN port on my LinkSys router. Two computers connected to the router. Two different computer names assigned, two different internal IPs assigned, one exteral DHCP assigned static IP. TCP/IP and IPX/SPX on both nodes. Usually everything works fine but intermittantly (sometimes once every couple of weeks, sometimes twice a day) the cable connection light on the modem will start blinking which is followed by the test light blinking. Once the modem goes into this loop, I can't access the internet through either computer. Resetting the modem doesn't help. The only way out of it is to manually detach the main cable line from the splitter and plug it directly into the modem. This stops the cable connection light and the test light from blinking. After that I re-connect the main cable line to the splitter and hook up the second cable line from the splitter to the modem and all is fine as if nothing ever happened. This gets to be a hassle sometimes and it beats the hell out of me why doing this would fix the configuration because I'm not actually changing anything. I figure it should either always work or never work in this configuration. So, on the off chance that someone is running a similar configuration and has ran into this odd problem, I would love to know what the problem is and how I can fix it.

I am on cable without the items you have but every so often I get the exact same problem. Every time it happens I call the cable company, they offer to send a technician, I tell them it would be a waste of time and money as "I" do not have a problem. I then insist they check my area and sure enough they can see the problem, they report it to the proper people and soon I am up and running again. I have waited up to four hours waiting and then I call to find I am the first to report the problem (of course they want to send a tech again, blah, blah, blah. This has happened 3 times int the past twelve months. So, I am suspecting you moving your cables is simply coincidental to the cable company fixing the problem. Note: the TV works fine even though the internet connection does not.

Here's a couple of possible explanations. First do you have a filter on the pc side of the splitter? There is some possible feedback from the TV side that could cause this. Most likely it is the ISP. They do maintenance (some ISP's do it daily). Which will put the modem into a maintenance mode. This is one of the drawbacks for cable. Usually they can revive themselves fine but on occasion they don't. Resetting the mode fixes this. Which is what you are doing (except your doing it the long way). Next time just try powering down the modem for about 10 seconds. There isn't anything that I know of for fixing this. You can contact your ISP and ask them about this and ask for the time it is done to see if it coincides with your occurence. wcr3d

Thanks for the replys! WCR3D, no I don't have an inline filter on the cable. I do have a ground wire on the actual splitter hooked up though. Will check with Radio Shack; they're pretty good for obscure parts. Will also try the power down instead of re-setting.