5 Router network keeps going down. Driving me nuts!

[Phishie]

Okay so I have a client whose Internet connectivity keeps going up and down. It is not an Internet issue. It is a problem with the network.

My client has 5 routers. 1 in the main office. 4 are spread throughout the resort. All of the hardware is Linksys except for two netgear routers.

DHCP is disabled on all outside routers. When somebody wants to connect wirelessly, they ask the main office router to assign addresses.

There are two computers connected via ethernet. Everything else is connecting wirelessly using DHCP assigned IP addresses. ALL ROUTERS HAVE WIRELESS BROADCASTING ENABLED.

There is a computer in the office that we must keep static. 192.168.1.215

They were having network problems about two months ago, so I reconfigured their entire network. It was doing fine until their main router started acting funky yesterday. I replaced it with a new Linksys Wireless G router but I had it configured so that DHCP starts at 192.168.110. They called me two hours after I left saying that the network was back down. This morning I remembered that that computer in the office was assigned 192.168.1.215 so I had them change the starting DHCP number to 192.168.1.216 just to see if that will fix it. They haven't called me back yet but if it goes back down again, I am completely out of ideas.

This job is a nightmare. I am not a network professional. I am not quite sure what the heck is going on.

Please read and take a look at the crappy diagram I created and advise me on anything I should try. I am pretty sure all of the hardware is working fine. Do not suggest I replace the routers with bridges, the hardware works and my client does not want to buy new hardware.

Thanks for any help! Now I'm off to help another client. ALL HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. I am desperate for ideas here!

 

[seedubya]

Ok. So how do you know that it's not ISP related? There isn't very much information in your post to make any kind of judgement.

First thing to do is simplify everything by ensuring that Router 1 and PC1 & PC2 can access the net. Ignore everything else until they work.

Can you get to the router login page?
Can you ping the router from PC1 or PC2
Can you successfully run the routers diagnostics?
Can PC1 release and renew it's IP?
Is the DHCP range set correctly?
Have you excluded the fixed IPs from the DHCP range i.e. all the routers/WAPs and PC2?
I'll come back to you when I've had a think about this but it sounds like PC2s IP may have been assigned to a wireless client. Assuming that's the case what you've already done should solve the problem.

 

[tecmjl1981]

I have two questions about that setup so I can get a better understanding..

1) That spare line coming off of Resort 3, you dont know where that is going? Is there any way it is jacked into any other networking device?

2) Why are you using a hub and not a switch?

 

[NYJimbo]

If there is no reason you are using a hub I recommend getting rid of it and getting a new cheap switch. Hubs are notorious for handling collisions badly and you might be overloading it with stuff if it is very old. When we went from 1 T1 to 2 we started to notice alot of issues with the network, trying to do server to server copies even at 10mbit would often hang the hub.

A cheap but very reliable switch is worth the investment. Even if you still experience problems, an old hub is a disaster waiting to happen:

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-EF4116-EtherFast-16-Port-Ethernet/dp/B000075BAY

 

[Emockler]

I agree, Atilla the hub is to blame.

If the range of the AP's overlaps at all you should put them on different channels.

 

[seedubya]

The liklihood is it is a switch. Lots of people who don't work with them still call them hubs.

 

[iptech]

The liklihood is it is a switch. Lots of people who don't work with them still call them hubs.

I work with them and I call them switching hubs, which is what most of them are thesedays.

 

[TimeCode]

I replaced it with a new Linksys Wireless G router but I had it configured so that DHCP starts at 192.168.110. They called me two hours after I left saying that the network was back down. This morning I remembered that that computer in the office was assigned 192.168.1.215 so I had them change the starting DHCP number to 192.168.1.216 just to see if that will fix it. They haven't called me back yet but if it goes back down again, I am completely out of ideas.

If this is a Linksys router, its for home or SOHO use. This does not seem to be a SOHO use for such a router. You might want to think about getting a business class router as you're probably killing it.

I've seen this happen in an office of approximately 40 people. The SonicWall died so my boss replaced it with a great SOHO router. We replaced that just a day or 2 later. You might just be overloading it with too many connections.

 

[Kenhelms]

Do PC1 and PC2 go down as well when the others are affected?
That could prolly tell you quite a bit.

 

[NYJimbo]

The liklihood is it is a switch. Lots of people who don't work with them still call them hubs.

Well then he has us on a wild goose chase.

Phishie, is this a hub or a switch ?

 

[purple_minion]

I also am not a network engineer, but here's my three cents.

Is each resort a separate router? Each resort * 30 users + Main router *35 users = 155 users max. I have choked both linksys and belkin home routers simply with torrents with max connections at 120. If each user is websurfing and opening several connections each it could easily bring it down. Mine would lock up until I power cycled and all was great after until connections choked it again.

I recently switched to Endian Firewall and now nothing chokes. I also used untangle, and I believe you can run it as a virtual machine, which would be cheaper then dedicating a whole box to it, depending on if any office machine could run it plus their office apps. Could be possible to run another router/firewall distro as a VM.