Ok time to call in the big guns for help. Here it is in a nutshell....
I've got a small business customer with 5 Dell pcs, all 1-3 years old, very nice clean machines. 1 older custom build pc used as a file server and 2 network printers. There is a laptop that is sometimes used wireless as well as several iPhones in the office. Cable ISP Motorola modem, Netgear wireless router and a 20-24 port switch. This is a very simple setup and it's worked fine for many years. Over the last 3-4 years I've replaced 3 different routers that seem to just die. Very strange but we've all seen these $40-$60 routers do that. They've just been through several.
I get called out a few weeks ago because no one can get online, wired or wireless. I go out, test the router and I get no internet access with my laptop, wired or wireless. Power cycle the whole deal, nothing. There is a connection when directly connected to cable modem. I plug in a new router and boom everyone is back in business. Next day they call and say that half the computers are working and half aren't. I go out and all have pulled local IPs but half can't ping out. Power cycle router all back online. Next day, same thing when they come in at 8 am. Some are online, others not. I go back out and start to wonder if they have a switch problem. I didn't have a large enough switch with me, so I connected two new 8 port switches and left them working.
Same thing keeps happening nearly every day. I consider a possible power issue and they have a very old power strip where the modem, router, switches are plugged in, so I replace the strip to a new surge protector. Again, everyone works until late in the afternoon when most of them go offline. They power cycle modem and router, all is well again. Then it stops happening during the day, but when they come in at 8 am the computers can't surf. Power cycle and they usually work fine all day.
I assign half the pc's a static IP just for giggles and I change the NIC in one of the computers that seems to be the first offline every time. No change at all. I pull the 2-3 of the RJ-45 wall plates to check the wiring and it's perfect. Actually the best punch downs I've ever seen and NO spare wire stripped back too far. I'm impressed. I go ahead and use my handheld network cable tester to see if there are misswires anywhere (couldn't check them all because they were very busy) but I checked 3-4 of the computers, all the way from the patch cable going into the back of the pc, all the way back to the switch and all is good. I replace the cables going from routers to switches just for grins. Same thing happens every day when then come in at 8am.
Guys I'm at a loss here. I can't figure out WHAT is causing this problem. The modem never loses a connection, so I feel like that's ruled out and much of the time, only some of the pc's lose their connection. They do have two computers that seem to be the same ones that are first to lose their connection when it happens during the day. But for the most part now, it's going out over night. And the computers never lose their local IP, they just can't ping out.
I'm pulling my hair out and they are being very understanding and the owner's husband is actually a big wig at the local cable ISP and he's come in and tested everything on their end and done some looking around and he is stumped too, which gives them some piece of mind that I'm not just crazy.lol
Is there something simple I'm missing? I've replaced all the networking hardware, except for all the NICs. I'm wondering if one NIC could be going out and causing the problem? Or maybe a printer?
HELP!lol
I've got a small business customer with 5 Dell pcs, all 1-3 years old, very nice clean machines. 1 older custom build pc used as a file server and 2 network printers. There is a laptop that is sometimes used wireless as well as several iPhones in the office. Cable ISP Motorola modem, Netgear wireless router and a 20-24 port switch. This is a very simple setup and it's worked fine for many years. Over the last 3-4 years I've replaced 3 different routers that seem to just die. Very strange but we've all seen these $40-$60 routers do that. They've just been through several.
I get called out a few weeks ago because no one can get online, wired or wireless. I go out, test the router and I get no internet access with my laptop, wired or wireless. Power cycle the whole deal, nothing. There is a connection when directly connected to cable modem. I plug in a new router and boom everyone is back in business. Next day they call and say that half the computers are working and half aren't. I go out and all have pulled local IPs but half can't ping out. Power cycle router all back online. Next day, same thing when they come in at 8 am. Some are online, others not. I go back out and start to wonder if they have a switch problem. I didn't have a large enough switch with me, so I connected two new 8 port switches and left them working.
Same thing keeps happening nearly every day. I consider a possible power issue and they have a very old power strip where the modem, router, switches are plugged in, so I replace the strip to a new surge protector. Again, everyone works until late in the afternoon when most of them go offline. They power cycle modem and router, all is well again. Then it stops happening during the day, but when they come in at 8 am the computers can't surf. Power cycle and they usually work fine all day.
I assign half the pc's a static IP just for giggles and I change the NIC in one of the computers that seems to be the first offline every time. No change at all. I pull the 2-3 of the RJ-45 wall plates to check the wiring and it's perfect. Actually the best punch downs I've ever seen and NO spare wire stripped back too far. I'm impressed. I go ahead and use my handheld network cable tester to see if there are misswires anywhere (couldn't check them all because they were very busy) but I checked 3-4 of the computers, all the way from the patch cable going into the back of the pc, all the way back to the switch and all is good. I replace the cables going from routers to switches just for grins. Same thing happens every day when then come in at 8am.
Guys I'm at a loss here. I can't figure out WHAT is causing this problem. The modem never loses a connection, so I feel like that's ruled out and much of the time, only some of the pc's lose their connection. They do have two computers that seem to be the same ones that are first to lose their connection when it happens during the day. But for the most part now, it's going out over night. And the computers never lose their local IP, they just can't ping out.
I'm pulling my hair out and they are being very understanding and the owner's husband is actually a big wig at the local cable ISP and he's come in and tested everything on their end and done some looking around and he is stumped too, which gives them some piece of mind that I'm not just crazy.lol
Is there something simple I'm missing? I've replaced all the networking hardware, except for all the NICs. I'm wondering if one NIC could be going out and causing the problem? Or maybe a printer?
HELP!lol
Returned it an got a very high-end Netgear N900 dual-band wireless router and problem solved!
