I have a Westell Model A90, etc. modem router given to us by Frontier to
bring DSL into our home office. It’s relatively new and it’s constantly
dropping the connection both to the wired computers and to the wireless. I’m
tired of using this apparently cheap, unreliable product. Do you have a list of
good router modems that I can look into?
In this excerpt from
Answercast #73, I look at a case where a DSL modem is constantly dropping a
connection.
Become a Patron of Ask Leo! and go ad-free!
DSL routers and modems
No, I don’t and unfortunately, I can’t.
The problem is that the modem side of it isn’t really standard. There are
many standards, but we don’t know which one (for example) Frontier,
your ISP might be using. In reality, to connect to DSL provided by your ISP, or
by your phone company, you need to coordinate with them to get the
right equipment. They need to either provide it or tell you specifically which
piece of equipment you can get that would be compatible with their network.
So I can’t give you a list. All I can really tell you is that you should
talk to Frontier.
Work with your ISP
Now, having said that, I would suggest you talk to Frontier anyway.
It may not be the modem. It is possible that your DSL connection itself is
simply dropping – and that could be for any number of reasons. It could be
because the modem is cheap and not worth it. It could, however, also be because
of problems with your phone line or with the telephone company itself.
I had this exact problem. What the phone company found when they came out
was that my underground telephone wires, the particular pair that they had used
for my DSL, had some water in there. That was causing enough electrical noise
on the circuit to cause the DSL connection to be unreliable.
I’m not saying that that’s what’s going on with your situation. What I am
saying is that those kinds of things can happen and those kinds of things are
only detectable and correctable by the phone company.
So, get in touch with Frontier. Tell them you’re having this problem. See if
they can help you diagnose the problem; perhaps isolate it to the modem… and
if that’s the case, they should then be able to provide you with a replacement
modem or direct you to something that you can use instead.
(Transcript lightly edited for readability.)
Next from Answercast 73 – I have to minimize and restore my browser to even see the page display. How do I fix this?
