| Posted by
| Nick Gammon
Australia (23,169 posts) Bio
Forum Administrator |
| Message
| You haven't said what the "long period of time" is, but I am guessing an hour or two. Can you confirm that? Is it an exact period, or approximate? If it is always exactly (say) an hour, then you need to find some setting, somewhere, that says "disconnect after an hour".
It doesn't totally surprise me that it can happen even with the timer. Assuming the timer is actually doing its stuff, I have read pages of results from Google on the search topic "router disconnect hour" which seems to suggest that other people are being disconnected (not just anything to do with MUSHclient) by their routers.
I believe there might be some setting, possibly in Windows itself, or certainly in routers, that assume that a lengthy connection is some sort of fault, and drops it. Things you could try are:
- Google for "windows vista disconnect hour" (assuming you are using Vista) and see if you find messages that seem relevant. I think there is some registry setting you might be able to change.
- Upgrade your router's firmware. Sometimes there can be known problems with boxes "off the shelf" and getting the manufacturer's later firmware can help.
- Go to the router configuration port and look for any sort of "disconnect after x minutes" setting.
- If you are using DHCP (which you probably are) make sure that the "lease renew time" is not the same as the disconnect interval. Basically DHCP gets you a dynamic IP address from a DHCP server, and that address gets "renewed" at intervals (eg. 8 hours). The renewal process may cause the connection to drop. If the renewal interval is 2 hours, and you get disconnected after 2 hours, then try making it 8 hours (or 24 hours). Bear in mind that you won't necessarily have a new lease the moment you connect to the MUD, so you would have to look at the general time interval. Say, it renews every 2 hours, but is due for renewal in 5 minutes, then it might disconnect you after 5 minutes.
- See if your firewall has some sort of configuration that might apply. Check the firewall logs, if any. Try disabling the firewall temporarily.
- I saw a suggestion that "network filtering" software might be responsible. Let's say you have something like "net nanny" or similar, configured to filter out swearing. And let's say on the MUD someone nearby you swears. Maybe the filter drops the connection at that point. Try disabling any such software, if you have it.
- If you are using a wireless router, do the disconnections coincide with radio activity? For example, a mobile phone ringing, or using a portable phone in the house. Or, someone opening the garage door with a radio control, that sort of thing. If possible, test with a wired rather than a wireless connection.
- Google for "router disconnect hour" and see if you can get any hints. Specifically also search for your router model. There were some posts that a specific sub-model of certain routers is notorious for its unreliability. If you still have the old router, try that. Also consider taking the router back and complaining. Especially if you can print out some forum posts that mention how bad your particular model is.
- Try swapping stuff around if possible. For instance, if you have the old PC, try that. If it works perfectly with the old PC, then the configuration of the new PC is responsible. If it still happens, then forget the PC and look at the router.
- Check the forums for your ISP (or their FAQ or help desk). People who play online games, like World of Warcraft or Guild Wars, are likely to have similar issues. They may have suggestions, or be able to turn on some setting at their end to stop it happening to you. Try lodging a support request at the ISP.
Good luck. Let us know if you resolve it, that may help the next person. |
- Nick Gammon
www.gammon.com.au, www.mushclient.com | | Top |
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