Is my router going under?

[Peppurr101]

Hello all,
I have a question concerning problems I have been having with my ethernet/wireless.
First, I'll tell you what I have:
Desktop Windows Vista 32 bit with Firefox 3.5.01 and IE8 and an Intel (R)82566DC 2G network connection
Netbook Windows 7 32 bit with a wireless connection
HP C8180 all-in-one printer
These are all connected to a Netgear DGN2000 Wireless N ASDL2 + modem router- the desktop and the printer by ethernet cable, and the netbook wirelessly.

My problem is this.
A few days ago, the LED on the router which indicates the speed of the network connection from the desktop to the router turned from green to yellow.
I read the manual, and found that this indicates a reduction in speed from 100mbps (?) to 10. I reset the network adapter, I rebooted the computer and the router, played around with the duplex settings and though I could get the LED to turn green with I changed the settings of the network card to 1G or 100mpbs full or half duplex, I'd lose my internet connection.
The computer seems fine, my internet connection seems fine..

Two days ago, my printer started acting squirrely. I went to print some pictures and they took forever. Uusually it's quite fast. The printer software screen keeps freezing up on me and intermittantly reports that the printer isn't connected. yesterday, it started going really slow when printing simple documents.
I tried putting a USB stick with pictures on it into teh USB on the printer and they print fine.

Since these two problems occurred at the same time and since my printer seems to work ok on it's own, I am wondering if the problem is my router. If so, can it be fixed or is it shot and do I need a new one?
It usually seems really warm to touch, and it's been hot here, so I wonder if it's just overheated and given up?

I have not made any software changes in the last week. My virus scan and Defender scans are negative.

What do you think?
Thanks for having a looK!

[StuartR]

It's certainly possible that this is a hardware problem on your router, but it is very hard to be sure. Do you know anyone who could lend you a different router to try out?

[Peppurr101]

It's certainly possible that this is a hardware problem on your router, but it is very hard to be sure. Do you know anyone who could lend you a different router to try out?

Hi Stuart!
Thank you for your reply.
Unfortunately no, I don't have another router available.
I have found with this router that it tends to be very warm to the touch. Is that normal or could that have contributed to the problem?

[StuartR]

Some routers do run surprisingly hot, this is not necessarily an indication that it is about to fail.

[Peppurr101]

Some routers do run surprisingly hot, this is not necessarily an indication that it is about to fail.

Hi Stuart,
Thank you! That's good to know!
I have some further information on my problem.
The LED that connects from the router to my desktop is still a steady yellow and the LED that connects to my printer is green.
I have changed the cables and the problem still exists. The connections on the backs of the computer and printer where the network cables plug in are lit up green and have flashing yellow lights (information is going through)

The other night when I was moving files from one computer to my netbook over the wireless link, all of a sudden, the LED on the router that connects to my printer went yellow.
At that point, the printer worked just fine!
Now it's back to green again and though the printer works fine on it's own, it won't work from the netbook or the desktop. Again.

It seems the speed of the data transfer is 10mbps from the desktop to the router (even though I have it set to auto negotiate) and the speed from the printer to the router is 100mbps. Could the difference in speed account for the problems I'm having?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think:
It's not the network adapter or card on the desktop, as the problem with the printer exists with both the desktop and the netbook.
It's also not the network adapter on the desktop if the printer LED goes yellow.
It's not the printer as I have been able to print off pictures from the USB on the printer, and scan and copy without a problem.
It's not the cables, I've changed them. I've reset the adapters and rebooted the router.
It's got to be the router?
I have ordered a new router.. can anyone tell me if there are some kind of settings on the old one that I could check to see if it's a router software thing? I have been all over the Netgear site but can't find any info...
Please let me know if you have any thoughts and thanks for listening!
Liz

[StuartR]

Your logic certainly seems credible. Do let us know what results you get with the new router.

[Peppurr101]

Thanks Stuart, I will..
I am guessing that there is no way of trying to tweak settings to cure this?

[StuartR]

...I am guessing that there is no way of trying to tweak settings to cure this?...

None that I can think of

[Peppurr101]

Hi Stuart,
Thank you for trying.. my new router is in the mail. I will report back when I get it.
I ordered the same model again- is there anything special I need to do to set it up? or can i just hook it up like the old one and change the password?
:)

[StuartR]

...is there anything special I need to do to set it up? or can i just hook it up like the old one and change the password...

This is an ADSL modem, as well as a router. So you will need to configure it correctly to talk to your ISP. This will involve entering the username and password that your ISP has provided into a setup wizard. Here is a brief quote from the manual.

Before installing and connecting your router manually, review the list below and make sure that you have all of the necessary information.

• Internet ADSL service connection through an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
• The configuration information your ISP gave you. Depending on how your Internet account was set up, you may need the following information to set up your wireless-N modem router and access the Internet:
  • Host and Domain Name
  • Internet Login Name and Password (frequently an email address and password)
  • Domain Name Server (DNS) Addresses
  • Fixed or Static IP Address