Linksys WRT54GS/NTL address problem

I am trying to help sort out an intermittent problem that someone is having with the combination of their NTL broadband service and their Linksys WRT54GS wireless router. The 54GS is set to use DHCP and this normally works.

Every few weeks or so it looks like the 54GS loses the address on the link to the NTL device. The resolution is relatively simple - reboot the Linksys and it renegotiates the address.

I originally thought that this was because the lease renewal was either not being initiated by the Linksys or was failing to be completed by the NTL device, but from looking through the NTL documentation they claim the lease is currently set for 24 hours, so that doesn't add up.

I had a look at the Linksys site yesterday and it looks like the WRT54GS is somewhat outdated, with the last firmware update released around May 2005. The WRT54G is different and they released a new firmware a few weeks ago which fixed a whole heap (like 20+) of issues including some DHCP issues specifically related to the WAN interface, so that sounds like our problem right there but on the wrong machine.

I could be barking up the wrong tree altogether on this one, so I was wondering whether anyone has had similar problems with NTL services connected to wireless routers. I checked the NTL website and they say they don't support anything other than a PC stuck to the NTL device, so calling them is unlikely to produce anything usefull.

Any suggestions welcome.

z

Turns out that the Irish version of the Linksys site contains a different set of firmware updates than the US one. The Irish site is the one that had the last update from 2005. When I checked the US one it had a totally different set of updates (entirely different release numbers) for the WRT54GS and it had one released a few days ago covering a DHCP issue so I applied that. Hopefully it resolves the issue.

z

This could explain why my linksey is was working last night but it says no IP address is being sent or is that just an NTL outage?

I have a Linksys WRT54GP2 and I have noticed this behaviour. I have come to the conclusion it actually has something to do with NAT in my ADSL modem. The table fills up over time and eventually locks up. The lockup condition can be accelerated by running lots of P2P type applications e.g. Limewire. A reboot of the modem always fixes the problem. Need to check and see if there is firmware update to fix the problem - it's a Zyxel Prestige as supplied by BT.