My internet connection is going all funky. Every so often I suddenly use internet connectivity, and I have to pull the power plug on my router and plug it back in (which sometimes fixes it, and sometimes doesn't).
This computer connects to the router through cat5 cord (or something similar). The laptops in the house occasionally lose their connectivity too (they connect to the same router, via WiFi). I know it's not our ISP, because sometimes one has connectivity at the same time that another doesn't.

It was keeping me from watching Netflix on my Wii also (WiFi) and my brother from using XBox Live (possibly tethered through WiFi laptop, I don't remember). It's hitting this desktop computer (the one connected by cat5 cord) worse than any of the Laptops though.

I reset my router and reconfigured it from scratch, but the problem still occurs.

My guess is that the router is dying. It's been a good router (LinkSysy WRT54GS), and I haven't had trouble with it in the past, but it is getting old. I can't remember how old it is, but it's at least 4 years old, and probably more like 7 or 8 years.

My question is: How can I be sure it's the router, before I have to plunk down $120 for a new one? Is there anything I should try to see if I can remedy the issue?

My second question is: If I do have to buy a new router, I notice the Linux firmware models are $70 cheaper - Does anyone use a WRT54G[color="#ff0000"]L (L = Linux firmware) with Windows 7, and have you had any problems with it, stability-wise? Why is it dirt cheap?

[quote[color=#1C2837][size=2] How can I be sure it's the router, before I have to plunk down $120 for a new one?][/quote]
Try borrowing one from a friend? If all else fails, buy a new router and try it out. If it works, great. If not, take it back.

The WRT54* line is known for having certain makes that suck hard. They're renowned for dying after a couple of years, if you're lucky; I churned through three in about eighteen months before giving up and building a custom FreeBSD machine to serve my WLAN for me.

LinkSys and their WRT line sucks balls. Buy something else (personally, I bought a D-Link one a year-two back; it runs like a charm).

The WRT54* line is known for having certain makes that suck hard. They're renowned for dying after a couple of years, if you're lucky; I churned through three in about eighteen months before giving up

LinkSys and their WRT line sucks balls. Buy something else (personally, I bought a D-Link one a year-two back; it runs like a charm).

Really? Like I said, mine lasted fine for about 6 or 7 years. Looking on Amazon.com, most routers are only about $40-$60 bucks or so, much better than the LinkSys prices I saw.

I'll swing by BestBuy and pick one up and see if it works well - I thought they are 2 or 3 times as expensive.