Windows 8 issue with 2wire 2701 gateway?

[reswhiz]

Hello all.

I have had the same 2wire modem/router for 5 years or so. I have always had a steady, reliable, wireless internet connection.  Then, I decided to buy a new computer, and wound up getting a Dell 660s with Windows 8.  While the loading of webpages and buffering of videos increased greatly with the faster computer, my wireless connection to the 2wire is now unstable.  Randomly, when I launch a browser or new web page, I get an error message from the 2wire that the gateway doesn't have a internet connection.  If I wait 20-30 seconds, and try again, it connects fine.

I spent an hour on-line with Dell, re-installed the drives for the wireless card, with no results.  They said everything looked fine with the computer.

Since I have two 5 year old XP based machines hooked to the gateway ( one with a Cat 5 cable, and the other thru a wireless card) it has never had a problem, I am leaning toward a problem with Windows 8.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[unmaskedgremlin]

I'm having the same exact issue.  2Wire modem, no issues ever in the past, new computer with Windows 8 this week, and the exact same thing happens.  Incredibly frustrating.

[reswhiz]

Oh, and I forgot to add:

Sometimes I get the Error with the Certificate message from Windows instead of the ATT 2Wire lack of connection window.

And, sometimes IE just churns and doesn't connect. This is much less seldom though.

I did some research, and Microsoft had posted something about the Internet Clock needed to be synced, or sometimes you get the Cert error message.  I checked and I have the proper settings.

When I get time, I plan to move the hardware so I can plug the computer into the 2Wire with a Cat 5 cable to see if it is just a wireless problem.

[reswhiz]

No one has any advise?

[Jaschwa]

I also have the same problem: news Windows 8 laptop and no prior issues with the 2Wire DSL on the old PC or WiFi when iOS devices are using it. As soon as I browse on the Laptop, the connection gets erratic.

[Berryham]

I'm having the same issue with an Asus X202 Windows 8 laptop.  However, I have noticed it really only seems to happen when I use the Metro UI.  When I'm using IE10 in the Desktop app, everything seems to run along smoothly.  This issue affects the Metro UI IE as well as other Metro UI apps.  

When the issue occurs, sometimes my DSL light will start blinking red, and sometimes just my Internet light will go out.  I have had a 2Wire/DSL for several years as well without any issues like this.

I called AT&T about this and the technician had no idea, but he did end up finding this thread.  He's supposed to call me tonight.  It sounded like he was leaning toward sending a replacement router, but he said he found other instances of people having this issue with routers *other* than the 2Wire.  The common factor was Windows 8.

I've tried looking around the Internet, but I'm just not finding anything.  My job is a Network Administrator, and this makes absolutely no sense to me.  Why would the DSL get out of sync just because I'm browsing the web with a Metro app?  I've had iPads, iPhones, and Androids in my house and have never seen this issue.

I'll update this post after speaking with AT&T technical support tonight.

[Berryham]

So, the AT&T representative never called me.  I called in again last night and spoke with a representative that wasn't helpful at all.  He rebuilt my circuit yet again, and the problem came right back.

I called back and spoke to someone else who seemed to be more helpful.  He ended up suggesting there's most likely a compatibility problem between the 2Wire and Windows 8.  He said that since 2Wire got bought by Pace, there's not a lot that can be done as they aren't releasing firmware updates anymore.  He said maybe Microsoft will release an update that fix the issue...but who knows if that will ever happen.

Ultimately, he tried to sell me a new gateway/router, which I declined (since they were $100).  It's possible that you could put the 2Wire in bridged mode and then buy a $20 router to solve the problem, but I'm not sure if that's what I want to do.  I think at this point I'm going to call customer service and see what they can do for me.

Also, I'm having this issue on wireless, but I don't think it's occuring on a wired connection.

Hope this helps somebody.

[reswhiz]

OK, so I spent some time on the phone with ATT Tech Support.  I spoke to a very nice man named Sam I think (if they have men named Sam in Calcutta).  Anyway, he told me to go into the 2wire wireless settings, and change the settings from WEP-open to WPA-PSK WPA2-PSK. It appeared to help, as I spanked the computer pretty hard, hopping between websites and opening and closing IE as fast as I could.  However, I did manage to lock up the 2wire gateway up again.  I will try it for a while without leaping all over the place on the net, and see it it holds up.

[Berryham]

I'm using WPA2-PSK and having the issue still...although I did change from WPA-PSK because of issues disconnecting from the router (not the Internet, but the router).

[reswhiz]

Well, no luck with the other settings.  At this point, I am pretty well convinced it is simply a compatiblity issue with Windows 8 and the 5 year old 2Wire gateway.  I see a new gateway in my future, or just returning this computer and trying to find one with Windows 7 on it!

[cmc53]

I have had the same issues with both Windows 7 and Windows 8.  Check MAC address filtering on 2wire under wireless settings.  l have found the MAC address filtering function does not work with Win 7 or Win 8 and therefore you need to disable this function (significant security change) or utilize alternate program for wifi on the computer, Verizon VM works.  This is a 2wire issue.

[zankuto]

Change your wireless from B/G mode to B only this should fix the issue. There is an issue with 2wire routers and the G wireless mode overloading the router.

[gregzoll_1]

zankuto, why would you want to go with a 10mbps wifi connection, unless you are trying to get distance. If these modems are five years old, it is time to replace, since they do wear out over time.

[HMR2U2]

I'm having the same issue.  It began almost 2 weeks ago.  Numerous phone calls with ATT tech support led to replacement of the 3-year-old modem and eventual visits by technicians.  It was a relief to stumble upon this thread and realize what I had begun to suspect was the issue...Windows 8.  Having reached the limit of my technical expertise, I'm hoping that someone will stumble upon a "fix". 

[sdh]

Having same issue, except it is very rare that we can actually connect.  Had ATT service technician here after being on phone for hours with no help.  Replaced 2wire gateway with new version - hasn't helped at all, so this isn't a fix either. 

[gjchicas]

I feel the pain, and thus I'm posting what worked for me. Let me preface this by saying that I have an older modem, 2Wire 2700hg-b. About 3 days ago, I purchased a new laptop with Windows 8 and was having the same issues expressed before:  Internet Explorer/Chrome would unexpectedly lose connectivity wirelessly, and within 10-20 seconds regain connectivity and alow me to browse as before. This would consistently happen at least once every 10-15 minutes and was very frustrating. Well, I tried just about everything and decided to call customer service before buying a new modem; I'm so glad I made the call, thanks Perry! Here's what we did:

1)  Went into the Modem System Summary and selected Firewall -> Advanced Settings which prompted the system password.

2)  Under Attack Detection, un-checked Packet Flood (SYN/UDP/ICMP/Other)

3)  Then, went to Home Network -> Wireless Settings

4)  Under Additional Settings (defaults recommended), changed Wireless Mode:  802.11b

     & Power Settings:  10

[SaleenGirl05]

I spent almost 30 minutes on the phone w an ATT wifi support person; she could not help me solve the problem, although she did put me on hold to consult someone else.  She asked if she could call me back in an hour.  I waited almost 2 hours for her callback, which I never got.  Wow....talk about FAILED customer service.

Anyway....I took matters into my own hands, since I have both a new Windows 8 desktop and laptop, as well as a laptop that uses Windows Vista.  All other devices connect to the wifi internet - my iPhone, my Kindle, etc.  It was just the COMPUTERS that would not connect via wifi.  The desktop connected to the internet via ethernet cable (I was tired of fooling around with it and needed the internet).  After trying to remove/add networks, add the MAC addresses, blah...blah...blah....I decided to just go into the modem itself and DISABLE ALL MAC FILTERING.

BINGO.....PROBLEM SOLVED.  And I did this via the desktop's ethernet cable connection to the gateway; you will HAVE to use this type of connection if you cannot connect via the wifi, until you make this change on your gateway.

If you don't know how to do this, here is a step-by-step instructional list:

1. In your browser line, type your gateway address; it will be posted on the side of your gateway, on the printed label where your network key and password, etc., are posted, just after the note that says, "For Advanced Configuration:") and hit ENTER.  It looks like an FTP address.  I believe most follow this address:  192.168.1.254.
2. Your U-verse 2WIRE screen should come up.  On this screen, click on either "Top Networking Features" or if you are already there, scroll down to the bottom part of the screen, find WIRELESS and click on it.
3. On the LAN tab of your "Settings" screen, scroll down to the bottom, where you will see MAC FILTERING.  In this section, click on EDIT/BLOCK ALLOWED DEVICE LIST and hit ENTER.
4. The "Enable MAC filtering screen" comes up.  You will see a section that has a checkbox that may already be checked.  It will be labeled ENABLED.
5. If the box is checked, click on it to REMOVE THE CHECK inside the box.
6. Click on SAVE.
7. You may be asked for your gateway login to verify the requested change.  You will find this information on the side of your gateway, on the printed label.
8. If this exercise has been successful, you will be returned to the "MAC filtering screen" and at the top, it will say CONFIGURATION SUCCESSFUL.
9. Close your browser and try to connect via wifi again.  My laptop connected instantly.

GOOD LUCK....I hope this helps at least ONE very frustrated person, like I was.

=D