Member Avatar for maryajo

hello to all. we are in anchorage alaska and we seem to have a problem of being disconnected after about 5 min. of being on line and this is a problem all the time. i have been told that it is the timeout, and that it can be set to stop this problem, but nobody wants to tell how to do this unless we pay $200.00 or higher.We are getting frustrated, so please if anyone can help with this or if anyone knows what to do, it would be a very big help. we thank you all. adron:cry:

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Dani AI

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As reported a consistent ~5‑minute drop, the root is almost always either a client-side “idle/hang up” setting or an ISP/server‑side inactivity timeout. is right that a keep‑alive approach can work; is also right to warn that some ISPs prohibit it — if the disconnect is enforced by the provider, the client cannot override it.

Common, safe checks (Windows 95/98/ME)

  • Open Dial‑Up Networking (Start → Programs → Accessories → Communications → Dial‑Up Networking).
  • Right‑click the ISP connection icon → Properties → Options (or similar). Look for a field/checkbox labeled like “Idle time before hanging up” or “Hang up after X minutes of inactivity.” Either uncheck it or increase the minutes.
  • Also enable “Redial if line is dropped” and raise the number of redial attempts so brief carrier losses recover automatically.
    If a third‑party dialer was supplied by the ISP, check its settings — those often override Windows.

Simple keep‑alive (if ISP permits)
Use a tiny batch loop that pings a stable host every minute to generate harmless traffic:

:loop
ping -n 1 8.8.8.8 >nul
ping -n 60 127.0.0.1 >nul
goto loop

Replace 8.8.8.8 with an address known to respond (ISP gateway or reliable host). Stop with Ctrl‑C. Confirm the provider allows this before running it.

Other troubleshooting
If drops always happen at the same interval, the ISP is likely enforcing the timeout — log the exact disconnect message (Windows error code) and ask the ISP whether a 5‑minute idle policy exists. If disconnects are random, check the phone line for noise, try another wall jack or modem, and test with a different machine/modem if possible.

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Member Avatar for TallCool1

hello to all. we are in anchorage alaska and we seem to have a problem of being disconnected after about 5 min. of being on line and this is a problem all the time. i have been told that it is the timeout, and that it can be set to stop this problem, but nobody wants to tell how to do this unless we pay $200.00 or higher.We are getting frustrated, so please if anyone can help with this or if anyone knows what to do, it would be a very big help. we thank you all.

Who is your service provider? The means for dealing with this problem vary slightly on this--but here's one way: http://www.nidhin.com/internetconnectionkeeper.html

This was found by means of: http://www.google.com/search?q=keep+connection+alive

Member Avatar for DMR

Check your ISP's service policy- if they've got a timeout policy, they may also prohibit you from running "keepalive" programs. Note that TallCool1's solution doesn't look like it would violate that policy, as the keepalive activity is being done on the site's end, not yours.

Your connection software might have a timeout setting as well, but without knowing what OS and connection software you're using, I can't give you anything specific.

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