Member Avatar for cuddlysweet

I have just got cable internet and I wanted to go through a router. When I have the cable connected directly to the pc I have no problems getting onto the internet. It goes quickly. Unfortunately, when I go through the router it takes upto 3-5 minutes for the internet to come up or switch pages. I have a netgear mr814v2 router running through a zonet zen3200 nic card installed on a hp pavillion (rebuilt) pc with windows 98se. I am not very comp savvy, so any info y9ou can give that might make this work faster in layman's terms would be helpful. thank you.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Badsektor

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This pattern — the PC is fast when plugged straight into the modem but very slow through the router — usually narrows the problem to a few practical causes: a firmware bug or router CPU limitation, an Ethernet link/duplex mismatch, DHCP or DNS timeouts, or the modem locking to a single MAC. and pointed at firmware and DHCP, which are good starting points; below is a short, non-technical troubleshooting flow and why each step matters.

  1. Reproduce the baseline (PC directly to modem) so you know the modem/ISP is OK.
  2. When you attach the router, power-cycle the modem (some modems bind to the MAC of the first device). If the router offers MAC cloning, try that.
  3. Check the physical link: swap the Ethernet cable, try another port, and confirm the NIC and router show the same speed/duplex. Auto-negotiation failures often leave a link up but with massive retransmits (very slow browsing).
  4. Verify DHCP vs static addressing: if the client waits for a lease or is using the wrong DNS, pages stall. Temporarily set a static IP in the router’s LAN range to rule DHCP out.
  5. Update router firmware and NIC drivers — back up settings first and follow vendor instructions. A bad firmware can produce extreme latency even though the link looks fine.
  6. Test DNS by using a known public resolver (for example 8.8.8.8) to see if name lookups are the delay.
  7. If still slow, factory-reset the router and reconfigure, or try a different router/NIC to isolate hardware.

Quick tests to isolate where the delay happens:

ping -n 10 8.8.8.8
tracert example.com
nslookup example.com 8.8.8.8

Cautions: always back up router settings before a firmware flash and perform updates over a wired link. If DHCP/DNS were the cause, the fix is often simple; if an old router’s CPU is maxed by NAT/firewall, replacement is the clean long-term fix. : DHCP can introduce delays when leases or server responses fail — testing with a static IP is the fastest way to confirm that.

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Member Avatar for Member #2466

Have you upgraded the firmware of the router? I've heard a couple of people that bought this router got stuck with an older firmware version and that when they installed the upgrade it worked just fine.

http://kbserver.netgear.com/support_details.asp?dnldID=574

Member Avatar for DMR

Also, your method of obtaining your IP address and DNS info could play a part. Are you setting your IP information manually, or is the router acting as a DHCP server (automatically providing your IP info for you)?

Member Avatar for Badsektor

Also, your method of obtaining your IP address and DNS info could play a part. Are you setting your IP information manually, or is the router acting as a DHCP server (automatically providing your IP info for you)?

HI,

I'd like to know how this can play a part and what are the best Practices to avoid slowdowns. ( or any other issues that could play a role)

I have a linksys WRT 54 GS rounter, I have installed the latest DD-WRT firmware. It's still quite slow.

Thanks
Peter

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