N600 keeps dropping connection

I’m on Bellsouth DSL service, with a 2wire 1700HW modem/router in bridge mode connected via Ethernet to a new WD MyNet N600.

I’ve reset both to factory defaults and made the bare minimum configurations necessary for initial setup, but I’m still experiencing connection drops every few hours that require a power cycle of the N600 to fix.

Here’s what I’ve done:

  • turn on the 2wire

  • change the VCI/VPI to Bellsouth’s 8/35 as recommended

  • disable PVC search

  • set to bridge mode

  • reboot 2wire

  • connect N600

  • follow built-in tutorial

  • after initial failure, input PPPoE login information

After this, the N600 connects to the Internet and broadcasts the signal normally. To avoid any IP address conflicts, I have the 2wire at the default 192.168.1.254, the N600 at 192.168.1.10, and the DHCP range at 192.168.11-250. There are only a dozen devices to connect, so that should be a large enough range.

But after a few hours, the network stops responding. My laptop says I’m still connected, and I can ping the N600 at 192.168.1.10, but no sites load, and I can’t load the N600’s settings page. If I disconnect from the network, I can’t get back on. And even if I connect directly to the N600 via Ethernet, I still can’t access its settings to diagnose.

What can I do to fix this?

Check if using a static IP helps, also check if you have the latest firmware update installed.