HELP: Problems with Earthlink DSL connection quality?

[JB]

I have had a lot of problems lately with my Earthlink DSL connection.
My connection is frequently dead for several hours at a time. I have
had Earthlink DSL for nearly 2 years now, but these problems seem to
be something new. I can't tell if it is the Earthlink DSL service or
something else. However, I am suspecious of the Earthlink services,
as I have had the same setup the whole time and the problems only
started recently (within last month or so.)

Has anyone else experienced similar problems? If so, did switching
providers solve the problem?

How can I tell if the problem is with my modem or router?

I live in the San Jose area and have a Netgear wireless router in
front of my DSL modem. I called Earthlink to ask about service
quality and their response was that they don't support routers (i.e.,
I must connect my PC directly to the modem. I must "buy" thier home
networking servier to connect more than on PC to the DSL line.) All I
know is that things were working fine until recently and resetting the
power usually DOES NOT fix the problem.

[David Efflandt]

Post by JB
I have had a lot of problems lately with my Earthlink DSL connection.
My connection is frequently dead for several hours at a time. I have
had Earthlink DSL for nearly 2 years now, but these problems seem to
be something new. I can't tell if it is the Earthlink DSL service or
something else. However, I am suspecious of the Earthlink services,
as I have had the same setup the whole time and the problems only
started recently (within last month or so.)
Has anyone else experienced similar problems? If so, did switching
providers solve the problem?
How can I tell if the problem is with my modem or router?
I live in the San Jose area and have a Netgear wireless router in
front of my DSL modem. I called Earthlink to ask about service
quality and their response was that they don't support routers (i.e.,
I must connect my PC directly to the modem. I must "buy" thier home
networking servier to connect more than on PC to the DSL line.) All I
know is that things were working fine until recently and resetting the
power usually DOES NOT fix the problem.

You failed to say if your modem is losing sync (modem LED), or if your
PPPoE is being dropped or having trouble authenticating (check router
log), or if experiencing this from the wireless end (possibly somebody in
the neighborhood with wireless on same channel or 2.4 GHz phone).

Does it happen when a PC is directly connected to the modem, or if the
modem is directly connected to the NID (usually gray box outside)?

You have to do a bit of investigation yourself to try to determine what is
failing or whether it still happens when everything possible is removed
from the equation.