I have setup a few home networks in the past and never really had any problems with CABLE or DSL. My friend just got Road Runner and when I connect his D-LINK 624 to the router, it aquires an IP and I'm able to get internet access briefly before it goes out. The router loses the IP, and any attempt to renew the IP, timesout. I then have to reboot the modem...then router, etc. If I connect the laptop directly to the cable modem is works properly.
I cloned the MAC address as usual, but can't help to think that RR, initiated some other ploy to keep people from running home networks so they can buy their 'Wireless' plan for an extra $10/mo. I think paying $10 on top of the already $45 a month is nuts if you want wireless.
Anybody seen anothing like this before?

You're in for a headache...

#1 and easiest: Have a tech come out to inspect your phone lines run in your house (if using DSL). He'll tell you the quality of the line coming in from the company and the lines in your house. If your house is really old, chances are you might need to get a new line run. If it's not your house and it's the lines coming in, the phone company comes out and replaces those lines at no charge to you.
That's a small chance and the easiest to have checked out.

#2) The hard part.
When I had DSL, I had this exact same problem. The Routing in their system is screwed up. You call in, you'll get teir 1 person who doesn't understand much except their script. Get them to send you to teir 2, the 'advanced' support. This level still can't help you, but they can sometimes think for themselves. What you need to do is get to the teir 3 level. This is just a few people somewhere that actually work on the router. They need to delete their route on the routers, recreate your connection and the problem will go away. It takes them less than 5 minutes to do this. I want to say it's called 'rip/route' to them.
Good luck getting to them though, it took me about 2 weeks of consistent complaining and a lot of credits.

The T2 people might not call it a teir 3.. but it'll come as a seperate phone number you have to call.. just explain you need to have your route recreated in the routers and you need to talk to some one from that place.. they might have the person call you, or they might give you the number.

I know that SBC Yahoo! DSL gave me the direct number to this guy in St. Louis. He told me he sat around all day playing games with the only other guy who worked with him. He gave me his cell phone number so I could just call him if I had a problem. I think I may have called him twice and he had it done the 2nd time. This was over 2 years ago...

but hey, good luck.

Thanks for the lengthy reply, but RoadRunner is cable modem serivce provided by Time Warner, not DSL. DSL setup is pretty easy, you just have the router connect using PPPoe with your username and password, no problems.

This is the first time I've had this problem with a Cable Service Provider. I have it set to dynamic IP, and to obtain an IP address automatically but the problems I discussed continually arise.

Ahh I was thinking you had DSL.

Have them replace your cable modem. I was having the same problem where I'd have a good connection and it'd drop. They said the cable modem was losing power and coming back on. But as long as I was consistently pinging my cable modem internally, it stayed on. When I stopped, it dropped off.

I'd run out to the office and pick up a different modem. They'll need the mac address off it too to get it set up.

I doubt they would be willing to replace a new modem, especially since it works fine when the computer is hooked up to the modem directly. Only when the router comes into play does this problem occur.

Well, in that case, replace your router. I personally find D-Link to be just above junk. I prefer the quality of linksys over D-link any day.

If the problem happens when the router is in place.. you might want to try adjusting the MTU that it's transmitting.. I think it's 1500 by default but cable is like 1492.. if you set it at 1460 you might get lucky and see a change in performance.. not an increase in speed or anything.

The router is probably faulty. Replace it, either with the same model or a new one.

You can be really cheap by buying the same model and switching it out, if it works, return your non-working one like it was the one you just bought. I personally don't do that... but I know plenty of people who do. Large companies can better handle getting their defective stuff replaced more so than you or I could.
We're small fish compared to them...haha

poor ethics.. but I don't practice that.

The 624 is fairly new but make sure that its flashed with the latest firmware. I had a similar problem (always having to reboot - not necessarily dropping or losing IPs) with an older Linksys BEFSR41 and upgrading my firmware fixed that handily.
- What version of the 624 do you own - there are 3 - Rev A & B have two antenna, Rev C has one antenna? Frimware and manuals are all different for each.
- What makes you say that the 624 "looses" the IP? Just asking what the indicater is that tells you this. Is it listed and then not listed in the DHCP Clients or something else?
- Renewing as in >ipconfig /renew? sorry it its a dumb question but are you releaseing first?
- I also have RR and my home network has always been fine. I mean RR hasn't tries tp subvert it at least from what I can tell.

One other thing to check if you don't mind - do a >ipconfig /all - after you do that please report what the Node Type says (i.e Peer to Peer, Broadcast, hybrid, Unknown, etc..

Its not unusual for the cable company to change equipment and routers once in a while. So does the DSL modems from the phone company.
Remember when you Pinging, you renewing the connecting part that transmits the routers IP. I think I am correct on this one or at least it finds your IP on the router and the routers IP also (which means nothing much). When typing c>ipconfig/reniew you do the same thing as above. You think its your IP yes (the routers IP, your connection to the specific router). On the other hand the 624 you refer cannot loose the connection on any device. The box device works perfectly with any connection you have at home without regard to the version. Personally, I am cheap. I dont have cable modem due to price and Cable is a shared connection within the limits of your town that means other people are in the pull of the specific outside server. On DSL (and i keep telling people this, no matter how strange this sounds) is like you have your own connection, your own direct line. Of course network capacity can be a problem here, but the phone company adjusts this for you if you tell them you have a slow connection. Of course, nothing comes without a price. Thats why there are now different prices for different bandwidths and you dont run into problems with how the cable modem can be configured. Sooner or later, regulation from Washington will require phone companies to construct speeds and capacities similar to cable, with direct lining and I think cheaper than cable. I hope the info helps.