Intermittent Wireless Internet

[jackyl71]

Hello all!
So here is my issue:
I recently changed over from Verison DSL to our local Cable ISP. Verizon had supplied me with a wireless router/modem, so when I made the change, I picked up a Netgear WNR2000 wireless router to serve as my new access point.
A little while after being set up, I started to notice that I would lose my internet connection (time-outs when browsing, dropped connections when gaming, etc.) at intermittent times. Sometimes I could stay connected for hours, other times, I would get drops every few minutes.
I posted my question to the Netgear forum (along with the technical information) and the main response I got was that it could be a faulty router. I have since replaced it (thanks BEST BUY for a hastle-free replacement). But my problem persists.
Here are some more of the particulars:
1) Router is NOT power-cycling during failures
2) Rebooting laptop MAY help restore my connection, but it could be a coincidence that it sometimes reconnects for a while after reboot - DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK
3) Can access router and network via wireless even while not able to access internet (i.e. can log in to my router and go to setup, remote manage other PC, etc).
4) WIRED connections seem to be unaffected.
5) No issues when directly connected to my cable modem via CAT5e.
6) Other wireless laptops seem to be unaffected (still verifying)
7) I have MANUALLY changed the CHANNEL to 11, and moved phone to over 4 ft away.
8) I have turned UPnP OFF.
9) I have turned OFF my software firewall (for testing ONLY)
10) I have updated my laptop's wireless card (Broadcom) drivers with the most recent version I could locate.
11) I have ENABLED encryption, but have not noticed any difference with it on or off.
12) I can PING my router and other PCs with no problem at any time. And during times when I AM connected to the internet, I can PING external IP's without problems (I am using 208.69.34.231 -> google.com). HOWEVER when I get disconnected/dropped from the internet on my laptop, when I PING 208.69.34.231, I get HARDWARE ERROR message.
13) I am being told by my ISP that there is a problem with the POWER SUPPLIES for my cable modem, and that they are dropping off a replacement for me today. THIS is part of the reason that #6 is still being verified - my cable modem crashed hard while I was trying to troubleshoot and compare between my regular laptop that I am having issues with and my work laptop. My ISP said that the power supply was the probable cause of the crash.

The way I see it, there are three main areas where my failure could be occuring:
A) Cable Modem - definately SOME sort of issue there either due to bad hardware or power supply. But I did't have any issues (before it started power-cycling due to power supply) when I was connected directly via wired connection to my laptop.
B) Router - Replaced it once, and saw the same issues as soon as I connected the new one. DOUBT this is the problem.
C) My laptop - it worked fine until I changed ISPs and replaced my Westfall DSL modem/wireless router. However it is about 3 years old. Now this "HARDWARE ERROR" message when I try to PING when my laptop's internet connection appears to be down makes me wonder...

My confusion lies in:
IF it is my cable modem or router, why do WIRED connections seem unaffected? It doesn't matter if I am wired to any of the ports on the router or directly to the modem.
IF it is my laptop's wireless connection to the router, why can I still see, ping, and access my LAN, but not the internet?

Anyhow, I'm sorry for rambling, but I am getting annoyed and confused by this, and cannot lock down the true root cause of the issue.

Any and all help and suggestions are appreciated. If needed, I can post my "ipconfig /all" later this evening.

Thanks in advance,
jackyl71

[glc]

Not what you want to hear, but I'd replace that Netgear with a different brand router if the cable modem proves out good. I have had a lot of hassles in the past with Netgear routers.

[jackyl71]

Well the modem tested out bad. Moreover the tech put a meter on my cable connection and found a significant signal loss. He replaced the cable ends (f-connector) which cleared up the signal loss problem, then replaced the modem and power supply (the original modem wouldn't fire back up even with a good signal).
The tech also had me change my DNS Server addresses on my laptop from DHCP from the router (192.168.1.1) to the actual DNS server addresses supplied with my fixed IP information.
Since all this happened on Monday, I have been more-or-less trouble free and keeping a stable connection. I'm still testing but I think I may be good now...

Regards,
Jackyl71