New Rosewill L600N Router/CHARTER Driving Me Bats**t Crazy!

[Kaos Kid]

So far very few Rosewills are on the WW-DRT list, perhaps because they don't make them themselves and bounce from supplier to supplier, hence no consistency. Supposedly it has the same components as certain Linksys versions but I've read just enough to know that shared components don't always mean shared compatibilities. I have been too chicken to do the multiple required steps for the WW-DRT flash on my Linksys 54GL in fear of bricking it, and when I send this Rosewill back for RMA I need it as backup until then next "beta-testing" unit arrives (I call it that because it seems that they didn't have this product ready for market, instead they used us consumers as their beta testers to find its problems ala Microsoft ). I can't go even a day without a network, not with a wife and two kids as well as myself all attached to the internet teat...

Rosewill did respond quickly after I requested the RMA through their official site, and sent me directions for RMA return. Weird thing is, a day later NewEgg also sent me directions for RMA return to THEM as well. I had previously spoken to Newegg about it, but the only way they would do anything (and wouldn't honor the original IronEgg guarantee that I claimed was on it) is if I would not only send back the router, but also an N-adapter that I got with it as a combo deal. That wouldn't work for me as I have no backup for the adapter in my network, so I just had to bite the bullet by taking Newegg out of the loop and going directly to Rosewill (which I dreaded, and still do). So now I have to call both companies to see exactly which one's RMA directions I should be following, I fear this could end up lost in the shuffle and neither company coming through. I don't understand why Newegg is getting back in on it after being of little help the first time, other than knowing that they have been selling this as a lemon through their own house brand. It was purchased back at the end of November 2012 so technically they are no longer on the hook since they only would give me the original 30 days from purchase for refunds, even though it was purchased over the holidays and most reputable companies give you extra time for returns over the holidays due to gifting considerations. Anyway, I have to do the RMA (to whichever company) this week or it expires, so we'll see what happens in the future with this, I'll post back with results one way or the other. It will suck having to go back to the slower G speeds though while I'm waiting for the replacement that may or may not fix the problems obviously inherent in this router.

The TP-Links that have been reviewed here on Legit Reviews are looking better and better.

[Kaos Kid]

Follow-up: For those of you that have grown tired of following this thread, hopefully I/we have finally gained some closure, I'll explain...

I sent this Rosewill in for RMA, got a replacement (assume it wasn't new since there were settings in it that weren't default and accessories weren't factory wrapped). Still got the disconnects. Called Charter for the umpteenth time and asked the tech to check in her logs if there were problems over a 24 hour period, and even asked about certain time periods. She said she couldn't understand all the technical aspects but did notice some power spikes and valleys which could point to a break in the line or other resistance point that could come and go, so once again sent a ground tech. This one was a contractor not in an official Charter van so I figured nothing would be accomplished AGAIN. Showed him my router logs and he saw how I got the consistent disconnects/reconnects every 8 hours, and also about how sometimes it wouldn't reconnect on its own. He tested, said power levels were "within spec" but still went out to check my entry point connection. Came in and told me that he removed a splitter that at one time in the past another tech placed in there to separate the cable from the internet and a later tech cut but then didn't remove the splitter from the circuit. He also replaced the "ground block" saying it was an obsolete kind from over 10 years ago. Power levels gained 3 dBmV on the downstream channels (to between 9>10dBmV which puts it close to the high range but within spec) and raised my S/N ratio to 41.6 dB. Upstream power level at 38dBmV. I also pointed out to him that the Cisco modems' firmware was still at Dec 2011 build while Cisco had a latest build posted from Jan 2013 so he put in a request for a firmware update. That night I saw that the firmware update did go through, not to Cisco's latest but to a build date of July 2012 (which may be Charter's latest official build so we'll see). Since the line repairs and the firmware update went through I have had four 8-hour clockwork disconnects/reconnects, but the important thing is that it has reconnected every time on its own, so hopefully the combination of the techs' outside line repairs along with the firmware update has fixed the problem (fingers crossed). I suspect that this whole ordeal I have been going through has been a comedy of errors, with a combination of the Rosewill L600N's prissy interaction sensitivity and lack of proper maintenance by Charter both in the line and in the modem firmware making it difficult/impossible to troubleshoot until now, with neither Charter nor Rosewill admitting any culpability when it comes to the 8-hour clockwork disconnects . We'll see if this indeed solves the problem, but I can say that last night I downloaded a 9GB torrent that came through flawlessly with no connection drops so my BT client can be removed from the equation as well. I suspect that if Charter would have been more diligent in helping me troubleshoot over the last 3 months then this would have been solved long ago. Here's to hoping that this finally does the trick!

I have changed the title thread back to include Charter in the equation since I do now feel that they played a big part in the problem by only following a script rather than actually doing the outside line field work that should have been done back when I first reported the problem to them three months ago. If that is the case, then my obsession in digging down to the root of the problem (rather than just giving) up has paid dividends. Thanks again for your patience and suggestions in helping me deal with this hot mess.

[kenc51]

Let's hope it's sorted, but you can't blame charter too much. You're what we call a fringe case. It's not the norm and not getting the latest cisco firmware is common. They have to test each release and tweak it for their network; this takes time.

[Kaos Kid]

Let's hope it's sorted, but you can't blame charter too much. You're what we call a fringe case. It's not the norm and not getting the latest cisco firmware is common. They have to test each release and tweak it for their network; this takes time.

Well, considering I had been suggesting checking the outside lines to EVERY tech I had spoken to on the phone, then the same to every tech that walked in the door yet none of them actually did it until the last guy (and as a contractor the only one that noted the obsolete ground block) actually went out and saw for himself, I think they make it entirely too hard to kick you up to the next tier level of support. Remember, I have been on the phone with them since early December so you'd think with all the service calls they would put 2+2=visually inspect and test for gosh sakes.

And GOD YES lets hope it is sorted. I am not troubleshooting this any further, if the problems start up again it will be a new TPLink or DLink router for me