I am having constant trouble trying to connect to the internet through my D-Link DSL-302 ADSL modem. After clicking the DSL-302 desktop icon to open the modem configuration web interface, all that appears is an Internet Explorer window with the message ‘Page is unavailable’. This can only be fixed by unplugging the power from the modem, waiting a few minutes, and then plugging back in the power. Should this work, when I open Internet Explorer to access a website, the same ‘Page is unavailable’ message appears and can only be fixed by rebooting the computer! Alternatively, I may be conducting research using the web, followed by some word processing, and when I return to the web the ‘Page is unavailable’ message appears, even though it had been available only moments before. The problem used to happen infrequently, but now it happens almost every day. I have done full system scans using Norton Internet Security, Spybot, and Ad-Aware. The computer is running Windows XP.

This problem could be caused by either your computer or a problem with the ADSL modem itself. So, we need to attempt to narrow down the problem. Our first test will make sure nothing could be inhibiting the flow of data between the computer and the modem. If you have any software firewalls running on your computer (e.g. ZoneAlarm), try exiting/disabling the firewalls. Then, try accessing the router configuration or a web page to see whether the problem is resolved. If so, please contact me again with the details of your firewall and we can try to find why the firewall is blocking traffic.

Should the previous procedure not work, or not apply to your situation, the problem may be related to the network setup/configuration. Before proceeding, make sure you have your ISPs configuration and setup guide handy, since we may need this later in the procedure. You can generally obtain this information from your ISPs website.

The next time the ‘Page is unavailable’ message appears in Internet Explorer, go to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘Control Panel’. Open the ‘Network Connections’ control panel (you may need to click ‘Network and Internet Connections’ if the Control Panel is displayed in Category view). Double-click on the network connection for your ADSL modem (e.g. if the modem is connected via Ethernet to your computer, the connection should be named something like ‘Local Area Connection’). In the window that appears, click the ‘Support’ tab. Make sure the IP Address has been correctly assigned (it should be in the format: 10.x.x.x).

Where the IP address is not correctly specified, you can try manually specifying the TCP/IP connection details. Click the ‘Close’ button to close the connection status. I found the following instructions in the DSL-302 quick start manual (www.dlink.com.au/tech/drivers/files/modems/dsl302g.htm) and have reproduced the procedure here, with some additional detail and notes to make it easier to follow. At the moment, you should be back in the Network Connections window. Right-click on the network connection for your ADSL modem (e.g. Local Area Connection) and select ‘Properties’ from the menu that appears. In the window that appears, click the ‘General’ tab. Scroll down the list of components and select ‘Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)’ and click ‘Properties’. In the next window, click the ‘General’ tab. Enable ‘Use the following IP address’. Enter the following details:
- IP address: 10.1.1.5
- Subnet mask: 255.0.0.0
- Default Gateway: 10.1.1.1 (for an Ethernet connection) or 10.1.1.2 (for a USB connection)
You will now need to input the Preferred and Alternate DNS servers. These are the DNS servers for your ISP, and the details should be found in the setup documentation from your ISP. Once you have finished entering in these details, click OK and then click OK again. Now try connecting to the D-Link modem configuration page, and also try viewing internet web pages.

Should you still have problems, before going onto the next procedure we will need to reset the network configuration to the original settings. Go back into the TCP/IP properties for your network connection and reset the configuration to their original settings by enabling ‘Obtain an IP address automatically’ and ‘Obtain DNS server address automatically’. The next procedure is attempting a complete reinstall of the ADSL modem. Disconnect the modem from your computer and uninstall any drivers/programs which were installed with the modem. Then, perform a factory reset on the modem to reset the device back to its factory default state. The device manual (www.dlink.com.au/tech/drivers/files/modems/dsl302g.htm) is not clear on how to perform a factory reset. So, the general procedure is to use a pen or pencil to depress a small button (labelled ‘reset’ or alike) in the rear of the device for about 10 seconds until the device restarts (you can tell when it restarts as the lights on the front of the device starting blinking in a startup sequence). Once the device has been factory reset, follow the device manual to begin reinstalling the device from scratch.

If the problem continues, our final method for testing whether the problem is related to the computer or the modem is to connect the modem to another computer. If the problem occurs on the other computer, there is a good chance the issue is related to the modem itself. In this case, should the device still be under warranty you may be able to get a replacement. For details, you should consult the warranty card which came with the device. Failing this, you may need to purchase a new modem. In this case, the Netgear DG632 ($84.00) may be a good option. This modem comes with both USB and Ethernet connectivity. While I have never used this particular product, I have used many other Netgear products and they have all performed excellently.