Do ethernet cards really "wear out"?

Battlebot · Post by **Battlebot** » Sun May 15, 2005 10:13 pm

I've been having some probs with my dsl modem lately so I called up Verizon to ask about it.

About an hour later they tell me that my internet's fine but think that my ethernet card is "wearing out".

The comp that i have right now i bought about a year ago and with it the same net card.

So is Verizon BSing me or is it really my ethernet card thats causign problems?

BTW, the problem is that sometimes my internet will give out 15 minutes after i turn my computer on, and then i have to restart my comp and repeat the process.

-BBot

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Sun May 15, 2005 10:56 pm

It's not impossible.

fliptw · Post by **fliptw** » Sun May 15, 2005 10:56 pm

I'd say they are BSing you.

but, its easy enough to swap your ethernet card with another cheap one and see if it still happens to you.

it also could be the ethernet cable.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Sun May 15, 2005 10:59 pm

The problem may be ethernet card/other hardware related (sounds like a heat problem w/ the mainboard), but "wearing" out is BS -- electronic components age, true, but usually they give out w/ a bang (so to speak

). Halflife of an ethernet card should be > 3yrs. I'd take the comp apart, clean everything w/ canned air, and put it back together, see if it changes anything.

JMEaT · Post by **JMEaT** » Mon May 16, 2005 7:30 am

Yeah I agree, with the above posts. Try cleaning/swapping cards. If you still have a problem then it could be software (DHCP renewal times may be whacked) or definatly telco.

Testiculese · Post by **Testiculese** » Mon May 16, 2005 7:33 am

Wear out? If it still has tread on the bottom, it's ok

(I don't think the guy literally meant 'wear out')

Mobius · Post by **Mobius** » Mon May 16, 2005 2:29 pm

LOL Testi!!

Ned · Post by **Ned** » Mon May 16, 2005 6:25 pm

Things can wear out, but probably not in the time frames you are talking about and with normal use:

http://www.semiconfareast.com/emig.htm

Beware of idiots on the phone who talk about "cosmic radiation" etc.

It sounds like a heat or power problem. Some bad connections are heat sensitive, ie expansion.

You will find office PCs which have been on ethernet LANs for years. Swap ethernet cards, hopefully a spare from a techie or friend, and see whats up.

Only in extrmely rare cases do phone support people have any clue. Comcast send me a different power supply unsolicited one time. I called a few months later to ask if it was a safety or reliabilty issue (it sat uninstalled). The support guy could find no record of it and had no explanations about what the replacement program was for. Unless you get Krom on the phone . . . usually a waste!

Ferno · Post by **Ferno** » Tue May 17, 2005 12:42 am

I had a D-Link card go belly-up on me one day. So they either work great or not at all.

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Tue May 17, 2005 12:14 pm

Ferno wrote:I had a D-Link card go belly-up on me one day. So they either work great or not at all.

Yeah, sometimes you get lucky and have a card that will last for years or you get stuck with a card thats a POS and dies in a year or so. Sometimes companies make mistakes, and run a little lax on the QC when pumping out their product. This isn't limited to any particular industry. You just have to do your research and go for the card that has the least ammount of reported failures.

roid · Post by **roid** » Tue May 17, 2005 7:00 pm

Ned wrote:It sounds like a heat or power problem. Some bad connections are heat sensitive, ie expansion.

i think that's the closest thing to electronic components "wearing out". constant heat expansion/contraction as things turn on and off, would gradually break down electronics. it would cause small hairline fractures to appear.

also flexing of the components would speed the process up. i've never thought of it as "wearing out", but i guess it is a good nickname for it (as long as you also explain why it happens).

i'd also suggest that input components such as the modem would be prone to damage from radiation (no not cosmic), static electricity, and otherwise surges down the line. while large single modem/psu frying surges can damage other components in the pc, perhaps a long "wear and tear" lifetime of smaller surges could also damage other components becides the psu/modem? i'm not sure.