Disconnecting PPPoE / Connecting via PPPoE

I don't have DSL, so I'm not that knowledgeable about it, but I read some time ago that the phone company sometimes disconnects you if there is no activity for a certain amount of time - that could explain the disconnect/connect message. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will have a suggestion; otherwise, you might want to call Qwest and check on that theory.

I'm going to bump this topic because I'm having the exact same problem and it's driving me (almost) insane.

Numerous times per day this problem occurs. With no provocation, or obvious external event, the connection to the AE Base Station disconnects. The DSL modem remains connected. The light on the AEBS starts blinking amber and 5 minutes later reconnects and turns green, and the internet comes back. Sometimes it goes hours without happening, sometimes it disconnects 10 minutes after reconnection. The Airport application always says the same thing: PPPOE disconnected. And then the PPPOE reconnects.

It's not predictable, and that's what's making troubleshooting difficult.

My network is (and I've tested it with many of these components disconnected)

1. 15" MBP - Late 2009 model
2. 13" MBP - Mid-2009 model
3. Wii
4. Airport Express (older model)
5. Squeezebox music device
6. 2x iPhones

I have AT&T DSL (formerly Ameritech) with the original Speedstream 5100b modem that they gave me in 2000. I would blame the modem, but it's not the one disconnecting all the time.

Let's hear some ideas!

Thanks.

I had the same problem recently with my dual band AirPort Extreme. I also have Qwest DSL and am using the Actiontec M1000 modem in transparent bridge mode with the AirPort handling DCHP, PPPoE, and NAT.

I started getting PPPoE disconnects randomly. Sometimes 1 per hour and other times once every 5 minutes. I drove me crazy for about a month. Looking in the AirPort logs there were a lot of messages similar to the following surrounding the disconnects: "Binding added for udp, 0.0.0.0:35147 to 10.0.1.7:4500 with lifetime 7200" I spent weeks diagnosing software and hardware problems to no avail.

Then I began to suspect the phone line and or phone jack. The phone line was experiencing unusual crackling and popping noises. I finally traced the problem to damaged external wiring on the house. After replacing the problematic wiring, my phone line has been crystal clear and I have not experienced and PPPoE disconnects. Just thought I'd share my experience for others with a similar problem.