PS3 Networking issues... PS3 itself?

[Uniquely]

I've had my PS3 for almost a year now I think. I've had networking issues with it the entire time. My issues are....

1. Near constant DLNA errors while streaming media. It never actually stops the streaming.... but the little error message pops up in the top right corner every minute or two. It's just plain annoying and eliminates my PS3 from use as a streamer

2. Random sign outs from the Playstation network caused by DNS error. This is less frequent... about once an hour I'd guess. This has been a HUGE reason my PS3 doesn't get more gaming love. I'm a multiplayer kind of gal... so it would drive me NUTS to get randomly signed out of matches.

Here's what I have tried...

I've used two different routers during this time... a Belkin N1 Vision and a Linksys WRT54G version 5.

I've tried using both a wired ethernet connection from router to PS3, and a wireless connection.

I've set a static IP for the PS3 and entered all network settings manually.

I've tried turning off UPnP in the router.

I've placed the IP address for my PS3 in the DMZ zone of my router.

I have a PC and two 360's that connect to my network via ethernet; and a PS3, Wii, Lexmark printer, laptop and iPhone that connect to my network wirelessly. My PS3 is the only thing on my network that has issues... and these issues have been constant despite all the steps listed above.

I'm no IT professional... but I'm not a networking virgin either. I've tried everything I know and could research on the net.... and nothing fixes it. I truly believe it is the PS3 iself.... either a bad networking card or a bug in the networking software.

Any thoughts on what to do next?

[Maximus]

Send it back to Sony and get it fixed. Try Mike Marine's thread if you are man (woman in your case!) enough...

[Uniquely]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

Send it back to Sony and get it fixed. Try Mike Marine's thread if you are man (woman in your case!) enough...

I didn't save the receipt. I've read people say it is a pain to get Sony to handle a warrantly without the receipt. Will a CC statement do?

[Maximus]

See if they can do it by serial number, that's how I did it over here. They will have a log of when your console was manufactured and sold to the retailer, so they will know how old it is (and whether it is still under warranty). I think the difference over here is that the scanned barcode information from all shops is sent back to Sony who also keep track of the sold date, this isn't the case in most US stores.

[Uniquely]

I guess I'll at least try and give them a call. I just have a feeling that "weird random networking issue" is going to be a lot harder to get covered than something like say a dead laser. It's worth a shot though.

[Tempest]

I had similar problems for awhile.. I finally broke down one day and did non stop google research on networking.. Found a setting called MTU... I think you need to make sure it is on automatic on the PS3... If that doesn't work also could try setting it a bit lower on your router / computer.. there is a trick with the ping command to find out how much is too much for your system as well.. I forget exactly what I did but I solved it 100%.. I use to have it stop streaming every 20 seconds while streaming.. tons of errors like you got.. After fixing the settings.. Zero problems for months now.. no problems streaming anything..

I don't think it is the PS3.. I think it is the settings of the PS3 or Computer, or both.

[SkantDragon]

What you've described sounds like the underlying ethernet link is dropping sometimes. That could be due to a defective PS3, but might not be. There could be something wrong with your network that the other devices aren't complaining about or are simply not triggering.

I'd say the next diagnosis step would be to get a friend to bring their PS3 over and see if it experiences the same symptoms.

If it does, then you don't have a defective PS3. And getting a replacement from Sony would be a big waste of time.

If it doesn't, then you have definitive proof that your PS3 is defective, and that will make it easier to get a replacement.

It could also be enlightening to take you PS3 to a friend's house and see if it experiences the same trouble when hooked up to their network.


If you conclude that your PS3 is not defective... then what? The symptoms you describe sound like your network may be dropping the link when under load. Streaming makes it happen much more often. This may point to an MTU problem. Especially if you're using an encapsulating internet connection such as PPPoE which eats up the available packet size.

MTU is Maximum Transmission Unit. It's the largest packet your PS3 will try to send. If this is too large, your network may reject it (or may even fall over).

Try manually setting the MTU to a small value like 768 and see if the symptoms persist. If that fixes it, then there you go. Smaller MTU values will reduce network throughput. So if 768 works, experiment with increasing it until you discover how high you can go safely. A value of 1500 would be normal. You may need something like 1300.

I hope that helps.

[Marquoz]

Originally Posted by robinandtami

I didn't save the receipt. I've read people say it is a pain to get Sony to handle a warrantly without the receipt. Will a CC statement do?

If you purchased it from Best Buy they have a copy of the receipt they keep for a couple years, so you might be able to get it from there. If you got it from Circuit City, I'm pretty sure you are out of luck, not sure if they kept their data servers since they went out of business. Anywhere else, you might have to call them to see if they keep copies of receipts that can be linked to a credit card.

[crackinhedz]

I've tried turning off UPnP in the router.

did you try turning UPnP off (Disable) in the PS3 as well?

...although from the sounds of it...might be something more.

I will say however, that I use to have a Linksys WRT54G, and had nothing but trouble! ...now I use a Westell modem/router with zero issue.

[Uniquely]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

did you try turning UPnP off (Disable) in the PS3 as well?

...although from the sounds of it...might be something more.

I will say however, that I use to have a Linksys WRT54G, and had nothing but trouble! ...now I use a Westell modem/router with zero issue.

Yes.. I have disabled UPnP on both the router and the PS3. I will say I had LESS issues with the Belkin router than the Linksys. With the Belkin I only got the DLNA errors when streaming media.... the PSN connection seemed pretty stable. Unfortunately... about three months after getting the Belkin; it died due to an overheating issue caused by the lcd screen on the router. Too bad I didn't read how common that issue was with that model until AFTER my router died

[alphapyro]

Have you tried setting up static IPs for every device you have?

I had issues with my laptop causing disconnects - once I gave everything a static IP issues have been very rare.

There is still a weird glitch once in awhile if the 2.4 ghz phone I'm using happens to try and use the same channel. It will instantly disconnect the internet until I change the channel on the phone or hang up.

You don't have anything else transmitting in your house do you?


You mentioned that this happens even with the PS3 being wired to your internet - this seems to coincide with it being a bum network card in the PS3, especially if other devices have no issues/latency problems using the same cable/plug/modem/ISP


Good luck!

[BluHavik]

I didn't read through the whole thread so sorry if I'm repeating someone else. But if you are using a lynksys wireless router, WRT54xx, they are notorious for dropping connections. It was a never ending battle for me until I found out that if you update the firmware for the router it solves the problem. I've gone from constant drops to no problems in months by updating the router.