By default, the BellSouth supplied Westell 2100/2200/6100 modems are set up to disconnect your internet session after a certain period of inactivity. Ideally, when you reopen the browser or make any browser requests the modem should automatically reconnect. However, this does not always work correctly and you are required to cycle the power on the modem then reestablish connectivity.

The easy fix for this is to set the Westell to "Always On" which will automatically reestablish a session if the connection is dropped for any reason. Since BellSouth does not have IP lease times for PPP sessions you will keep the same IP unless until that session is terminated by you or BellSouth for some reason.

Step 1
Open a browser application and enter "192.168.1.254" or "launchmodem" in the address field to access the Westell Interface. Note: If you are using another router in conjunction with the Westell and you can not get to the interface screen click here.



Step 2
This step is dependent on your specific Westell model number and firmware.

Westell 6100 Procedure: Click on Broadband DSL Line from the top menu. Click on Connection Configuration from the right menu. Select "Always On" from the Connection Type pull down. Click on Save and Restart Connection at the bottom. This will automatically restart the modem and the interface will return after the changes are saved.

Westell 2100 or 2200 Procedure: Click on Expert Mode and confirm that you want to enter Expert Mode. Click on Configure from the menu and then Connection in the sub-menu. Select "Always On" from the Connection Type pull down. Click on Save and Restart Connection at the bottom. This will automatically restart the modem and the interface will return after the changes are saved.

Step 4
After the modem has restarted you will automatically be connected to the internet. You are finished.

Other Connection Options:
Manual Mode - Allows you to manually initiate your DSL connection much like a dial up modem configuration. It requires you to click a "connect" button that is accessed through the modem interface
On Demand - Automatically initiates a connection when you make an internet request. This is the default mode for the Westell, but as stated above it doesn't always work correctly.

Important Note: If you are running the Westell in bridged mode in conjunction with another router the "always on" setting is irrelevant.

Andy Houtz