Wire Router Issue or Something Else?

I'm a bit frustrated, so I am going to try to explain this best I can. There may be multiple issues here, so maybe that is why we're having a hard time finding a solution.

Background: We have always had internet troubles in my house. Any device wirelessly connected has abysmal speeds. I have cable, so you'd think we'd have decent speeds. (I get about 1 Mbps for speeds on my PC on the wireless network.) The connection often drops: we'll lose the signal on whatever is connection to our wireless network (wired devices are fine). Then it will reconnect. Then it will disconnect again. Sometimes hours would go by. Other times it would happen every few minutes. Usually my connection would show poor or fair.

Our cable modem and router are in the same room. Unfortunately, when it was original set up, it's all at one side of the house, not a central location. So our wireless devices, which we use at the other side of the house, struggle to connect. (That said, our most recent issue has wireless devices dropping right near the router, so I don't know what to make of that.)

We decided we couldn't take it anymore and replaced our router last spring. That seemed to help. My connection would normally show Good and we stayed connected for more the most part.


Then, about a week ago, we started having problems again with the wireless dropping off and reconnecting. My brother reset the router and played with some of the settings - changing channels, etc. - and we noticed an initial big bump in speed. He also started playing with them to see if he could connect my ipad, which I had received for Christmas, but was having massive wifi issue. My connection went to excellent. However, it would only last an hour or so before the internet would bottom out again.

Today, I'm losing connection multiple times an hour. In fact, it's almost impossible to type up this post. My brother is losing connection in the middle of gaming.

I just don't know what to do anymore. We should have good speeds and a reliable connection. Obviously, something is wrong, but we're having a hell of time troubleshooting it. So hard to work from home when your internet drops so much.

ETA: I notice the title is wrong. It should say Wireless, not Wire. That would be because my internet hiccuped as I was typing it.

cbenoi1 said:

1) make sure you are not getting interference from another piece of equipment in the house or nearby. Stuff like alarm systems or electronic power counters (the counter hooked to the hydro) can sometimes wreak havoc on connections. Landline cordless phones often share the same range of frequencies with wi-fi. A nearby busy airport can also be a cause for concern.

2) Distance from the router should be minimized. Check into buying a range extended if this is the case. Make the range extender use the better 5G frequency range (see # 3).

3) Change the router band from 2.4GHz to 5GHz and make the 5G one the main access point. More and more, modern routers are sold as dual bands with the 5G connection the better. Open up the 5G mode and make sure your phones and tablettes and computers use THAT instead of the 2.4G access point.

4) Make sure your router access passwords are less than 64 characters. Some routers and associated equipment accept 64-char strings although the specs specify 63. It may sound odd, but there was an issue with Win8.x where network access was governed internally by multiple pieces of code, some enforcing the 63-char limit, others not.

5) Some router models are sensitive to AC power fluctuations. If you have frequent brownouts, you may want to check on a standby battery power unit.

Hope this helps.

-cb

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1. This is something I've been concerned about. Our router and modem are in a room next to the kitchen, and it's possible we're getting interference from the kitchen. Haven't figured out how to minimize it.

2. I've been looking into range extenders as a possibility. I think that is likely our best bet if we don't have to replace the router.

3. We do have a dual router, so we do have a 5GHz. It doesn't seem to show up on our list of wireless connections. I'll have to see if there's something we need to change to make it show up. I hope it's not a matter of our computers, etc, unable to connect to 5GHz.

4 and 5 aren't issues.

Thanks for your feedback. I'll see what I can do.

AW Admin said:

You're using cable for your ISP.

How many houses are near you using the same cable provider?

In terms of the WiFI, is the cable router and the WiFi router the same device?

Any close neighbor likely to have a baby and thus a baby monitor?

Are you using microwave devices, short distance radio transmitters (CB or similar?)

How far is the cable connection box from you?

Have you tried cycling the power to the cable modem? (This has the virtue of flushing the error buffer, among other things).

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1. I don't know who for sure is using the same cable, but at least half should be the same. My city only has one cable service provider. Both of my neighbors use it for a fact. Across the street is actually another state - yeah I know, crazy - so they would have another cable provider.

2. The cable and the WiFi router are separate devices.

3. A couple across the street do have a baby.

4. No.

5. Opposite sides of the house. It's a problem.

6. Yes, we've cycled the cable modem.

Maryn said:

(I'm following this closely. The whole neighborhood's on the same cable service, with a dozen or so connections detected at any given moment. Both wired and wireless connections slow to a standstill many times an hour, even in the middle of the night when traffic should be low. Router must be located in the basement to serve the wired connections. We see improvement with a reset, but it never lasts.)

Maryn, not intending to derail, but keen on answers

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Go right ahead! I figure other people are having issues similar, so the more people that can get help, the better

Thanks for the replies. I've been buried with work, so I am only looking at the rest now.

I'll double check with the cable company, though our wired hookup is fantastic.

I'm currently thinking about updating to a newer, more powerful router. We've tried all the usual system settings and power cycling, etc. and it's just getting worse. My computer drops and now all my devices are dropping, not just my ipad.

Anyone have any suggestions for a really powerful router with good coverage?