WiFi is completely unstable...

[Rob Williams]

Hi all,

Well, I am having problems with my WiFi and thought I'd come here to complain about it and hopefully get some guidance. The problem is... it's completely unstable, regardless of what router or network card I seem to use.

For example, I am currently using the ASUS WL-500W that I reviewed last month, which offers b/g/n connectivity. My desktop uses a D-Link network card, as does my moms. She has trouble connecting -all- the time. Sometimes the signal is good, sometimes it's not. Even with a "very good" signal, it may still not connect.

I've used many different settings and security features but nothing seems to give me a surefire connection. It's tedious not knowing whether or not the internet will work on these PCs.

I am using an ASUS laptop at the moment which includes a b/g WiFi card and even it will not function with the wireless that well. No pages will fully load... it's a pain in the ass.

I am wondering if some type of interference could be a problem? I have five PCs in this room (four most of the time), three of which are on 24/7. Could there be some type of interference generated that could cause problems? I am not hiding the router behind anything.. it has lots of breathing room.

I appreciate any ideas/help!

 

[KusoSamurai]

Ever heard of Ham Radio? Can cause MAJOR interference during the hours from around 8PM-5AM.

Also did you check driver problems?

 

[Rob Williams]

It has nothing to do with drivers, because I've tested with three different NICs in four different computers and basically have the same problem.

I have a new router here I will install tomorrow if I can find the time... I am hoping it will prove a tad more reliable.

 

[NicePants42]

I made the mistake of offering to set up a Netgear router for someone. I went ahead and used WEP security and a MAC address filter because that's what I use at home (on an old Linksys) with no problems.

The IBM laptop used at my house had no trouble connecting to this new Netgear router, but an HP laptop purchased from BB was randomly loosing signal ~10-15 minutes after boot-up. Turning off the WEP encryption seemed to mostly solve the problem, but I'm not sure if it's been completely eliminated.

About a year or so ago there was a nice little program called Wireless Fix XP that was posted on Overclockers.com that (at the time) helped me out a lot with wireless signals getting dropped. I think that all the program did was enable the Windows service 'Wireless Zero' something-or-other, establish a connection, and then kill the 'Wireless Zero' service. Worked like a charm, too. I haven't been able to find the program again though.

 

[Rob Williams]

Hmm. Well, you have a good idea with trying more securities. I don't want to disable the security entirely, simply because there are many, many people that live in this area. It's been a while since I gave that a test, so that's what I will work on this afternoon.

Really sucks that it's so touchy though.

 

[moon111]

Try wrapping your entire house in tinfoil!

Seriously, having worked for a major ISP before, have you called them? I've seen people troubleshooting their wireless, when their real problem was a bad internet connection. If you're on DSL service make sure each phone/fax machine/dial-up modem still hooked up/etc has TWO filters on it, it won't hurt. (And of course you don't filter the modem) Alarm systems can need specialized filters. Try disconnecting phones. If you call your DSL ISP for help, get down to one phone (non-cordless is the best) hooked up. It wouldn't take long for them to send a test signal to the modem and back to see if there is any interference. Personally my phone line has a bad upstream, but I'm planning on re-wiring the sad phone lines that were in this house when I bought it.

 

[Rob Williams]

I don't think it's the ISP... the connection is rock solid if I use a wired connection. After that point it's up to the router.

I went from WPA to Open/Shared and it works a lot better now... going to setup another router sometime this week and investigate further.

 

[JacKz5o]

I kinda have that same problem too with the wireless router I got from my ISP. I just turn it off and on once a day and that seems to fix many of the problems iv been having before.

 

[CoolAlex]

Rob,try to find out what electrical equipment in the router's vecinity emits electromagnetic waves.this could lower the signal the router receives or transmits wireless.

 

[Rob Williams]

Well I am using a different router at the moment, and it seems to be performing a bit better for me. Will be hard to tell right away though, since my primary two computers are wired.

 

[Merlin]

Dropped connections

What I have found in the industry is that:

Cordless phones operating at the same 2.4 Ghz and the wireless router at 2.4 Ghz interfere with each other.
You could change the channel on that frequency fro, say channel 6 to channel 3 and then try it. Or any device nearby. Even neighbors can use devices that can interupt wireless.

I come to see this a lot, I service home network for businesses at home.

I Always recommend hard wire connections ( I get paid more ) and you do not get dropped connections. And I don't have to keep coming back for warrantees.

Merlin

 

[drewd]

Also, consider other interference sources, such as bluetooth, microwave ovens, and practically anything that is wireless and uses radio frequencies to transmit. Also, range is affected by the number and thickness of the objects in the signal's path. Walls can be a problem, particularly if the signal has to pass through them at an angle (effectively increasing the wall's thickness). Any significant metal in the signal path will just kill the effective range. For example, I had my computer under a metal desk in my office. The router was only about 30 feet away, but with a piece of steel and two walls between it and the computer, I got no signal.

 

[Rob Williams]

I gave up and all the PC's except one is on wired. It could be interference, I'm not sure. It just wasn't worth the trouble, especially to see a computer drop out from a connection when it's literally >3 feet from the router.

 

[Greg King]

Something to think about...

What were you using as your connection manager? Was it the windows zero config or was it something else? ZC does NOT play well with other wireless managers and could be the reason you were getting such unreliable connections.

 

[Rob Williams]

I never install third party connection managers. I've never had a problem with ZC in the past so had no reason to look elsewhere. I never install a WiFi card with the included software, just installed the driver and was done with it.

 

[Greg King]

That eliminates my idea then. When reviewing the D-Link router, I installed their connection manager and it did not like ZC and ZC didn't like it.

 

[Rob Williams]

No two wireless connection managers can co-exist, there is only one Zero Config service to utilize, so they would essentially. There should be no problem in having two installed though. Normally whatever connection manager you will install will disable the Windows built-in manager. Maybe there was a bug with the D-Link connection manager.

 

[Greg King]

There was. You have to go in a disable the service for the D-Link to work properly.

One to rule them all!