Author Topic: Wireless Networking... (Read 5628 times)

HaRuMaN · « **on:** February 24, 2011, 12:59:58 pm »

My wireless router is located upstairs... there is one interior wall between the PC and router.

My connection will show as connected, full strength, but sometimes the internet will simply stop working. I have to disconnect, and reconnect to my network to get it back up and running. Sometimes it will run fine for hours, sometimes you might get 30 seconds...

Any ideas?

Donkbaca · « **Reply #1 on:** February 24, 2011, 01:05:23 pm »

Yeha, I get this issue too, I am connected to the network, but can't reach the internet

ChadTower · « **Reply #2 on:** February 24, 2011, 01:14:11 pm »

There are a lot of things that can cause that. Radio interference... ISP throttling... all your base belonging to us...

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #3 on:** February 24, 2011, 01:23:17 pm »

Quote from: ChadTower on February 24, 2011, 01:14:11 pm

There are a lot of things that can cause that. Radio interference... ISP throttling... all your base belonging to us...

Well, it's not ISP throttling, my hardwired computers have no issues. I've tried changing wireless channels... with little success.

ark_ader · « **Reply #4 on:** February 24, 2011, 01:35:40 pm »

Get a homeplug. They are cheap Enough.

MonMotha · « **Reply #5 on:** February 24, 2011, 01:40:55 pm »

Classic example of a failing consumer wireless access point. They all seem to do the same thing: slows to a crawl, reassociating temporarily fixes the problem, and problems associating. The culprit is usually overheating. To save a few cents per unit, there's no heatsink in the darned things (they barely need one, anyway, but for reliability they should have one).

Replace it, and keep the new one reasonably cool.

Commercial grade gear won't usually do this, but then the AP will cost you several times what a cheap Linksys does and will probably be harder to set up as it will lack the "instaconfig" handholding modes that the consumer ones have, but then again it'll also do a lot more if you want it to.

That said, how many other networks are in your area? What channels are they on? There are actually only 3 independent 2.4GHz 802.11 channels: 1, 6, and 11 (and 12, if your devices can pull it off within the FCC's limits, which most can't).

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I use wired networks whenever possible. They're faster, too

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #6 on:** February 24, 2011, 02:00:31 pm »

What about adding heatsinks / fan to the router?

Wired is currently not an option...

MonMotha · « **Reply #7 on:** February 24, 2011, 02:07:12 pm »

That won't fix it now that it's dead, but such mods might prevent your new one from dying. Or you can spend a few extra bucks and get a good one. The "prosumer" aka SOHO category (~$100-150) tends to be pretty reliable. These will also usually be better (higher power, better antennas, more configurable, and you can even go dual-band 802.11n in that price range).

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #8 on:** February 24, 2011, 02:17:00 pm »

What's a good brand name?

MonMotha · « **Reply #9 on:** February 24, 2011, 02:26:41 pm »

Most of my SOHO LAN is Netgear, at this point, though my WAP is an old 802.11g Netopia built into my DSL router (with a Linux box doing most network management functions). I'm looking to replace it possibly with a Netgear WNDAP350. A friend of mine who admins a small office network has had good luck with Cisco WAP2000s, but they're only 802.11g; they do not support 802.11n or dual band operation. Be aware that you can get "Cisco" branded products ranging from $40 crap to $40000 "OMFG amazing but you don't need this" level, at this point, now that they've acquired and fully integrated Linksys. I've had good luck in the past with 3Com (15 year old switch still going strong after replacing the clogged up cooling fans ~8 years ago), but it's been a long time since I bought anything new from them.

Unfortunately, very few names outside of the truly "enterprise" space can be guaranteed to have quality stuff. They all have a range of products. You do generally get what you pay for, though, at least to some degree.

Both of the devices I identified by model number above are access points ONLY. They will not to any IP level routing, so if you're replacing a "home router", you'll need either a different product or another box to act as your router.

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #10 on:** February 24, 2011, 02:39:27 pm »

Yeah, it's a home router....

What about something like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122326

MonMotha · « **Reply #11 on:** February 24, 2011, 03:08:56 pm »

Tough to say. It's a decidedly consumer grade device, but it's a higher end consumer grade device. I guess you can play the lottery

My experience has been that most of the $50-100 devices last "about a year or so" these days before they essentially die (usually the failure is like what you described in your first post). Price isn't a perfect indicator of quality, but the old adage of "you get what you pay for" does seem to have some merit with networking gear.

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #12 on:** February 24, 2011, 03:11:43 pm »

FWIW, my current router is around 6 years old...

Donkbaca · « **Reply #13 on:** February 24, 2011, 04:14:07 pm »

6 years is about their lifespan, after 6 years of witnessing all the depraved things that flow through them, they kill themselves.

ChadTower · « **Reply #14 on:** February 24, 2011, 04:28:11 pm »

This does remind me that my router and modem are both like 7 years old.

hyiu · « **Reply #15 on:** February 24, 2011, 05:29:50 pm »

my linksys router freeze up for no reason some time ago...
its about 5-6 yrs old...

instead of replacing it... I bought a $15 clip-on-table-edge fan, and blow at the DSL modem and the router 24/7...

no more problems for now...

but my basement signal is kinda weak (router on 2nd floor)...
thinking of upgrading to a N band....

any good suggestions ??

Thanks,

MonMotha · « **Reply #16 on:** February 24, 2011, 09:38:23 pm »

The old stuff lasts longer

My Linksys WAP11 still works as well as it did 10 years ago... Of course, it never worked all that well, but it still works!

Most of the POS "Linksys by Cisco" devices I've known people to have bought over the past couple years have pretty much all died the same type of death.
Most WRT54Gs that I've seen in "commercial" use have died, but many of the residential use ones of various vintages remain. Again, older ones seem to have longer lifespan. Probably too much cost reduction going on as the series progressed.

Of course, YMMV. If they all died immediately, nobody would buy them. Some will actually work for a while. Some are probably DoA

newmanfamilyvlogs · « **Reply #17 on:** February 25, 2011, 06:00:10 am »

The Linksys WRT54GL is still a pretty solid choice. Newegg had them for $50USD/free shipping last time I looked.
They can be 'upgraded' with the DD-WRT to give you more fine grained control over the settings as well (though for basic use this is unnecessary)

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #18 on:** February 25, 2011, 07:00:10 am »

My current one is a WRT54G that I flashed with Tomato

newmanfamilyvlogs · « **Reply #19 on:** February 25, 2011, 08:14:33 am »

They've changed the specs a few times on that model, and in recent years separated it into the G and GL model. The L is the one that can be flashed to the open firmware. If it gets you another 6 years for $50, that seems pretty reasonable to me.

leapinlew · « **Reply #20 on:** February 25, 2011, 09:01:32 am »

I had a similar issue with a Rangemax router. I upgraded the firmware and it's working fine again (going on 2 months without a disconnect).

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #21 on:** February 25, 2011, 09:02:50 am »

I turned the transmit power back down to default this morning, gonna see if that makes less heat, and better connections... if not, time for a new one I think.

yotsuya · « **Reply #22 on:** February 25, 2011, 09:18:19 am »

I bought a D-Link at the Fry's on Thunderbird about a year ago to replace my failing Linksys (I had to powercycle it daily near the end there). The new one has been flawless. I got the wireless-N one because I have a few devices that use it. So far, so good!

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #23 on:** February 25, 2011, 10:09:51 am »

I used to go through routers every year or so for the longest time. I tried netgear, belkin, linksys, along with one or two other brands, but they all died fairly quick. I eventually got a BUFFALO WHR-HP-G54 router, and it's been going strong for 5+ years. I picked up another one about 2 years ago and use it as a bridge to extend the wireless downstairs. It's kind of funny because the router has actually gotten more expensive over the years, I bought my first one for $35 and now it's around $60.

ark_ader · « **Reply #24 on:** February 25, 2011, 04:35:16 pm »

Quote from: AtomSmasher on February 25, 2011, 10:09:51 am

I used to go through routers every year or so for the longest time. I tried netgear, belkin, linksys, along with one or two other brands, but they all died fairly quick. I eventually got a BUFFALO WHR-HP-G54 router, and it's been going strong for 5+ years. I picked up another one about 2 years ago and use it as a bridge to extend the wireless downstairs. It's kind of funny because the router has actually gotten more expensive over the years, I bought my first one for $35 and now it's around $60.

+1

I used to use these in bridged mode for the lounge media devices. I changed to powerline as I got solid (slightly more secure) connections. The G54s rock and never overheat. Another brand I suggest is Trendnet. I got them real cheap at Frys and they are still working after 6 years or so. I also like these (when the prices go down) new toys.

ChadTower · « **Reply #25 on:** March 01, 2011, 11:38:20 am »

Quote from: ChadTower on February 24, 2011, 04:28:11 pm

This does remind me that my router and modem are both like 7 years old.

Ironically this morning my net connection was dead. Modem getting no traffic at all from the outside. Seems to actually work, though. Bill is current. After a bunch of digging (from another location) on Comcast's website I discover my modem was end of lifed and is no longer allowed on their network. It was actually end of lifed 18 months ago when they phased out DOCSIS 1. They sent out replacement modems to everyone except apparently me. No notification that they were going to kill my service, either. Especially annoying given that it's a leased modem. For the last couple of years it appears I've been getting half the speed I am paying for because of the ancient modem and for the last year the connection cycling has been my modem fighting to stay on a network that was telling it to smeg off.

Sigh. Comcast's customer service blows. I have a DOCSIS 3 modem overnighting from Newegg. Now to argue with them about getting my speed tier brought up to par with my sub package. Apparently they only do that if you complain, too.

leapinlew · « **Reply #26 on:** March 01, 2011, 01:57:58 pm »

Quote from: ChadTower on March 01, 2011, 11:38:20 am

they only do that if you complain, too.

Same with lowering the bill

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #27 on:** March 01, 2011, 02:24:29 pm »

Well, I bought a new WRT54GL (flashable) from Newegg for $50 shipped. Did some checking, my last one lasted around 8 years, not 6... so not a bad run.

SavannahLion · « **Reply #28 on:** March 01, 2011, 11:08:50 pm »

Comcast/xfinity sucks royal ass. I moved two blocks down and Comcast told me my modem wouldn't work at the new house because it was on a different network. Despite my argument that it worked beautifully and I got better speeds. But no... they say, its not possible. They forced me to close my old account after two weeks and open a new account. Too bad the new account needed a new ---smurfing--- modem. Too bad the new modem was in shortage for two ---smurfing--- weeks. Too bad the "activation" software worked only in Windows prompting a "repair technician" to come out two weeks later.

Did I get any sort of refund for my troubles? Nope, nothing and I complained like Hell. All I got was a "reduced" rate for six months.

Comcast pulls all sorts of stupid ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- with their customers. If your hardware fails, you have to go clear across town M-F 9-5 to get it exchanged out. If your digital tv is incompatible with their digital service you're allowed a maximum of two basic boxes. Except you have to clear across town to get them.

I would be more than happy to ditch their ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- tastic service but they're the only high speed provider in town and they know it. Why someone won't swoop in and literally soak up their dissatisfied customers is beyond me. The fiberoptics are in place but they've been dark since they were installed. Go figure.

drventure · « **Reply #29 on:** March 01, 2011, 11:17:28 pm »

That sucks. I had comcast, had to switch to timewarner when I moved, but I jumped to Verizon Fios as soon as they fiber was lit in the neighborhood (and they started offering a sweet deal to sign up for phone/tv/inet).

Took a while, but they've been great, They even came out after I'd been hit by lightning and replaced EVERYTHING free of charge. I'm normally no fan of cable services but Verizon has been spot on with FIOS, except for one irritation. They're "normal" tuner box automatically turns itself off after a few hours, so TIVO's won't work with them. You have to get their DVR for the tuner to stay on all the time so TIVO will work.

But I'll likely be upgrading to a HD Tivo with a cable card here pretty soon, so hopefully that won't be an issue. And when I complained, they gave me their HD DVR for free, so they at least made up for it.

newmanfamilyvlogs · « **Reply #30 on:** March 02, 2011, 05:36:44 am »

Quote from: drventure on March 01, 2011, 11:17:28 pm

That sucks. I had comcast, had to switch to timewarner when I moved, but I jumped to Verizon Fios as soon as they fiber was lit in the neighborhood (and they started offering a sweet deal to sign up for phone/tv/inet).

Took a while, but they've been great, They even came out after I'd been hit by lightning and replaced EVERYTHING free of charge. I'm normally no fan of cable services but Verizon has been spot on with FIOS, except for one irritation. They're "normal" tuner box automatically turns itself off after a few hours, so TIVO's won't work with them. You have to get their DVR for the tuner to stay on all the time so TIVO will work.

But I'll likely be upgrading to a HD Tivo with a cable card here pretty soon, so hopefully that won't be an issue. And when I complained, they gave me their HD DVR for free, so they at least made up for it.

have you seen these?
http://www.cetoncorp.com/products.php

It's a 4 tuner cablecard pcie card.

ChadTower · « **Reply #31 on:** March 02, 2011, 09:15:59 am »

Quote from: SavannahLion on March 01, 2011, 11:08:50 pm

I would be more than happy to ditch their ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- tastic service but they're the only high speed provider in town and they know it.

Same here. No other wired broadband options. DSL is available down the street but not to me. Verizon has been promising FIOS for years but still nothing. Price is high, too, because I have DirecTV and can't bundle it.

boykster · « **Reply #32 on:** March 04, 2011, 02:16:27 pm »

Quote from: cotmm68030 on March 02, 2011, 05:36:44 am

have you seen these?
http://www.cetoncorp.com/products.php

It's a 4 tuner cablecard pcie card.

That seems almost too good to be true - a quad tuner that uses only a single cablecard? That's sweet! If it wasn't $400 I'd buy one in a second to test out....

EightBySix · « **Reply #33 on:** March 04, 2011, 02:43:43 pm »

Quote from: AtomSmasher on February 25, 2011, 10:09:51 am

I used to go through routers every year or so for the longest time. I tried netgear, belkin, linksys, along with one or two other brands, but they all died fairly quick. I eventually got a BUFFALO WHR-HP-G54 router, and it's been going strong for 5+ years. I picked up another one about 2 years ago and use it as a bridge to extend the wireless downstairs. It's kind of funny because the router has actually gotten more expensive over the years, I bought my first one for $35 and now it's around $60.

+1

I used to go through a router every year or two, failing with similar symptoms. I a new one that was on pc pro A list and although it was 2x the cost of the others (and I tried lynksis, buffallo etc) it's been rock solid and is already saving me money . It's a draytek, dunno if it's uk specific.

ChadTower · « **Reply #34 on:** March 08, 2011, 10:31:17 am »

What a nightmare that was. It took Comcast 4 phone calls and a visit from two techs just to swap my damn modem. They never did figure out how to get the modem I bought out of their walled garden despite it being on their approved hardware list. Made me drive to an office to get an older modem and gave me the wrong power supply with it. I had two techs in my house for two hours. One playing pinball the other on the phone swearing at his own central tech support people. Finally they both leave without resolving the issue. Eventually they must have figured out whatever account issue was wrong because my service became active without notification later that night.

At least now my net speed is about 5x faster because I was supposed to be upgraded two years ago and they never mentioned it. Having a simple modem swap turn out to be several hours of ordeal and on site support is just inexcusable.

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #35 on:** March 20, 2011, 06:17:06 pm »

Well, the new router is doing the exact same thing as the old one... spotty connections, poor speeds, etc (wired computers still have excellent speed, so its not an ISP issue).

Even tried hooking up the old router downstairs in wireless ethernet bridge mode, still not helping.

Ready to give ethernet over powerline a shot. I know they got mentioned in this thread, has anyone else tried them?

SavannahLion · « **Reply #36 on:** March 20, 2011, 10:16:55 pm »

Quote from: ChadTower on March 08, 2011, 10:31:17 am

What a nightmare that was. It took Comcast 4 phone calls and a visit from two techs just to swap my damn modem. They never did figure out how to get the modem I bought out of their walled garden despite it being on their approved hardware list. Made me drive to an office to get an older modem and gave me the wrong power supply with it. I had two techs in my house for two hours. One playing pinball the other on the phone swearing at his own central tech support people. Finally they both leave without resolving the issue. Eventually they must have figured out whatever account issue was wrong because my service became active without notification later that night.

At least now my net speed is about 5x faster because I was supposed to be upgraded two years ago and they never mentioned it. Having a simple modem swap turn out to be several hours of ordeal and on site support is just inexcusable.

That's actually very typical of the ~~Comcast~~ Xfinity technicians that arrive at your home to do the repairs. I have a myriad of horrors dealing with their onsite techs. The only one that actually did anything right didn't even belong to Comcast but to @Home. Figured out that Comcast installers ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- up on my cable and let water into the wiring which caused no end of problems to my connection. It took the @Home technician only thirty minutes of testing to find the problem which the Comcast morons couldn't figure out after multiple trips and wasted hours. They finally declared my TV at fault which was a boatload of utter crap.

Chad, what do you do to find a modem on the approved list? I've browsed their craptastic site and never been able to find information on that. Comcast has been forcing me to "rent" their modem for a long time now and never, not once, ever mentioned a purchase option.

SavannahLion · « **Reply #37 on:** March 20, 2011, 10:22:04 pm »

edit:

Oh ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- duh, I was looking in the wrong category. I found the list of "approved" modems at http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/

Strange that :censored:cast says you must lease a DOCSIS3.0 modem but they list about a dozen on that page. That doesn't really make much sense. Chad, did you get a DOCSIS3.0 modem?

My GF has been asking me to buy a replacement modem so I don't have to be screwed with those extra fees. What do you think I should look at first?

whammoed · « **Reply #38 on:** March 21, 2011, 10:32:35 am »

I just put in this DOCSIS3.0 modem:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825115054&Tpk=N82E16825115054
Works great so far. You do have to call to have them activate the new modem of course. Was getting download speeds of about 9mbs with the old DOCSIS2.0 modem and now get about 17mbs which is more than I'm actually supposed to. Doesn't make sense since the DOCSIS2.0 is supposed to have plenty of bandwidth for these speeds but it is what it is.


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