Wifi Troubleshooting

[strife]

So, my issue is that my wifi is spotty at times in my house and I can't seem to figure out why.  My internet connection is generally good(just tested my connection and getting 150+  mbps down, 6 up)

I've had comcast out and they say the connection is good.  My computer connected directly to my router always has a good connection.  The issue is my wifi.

I was using my own modem and router(Links to the hardware) and was having this issue, so I went to comcast and got their modem/router combo to see if it was a hardware issue.  Well it doesn't appear to be hardware as I'm having the same issue with their hardware. 

I do have a lot of devices connected to wifi(5 echo dots, 2 fire TV sticks, 3 smart light bulbs, 2 ring cameras, 1 ring doorbell, 3 cell phones, and at anytime 2-3 tablets/laptops, Xbox, 1 PC).  Now granted, these aren't all actively connecting to the wifi to transfer data at any time.  Hardwired I have 1 PC, 1 ooma phone which is daisy chained to my ring alarm, 1 laptop and then I have a Powerline Network adapter that is plugged into the wall that sends network connection up to my wife's computer which is upstairs, which means her PC is also hard wired.  

The wifi sometimes works great and then a few minutes later, it will shit the bed.

Could this just be router placement?  I don't really have a lot of room to move my router because of the outlet on the wall being right behind my , but it sits generally on my computer desk, which is relatively close to my PC and by my monitors, it is also located fairly close to an external brick wall and is down stairs in the south west corner of my house.  The only way to really move it further away from my desk to a more centralized location, is to buy a lot of really long cables and either just run them along the wall, or do more serious construction and hide them behind Sheetrock... 

Most of my connections have an RSSI level of between -50 and -91 which my understanding is fair to almost unusable.  Even if I stick my phone 2 inches away from my router, the best connection it gets is -48   The two worst RSSI levels are my son's echo dot and lightbulb which are in the south east side of my house, upstairs.  

Thoughts/Suggestions?  Thanks for the help

[Slamz]

One tip is that router antennas' weak spot is if you point the antenna directly at the target. Signals should be coming in to the side of the antenna, not the "top". This is why some routers have more than one antenna -- so you can orient at least one of them correctly for all devices.

You could try a wifi booster but I've never used any. Separate device you can plug in to some other room to boost the signal.

You could also try to futz with the channel (https://www.metageek.com/training/resour...-6-11.html) although unless you're in an apartment complex that's probably not it.

You might even just try moving the router a few feet away from your desk (or even hold it up or put it on the floor and see if that makes a difference). See if proximity to the computer and monitors is messing with the signal.

[Arsilon]

a) router positioning and antenna orientation matter -- even slight movements can make a significant difference (see my note below regarding my setup)
b) number of other devices you have will create interference; keep in mind that WiFi connections are only half duplex so the more connections you have the more issues you will have with communication back and forth backing up.
c) also be aware what other electronic devices not connecting to your WiFi router you have running as they can also create interference in the same frequency ranges that your WiFi network is using, eg cordless phones, microwave ovens, blue-tooth, etc.
d) you can also get electrical interference to your WiFi signal if you have the router too close to other electronic devices (too close to your monitor and computers for example) or even the electrical wiring in your walls. While this level of interference is obviously less than you would have if you were right next to high voltage main transmission lines, it might be enough to just skew your connection performance.

I have had similar issues with my home set-up and have relatively poor ISP options given I live in the middle of nowhere (as many of you know who have had to deal with playing games with me at times). I run my gaming rig via WiFi because I can't run a wire to where the DSL comes in without running wires across the house and up/downstairs or do some construction to run something through the walls/ceiling/floor.

I finally have a network setup that I don't see the connection issues I used to (the ones inside my house --- I still have periodic issues with the DSL lines outside my house but that is a different question). I ended up buying a different wireless router that has multiple antennas (4 instead of just 2) so I could orient them in different directions and that seemed to improve things significantly.

Coincidentally, I have also recently been looking at the possibility of using a PowerLine connection to run to where my PC is; I recently re-did my son's setup so he is now able to connect directly to the router via Ethernet but still trying to figure out what my options are for my PC. I would be curious to what your thoughts are on that with your wife's machine via the PowerLine connection. Given my internet connection is capped at 10MB I am still gated by that pipe but was wondering if there was enough latency, packet loss from interference, etc. that it would still be worthwhile trying to sort some sort of pseudo-hardwired connection. Are there other issues with that type of connection that offset any advantage I would have? Any limitations I need to be aware of? Are these devices full duplex?

Any thoughts or recommendations you have on that sidebar would be appreciated.

[Arsilon]

Oh and one other thing, in some of my previous attempts to improve my own network and to get coverage into the far back of my house when my mother comes to visit I have used range extenders. We also have one at our vacation house to reach the far upstairs bedroom.

It works for straight access to the internet just fine. I have found it does introduce a bit of latency such that you will likely notice it for gaming and perhaps get some buffering if you are trying to stream. But if all you are looking to do is get consistent WiFi signal, they serve that purpose just fine. That being said, this also assumes you have solved your base issue of keeping a consistent connection to your primary router from the range extender itself. I had to move one of my range extenders around to several spots before I found a place it could keep a stable connection in the first place before it became reliable.

[strife]

I do have a wifi booster, it's down stairs on the north side of my house(modem/router on south side). I'll try moving my router/modem and see if that helps, it's just hard to do. The comcast router/modem doesn't have antenna's on it(my equipment that I'm not currently using does).

As for the powerline adapter. They seem to work relatively well. Mine is an Actiontec, 500BMPS kit(Model PWR500). I've had mine for a couple years and the connection seems to be adequate for what my wife does and generally it seems to be online. It drops every once in a while but for the most part seems to be good. Her computer is on the north side of my house upstairs and the router and other side of the power line adapter is on the south side and down stairs, so it has to travel a pretty good ways to get any connection.

[Snowreap]

There are two things I do to improve wireless performance:

1. Location: I use a dedicated wireless access point (WAP) rather than a router. In practice this means I buy a wireless router and simply leave the WAN port disconnected. I place the WAP somewhere centrally located so that I'll have reasonably good reception everywhere. The WAP is connected to my actual router using a wired connection.

2. Signal Strength: There are 2 options here. First, the stubby antennas the WAP comes with can often be replaced with longer higher-gain antennas. Second, you can get a WAP with more antennas so that you can avoid blind spots (a typical WiFi antenna has a doughnut-shaped radiation pattern, so if the antenna is pointed vertically you'll have a dead zone directly above and below. When I was using a WRT54GL as a WAP it had 2 antennas which I replaced with longer high-gain antennas. I'm currently using a WRT1900ACS as a WAP; it has 4 antennas so I am able to get good coverage just reorienting them, so I don't have to upgrade them.

If it's not possible/practical to have a single centrally located WAP there's a solution in that case too. I haven't tried these myself yet, but I hear very good things about Ubiquiti WAPs. With these you can set them up in multiple locations and they will seamlessly hand off and/or forward traffic between them as you roam around the house. If they are all wired it's simply a hand-off, but if any of them are not wired they will forward traffic wirelessly from one access point to the next (like a repeater network).

[Arsilon]

As for the powerline adapter.  They seem to work relatively well.  Mine is an Actiontec, 500BMPS kit(Model PWR500). I've had mine for a couple years and the connection seems to be adequate for what my wife does and generally it seems to be online.  It drops every once in a while but for the most part seems to be good.  Her computer is on the north side of my house upstairs and the router and other side of the power line adapter is on the south side and down stairs, so it has to travel a pretty good ways to get any connection.

Does she do any gaming?  Any idea what causes the drops?  I would never game using the range extender for example if I could at all help it.  Is the powerline connection worse than just dealing with WiFi where latency and/or packet loss matters?

[strife]

As for the powerline adapter.  They seem to work relatively well.  Mine is an Actiontec, 500BMPS kit(Model PWR500). I've had mine for a couple years and the connection seems to be adequate for what my wife does and generally it seems to be online.  It drops every once in a while but for the most part seems to be good.  Her computer is on the north side of my house upstairs and the router and other side of the power line adapter is on the south side and down stairs, so it has to travel a pretty good ways to get any connection.

Does she do any gaming?  Any idea what causes the drops?  I would never game using the range extender for example if I could at all help it.  Is the powerline connection worse than just dealing with WiFi where latency and/or packet loss matters?

No she doesn't do any gaming, she just uses it for internet and stuff like that.  You can get the adapters for less than $50; you should just buy one and try it out and it doesn't seem to be working for you, just return it. 

I just asked her how often her internet goes down and she said it's generally pretty good, the times when it's gone down recently it turned out that it was because the adapter was turned off(probably due to a power outage) and she was actually on wifi, not the powerline adapter.  Once I turned the adapter back on she was good. 

I just ran an internet speed test on her computer, and she's only getting like 2-4 MBPS download(where I'm getting 100+).  My powerline adapter says it's a 500+ mbps, but her computer is really far away.  2-4 MBPS may not be enough for gaming... weird though, she's getting like 4-5 upload which is all I get as well.

[Crice]

I bought a new router and life is good. It was a $300 investment but all our shit streams better at our home and life is good.

Although I am supposed to have 12Mbps up and see only 6.93Mbps... My download is 37.4Mbps

[Diggles]

CompTIA Network+ knowledge speaking here....

Place Router in center of the house and aim antenna's perpendicular to direction you want range to cover.

I assume you have a dual band router. 2.4ghz for wireless G speed slow cheap devices and and 5ghz for wireless N and faster. Make sure you have 2 networks setup, and that the 5ghz is set for N/AC and faster speeds and does not allow G devices to connect, as wifi network will operate on the slowest speed of devices connected. Have all the slow devices connect to the 2.4 and set the protocol to Wireless G.

I just name my wifi_name and wifi_name+ (+ to indicate faster speed) but most conventions is to name them 2g & 5g suffixes.

When you having issues, consider a firmware update and/or factory reset before you go out and buy a new router.

[strife]

CompTIA Network+ knowledge speaking here....

Place Router in center of the house and aim antenna's perpendicular to direction you want range to cover.

I assume you have a dual band router.  2.4ghz for wireless G speed slow cheap devices and and 5ghz for wireless N and faster.  Make sure you have 2 networks setup, and that the 5ghz is set for N/AC and faster speeds and does not allow G devices to connect, as wifi network will operate on the slowest speed of devices connected.  Have all the slow devices connect to the 2.4 and set the protocol to Wireless G.

I just name my wifi_name and wifi_name+ (+ to indicate faster speed) but most conventions is to name them 2g & 5g suffixes.

When you having issues, consider a firmware update and/or factory reset before you go out and buy a new router.

Alright I will try this. 
I bought a longer network cable, going to try and put my wireless router upstairs in the middle of my house.


I was reading on the high gain antenna's and from what I read, they are only good for one floor or something? Some of the people were saying that they aren't good for multi story houses.

[Arsilon]

Fyi, I connect via WiFi upstairs to downstairs. The antenna setup was good enough in my particular case.

[Diggles]

There are also wireless appliances like baby monitor, microwave, etc that interfere with 2.4ghz spectrum. Do you have any non wifi type devices like baby monitor or surveillance that uses radio instead of connecting to your wifi? Or did neighbors have any babies? heh

[strife]

We don't have baby monitors and my two neighbors directly beside me don't have babies and the houses behind us are relatively far away so I can't imagine that would cause an issue(not sure if they have babies either). My alarm is Ring, which my understanding uses Z-wave which from what I read runs on 800-900 mhz, so I believe won't interfere.

I'm currently running two wireless routers just testing things(I started this after having issues, so I know it's not the cause)... both are dual channel... think that would cause issues?

I am picking up 4-5 other people's wifi when I look at available connections, all of their connections are pretty low quality.

[Slamz]

That's where channel selection comes in but it's usually only an issue if you're somewhere with lots of overlapping wifi routers. You look for which channel is the clearest and set yours to that.

I used to have an Android app that showed signal strength across channels but it must have been on my old phone. No idea what it was called.

[strife]

I found an app that shows the best channels and such... so I moved my connections to different channels, but it seems that when I change mine to a channel, that channel goes from good to bad(or not as good).

From what I've been reading, evidently 5 GHZ connections don't travel well through walls very well either.

[Diggles]

Correct, 5GHZ is shorter range but faster. 2.4 is slower but better coverage. I would never mess with manual channel selection, let the router do it automatically. Have you checked for Firmware updates?

Dont run multiple routers in the same area, especially if neighbors already have stuff that you are picking up.

[strife]

Correct, 5GHZ is shorter range but faster.  2.4 is slower but better coverage.  I would never mess with manual channel selection, let the router do it automatically.  Have you checked for Firmware updates?

Dont run multiple routers in the same area, especially if neighbors already have stuff that you are picking up.

I'm having the same issue with multiple routers. I have upgraded the firmware as well. I don't think it's my hardware unless it's just bad positioning... I'll figure that out once I get my longer network cable which should be here tomorrow. 

I'm only running 2 routers right now to test the signal on them.  I'm trying to determine if my personal router is the problem.  From what I can tell, the comcast router seems to have a little stronger signal.  I have my wife pretty much being the only person using one of them, and I have most of my other devices on the other.

If relocating the router doesn't fix the problem, I may go the nuclear option and throw a bunch of $ at a more expensive router.  I've even thought about having someone come in (not comcast) and see if they can fix the issue, but I honestly don't even know who would do that.

[Diggles]

Disable all router/wifi functions on the Comcast router and/or ask for a basic modem instead. Never use provider routers

[Arsilon]

I got a PowerLine adaptor today and so far it seems to running fine up to my PC from downstairs where the DSL comes in.

Based on that I'm also going to try and run a wireless connection down in the barn as well. PowerLine from the house to the barn with a WAP there.

[strife]

I don't know what the hell to do now. Moved my router up stairs in the very middle of my house. I have a wifi meter app that test the signal and the signal seems to be good... I can literally be standing beside the router and get 0 MBPS with a strong ass signal. Makes me think my internet connection is bad, or it's an issue with my phone. My son's xbox seems to never drop when he's playing, but both mine and my wife's phones lose connection all the time.

I'm kind of at a loss right now.

[Arsilon]

And you are sure your Comcast router/modem is good? That seems to be the only constant in all of your different connection scenarios.

[strife]

And you are sure your Comcast router/modem is good?  That seems to be the only constant in all of your different connection scenarios.

I've had the same issues with both the comcast modem/router and my own personal router + Modem, so I don't think it's hardware. 

I also don't think it's comcast's connection, because my PC that is hardwired, doesn't have issues when I'm having issues with wireless.  And my hardwired connections generally gets 150+ MBPS.