Wireless Router Signal Stops & Starts

[joe84780]

I'm at a complete loss here on how to fix this.

Yesterday, I started to lose connection to my home wireless network router intermittently on my laptop. My laptop would freeze/disconnect from the network every few minutes then re-establish. Today it's still doing the same thing. I figured it's probably my 7-8 year old linksys wireless router finally crapping out on me. My son has a laptop connected wirelessly to the same network and his was having the same problem. We also have 3 wifi phones in the house that couldn't keep a signal attached to the network either. I could however connect to the router/internet no problem with an ethernet cable off both the wireless router and comcast modem. It's gotta be the wireless signal coming from the router that's the problem...right?

Well I went to Best Buy and bought a new wireless router and installed it and NO CHANGE. I still can't connect wirelessly on any device in my house for more than a few minutes before it drops the connection. Again, I can connect via an ethernet cable. There's been no changes in my house? No new cordless or bluetooth devices. I'm stumped.

Anyone have a clue what might be wrong here?

[manuelcardenas77]

Sounds like its your provider. Have u called them to check the signal?

[BigFatGuy]

could be bad power. wireless systems are sensitive to voltage fluctuations. Try using a different power jack, or using a UPS backup power system. (the small models by APC are more then enough for a networking POP)

[JDay]

Could be interference, try changing the wireless channel.

[SouperMan]

Hmm. Is there a new router in the neighborhood operating on the same channel? I had something similar happen before, but I switched channels and the issue went away.

[den888]

Yep, try to change the wireless channel.

[joe84780]

It's not Comcasts fault. I can get internet no prob when hooked up to either the modem or router via an ethernet cable.

I already tried the channel change and that did nothing. I even downloaded a program to check out th signals of my neighbors to make sure I wasn't on thesame channel and I wasn't.

Last step is to move the cable modem and router to a new room and see what happens. It's been in the spot for 1.5 years with no problems though.

I'm completely frustrated by this. Spent hours trying to figure this out and it makes no sense.

[joe84780]

Well, it appears that moving the modem and router to a new room fixed the signal problem. Jeez, I think I spenk 5 or 6 hours trying to figure this out. After a year and a half in the same spot, the router suddenly decides it doesn't like its accomodations and wants to move. WTF???? LOL!

[SouperMan]

Well, it appears that moving the modem and router to a new room fixed the signal problem. Jeez, I think I spenk 5 or 6 hours trying to figure this out. After a year and a half in the same spot, the router suddenly decides it doesn't like its accomodations and wants to move. WTF???? LOL!

Must have been that solar flare activity!

[JDay]

It's been in the spot for 1.5 years with no problems though.

Well, it appears that moving the modem and router to a new room fixed the signal problem. Jeez, I think I spenk 5 or 6 hours trying to figure this out. After a year and a half in the same spot, the router suddenly decides it doesn't like its accomodations and wants to move. WTF???? LOL!

There are many things that can interfere with an access point. New cell towers, police radar guns, new radar installation in the area, military exercises, 2.4Ghz wireless phones, microwaves, etc. There are paints and wallpapers that you can use to shield the inside of your house from this interference.

[the86d]

[joe84780]

Well so much for fixing it. That lasted less than a day and now same problem all over again.

It's affecting all my wireless devices. 2 laptops and 3 phones. I've tried 2 different routers with 2 different types of encryption WEP and WPA2. Same problem with each router. Signal drops every 30 seconds or so now. Either slows down to a crawl or I disconnect all together.

I'm fine when connect to the router(s) via a cat5 cable, but the second I switch to straight wireless, it starts to fade in and out.


I'm at a complete loss as to how to fix this. After 1.5 years I suddenly have no more wireless network at my house???

[JDay]

What make/model is the router?

[odysseus]

Don't jump forward too fast. Briefly for basics first: wifi analysis tool on laptop/smartphone. Check 2.4ghz wifi environment. Something odd there? Get on router. It should be logging errors and signal/noise issues, is something looking bad there?

[JDay]

Don't jump forward too fast. Briefly for basics first: wifi analysis tool on laptop/smartphone. Check 2.4ghz wifi environment. Something odd there? Get on router. It should be logging errors and signal/noise issues, is something looking bad there?

And this is just the app for that. Although if you want a complete spectrum analysis you will need the hardware dongle too.

http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/

http://www.metageek.net/products/wi-spy/