Tech help - intermittent wifi signal

[nkotb]

Hey gang-
Hoping someone can help. I'm struggling with our home wifi.  Seems our signal is super hit or miss...it can go as high at 13-14mbps down to 1 or less at times, seemingly at random.  I can't say when it started exactly, but it's a been a while.  It's much more noticeable now that we're streaming almost everything. 

At first, I thought it was just an issue with Verizon, using XXX, so we tried a few fixes and even got a new wireless router...nothing helped.  Getting frustrated, we're currently trying out Comcast.  Faster speeds when it's up, but even this one drops a good bit.

Did a little research online and tried switching the channels.  But using Wifi Stumbler shows we're wide open on the channel we're using.  Granted, I don't see signals for our wireless phones and baby monitor, so i'm not sure how to check those channels for interference.

Otherwise, we do have a bunch of devices that use our wifi, but it's never more than two or three at a time, and we're never streaming multiple things at once.

Any ideas? I can't really accept the fact that it just doesn't work at our location.

thanks!

[StoneTheCrow]

2 quickies: Was the new router thru Verizon or purchased yourself?  Is the router in an optimal spot?

Having issues with Verizon myself and am considering a new router and moving it.

[hutch]

i've had issues like this where i'm convinced the issue is the computer and not the router...

[nkotb]

It was through Verizon (two of them, actually) and one from Comcast.  All the same issues.

The spot is pretty ideal, but even when we had it on our upstairs level, we had the same issues with a Sony streaming media box no more than five feet away.

2 quickies: Was the new router thru Verizon or purchased yourself?  Is the router in an optimal spot?

Having issues with Verizon myself and am considering a new router and moving it.

[StoneTheCrow]

From what i've gathered the Verizon routers are not great. Verizon,  of course,  insists that their routers are not the problem.

[hutch]

if the wifi was fine one day and problematic the next and you replaced the routers and you still have problem i think the problem is not the verizon router but the computer..

i had a computer last year that after a year or two of being fine suddenly started having a lot of problems ...then i started using a netbook that has never had any problems..

is it just one computer or many having the problems?

[RatBastard]

What modem do you have?  All VZ customers that I know have a Actiontec MI424WR which has a built in wifi router.  It works flawlessly here.  If you re using an older VZ modem have them upgrade you to one that includes wifi so you do not need a stand alone router.

[atomicfront]

What brand router do you have?  I had a cheap Belkin and had issues  this happened all.the time.  Got a NetGear and no longer have any issues

[vansmack]

Slow down everybody. What you experience has generally nothing to do with what nkotb might be experiencing as everybody's environment is different-

Let's approach this a little more scientifically.

Inventory first:

Make/model number of the modem.
Make/Model number of the wireless router.
Make/model number of devices that can't connect consistently.
Do you have any wireless devices that can connect consistently?
Do you have any wired devices that suffer from inconsistent connection, or is it just the wireless devices? And are they  plugged into the wireless router or ports on the modem?

[reggie]

not sure if this is helpful at all:
might be worth examining the signal strength from your cables (I guess they are the co-axial looking cables that connect to your cable box and modem). i had some issues with comcast and it turned out that the apartment needed to be re-wired.

[Got Haggis?]

are you able to change the wifi channel on your router?  If there are quite a few other wifi signals around your house using the same channel it can cause this behavior. 

in order to change the channel, you would have to go to the routers admin page in a web browser. It will probably be something like http://192.168.10.1 or http://192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 - something along those lines (you can tell by looking at your computers ip address)

of course if you got it from verizon, who knows what the username/password is.  you would probably have to call them up.

[nkotb]

Ok, I've been way too busy to deal with this but thanks for the follow-ups everyone.

Anyway, to answer your questions, smackie:

Make/model number of the modem.
Make/Model number of the wireless router.
--------------

Arris Interactive, L.L.C. TG862G


Make/model number of devices that can't connect consistently.
--------------

It's basically everything we have:

Xbox
HP Pavillion g series laptop
Apple iPhone 4S 16GB
Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
Kindle Fire
Sony Network Media Play SMP-N200 (two of them)


Do you have any wireless devices that can connect consistently?
--------------

Generally they do...but when the connect dips, they all seem to dip together.


Do you have any wired devices that suffer from inconsistent connection, or is it just the wireless devices?
--------------

Seems they generally work pretty well...but of course, we're not on them all day long connected to our home wireless network.  Generally, we notice the issue with connectivity in the evening, after the kids are in bed (9ish or so) when we finally get to unwind and watch something on Hulu/Netflix, it can go anywhere from 11 - 15 mbps to under 2 (the Sony player seems to always be lowest...around .02 mbps when the dips occur).

Nothing else seems to be on the same channel, and using Meraki's Wifi Stumbler, I'm almost always seeing 100% connection. 

The modem/wireless signal is located on the ground floor, with devices on the top floor and basement.  Again, normally they're fine...but these downward dips happen and everything crawls.  And even when the modem was a few feet from one of the Sony devices (the one we use the most in the bedroom), the same thing would happen.


And are they  plugged into the wireless router or ports on the modem?
--------------

None are plugged directly to it...in the central location that it's located, nothing is really close enough to directly connect, but I could certainly try that.  When we had Verizon months ago, they had me test a direct connection and it worked when the dips where occuring in the wireless signal.

I feel there HAS to be something interfering, but I have no clue how to find it.

[vansmack]

Ok, I've been way too busy to deal with this but thanks for the follow-ups everyone.

Anyway, to answer your questions, smackie:

I don't think it's interference.  I would do two things:

(1) plug something into to one of the wired ports and stream a TV show over the LAN just to make sure it's not your internet connection.  If that is solid for 30 minutes to an hour, we can eliminate that.  If it doesn't, then the problem is not your wifi, but your internet connection.

(2) In my eyes, the drop outs are happening far too consistently to be interference, especially if the channels are clear.  I suspect that something is wrong with the wireless part of your modem.  Were they unwilling to replace it or have you already tried that?