The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Router and modem problems
Talka
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm not very good with routers and modems and internets, so apologies if any of this sounds ignorant or newb-ish or whatever.
My roommate ordered Comcast's cable internet service (their cheapest option, "economy internet service," advertising "downloads up to 1.5 Mbps") and purchased a router (a "LevelOne WBR-6002," a brand I'd never heard of). I've fiddled with the settings as best as I could, but my internet connection is terrible. It's passable when it's connected (not good at all, it's just about a hair too slow to stream Hulu.com, for instance), but what's really troubling me is that the connection dies every 90 seconds or so before coming back on its own 45 seconds later. I have a recent Macbook Pro, for what it's worth, which I understand is capable of 802.11n, as is my router. I have my router set to 802.11n only, its channel set to "auto," and its bandwidth set to "20 MHZ + 40 MHZ auto." Whatever options I fiddle with, the connection dies every 90 seconds, and then I need to disconnect and reconnect or just wait 45 seconds to get my connection back. It makes streaming videos impossible, and I get disconnected from Starcraft II games just about every time I play. Any idea what could be going wrong here? Are there options I can try fiddling with? Do I need a better router?
A second issue is that when I had two people trying to play Starcraft II through our moden during peak hours, the modem itself would reset four minutes into a game (this is the hardware Comcast brought in and installed, I think it's called a modem). Is this a Comcast service issue? What could be causing this?
I would like to add that whoever designs routers should be shot in the face. I'm generally a pretty technically savvy guy, but the set-up process and the manuals for this things are beyond incomprehensible. Jesus, techy writers. You could not be worse at your job.
My roommate ordered Comcast's cable internet service (their cheapest option, "economy internet service," advertising "downloads up to 1.5 Mbps") and purchased a router (a "LevelOne WBR-6002," a brand I'd never heard of). I've fiddled with the settings as best as I could, but my internet connection is terrible. It's passable when it's connected (not good at all, it's just about a hair too slow to stream Hulu.com, for instance), but what's really troubling me is that the connection dies every 90 seconds or so before coming back on its own 45 seconds later. I have a recent Macbook Pro, for what it's worth, which I understand is capable of 802.11n, as is my router. I have my router set to 802.11n only, its channel set to "auto," and its bandwidth set to "20 MHZ + 40 MHZ auto." Whatever options I fiddle with, the connection dies every 90 seconds, and then I need to disconnect and reconnect or just wait 45 seconds to get my connection back. It makes streaming videos impossible, and I get disconnected from Starcraft II games just about every time I play. Any idea what could be going wrong here? Are there options I can try fiddling with? Do I need a better router?
A second issue is that when I had two people trying to play Starcraft II through our moden during peak hours, the modem itself would reset four minutes into a game (this is the hardware Comcast brought in and installed, I think it's called a modem). Is this a Comcast service issue? What could be causing this?
I would like to add that whoever designs routers should be shot in the face. I'm generally a pretty technically savvy guy, but the set-up process and the manuals for this things are beyond incomprehensible. Jesus, techy writers. You could not be worse at your job.
Talka on
0
Posts
If you do contact technical support over this, save yourself the headache and let them know this will require a technician on-site to discover any metallic faults in the cable outside. If this is an apartment or community dwelling, then it may be the crossbox. Faulty wiring there can definitely cause issues. But either way, I promise you it isn't the modem or the router.
I would recommend taking the router out of the equation for a test...if you have something you know will break on the wireless, repeat that usage directly connected to the modem. If all of a sudden the problem goes away, either something is up with the wireless or the router itself is crap.
This is the next step I think:
So it looks like the router is the big problem here. I've tried fiddling with the channels, the 802.11 mode, and the bandwidth. Those are basically the only router settings I know about. Do I just have a shitty router that can't handle all the interference from networks set up around my apartment building?
There are still problems with Comcast, like when the modem kept resetting during peak hours when my friend and I tried to play Starcraft 2. But the disconnects every 90 seconds are the big problem, and that appears to be my router.
Help?
Even using the laptop in the living room, 3 feet from the router, a stable connection is impossible. It fluctuates from 3mbps to 300mbps, never staying constant, and dropping every 5 minutes. I resolved myself to never being able to use wireless in the building. Its just not gonna happen.
Check out my band, click the banner.
First check and make sure that your service is guaranteed instead of best effort. If it's best effort, that basically means that if you ever have the opportunity to get 1.5mbps, that is as fast as you can go, otherwise it will fluctuate.
Sounds like it could be an issue with the signal strength or an issue with your drop.
Also, as mentioned above, make sure it's not your wireless connection dying instead of the modem.