Cable Forum - View Single Post - Huge wireless network issues - why are routers less reliable than a chocolate teapot?

rmwebs · 17-10-2010, 12:14

Hey folks,

I'm here asking for some input as to what could be causing us so many problems. In our house we're heavy internet users. We've got a LOT of gadgets connected up, however our home network is terribly unreliable and slow.

We use 2 netgear routers (one of which is located on a second floor, using an access point to connect to the first - mainly to provide extra signal coverage.

Over the last 10 ish years, we've gone from one of the first Belkin 802.11b routers, now through to an 802.11n router. I have no less than 20 broken/dead routers in a box.

The problems we're getting are:

Poor signal throught the house (even when standing in the same room as a router)
VERY slow connectivity (even locally)
Primary router drops DSL IP at least 2-4 times a week
Routers lock up or drop connection. Rebooting them (or updating a setting with the same values) fixes the issue.

I've tried all the usual stuff you would do to fix the issue:

Tried new routers
Tried changing signals (I've got a local signal scanner which picks up that pretty all signals are in use around here. I can detect approx 10 other networks in the area from my laptop right now)
New Ethernet cables of all types
New modem (we recently were given the new black model branded with VM)
Setting one router to 802.11n and the other to 802.11g to 'split' the devices to balance the load out a bit

Nothing seems to work and its driving me mad! I really wish we could go wired, but its not an option - it would require the entire house be rewired as like I said, we have a lot of gadgets (spread through the house).

I've put together a rough network diagram of how our local network works. To give you an idea of how poor it is, I have a network drive (Netgear stora) connected to our primary router. My Mac Mini (HTPC) in the next room (Wireless) has problems steaming a simple TV show (standard definition, filesize under 200mb).

So, heres the diagram: http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/3...01017at120.png

Any suggestions on what we can do to improve our network?

My only thoughts on how to improve it are:

Go complete 802.11n - problem is that laptops with 802.11g cards will have to use a dongle. Plus it would be hellishly expensive to upgrade based on the number of items we have
Rip out the 2nd router, and attempt to move the main router more to the center of the house.
Mod the routers with a super signal booster like the ones Maplin sell (The great big ones for £30ish)

<edit>I should not that once connected, the internet connection is fine - we can max out our 10mbps connection with no problems - the issues are getting a stable connection wirelessly in the first place</edit>

I'm really stumped as to how I can fix this. Any suggestions welcomed!

Thanks for taking the time to read this

Rick

17-10-2010, 12:14	#1
rmwebs Inactive Join Date: May 2007 Location: St Albans, Herts Services: TV XL w/ All Sky HD Collections. 2xTivo, 1x VHD Phone XL Broadband XXL Posts: 91	Huge wireless network issues - why are routers less reliable than a chocolate teapot? Hey folks, I'm here asking for some input as to what could be causing us so many problems. In our house we're heavy internet users. We've got a LOT of gadgets connected up, however our home network is terribly unreliable and slow. We use 2 netgear routers (one of which is located on a second floor, using an access point to connect to the first - mainly to provide extra signal coverage. Over the last 10 ish years, we've gone from one of the first Belkin 802.11b routers, now through to an 802.11n router. I have no less than 20 broken/dead routers in a box. The problems we're getting are: Poor signal throught the house (even when standing in the same room as a router) VERY slow connectivity (even locally) Primary router drops DSL IP at least 2-4 times a week Routers lock up or drop connection. Rebooting them (or updating a setting with the same values) fixes the issue. I've tried all the usual stuff you would do to fix the issue: Tried new routers Tried changing signals (I've got a local signal scanner which picks up that pretty all signals are in use around here. I can detect approx 10 other networks in the area from my laptop right now) New Ethernet cables of all types New modem (we recently were given the new black model branded with VM) Setting one router to 802.11n and the other to 802.11g to 'split' the devices to balance the load out a bit Nothing seems to work and its driving me mad! I really wish we could go wired, but its not an option - it would require the entire house be rewired as like I said, we have a lot of gadgets (spread through the house). I've put together a rough network diagram of how our local network works. To give you an idea of how poor it is, I have a network drive (Netgear stora) connected to our primary router. My Mac Mini (HTPC) in the next room (Wireless) has problems steaming a simple TV show (standard definition, filesize under 200mb). So, heres the diagram: http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/3...01017at120.png Any suggestions on what we can do to improve our network? My only thoughts on how to improve it are: Go complete 802.11n - problem is that laptops with 802.11g cards will have to use a dongle. Plus it would be hellishly expensive to upgrade based on the number of items we have Rip out the 2nd router, and attempt to move the main router more to the center of the house. Mod the routers with a super signal booster like the ones Maplin sell (The great big ones for £30ish) <edit>I should not that once connected, the internet connection is fine - we can max out our 10mbps connection with no problems - the issues are getting a stable connection wirelessly in the first place</edit> I'm really stumped as to how I can fix this. Any suggestions welcomed! Thanks for taking the time to read this Rick