Hi all,

I am one of three computers on a wireless home network. The ISP is BT and there is a router in use that was set up about 3 or so years back with help from a colleague of my parents. All has gone fine since the installation, until about 7 or 8 weeks ago.

For some reason the connection now keeps dropping at random times. Sometimes it drops in the middle of retrieving a webpage and at other times it simply grinds to a halt. When it stops the router has to be reset: generally it will happen that way once per hour, sometimes more.

I have done nothing to alter the config of the router (Belkin 54G). I have tried moving said router away from electric cables, I have tried putting it on a table instead of on the floor but now nothing seems to be doing the trick and it carries on. There is not sufficient cable or fixings to do the tempting thing and convert the system to a wireless network to a wired one.

Does anyone out there know what the problem might be and, if it is something simple, how best to fix said problem? It is driving my parents and I round the bend.

Cheers,

Dave

Edited 30 March, 201214 yr by DaveHarries

Has someone local to you started using the same channel number as you do?

Yup, try a different channel.

Alternatively, every time I have this with a home router, it tends to be the cheap power supplies failing. Regulation goes doolally, there's various voltages going in, out and around, sometimes within tolerances and sometimes outside of them. So if it's not channel related, try finding a different PSU.

3 years + for a Belkin - the router has probably lasted as long as it is likely to, and is starting to fail.

When the wifi fails, does a wired connection drop out too? can you access the router and see if the adsl is dropping out...

We have had this problem a couple of weeks ago. It would freeze, kept unplugging the router which was a pain. Anyhow by coincidence BT got in contact with us to replace the router because of a problem with overheating, and since then it's been fine.

Has someone local to you started using the same channel number as you do?

Yup, try a different channel.

The config of the router is set, as it always has been, to channel 11. There is another wireless network that shows up but I have no idea who owns it and it is secured. Shows up with the ID of "O2wireless375830". Will try changing the channel though: thanks for the tip.

3 years + for a Belkin - the router has probably lasted as long as it is likely to, and is starting to fail.

When the wifi fails, does a wired connection drop out too? can you access the router and see if the adsl is dropping out...

I had started to wonder if a router defect was the cause of my woes. I can't try a wired connection due to cable lengths but when the connection drops to my PC the ADSL light on the router tends to stay on.

Thanks for the replies received so far: any more ideas I will be glad to hear them.

Dave

You said you're one of three computers connected to the network, do the other two computers suffer the same 'drop-outs' as you do???

Need to establish wether it's the computer, or the router.

Inssider is a useful little utility that shows active wireless network's within your locality. It reveals the channels used which makes it easier for you to choose an unused one.

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

Did the cable connection remain after losing Wifi?

What level of security are you using? WPA/WEP etc. Might be worth turning it off for a short period just to see the effect. You could do a factory reset and see if there is a firmware update for that model.

You said you're one of three computers connected to the network, do the other two computers suffer the same 'drop-outs' as you do???

Yes. The connection drops and then the other computers cant use it either until the router either reconnects itself or, more commonly, is reset.

Inssider is a useful little utility that shows active wireless network's within your locality. It reveals the channels used which makes it easier for you to choose an unused one.

http://www.metageek....sider/download/

Did the cable connection remain after losing Wifi?

What level of security are you using? WPA/WEP etc. Might be worth turning it off for a short period just to see the effect. You could do a factory reset and see if there is a firmware update for that model.

Thanks for that software: will try it. The cable connection remains after loosing Wi-Fi and there is no level of security set.

Dave

Have you tried getting a new wireless router from your ISP???

They often provide new ones free of charge. :yes:

Capacitor plague in the router is a very real possibility.

I have seen several belkins (and I am sure other manufacturers are just as bad), fail after about 13 months....

are all your PCs desktop units wifi cards/adapters in?

Capacitor plague in the router is a very real possibility.

Never heard of it. I found a webpage on it and apprently it can be fixed. However I have no knowledge of doing such things.

are all your PCs desktop units wifi cards/adapters in?

PCs are desktop units: connection is maintained by wireless adapters that plug in to each PC with the aid of a USB connection.

Dave

Tried to use inSSIDer but program constantly has to close because of errors to getting nowhere. Any other software out there with similar finctions to inSSIDer?

Dave

Tried to use inSSIDer but program constantly has to close because of errors to getting nowhere. Any other software out there with similar finctions to inSSIDer?

Dave

Strange? Have you tried it on any other machine?

You can also use.

http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/

What AV are you using?

Cheers

Nee

Strange? Have you tried it on any other machine?

You can also use.

http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/

What AV are you using?

Thanks. Ran "NetStumbler". The network ID'ing as "O2wireless375830" is running on channel 1. The AV in use is AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2012. As an aside, however, another network has just cropped up on NS with no SSID and it shows with a grey dot next to it that keeps changing green. This one with no SSID is also running Channel 11.

Dave

Edited 3 April, 201214 yr by DaveHarries

If you have a smartphone, download the app wifi analyzer. That will tell you what channel to change to.

If you have a smartphone, download the app wifi analyzer. That will tell you what channel to change to.

I had already downloaded that app earlier. Channels 6-14 have the same strength rating so I have gone to Channel 12 to see what happens.

EDIT - 2230hrs, 03-Apr-2012: My Mum's wireless network adapter now won't enable and she is blaming me as she now can't get online!

Dave

Edited 3 April, 201214 yr by DaveHarries

As an aside, however, another network has just cropped up on NS with no SSID and it shows with a grey dot next to it that keeps changing green. This one with no SSID is also running Channel 11.

Dave

There's your problem then.

Try a channel a few away from any that are currently in use, so try 7 or something

As I said in my last post, I put it to Channel 12 yesterday evening. However my Mum's PC then lost all connection to the router and wouldn't play ball.

This morning I put it back to Channel 11 and my Mum now has her connection back.

So if I change the channel it works well on my PC but not at all on my Mum's. Any ideas why?

Dave

Edited 4 April, 201214 yr by DaveHarries

Some wireless cards don't like going over channel 11, as they can't legally be used in the US.

Try going to a lower channel.

Yep, US regulatory domain only allows 1-11, Europe is 1-13 and Japan is 1-14 IIRC. You could try changing the drivers on your mum's PC to UK-localised ones, just in case the channel limitation is set in the software (the usual way as that doesn't require two hardware designs), or checking in the settings to make sure the drivers are set to UK. Although channels 11 and 12 can still interfere with each other :( ideally you want all networks on 1, 5, 9 or 13 on 802.11g as these are far enough apart that the 20MHz allowed spread doesn't cause interference.

Thanks, gac. Have changed the channel from 11 to 9. So far so good and going a bit faster too. WIll let you know how things go.

Dave

Edit, 2110hrs 04-Apr-2012: connection has dropped twice since I wrote the original message in this post. Feel like I'm !

Edited 4 April, 201214 yr by DaveHarries

And 7?