Hi, i mostly just want to see if this is normal or not and what steps i should take to fix it. I have a WNDR3700v2 netgear router that i have had for ~3 years. As far as i know, it did not have problems reaching every room in our town home in the past years (3 floors, about 2-3 rooms of space on each floor, pretty narrow). Lately though, i've been having some connection issues. I play video games from time to time and that is where i notice it most (i play on xbox 360/iphone 5). I get very laggy, sometimes the connection fully dropping, sometimes everything I try and do takes an extra second and a half to register. Then other times... my connection works fine. I have done a lot of speed tests lately. Right near the router, i can pretty consistently get 35-40 mbps. In my room in the basement, i get varied connection of 1 mpbs (happened only once, but i bet it has been happening when i am gaming) to 30ish like near the router(very rare), with the connection averaging around 8 mbps. The upper floor seems to be more around 10-15 mbps as well. My main question: Is it normal for a connection to drop off that much? Do wifi connections lose speed as they lose range and eventually die out, or should they keep a consistent speed throughout the range they operate? Regardless, something has been weird with the lag i have been getting. Note that i have tried moving the router around on the middle floor to a more centralized location, and that did not seem to make a difference. I know a little bit about firmware settings as well, and I don't think there is anything abnormal about the way i have it set up. Is it time for a new router? Or is there an easier fix? Thanks in advance for the help!
Signal dropping off
- Thread starter jrec15
- Start date
Thanks for the reply. Interference came to my mind too and I have tried to find anything that could be causing it but haven't found anything in particular. Checking on an SSIDer, no one else is on the same channel as me. I am on 44 with the 5ghz connection and 2 with the 2.5gz. There is someone on 1 so maybe that has some effect. 30-40 mbs is the "download speed" i get from using speedtest.net
Ok i changed my channel to 8, two people were on 6 but no one was on another channel until 11. It unfortunately did not seem to make a noticeable difference. I should probably specify that though the connection is dropping up with range all over the house, it is considerably worse in one basement room (my room). It is strange that my room is getting 3-8 mbps and the room right next to it is getting 20-30 (still using speedtest). Bare with me on the speeds, i use a mac so im not sure exactly how to get the speed you are referring to. When i go into network utility i see a "link speed" of 300 mbps that does not change. Not sure if that is what you are referring to
Although the routers make people THINK there are 11 channels there really are only 3 that do not interfer. You have 1,6,11. If you put it on say 3 you are now overlapping part of 1 and part of 6 if you put it on say 5 then you have mostly overlapped 6 and a little on 1...really on 2.
Now even worse is when you run 150m or higher your are using 2 channels so now you cannot run 2 connection that do not overlap. When you run 2 channels you use the bottom which goes from 1 to around 7 or 8 or you use the top which goes from about 4 or 5 all the way past 11.
This means 2 people cannot coexist at 150m and without overlapping. One person could use 150m and the other could use the remaining channel which limits to say 56m. What is really bad are routers that let you take 150m out of the middle. This interferes with all the channels now, it is not part of the standard but many routers do not prevent you form configuring it wrong.
This is why 5g band is much better BUT 802.11AC is coming and will cause the same exact issue since now they want to use 4 consecutive groups of channels and there really is only a single group (the lowest one) that can be used at full power and does not have to shut down if it detects weather radar.
Now even worse is when you run 150m or higher your are using 2 channels so now you cannot run 2 connection that do not overlap. When you run 2 channels you use the bottom which goes from 1 to around 7 or 8 or you use the top which goes from about 4 or 5 all the way past 11.
This means 2 people cannot coexist at 150m and without overlapping. One person could use 150m and the other could use the remaining channel which limits to say 56m. What is really bad are routers that let you take 150m out of the middle. This interferes with all the channels now, it is not part of the standard but many routers do not prevent you form configuring it wrong.
This is why 5g band is much better BUT 802.11AC is coming and will cause the same exact issue since now they want to use 4 consecutive groups of channels and there really is only a single group (the lowest one) that can be used at full power and does not have to shut down if it detects weather radar.
Note that the room right next to me is picking up around the full 30/56 that i get right near the router. This is making me think it's something interference related.. But even when i turn off all electronics in my room it still happens
EDIT: Sorry didn't see your reply before my post. So if i were to turn off the 2.5 ghz connection for now would that help? Most of our devices use the 5 ghz anyway
EDIT: Sorry didn't see your reply before my post. So if i were to turn off the 2.5 ghz connection for now would that help? Most of our devices use the 5 ghz anyway
5g is better for the same reason it is worse ?
5g does not penetrate walls as easy so you get less interference from outside your house. BUT because it does not penetrate the walls it also does not go as far inside the house either. The big advantage is the outside walls with the insulation block better that the inside ones.
I would keep the 2.4 but use 2 different SSID then you can force you machine to connect to which ever you want. 2.4 and 5 do not interfere with each other.
Finding interference is a magic art I think. You actually need a spectrum analyzer to do it right.
5g does not penetrate walls as easy so you get less interference from outside your house. BUT because it does not penetrate the walls it also does not go as far inside the house either. The big advantage is the outside walls with the insulation block better that the inside ones.
I would keep the 2.4 but use 2 different SSID then you can force you machine to connect to which ever you want. 2.4 and 5 do not interfere with each other.
Finding interference is a magic art I think. You actually need a spectrum analyzer to do it right.
For reference, this is in the room:
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/i/617081256
And this is right outside the room:
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/i/617082587
Again sorry if that doesn't mean much. The numbers are overall pretty inconsistent and the connection seems to jump around in the test alot if that means anything. This is on the 5 ghz connection, the 2.5 ghz is very similar
The neighbors signals are all <50 db so i dont think that is much of a factor either
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/i/617081256
And this is right outside the room:
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/i/617082587
Again sorry if that doesn't mean much. The numbers are overall pretty inconsistent and the connection seems to jump around in the test alot if that means anything. This is on the 5 ghz connection, the 2.5 ghz is very similar
The neighbors signals are all <50 db so i dont think that is much of a factor either
If it was noise (Which is a definite possibility.. the problems started happening right about when college started & a bunch of new people moved in the apartments near us), would that be affecting our 5 ghz connection, since judging by the ssider i can see they are all using 2.5 ghz? or in theory should it only affect our 2.5 ghz connection?
Ok, got inSSIDer the one i had before didn't have the number you were talking about (i think it was just a signal strength %). In the room with problems, my 5ghz connection is -76. The 2.5ghz connection is -65. Neighbor connections are -69, -76, -85, -86. The -69 one i believe is the newest neighbors who are actually nearest to my room, perhaps that is the problem?
It is definitely a cheap apartment.. that has become very apparent haha. So i would not be surprised if there is not much insulation in the walls. The -69 one is on channel 6.. I am now on channel 11 but still seeing issues. None of them are using 5ghz (atleast all of their channels are 1-11)
OK first, i timemapped for a little while in the faulty room. The neighbor connection moved more to -60, and also had three spikes lasting around 20 seconds each that went to -45. (Higher than either of my connections in that room)
In the room with i get around -40 with the 2.5 ghz, -50 with the 5 ghz. The suspect neighbor's connection is -45, and another neighbor is -55. (so everything all around better than in my room)
The 2.5ghz speeds are very similar. (5 mbps in my room, 30+ in the room with the router)
In the room with i get around -40 with the 2.5 ghz, -50 with the 5 ghz. The suspect neighbor's connection is -45, and another neighbor is -55. (so everything all around better than in my room)
The 2.5ghz speeds are very similar. (5 mbps in my room, 30+ in the room with the router)
Ok not tonight but i could try it tomorrow if i dont get it fixed.
Another tidbit of info that points more towards something blocking the connection to that room specifically. I have had the router in two locations. The first location actually reached one side of my room (call it the bed side, it was directly under the router in this spot) just fine, but cut off at the other side (call it the tv side). Now the second location for the router is more above the tv side of the room, and when the router is in this location the connection is dropped throughout the entire room. Is there a possibility something is getting in the way on the tv side of the room? There is an air vent in the ceiling kind of in the line of sight to that side of the room.. just a theory but could that block a wifi connection? I am going to try moving the router to the basement tomorrow as well to see what results that gives, but cant right now since my roommates are using the wifi
Edit: There is also a sink directly in the room on the tv side. This is pretty abnormal and not something you see much. Not sure if that could be a factor
Another tidbit of info that points more towards something blocking the connection to that room specifically. I have had the router in two locations. The first location actually reached one side of my room (call it the bed side, it was directly under the router in this spot) just fine, but cut off at the other side (call it the tv side). Now the second location for the router is more above the tv side of the room, and when the router is in this location the connection is dropped throughout the entire room. Is there a possibility something is getting in the way on the tv side of the room? There is an air vent in the ceiling kind of in the line of sight to that side of the room.. just a theory but could that block a wifi connection? I am going to try moving the router to the basement tomorrow as well to see what results that gives, but cant right now since my roommates are using the wifi
Edit: There is also a sink directly in the room on the tv side. This is pretty abnormal and not something you see much. Not sure if that could be a factor
I would say it is pretty much between me and the router in the location it is now. It was less so in the first location but half the room still appeared to be cut off.
The fact that all connections i can reach (all neighbors, my 5ghz & 2 ghz) all dropped a significant amount in my room, makes me think there is some kind of ducting that is gonna be tough to get around with anything but a router directly in my room (and i dont have a cable outlet...
)
The fact that all connections i can reach (all neighbors, my 5ghz & 2 ghz) all dropped a significant amount in my room, makes me think there is some kind of ducting that is gonna be tough to get around with anything but a router directly in my room (and i dont have a cable outlet...
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