I don't really know how to explain this but every time I turn on my computer it starts off with 4-5 bars. In a matter of minutes however, it always goes down to 2-1 bars. Whenever I try to "diagnose" my connection problems and it always "resets my wireless network adapter". This usually brings the signal quality back to 4-5 bars but again (within a matter of minutes) its back down to 2 or 1 bars. What could be wrong and how could I fix this problem?
Wireless Signal Quality Keeps Fluctuating
- Thread starter rrspamrr
- Start date
First of all, any wireless radio communications is not going to be constant reliable that is just the nature of the beast so to speak.
There are many many factors for rf (radio frequency) devices like wifi.
Do you have any nearby microwaves, cordless phones, wireless mice/keyboards, etc that opperate in the 2.4 ghz band as those will cause interference?
How far away are you from the router, and how many walls does it have to pass through?
Is this on a laptop or a desktop, if on a desktop is the antennas behind the tower surround by desk, or are they extended from the desktop?
Is your wifi on the same channel as your neighbor. You can think of wifi like old CB radio/walkie talkies (just with much shorter range); if you and your neighbor is on the same channel (frequency) and you are not a suffecient distance apart, your radio signals will interfer with each other.
If say you are in an rv park the signal can bounce off of the other metal structures (rvs) and cause a false signal reading (the 4-5 bars).
The problem could also be that you just have a crappy router or crappy wifi adapter on your laptop/desktop
You can download inssider here: http://www.techspot.com/downloads/5936-inssider.html
With this program you can see what wireless channel you are using, what ones your neighbors are using and what the power and noise level of each wireless network is.
If your neighbor is on the same channel and has a signal > -80dbm then it can be interfering with you, espically if your signal is not at least 20 dbm more then the neighbors. Wifi has 11 channels but in reality it only has 3 that do not overlap (1, 6, and 11) so you may need to switch your router to a less congested channel.
There are many many factors for rf (radio frequency) devices like wifi.
Do you have any nearby microwaves, cordless phones, wireless mice/keyboards, etc that opperate in the 2.4 ghz band as those will cause interference?
How far away are you from the router, and how many walls does it have to pass through?
Is this on a laptop or a desktop, if on a desktop is the antennas behind the tower surround by desk, or are they extended from the desktop?
Is your wifi on the same channel as your neighbor. You can think of wifi like old CB radio/walkie talkies (just with much shorter range); if you and your neighbor is on the same channel (frequency) and you are not a suffecient distance apart, your radio signals will interfer with each other.
If say you are in an rv park the signal can bounce off of the other metal structures (rvs) and cause a false signal reading (the 4-5 bars).
The problem could also be that you just have a crappy router or crappy wifi adapter on your laptop/desktop
You can download inssider here: http://www.techspot.com/downloads/5936-inssider.html
With this program you can see what wireless channel you are using, what ones your neighbors are using and what the power and noise level of each wireless network is.
If your neighbor is on the same channel and has a signal > -80dbm then it can be interfering with you, espically if your signal is not at least 20 dbm more then the neighbors. Wifi has 11 channels but in reality it only has 3 that do not overlap (1, 6, and 11) so you may need to switch your router to a less congested channel.
Thanks for the response! I actually have a desktop that I built myself for the purposes of gaming. The antennas that stick out from the back of my network card are facing the wall and are bent upwards towards the ceiling. Would changing the position of these antennae fix the problem?
In regards to your other questions:
1. I do not have any nearby microwaves, cordless phones, etc. nearby.
2. The router is in the basement and I'm two floors above. Never had this problem before but only started to occur recently.
4. I have my own separate wifi signal (not connected to my neighbors)
5. I'm using a TP-LINK 300Mbps Wireless N Adapter (IDK if this is crappy or not!)
In regards to your other questions:
1. I do not have any nearby microwaves, cordless phones, etc. nearby.
2. The router is in the basement and I'm two floors above. Never had this problem before but only started to occur recently.
4. I have my own separate wifi signal (not connected to my neighbors)
5. I'm using a TP-LINK 300Mbps Wireless N Adapter (IDK if this is crappy or not!)
First, yes point the antennas outwards at 45 degrees, not inwards. That is quite likely your problem right there. Antennas should look like this \ / and not /\.
I know you are not using your neighbors wifi signal, what I am saying is that lets say you both bought a netgear router, and netgear by default puts all routers on channel 11. Thus both you and your neighbor are boradcasting your seperate networks on the same wifi channel (frequency). So if your room is near your nieghbors house and your neighbors router is near the wall closest to your house, their wifi router signal can flow into your house and cause interference becase you both are on the same channel.
Have you ever been driving between cities and city Bs FM station start to interfer with city As radio station as you get closer to A and farther from B? Its like that.
I know you are not using your neighbors wifi signal, what I am saying is that lets say you both bought a netgear router, and netgear by default puts all routers on channel 11. Thus both you and your neighbor are boradcasting your seperate networks on the same wifi channel (frequency). So if your room is near your nieghbors house and your neighbors router is near the wall closest to your house, their wifi router signal can flow into your house and cause interference becase you both are on the same channel.
Have you ever been driving between cities and city Bs FM station start to interfer with city As radio station as you get closer to A and farther from B? Its like that.
coffeyshop
Reputable
- Feb 5, 2016
- 1
- 0
- 4,510
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I have gone thru three wi-fi routers thinking there was something wrong with them. It turns out that inSSIDer program opened Pandora's Box and let me see what was REALLY going on...! It wasn't the routers at all...it was my neighbors and some VERY SUSPICIOUS activity by ATT wi-fi routers. After installing the program I discovered that no matter what channel I picked, my neighbor's routers would soon follow me to the SAME CHANNEL and then the problems would start. I finally found that they would not go to channel 5, and I have since maintained stable performance. What I don't understand is why those ATT routers seem to follow me...are they configured to roam around and knock off non-ATT customers so people will blame their ISP's and switch to ATT? Makes you wonder....
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