Virgin Media and Belkin 802.11g slow down

[Shizer]

Hi all,

Straight to the point, my router has been slowing down my Internet speed for whatever reason and also, disconnecting and reconnecting me every 15 minutes or whenever I stream a video (Youtube, BBC Iplayer, etc). I was wondering if there was any possible fixes. I have a slight feeling I may have to buy a new one but if I could fix this one, I would very much prefer it.

My modem is connected to this router which is wired to my PC and wireless to two other PCs and a PS3. I noticed this dramatic slow down in Internet speed few weeks ago and believed it was the result of my ISP. Here are some tests I ran yesterday morning:

This was with only firefox running and my PC. Nothing else and its incredibly slow.

So I talk to a lady at my ISP who believed it might be my router. I disconnected the router and ran the modem straight to my PC and tested that. Here was the result:

About 10 other ones after this shows the same results. A huge difference. Plus I'm not getting disconnected and reconnected anymore. So I figured my router could be the problem. I switched off my router over night to see if it could help but it hasn't

Anyway, does anyone know any possible fixes or will I have to fork out for a new router? If there isn't any, what router will go well with this ISP?

Any help would be great. Thanks

 

[Guest]

If wireless try optimising reception -- experiment with different channels, raise the router above furniture, relocate cordless phone base/video sender away from router/computer.

Also lookat MTU setting in router -- default is 1500, try 1400.

 

[Shizer]

Sorry, I didn't understand half of what you said. I'm a novice....

The router is wired to my PC and my net is very slow. If I get rid of the router and just use the modem, it works perfectly. So therefore, my internet is fine but for some reason, my router is slowing my Internet down.

I found the channels thing, but it doesn't make a slight bit of difference.

 

[eibgrad]

Let's try to eliminate wireless as even a remote possibility. Disable the router's wireless radio and run your tests again w/ a wired connection from the PC to the router.

If you suddenly have an increase in performance, then maybe the router is indeed struggling w/ wireless (even if you’re not using wireless on that PC) and it’s degrading performance across the board, i.e., for both wired and wireless clients. If it's the same, then clearly wireless is totally irrelevant.

 

[Shizer]

Well I disabled wireless and monitored it, through my PC (Wired), There wasn't any significant difference. The disconnecting and reconnecting issue happened once in the last 5 hours, rather than every 15 minutes. The actual download speed hasn't changed much at all however...

 

[Shizer]

 

[Shizer]

Does a router and modem in one type thing exist? That way I can eliminate the possibility of the modem causing the problem. If so, any suggestions?

 

[Guest]

Combined router/modem is the norm for ADSL but I would assume you are on cable.

 

[Shizer]

What do you mean by norm? yeah, I'm on cable.

Found Netgear WRN3500 cable wireless for £40 but I dont think its a modem and wireless combined thing..

 

[Shizer]

EDIT: (Cant edit my post .. )

Yeah, I'm on cable. Got any suggestions? Don't have a clue what to search for...

Found Netgear WRN3500 cable wireless for £40 but I dont think its a modem and wireless combined thing.
Motorola surfboard is the only modem/wireless combo I can find but thats £80..

 

[Guest]

By norm I mean -- most people who have internet in UK have ADSL (phone line internet) and are supplied with a combined ADSL modem/router with wireless by their ISP. Because these units are produced in such great numbers they tend to be cheap.

Cable, you normally get a modem (and optionally a separate router with wireless).

I suspect that you need to buy an N wireless router (be careful to tell the retailer that it is for a cable connection) and a matching N wireless adapter (probably the same brand) for your computer.

However the PS3 may cause problems because if it forces you to use wireless mode G (or mixed mode) you lose the benefit of N for the other components. Bear in mind too that wireless is slow compared to ethernet cable link between modem (or router) and computer -- not least because it is a duplex system (so half the claimed speed is the max you're likely to get) -- and then there's further speed loss due to signal weakness or interference.

 

[Shizer]

I need to change wireless adapters as well?? I don't have that kind of money. I was just looking to change the router and even thats a stretch for me.

The router is wired to my PC but its wireless to two other PC's and they are using a netgear wireless usb adapter thing.

I've never had a problem with this current router with the PS3. I understand the speed can be a bit slower due to obvious reasons but these days I find it difficult to stay online on the PS3 for more than 10 minutes, especially during peak.

These slow downs usually occur when I download something big and something at the back of mind is saying is my ISP, even though I called them up and they denied it. So I'll be freaking pissed off if my ISP just lied to me to cover their own asses, and made me £40 out of pocket.

 

[Shizer]

Thinking about buying this: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/88488

Netgear WPN824 RangeMax MIMO-G Wireless Cable/DSL Router. Its cheap and its not a Belkin. Isit recommanded?

 

[Guest]

I use and like Netgear stuff -- I have a friend who's used their Mimo router for some time. They have a mixed rep for support but I use (and contribute to) their user forum.

Belkin routers often get bad-mouthed, but I'm personally sceptical that there's much difference between brands. Some offer more advanced setup features (though that can just make things more complicated).

 

[Schluter]

These slow downs usually occur when I download something big and something at the back of mind is saying is my ISP, even though I called them up and they denied it.












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