Looking for Help in Identifying and Solving Internet Problems

[Nocturnia]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to look into my question(s)!

First, let me introduce myself. I live in Canada and am a long-time gamer who spends virtually all of his time outside of work on the internet. I'm usually either playing one of my favourite MMOs or streaming anime. Despite spending so much time online though, I know very little about how computers work, let alone the internet. I think that's a pretty common problem among gamers, actually, seeing as any time I ask a fellow player on an MMO for advice, the answer is almost always a resounding "I have no idea, sorry man..."

Anyways, I'm tired of knowing next to nothing about the basis for the world I devote my life to. Throughout my life of gaming, I have been constantly running into connection issues, as well as software/hardware issues, none of which I really have any idea how to solve. The result is extreme frustration that ends up coming out in regrettable ways.

The largest source of this frustration isn't even the fact that my game is freezing up, but rather the limitations it causes on what I can do (after all, I can't very well take part in any dangerous activities when I know my connection could go at any moment), and most of all the fact that even though it's causing such a huge issue for me, I don't even know what is causing it, and thus I can't even begin to try to fix it.

So, I'm asking here for advice. It can be someone explaining how things work to me, or just recommending that I go read some material that may help me understand by myself. The main issue here is the internet. I've had several software/hardware issues too, but I can often solve or loophole those by myself. Ultimately I just need to come to understand what makes the internet tick (in the broad sense; I'm not pursuing a career in computer science here!) and be able to identify what is causing the problem. Being able to solve the problem myself after identifying it is a bonus, but at least by knowing what the issue is, I can then search online for specific solutions, or make a phone call.

Now, here's what I know (or think I know) so far, and some of my thoughts with regards to how I usually perceive internet issues:

Internet communication consists of the following parts:

1. The ISP
2. Connectivity infrastructure from the ISP server to my location
3. My home's internet wiring
4. My modem
5. My router
6. My computer's internet port/internet adapter

Even though I have heard that the ISP and internet infrastructure can easily be overloaded due to a larger demand for bandwidth than the ISP and the infrastructure it relies on can handle, I doubt the ISP is the issue. It is possible that the ISP is throttling my connection, but if that was the case, wouldn't it be a constant weak connection, rather than a highly inconsistent one?

The greatest of my confusion probably lies with the functionality and consistency of modems and routers. I have lived in 4 locations with 4 different connections over the last few years. I suspect the majority of the problems I had (and am having) with these various connections are related to the modem/router, so I'm going to describe the situations.

In the first location (which was rural), the connection was DSL (I think? It was broadband), but very slow despite that (1.5 down, 0.5 up). I was connected directly to the router with an ethernet cord. I was semi-frequently disconnected (usually once every 1-2 days, though some days it would disconnected every few minutes), and found my connection speeds dropping a lot. For a long time, I always thought it was my family using up bandwidth (and sometimes it was), but eventually I realized that it was happening quite often even when nobody else was online, or even home. I never figured out what caused these problems, and eventually gave up.

The the second location, the connection was DSL but I was connected via wifi. The range wasn't great and I usually had a "3-4 bar" connection. I had much the same issue as the first location, except the connection was faster on average (around 10 down, 0.5 up). However, it also fluctuated a lot more and disconnected a lot (several times a day, at least). One thing I have noticed about wifi in general is that it is extremely inconsistent for some reason. Sometimes when I'm on wifi, my game will disconnect, then when I check my connection status, it says I'm still connected. My best guess here is that the connection died out for a split second, causing my game to disconnect, but it was so short that when I went to check my connection status, there appeared to be no issue.

The third location was by far the best, while it lasted. Here, I had a fibre optic connection with 100-200 down and 10 up (I think). I was connected directly to it via an ethernet cord. Because the connection in this location was so good, I was able to make a few observations more clearly. For instance, I noticed that even with a reliable connection, the video would still freeze up and buffer sometimes when I was streaming anime. From this I deduced that the anime site (KissAnime and RyuAnime in this case) must have issues on their end (perhaps a heavy load on their servers) which was causing the videos to buffer. Despite the connection being reliable, it still disconnected on occasion. Usually when this happened, it was down for a more lengthy period of time (30-60+ minutes).

The final location (where I am now) has a DSL connection, and I am connected via wifi. The speed is usually around 8 down and a pathetic 0.1 up. I have a "4 bar" connection, being quite far from the router (I'm lucky it has a booster, apparently). I get disconnected very frequently here, but it usually only lasts a couple seconds, and the majority of them are just the split-second disconnects I mentioned before. It usually happens once every 30-60 minutes, and occurs in little bursts (I'll be gaming, then for around 2 minutes I'll just constantly disconnect and reconnect every few seconds).

Anyways, I know that was long, but if you bothered to read it then hopefully it gives you a better sense of the limits of my knowledge. I notice problems, but I can never tell what is an actual problem versus what is just "always" going to happen with the internet (i.e. can never be fixed, no matter how good one's connection is), nor do I have the knowledge to specifically identify what part of the technology is causing the issue. Perhaps you can offer some insight?
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A few random notes and questions:

One thing that was brought to my attention recently with regards to wifi is that there are actually 14 channel on which wifi communicates, and that the inconsistency of my connection could be due to an overcrowded channel.

At my current location, I am unfortunately in a small, shared living situation, where my "landlord" is in control of the router. So I have no idea whether they have kept its software up to date. Not that I am particularly knowledgeable about software updates and drivers either, but I am at least aware of them. Could software updates be an issue?

How much of an impact can a computer's internet adapter/card make? My current laptop is, quite frankly, a hunk of junk (and has been dropped several times). I'm interested to see if my connectivity will improve when my new, decked-out laptop arrives, not that I bought it specifically for that purpose or anything. Could it make any difference though?

While I'm open to just discussing the issues and hopefully learning something, if anyone has a really good sort of "check list" for identifying and solving internet issues (especially common ones), that could be a great help. I'm aware of the most obvious issues, like some cord being unplugged or being too far from the router (in the case of wifi).
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I know this is a bit disorganized. That's mostly because I am so confused and disorganized in my understanding (or lack thereof) of these issues!

I greatly appreciate any help or advice you can give me!

 

[Autocrat]

In the first location (which was rural), the connection was DSL (I think? It was broadband), but very slow despite that (1.5 down, 0.5 up). I was connected directly to the router with an ethernet cord. I was semi-frequently disconnected (usually once every 1-2 days, though some days it would disconnected every few minutes), and found my connection speeds dropping a lot. For a long time, I always thought it was my family using up bandwidth (and sometimes it was), but eventually I realized that it was happening quite often even when nobody else was online, or even home. I never figured out what caused these problems, and eventually gave up.

Given the rural setting, I would blame the ISP. ISP's are notorious for not wanting to provide service out into rural areas because of the low density. Why lay large amounts of cable for a handful of customers? My best guess here is that it is poor network infrastructure on the ISP's part.

The the second location, the connection was DSL but I was connected via wifi. The range wasn't great and I usually had a "3-4 bar" connection. I had much the same issue as the first location, except the connection was faster on average (around 10 down, 0.5 up). However, it also fluctuated a lot more and disconnected a lot (several times a day, at least). One thing I have noticed about wifi in general is that it is extremely inconsistent for some reason. Sometimes when I'm on wifi, my game will disconnect, then when I check my connection status, it says I'm still connected. My best guess here is that the connection died out for a split second, causing my game to disconnect, but it was so short that when I went to check my connection status, there appeared to be no issue.

Wifi is not consistent you are correct in that. There can be interference from household appliances like a microwave oven that can throw off the connection. Wireless routers themselves can also malfunction or goof up.

The third location was by far the best, while it lasted. Here, I had a fibre optic connection with 100-200 down and 10 up (I think). I was connected directly to it via an ethernet cord. Because the connection in this location was so good, I was able to make a few observations more clearly. For instance, I noticed that even with a reliable connection, the video would still freeze up and buffer sometimes when I was streaming anime. From this I deduced that the anime site (KissAnime and RyuAnime in this case) must have issues on their end (perhaps a heavy load on their servers) which was causing the videos to buffer. Despite the connection being reliable, it still disconnected on occasion. Usually when this happened, it was down for a more lengthy period of time (30-60+ minutes).

Fiber is top of the line network infrastructure. It is offered in a lot of locations with 1GB/s speed! My guess is also a heavy load on their servers, but also how their servers are connected to the internet at large. Lets say they are located in a rural area with a 1mb/s connection. No matter how fast YOUR internet is, that Anime website is going to load slowly because for part of its journey to your computer, it is still travelling over antiquated network infrastructure.

The final location (where I am now) has a DSL connection, and I am connected via wifi. The speed is usually around 8 down and a pathetic 0.1 up. I have a "4 bar" connection, being quite far from the router (I'm lucky it has a booster, apparently). I get disconnected very frequently here, but it usually only lasts a couple seconds, and the majority of them are just the split-second disconnects I mentioned before. It usually happens once every 30-60 minutes, and occurs in little bursts (I'll be gaming, then for around 2 minutes I'll just constantly disconnect and reconnect every few seconds).

My best guess is its a bad ISP with a bad wifi router. If there is anyway to connect via an ethernet cable, that will probably get you a more consistent connection. Other people using the WiFi can really slow it down to if it is not your own personal router, who knows how many people are connected to it!

One thing that was brought to my attention recently with regards to wifi is that there are actually 14 channel on which wifi communicates, and that the inconsistency of my connection could be due to an overcrowded channel.

At my current location, I am unfortunately in a small, shared living situation, where my "landlord" is in control of the router. So I have no idea whether they have kept its software up to date. Not that I am particularly knowledgeable about software updates and drivers either, but I am at least aware of them. Could software updates be an issue?

Yes they could be. The router could be running on old firmware that holds it back. It could also be a crappy router.

How much of an impact can a computer's internet adapter/card make? My current laptop is, quite frankly, a hunk of junk (and has been dropped several times). I'm interested to see if my connectivity will improve when my new, decked-out laptop arrives, not that I bought it specifically for that purpose or anything. Could it make any difference though?

Yes. Not all wireless adapter cards are built equally, they have different speeds and ranges, and older hardware does go bad. An Ethernet connection will provide the best connection, no need to worry about WiFi, and most computers built in the last 10 years have a 100mb/s or 1000mb/s capable Ethernet port.

While I'm open to just discussing the issues and hopefully learning something, if anyone has a really good sort of "check list" for identifying and solving internet issues (especially common ones), that could be a great help. I'm aware of the most obvious issues, like some cord being unplugged or being too far from the router (in the case of wifi).

Not really for your situation. The first thing to do is to unplug and plug the router back into a power supply. If that doesn't work, bypass it and plug your Ethernet cable into the modem. Those really aren't options given the way your landlord controls it

 

[Nocturnia]

In the first location (which was rural), the connection was DSL (I think? It was broadband), but very slow despite that (1.5 down, 0.5 up). I was connected directly to the router with an ethernet cord. I was semi-frequently disconnected (usually once every 1-2 days, though some days it would disconnected every few minutes), and found my connection speeds dropping a lot. For a long time, I always thought it was my family using up bandwidth (and sometimes it was), but eventually I realized that it was happening quite often even when nobody else was online, or even home. I never figured out what caused these problems, and eventually gave up.

Given the rural setting, I would blame the ISP. ISP's are notorious for not wanting to provide service out into rural areas because of the low density. Why lay large amounts of cable for a handful of customers? My best guess here is that it is poor network infrastructure on the ISP's part.

The the second location, the connection was DSL but I was connected via wifi. The range wasn't great and I usually had a "3-4 bar" connection. I had much the same issue as the first location, except the connection was faster on average (around 10 down, 0.5 up). However, it also fluctuated a lot more and disconnected a lot (several times a day, at least). One thing I have noticed about wifi in general is that it is extremely inconsistent for some reason. Sometimes when I'm on wifi, my game will disconnect, then when I check my connection status, it says I'm still connected. My best guess here is that the connection died out for a split second, causing my game to disconnect, but it was so short that when I went to check my connection status, there appeared to be no issue.

Wifi is not consistent you are correct in that. There can be interference from household appliances like a microwave oven that can throw off the connection. Wireless routers themselves can also malfunction or goof up.

The third location was by far the best, while it lasted. Here, I had a fibre optic connection with 100-200 down and 10 up (I think). I was connected directly to it via an ethernet cord. Because the connection in this location was so good, I was able to make a few observations more clearly. For instance, I noticed that even with a reliable connection, the video would still freeze up and buffer sometimes when I was streaming anime. From this I deduced that the anime site (KissAnime and RyuAnime in this case) must have issues on their end (perhaps a heavy load on their servers) which was causing the videos to buffer. Despite the connection being reliable, it still disconnected on occasion. Usually when this happened, it was down for a more lengthy period of time (30-60+ minutes).

Fiber is top of the line network infrastructure. It is offered in a lot of locations with 1GB/s speed! My guess is also a heavy load on their servers, but also how their servers are connected to the internet at large. Lets say they are located in a rural area with a 1mb/s connection. No matter how fast YOUR internet is, that Anime website is going to load slowly because for part of its journey to your computer, it is still travelling over antiquated network infrastructure.

The final location (where I am now) has a DSL connection, and I am connected via wifi. The speed is usually around 8 down and a pathetic 0.1 up. I have a "4 bar" connection, being quite far from the router (I'm lucky it has a booster, apparently). I get disconnected very frequently here, but it usually only lasts a couple seconds, and the majority of them are just the split-second disconnects I mentioned before. It usually happens once every 30-60 minutes, and occurs in little bursts (I'll be gaming, then for around 2 minutes I'll just constantly disconnect and reconnect every few seconds).

My best guess is its a bad ISP with a bad wifi router. If there is anyway to connect via an ethernet cable, that will probably get you a more consistent connection. Other people using the WiFi can really slow it down to if it is not your own personal router, who knows how many people are connected to it!

One thing that was brought to my attention recently with regards to wifi is that there are actually 14 channel on which wifi communicates, and that the inconsistency of my connection could be due to an overcrowded channel.

At my current location, I am unfortunately in a small, shared living situation, where my "landlord" is in control of the router. So I have no idea whether they have kept its software up to date. Not that I am particularly knowledgeable about software updates and drivers either, but I am at least aware of them. Could software updates be an issue?

Yes they could be. The router could be running on old firmware that holds it back. It could also be a crappy router.

How much of an impact can a computer's internet adapter/card make? My current laptop is, quite frankly, a hunk of junk (and has been dropped several times). I'm interested to see if my connectivity will improve when my new, decked-out laptop arrives, not that I bought it specifically for that purpose or anything. Could it make any difference though?

Yes. Not all wireless adapter cards are built equally, they have different speeds and ranges, and older hardware does go bad. An Ethernet connection will provide the best connection, no need to worry about WiFi, and most computers built in the last 10 years have a 100mb/s or 1000mb/s capable Ethernet port.

While I'm open to just discussing the issues and hopefully learning something, if anyone has a really good sort of "check list" for identifying and solving internet issues (especially common ones), that could be a great help. I'm aware of the most obvious issues, like some cord being unplugged or being too far from the router (in the case of wifi).

Not really for your situation. The first thing to do is to unplug and plug the router back into a power supply. If that doesn't work, bypass it and plug your Ethernet cable into the modem. Those really aren't options given the way your landlord controls it

Thanks for the feedback!

With regards to Situation #4 (mt current one), what difference exactly is there between plugging in versus using the wireless connection? Does plugging in avoid interference entirely? But the router and modem itself would still be under stress from the other users, right? So plugging into the router would be pointless. I could see plugging into the modem directly being more effective. Would the connection still be vulnerable to channel crowding if I was directly plugged into the modem?

Do most appliances have wireless components that cause interference, or is that only an issue with fancy automated appliances (like the sort where you can send a coffee machine a signal while laying in bed so you can have coffee in the morning)? As far as I know, I've never lived anywhere that has that kind of fully network-integrated appliance setup.

So adapter cards can only affect connection by forcing the connection speed down if they aren't capable of processing faster speeds? Or can they affect it in other ways? I will be getting a fairly high-end gaming laptop within the next few days, and presumably it will have very high capabilities. I can't find my current laptop's adapter card capabilities. I googled how to find the information, but the configuration menu doesn't have anything that seems to resemble data rate. It says (bold = selected):

Option|Choices

802.11b Preamble: Long and Short OR Long only
AdHob 11n: Disable OR Enable
Network Address: Set a Value OR Not Present
Receive Buffers: Value: 256
Scan Valid Interval: Value: 60
Transmit Buffers: Value: 512
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In any case, I'll see if I can get the landlord to tell me the internet specs. I don't even know what ISP we're with and what the speed is for the package they get, let alone what the router specs are. Unfortunately, the landlord is an older lady who is not at all technologically-minded. I'm not sure she'll be able to give me the information even if she wants to.

Edit: I managed to find some of the specs by connecting to the router page (which miraculously worked this time, since last time I tried it wouldn't connect). They are running with:

Telus VSG1432

Presumably this means the ISP is Telus. The router is then the VSG1432. The firmware is at 1.10 (VFA.0)b8_20160126, whatever that means. The channel is set to "AUTO" as most routers are by default. I don't know how to change it, but I'm sure I need the password to do so.

I also found something interesting while browsing the router's manual online... though I'm not sure if it is at all relevant to improving my connection speeds. It was "Setting up NAT forwarding for a game server". It seemed like it might prioritize certain tasks for games?
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Here's a specific question (or several, depending on how you look at it!):

First off, when the wifi here disconnects, it takes about 15 seconds before the icon on the explorer bar updates to reflect the lack of internet access. Why? Second, if, as soon as I notice the disconnection, I click the icon then proceed to manually disconnect then reconnect, then I can reconnect much faster than if I waited it out (and sometimes it won't even boot me off my game as well, which is nice). But why does manually disconnecting then reconnecting fix the connection faster? Does it mean that the disconnection is the fault of my adapter card? Or does doing it manually just send the reconnect request faster than waiting for the computer to register the disconnection then retry automatically? Does this mean that, as far as the actual wifi is concerned, the connection was only lost for a split second and that the real cause of the length of the disconnection period is entirely dependent on how fast my computer recognizes the problem then automatically solves it? If that is the case, then wouldn't I be able to make the split second disconnection almost a non-issue by somehow increasing the speed at which my computer detects the issue and resolves it? How would I go about setting up my computer to do that?