Router advice

benyflyguy

benyflyguy

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benyflyguy
have netgear WNDR3400 and a belkin N600 extender for my WiFi.
My cpu is a MacBook Air -some iPads/tablets and one pc laptop.

For last few years everything has been fine. Recently we have noticed our MacBook keeps dropping off the network. Have to constantly reconnect to the router. Reset router( unplugging for a min) helps for a bit and does it again.

Noticed it was a real problem when Verizon sent us a notice that we used our data up for month. Was odd but maybe we used it a lot but we have it set to be on WiFi at home—ah ha! Phones not connecting right either. I reconfigured and updated the router and extended and no joy.

Any clues how to fix or just chalk up router as half dead- if dead any recommendations for replacement??
 
benyflyguy said:
have netgear WNDR3400 and a belkin N600 extender for my WiFi.
My cpu is a MacBook Air -some iPads/tablets and one pc laptop.

For last few years everything has been fine. Recently we have noticed our MacBook keeps dropping off the network. Have to constantly reconnect to the router. Reset router( unplugging for a min) helps for a bit and does it again.

Noticed it was a real problem when Verizon sent us a notice that we used our data up for month. Was odd but maybe we used it a lot but we have it set to be on WiFi at home—ah ha! Phones not connecting right either. I reconfigured and updated the router and extended and no joy.

Any clues how to fix or just chalk up router as half dead- if dead any recommendations for replacement??
Click to expand...
The first thing I would do is see if there are any firmware updates.
 
When I saw this I was gonna say "Get two horsepower, especially if you work with hardwoods".
But on the electronic front, we just installed a Netgear AC-1750 wireless router, model R6400-v2 in our house, and have been able to eliminate the range extender entirely. Zero problems since installation, replaced a wonky other brand of router, which tested OK, but acted like yours: sometimes good, sometimes bad.
 
Have you checked the list of attached devices as well as the logs to see if someone nefarious like the Nigerian Prince is using your Wifi? Just a thought.
 
benyflyguy said:
...clues how to fix or just chalk up router as half dead...
Click to expand...
Hmmm, erratic behavior, sudden onset, reset helps temporarily, situation worsening, latest firmware no better...
Dunno, routers are pretty simple internally these days. Once you set them up, they stay stable.

Could be your wall wart. Once their capacitors begin to leak, they go out of spec on voltage regulation and noise filtering. If it's been a few years, might be sensible to take the thing apart and see if the caps are obviously bad (burnt, leaking). Caps are cheap, you can easily remove and replace.

Most folks don't bother of course, just buy another.

Alternatively, you can try powering the router from a stable 12VDC source (i.e. power supply), see if that alleviates the symptoms. Some folks have 12VDC distribution panels with USB takeoffs; solves the wall wart proliferation syndrome.

HTH
 
2 things I'd look at: the logs to see if a neighbor is using up your router (perhaps to beat a data cap....), and then whether the router has been hacked and someone is using it as a proxy. Some of the routers had software flaws that allow hackers to take them over.

I might be looking at one of the Asus AC boxes, or a SOHO unit that offers more firmware support.
 
wsuffa said:
2 things I'd look at: the logs to see if a neighbor is using up your router (perhaps to beat a data cap....), and then whether the router has been hacked and someone is using it as a proxy. Some of the routers had software flaws that allow hackers to take them over.
Click to expand...
I got to figure out how to look for someone setting up a proxy.
 
FWIW I used a Linksys router (with WiFi) for years with little trouble. However, it started hanging up (would pass no data) after a few days or a week.
No reason was ever identified - but powering it down and restarting it always cleared the problem. I decided that it was time to replace it, and after
some searching of reviews settled on a TP-Link AC-1750. End of problems - and the WiFi range is better.

Dave
 
Of you are having to reset the router maybe the wired ethetnet input from your cable modem is going bad. I had this happen with our 1st ASUS after about 3yrs which turned out to be a common problem, but they are so nice otherwise I bought a newer version and the problem went away. For me the key is looking at the logs. In our case it was indicating the incoming link was being dropped and when it would happen the cable modem would indicate being just fine (it was).

Perhaps your router is also your modem, then please disregard. In either case, log in and look at the logs. If they seem Greek to you, upload a copy to a private conversation here and invite @denverpilot and a few others and the kickoff will make more sense.

Ehternet problems can be so damn confusing. For example, is the wifi connection actually being dropped to the devices or is the router no longer on the internet?

It could also be a DHCP thing where a couple of devices are getting the same IP addresses, etc.

If you have wired devices off of your router and they have Internet 24/7 then maybe a radio is going out in the router and the power cycle is helping.

If you disconnect your router from your Internet all your devices should still connect via wifi, just no internet. Do they still drop in this scenario.

There is also the possibility of router interference. Maybe you or a neighbor have another conflicting device (router, cordless phone, home security gadget, etc).

Logs!
 
In my experience routers almost never fail like lightbulbs. Instead they fail more like what you're seeing in that you can boot them up and devices will connect and work fine. For anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days, and then they will fail to connect or fail to stay connected until the router is power cycled. Lather, rinse, repeat. For me the fix has always been replace the router.
 
To check if it's the wireless or a different bit you could run a continuous ping from a wired device out over the internet.

pingplotter software is great for this. Two week free trial then nagware.


8.8.8.8 and cnn.com respond to pings .

8.8.8.8 is a google address that almost always responds. There will be an 8.8.8.8 near you.
 
Are there any other WiFi networks nearby, especially on the same channel?

Do all the devices lose their signal at the same time? If so, can they talk to each other when the Internet goes down?

If you're using 2.4 GHz, are there any other 2.4 GHz devices that could be putting out signal intermittently?

Have you recently had thunderstorms?

Finally, have you ruled out a problem with the modem and drop? Most modems have a status page you can look at to see if they're having WAN-side issues. (Many Arris modems, for example, use http://192.168.100.1.)

The radios in wireless routers do wear out. Usually this happens gradually; but sometimes they go down in a blaze of glory, usually due to something like a thunderstorm or a power surge. Most likely you're experiencing wear of the more gradual sort. But before scrapping the router, try to determine whether something else (such as interference from another router or device) is causing the problem. If you're on the same channel as your neighbors, for example, change the channel to an unpopular one.

You can also try updating the firmware; although with these symptoms, that usually doesn't work. Bad firmware problems are usually evident from the first time you fire up the router. Unlike radios, which are electrical devices subject to wear, firmware doesn't "wear out." (But it does sometimes get corrupted, which is why updating the firmware is worth a shot.)

In addition to the radios themselves, other semiconductors in the device might be aging. For example, I had a router that was losing its WAN connection. The radios were fine, and the router connected all the LAN devices just fine; but it would intermittently lose its Internet connection. Those sorts of problems also require replacing the router.

In a nutshell, my hunch is that the router is shot and will have to be replaced. But trying the things above costs nothing and sometimes works; so they're worth a shot.

Rich
 
Do you have the network name hidden? Apple stopped supporting connections to hidden networks on iOS devices for some reason.
 
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