sluggish internet connection wi-fi. pt1.

[brick]

I had a Netgear wna3100 installed on my computer (comcast installed it for free) for wi-fi.The main house pooter has netgear product also but that pooter isn't used alot,mine is.I got both netgear products the same time.
MY wi-fi was fine for quite some time and very fast with the comcast cable we have.
Lately MY wi-fi has been slow,cuts in or out,slow speeds but right now it's lighting fast.
What's going on??
I did scan my pooter for anything lurking with avast and malwarebytes...nothing found all is well.
I do the win xp updates also.
I have a dell dimension8400 desktop.

 

[greenaccord02]

You need to determine if this is a problem with your computer or your internet connection. Whenever the connection feels fast, go to http://www.speedtest.net/ and run a test. Then, when the slugishness rolls around go back there again and run a test. If the tests are the same then you have a slow machine (which I suspect) if they are different, then you probably need to call technical support.

 

[brick]

Pt 2. The house pooter was having slow connections also so i figure MAYBE comcast has an issue in the area??
I have not tried the house pooter lately but will soon to see how it acts.I had to do a 2 pt. posting since it wouldn't let me have more room for more words!
Like i said...right now it's GREAT,tomorrow who knows!Some days i just don't bother trying to get online since the wi-fi cuts it/out but that could well be comcast problems?
Thoughts?? Thanks !!

 

[robshelton]

I hate to ask this, but is there a chance somebody else is using your network? I have seen a lot of this going on for a few years. If you did not install it yourself, you should secure your router. Log in to your router and change your network name, password and set it to NOT broadcast your SSID. The default names are well known so anybody could be using your machine. There have been cases where neighbors are doing something illegal (kiddie porn, etc) using another network and the innocent person gets in trouble.

BTW, love the old Buicks! Mom had a 69 LeSabre until 79, sold it with about 40k miles! I've had 2 GS's.

 

[JHZR2]

yeah Id make sure you had it secured down so nobody is getting in. Id also want to reboot the router and any hardware that is part of the internet signal path.

 

[eljefino]

If you have two routers make sure only one of them (the closest one to the internet) is running a DHCP server.

 

[ahoier]

Something tells me either someone is piggy-backing on your network.

or Comcast is "throttling" your bandwidth during prime time hours when "everyone" is trying to use the network at the same time......


I'd definitely check your router security though. Make sure you got it set to WPA, or WPA2.....and if you need a "good" password go to GRC.COM/passwords

 

[brick]

It' set on WPA2,i make sure it's on a secure channel.I'd like to change the p/w but not sure how to meaning...i don't want to mess anything up and then not get back online.Not sure how to change SSID,i see nothing unless it's in the advanced settings.So far it has not told me anyone else is using the wi-fi,is it able to do that.Wi-fi stuff is new to me as u can tell.
Reboot the main router,hmm...i won't have to change anything will i,just press the button?There are "other" default names it tries to get in on but none of them work such as Predis,Predis guest etc.ONLY my current SSID works.Sorry to be ignorant on pooters & wi-fi, that's why i'm picking your brains.On channel 6 with good results now.6 & 11 work well,6.Sometimes it wants to just look for presis etc and not ch6 or ch11.Was told the transmit range wouldn't go much further than the length of the house,i'm about 60' away from the main router signal w/nothing blocking it line as far as i can tell.Bestnuy guy's said it won't transmit outside the house,it a v/g unit but not that strong to go outside the home to neighbors.
THANKS for the info,lot's to think about and....yikes...try.

 

[rjundi]

My suggestion is try connecting an ethernet cable to the router directly and see if it occurs.

Wireless internet is great for portability and ease of connection. But if you want reliable and fast connections at a desk, use ethernet. My electrician put a nice outlet for $80 with two ethernet drops and telephone wire while doing other work in my home.

If you are unsecured and neighbors are close there are so many more devices(cell phones, printers, iPads, laptops, Blu-rays) that pick up your open signal. Most inexpensive wireless routers(aka freebies) are poor at handling very many connections. What happens somewhat is the slowest or furthest thing on your Wifi slows the entire wireless portion of router down.

 

[eljefino]

Your router should have a log section of every computer that's connected over the last 24 hours, as well as what's connected now.

There'll be an IP address (ignore; it assigns these randomly) and a MAC address (looks like A0 F3 00 4C 24 BA) that's the "serial number" of every network device. Usually yours will be on a sticker on your computer or card somewhere, and you can get it with "ipconfig" in windows. See a stranger? Note it and ban it.

I still say keep it simple, disable the other router for a while and see if that improves things.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: robshelton
I hate to ask this, but is there a chance somebody else is using your network? I have seen a lot of this going on for a few years. If you did not install it yourself, you should secure your router. Log in to your router and change your network name, password and set it to NOT broadcast your SSID. The default names are well known so anybody could be using your machine. There have been cases where neighbors are doing something illegal (kiddie porn, etc) using another network and the innocent person gets in trouble.

BTW, love the old Buicks! Mom had a 69 LeSabre until 79, sold it with about 40k miles! I've had 2 GS's.


Hiding the SSID does nothing for security.

WPA2+AES and a STRONG passphrase is your best defence. Changing the name, SSID, and password to ones that are obscure and complex is also a good idea.

 

[brick]

It shows ( just checked) WPA2 and AES.
I did think about using an ethernet cable but the cost would be nuts to go about 85 feet or more so i could just go straight from the main netgear box to my pooter in the house end room and see how it acts then.It is very rare that both pooters would be in use since i'm the only one who knows something about pooters here and how to function fairly good.Sometimes is surprise myself...lol.
I did notice that on facebook there is a netgear page with many complaints against cust.services AND netgear drop offs.Today is good again,channel good and speed is v/g also...3 days in a row...wow! It will do that and then go goofy and i'm mostly online from 11pm to 2am,hardly in daytime/afternoons.Neighbors are faaaast alseep then.

 

[OVERKILL]

Make sure you have the latest firmware on the router too.

 

[Rand]

monoprice.com has 100footers for 9.71
but the shipping is about 7 bucks too.