[Joeicam]

Hello everyone! So I have had this strange problem for about 3 months now, since moving to my own place I have a new router and internet connection. It's quite strange, as at different points while using my laptop, the internet connection will randomly drop. I find that it's worse when I'm watching youtube videos.. This isn't the first time that it's happened. The same problem was present at my old apartment as well. I have no clue what may be causing it, so any help from you guys would be wonderful. 

 

Thanks,

Joe

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Wireless or wired? If wireless, there's all kinds of interference that can cause problems with the signal.

[SpywareDr]

Wireless or wired? If wireless, there's all kinds of interference that can cause problems with the signal.

[dmccoy]

I would recommend installing the following utility to test your network signal, etc.

 

https://www.acrylicw...m/en/downloads/

 

Moving to a different channel (by logging on to your router) can drastically improve performance.

Edited by dmccoy, 23 January 2018 - 08:53 PM.

[Joeicam]

It's wireless. I can get the router name and specs if you like. It's strange because it seems to only be happening with newer routers, as the router I have at my parents doesn't cause the same problem. I'll try out that program.

[dmccoy]

Please provide the router information as well. Let us know what the program shows and switching to the best channel.

[Joeicam]

I have an ASUS Wireless-AC1750 Dual Band Gigabit Router, Model: RT-AC66U B1, and I downloaded the Acrylic WiFi Professional application. Looks like there's a lot of people around me using channel 1, 6 or 11. Currently, my router is set to Control Channel as Auto, using Channel 6, and the Acrylic application is showing I'm getting RSSI of -25/-26. My router is also generating the b, g, and n wireless signals with b/g protection turned on within the router settings. The laptop I'm using is quite old (I like to take care of my things :] ), like 5 years old. A HP Pavilion dm4 running Windows 7. 

[dmccoy]

That is good signal quality. Please provide the make and model of your laptop.

[Joeicam]

Yep, and the building I'm in isn't that large, so I wouldn't think that other signals would be interfering. I have a HP Pavilion dm4 Notebook PC. 

[SpywareDr]

Wikipedia: WiFi > Interference

Interference

Wi-Fi connections can be disrupted or the internet speed lowered by having other devices in the same area. Many 2.4 GHz 802.11b and 802.11g access-points default to the same channel on initial startup, contributing to congestion on certain channels. Wi-Fi pollution, or an excessive number of access points in the area, especially on the neighboring channel, can prevent access and interfere with other devices' use of other access points, caused by overlapping channels in the 802.11g/b spectrum, as well as with decreased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between access points. This can become a problem in high-density areas, such as large apartment complexes or office buildings with many Wi-Fi access points.

Additionally, other devices use the 2.4 GHz band: microwave ovens, ISM band devices, security cameras, ZigBee devices, Bluetooth devices, video senders, cordless phones, baby monitors, and (in some countries) Amateur radio all of which can cause significant additional interference. It is also an issue when municipalities or other large entities (such as universities) seek to provide large area coverage.

For more details on this topic, see Electromagnetic interference at 2.4 GHz.

Even bad electrical connections can cause broad RF spectrum emissions.

[dmccoy]

It looks like your wifi adapter supports 802.11n. I would try changing your router to N only mode and see if it helps any.

[Joeicam]

It's just strange, because my laptop is the only device that this happens on a frequent basis. Ugh, that USED to happen to me back at my parents place. Anytime someone would fire up the microwave the WiFi signal would go down lol. I think I'll just play around with the settings for now and see if it makes a difference.. I changed my settings to Wireless-N only, but the b/g Protection setting is grayed out, so I can't turn that off. I checked my adapters and it shows that I have the Wireless-N 6150 adapter on my machine. Looks like it's using Wireless-N, so hopefully the signal gets dropped less . I also changed the channel bandwidth from 20/40 to just 20 for less collisions and packet loss.. Thanks for the help everyone . 

[SpywareDr]

Some laptops have troublesome WiFi. One of the very reasons I carry a USB-WiFi with a little antenna adapter in my tool-bag.