Dying router?

Yorkie1

I've got Plusnet broadband and have had this router for just over 3 years (it's a Thomson).

Over the last few weeks or months, the wifi performance has become increasingly unreliable. Frequently slow at peak times, and sometimes dropping out at random. Quite often the laptop fixes it using windows diagnostics, saying it's a router or access issue.

Most of the time the signal strength traingular icons in the bottom right of the toolbar are fine, even though when you look at the wireless connection network status on the control panel the sent/received bytes activity is pitiful or frozen.

This evening it did fix it initially, but the wifi then dropped out again. I switched router off and on again as advised. This fixed it for a few minutes but then it dropped in / out every few seconds. I'm now in the study with an ethernet cable, which is working fine.

I am getting very frustrated at this.

Is this likely to be symptoms of a dying router?

Sparhawke

I have never been an expert on routers but I would say that it has had its day, I have had Thompson routers in the past and found them to be absolutely dire and a horror to work with; for much the same reasons you have.

If you are with Plus.net it might be worth asking for an firmware upgrade as it is likely they have "sorted" the system on their end and it is now incompatible with what you are sending and receiving

I have loads of routers knocking about, let me guess, does it look like this?

http://www.filesaveas.com/images/thomson485router.jpg

debitcardmayhem

Possibly but first try downloading inssider from here and see if there are other networks around with the same channel as you.

Edit: Also since it is a laptop do you ever user BTfon/BTWifi etc matbe a neighbour has BT and your laptop is trying to connect to that if the signal is better. You need to Network and Sharing from control panel/the icon on the taskbar and look at manage wireless connections and forget which are not yours or select yours and always connect to that , I am currently using linux and can't check the correct terminology for windows

Yorkie1

Thanks, both.

Yes it looks like that router ...

I don't use BT and the laptop does seem to autoconnect to Plusnet so I suspect that isn't a cause.

Have downloaded inssider but need to go to watch the Apprentice now. Back later tonight or tomorrow!

debitcardmayhem

Yorkie1 wrote: »

Thanks, both.

Yes it looks like that router ...

I don't use BT and the laptop does seem to autoconnect to Plusnet so I suspect that isn't a cause.

Have downloaded inssider but need to go to watch the Apprentice now. Back later tonight or tomorrow!

I guess I am fired then :cool:

Strider590

Your router either works or it doesn't, there is no inbetween..... It's digital.

Your problem is most likely stupid neighbours causing interference on the same WiFi channel OR something in your home doing the same.

When people turn routers on/off, the auto WiFi channel select jumps all over the place, often picking a channel that someone else is using or picking a channel that some wireless cards don't like (mine hate channel 6).

If you have neighbours who like turning their router off when not in use, then this problem will never go away.

If your using a laptop, it might be set to automatically roam to the strongest signal, which will cause major problems.

At home I had 3 choices:

1) Send a snotty letter to all my neighbours
2) Powerline adaptors
2) Run ethernet cable through my house

Cycrow

Strider590 wrote: »

Your router either works or it doesn't, there is no inbetween..... It's digital.

thats not really true.
There can be lots of things that cause routers to have problems. Even heat could effect the performance of a router and slow down your connection

Strider590

Cycrow wrote: »

thats not really true.
There can be lots of things that cause routers to have problems. Even heat could effect the performance of a router and slow down your connection

It's an electronic device, it doesn't get OLD or TIRED and it's doesn't gradually die, it has no moving parts. It either works or it breaks......

Cycrow

Strider590 wrote: »

It's an electronic device, it doesn't get OLD or TIRED and it's doesn't gradually die, it has no moving parts. It either works or it breaks......

so you saying that electrical devices either work perfectly or they dont work at all ?

thats clearly not the case


Just look at the CPU in a computer, if you overclock them to much, they dont just simply stop working, they become unstable but can still run, just things dont work right

Spankey

Strider590 wrote: »

It's an electronic device, it doesn't get OLD or TIRED and it's doesn't gradually die, it has no moving parts. It either works or it breaks......

I have had many many routers that will allow cabled internet access but the wireless access is intermittent and a lot of the times just not there and working.
Routers can half work just like and piece of equipment and should as i have found usually be replaced every 3 years roughly.
When they get old i imagine they develop dry joints on the solders like a lot of other electrical stuff with pcb in it.

Strider590

Spankey wrote: »

I have had many many routers that will allow cabled internet access but the wireless access is intermittent and a lot of the times just not there and working.
Routers can half work just like and piece of equipment and should as i have found usually be replaced every 3 years roughly.
When they get old i imagine they develop dry joints on the solders like a lot of other electrical stuff with pcb in it.

And when a dry joint occurs (well actually it's more likely to be tin whiskers or joint fractures these days due to 100% tin passivation), the fault will be very apparent and unlikely to resolve itself without mechanical force being applied.

Labelling the router as "oh it's just getting a bit old" is just missing the more obvious and more likely problems.
A new router might work, it might use the 5ghz band or it might have a more intelligent way of using clear channels, but it's a costly solution to something that might be much more simple.

OP needs to map the area for WiFi networks everytime the connection starts to fail, to check for others on the same channel and also make sure their device isn't set to roam to the strongest signal.

OP does seem to know a little about what they're doing, most people wouldn't know if it was a WiFi problem or the internet.