Need DESPERATE Help with Internet Issues

[Bearcattreeowl]

Hey folks, I've recently (past 2 months) been having serious internet issues.

Every 1 hour or so, my wireless internet will "die". What i mean by this is that the internet browsers im using will not work and I cannot open up any internet using games such as WoW or league.

Here comes the tricky part- If I'm on WoW or League, I can continue to play.... Well to an extent. Wow works fine but I can only play league by myself not with others. Also, if im on skype i can stay on, but not open it up if closed.

I have a relatively new router(about a year old) Netgear WNDR3700 and I just need to know how to fix this and whats wrong with it.

Thank you all so much!

[Xuvial]

Woohoo, wireless troubleshooting FTL. You know that something as simple as a wall (made of the wrong materials) can cut down your wireless receptivity right? And even if you've found a spot where it works, it may not work there all the time.

First thing you can do is move closer to your router (or move the router closer to you) and see if you continue to experience reception loss. It could be too many line-of-sight issues or too many walls in the way. If that fixes it, you know your problem.

Secondly, go into the router settings and see if you can toggle between 2.4ghz (802.11 b/g/n) or 5ghz (802.11 a/n). 5ghz gives maximum speeds but at the cost of reduced range, 2.4ghz has longer wavelengths therefore higher range. The speed difference shouldn't matter because latency should remain more or less the same for online gaming.

[Bearcattreeowl]

Woohoo, wireless troubleshooting FTL.

AGREEED!
And It's on 2.4ghz, but the mode is "up to 130mbps" and gives me the option to go up to 300mbps- Should I do that?

---------- Post added 2011-09-18 at 08:16 PM ----------

Plug it in for a couple days first to determine if it's a wireless problem. (ethernet cable)

You say you 'cannot open' the programs, like you click the wow icon and nothing happens or you just can't connect?

Well i 100% know it isnt the modem, because my mom's computer is direct connected to the modem with the ethernet, and it works 24/7 even if wireless is down. And If i try to open WoW it says "the patcher info cannot be obtained" and it says something like that for league as well

[Xuvial]

Could try that 300mbps option but I don't think it'll do much to help connectivity. What about reducing the distance between you and the router, or is it not possible?

[Bearcattreeowl]

Well the issue is my router is in my basement-im 2 floors above it unfortunately and there is really no way to shorten the distance. DO you think that could be the reason it cuts out?

[openair]

Yes, 2 floors could have a big impact on wireless connectivity. That also what xuvial said in his first post... If you're going to ask for help, pls READ the responses.

You know that something as simple as a wall (made of the wrong materials) can cut down your wireless receptivity right? And even if you've found a spot where it works, it may not work there all the time.

First thing you can do is move closer to your router (or move the router closer to you) and see if you continue to experience reception loss. It could be too many line-of-sight issues or too many walls in the way. If that fixes it, you know your problem.

[Xuvial]

Well the issue is my router is in my basement-im 2 floors above it unfortunately and there is really no way to shorten the distance. DO you think that could be the reason it cuts out?

That's the thing, the only way to verify it is to try it. All wireless devices have a set range (which is pretty huge) but that range assumes clear line-of-sight with minimal obstructions. Even when the signal is at the limit of it's range and really weak, it CAN still give you near-maximum speeds - but it's an unstable signal that flaps on and off.
2 floors is asking quite a lot...it has to find it's way through the ceiling (if your basement ceiling is concrete then gg) or bounce around the open doorways and find it's way into your room. I keep my router just 1 floor below me in a small cabinet and I can't get a stable signal if I close my door.

In my wireless course we were using powerful Cisco Aironet access points, and testing revealed they could only go through 1 ceiling at maximum (with a receptor directly on the floor directly above) or about 25 meters through closed doors and corridors on the same floor. Anything further and the receptivity would get too low. A vertically-pointing antenna can broadcast horizontally far better than vertically (unless you rotate it).

[Bearcattreeowl]

Oh wow yeah that makes a lot of sense. I figured if it was a distance problem, then there would be no connection at all. But the unstable part makes a lot of sense. Thanks all, I'm going to see what I can do about moving my router upwards

[Toweliie]

I had a problem with that router also. i actually had to buy a brand new router yesterday because it "gave in" but anyways my new one has 2.4ghz and 5GHz and i was curious as to how i change to 5GHz cause i can't seem to find it..it only stays at 2.4GHz

[Auralian]

I had similar issues, Big house with 2 wireless upstairs, 1 down stairs, 1 in the basement and 1 in the Garage plus 3 Tablets floating around. I Ended up buying a Antenna for the Router and a Range Extender to cover the Basement / Garage. I don't see much of a signal drop now but it wasn't a cheap way to go, the range extenders are nearly as much as the router cost.

[Wozarib]

http://www.ebuyer.com/150039-extra-v...500-twin-pack-

something like that could be a good option too. not that specific one, but that sort of product. set up correctly, they work a treat.