Internet Connection Problems - Help!

scubalab
scubalab Posts: 3,101
edited March 2017 in The Clubhouse
We are having problems with some devices staying connected to wifi only at home. It started abruptly last weekend. They are connected, showing strong wifi signal, but occasionally lose internet connection. (And, as far as I can tell, it's not ghoooooossssssttttsss or snakes @heiney9 and @lightman1 LOL.) Our phones and my work computer do it the most. We have to physically disconnect and reconnect to wifi to get back "online". We were told by Xfinity that our modem was "at its end of life", so I went to Best Buy and picked up a new modem and router. Well, the problem was not resolved. Xfinity sent a technician out and he basically told me the new modem wasn't much better than the one we had and was also on their list of "end of life" modems since it is only 8 channels. He couldn't find any problems (even though he DID see my computer lose connection and not regain internet access until we disconnected and reconnected) and seemed frustrated that they sent him out.

Long story short, I need to take it back and get a newer one. I also upgraded the router to a newer lynksis. Before I succumb to renting a gateway modem/router from Xfinity for $10/month, I'd like to give something else a try. The negear nighthawk modem/router in Ricardo's thread looks like it might be worth trying.

Anyone have any advice on why some of our devices seem to lose internet connection and won't regain connection until you turn wifi off and back on again?

This has happened twice (that I know of) on my phone in the last hour while online and typing some posts here...
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Comments

  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    edited March 2017
    Hey Al,
    weird that the problem remains even after replacement.
    what models modem and router did you get, if you don't mind?

    Before replacement, and ruling out a service problem, it did sound like your your old modem and/or router were getting tired. I have no idea what's really going on in these boxes to cause this sort of thing, but it's not uncommon in older equipment. I think heat plays a significant role in performance degradation and reliability troubles over the years of use. I prefer vertical orientation on this sort of equipment, and reasonably well ventilated. For example, don't stuff it behind a cabinet or desk.

    I recommend against renting a modem if you can help it. I think, without premature failure, you can almost definitely get 3-5 years out of a modem, unless you're one who prefers the fastest throughput providers offer, in which case, you may have to upgrade more frequently. In either case, I think it makes more sense to buy your own gear instead of renting, unless you want something fully managed and owned by your provider. This could be handy if you find them frequently replacing units due to electrical damage and such. Or in this case, making them own the problem.

    Along that line, maybe you could rent from them temporarily to see that the issue is fixed? And then take your time buying your own stuff?

    I use a Surfboard modem and Apple Airport Extreme. This combo works pretty well, though I've also had good results with Netgear wifi, too. The Surfboard modems have served me well speed and reliability wise over the years. This latest one has all sorts of vent holes in it and obnoxiously bright LEDs. I've even used LightDims to subdue it a bit, but only marginally better. I did have similar issues to what you describe after several years with my last Surfboard. I just replaced the wifi at the same time. The previous gen Airport Extreme still worked well enough, but being a horizontal mount with a small switch sitting on top, had seen some browning due to heat. The new one was noticeably better performing, replaced after the modem.

    Presuming here, of course that all coax connections are tight and the tech checked properly for signal issues at your modem connection and not just elsewhere in the house. Could still be service related. They should be be able to run a capture to determine whether there's packet loss to your modem over a 24hr period.

    Any particular times this is more prevalent? My service drops back a bit in the evenings, for example.
    Post edited by msg on
    I disabled signatures.
  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited March 2017
    Can you be specific on what you mean by 'lose internet connection'?
    a) the device got dropped from connecting to your wifi router (usually shows up as the red ball over the signal strength icon)

    or

    b) there is no internet connection thru the cable modem (shows up as the exclamation point inside the yellow triangle over the signal strength icon)
    Post edited by Erik Tracy on

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
  • scubalab
    scubalab Posts: 3,101
    Scott - I just bought the Arris Surfboard SB6141 modem. It replaced the SB6121 and after I looked at them side by side, they're fairly the same...

    rl1bfuo26ye5.jpg

    I also got a Linksys AC1750 router to replace a Netgear N600 (WNDR3400)...

    o0mdh4f5ccak.jpg

    They are kept in a very cool closet so I don't expect ventilation to be a problem. I had the other ones for at least 4-5 years.

    z5p5tcm0vhrj.jpg
  • scubalab
    scubalab Posts: 3,101
    Erik - I'm not sure how to better describe the problem. My phone shows full signal

    jrfa3tdvjhjs.png

    The computer also shows good connection strength (full signal) and internet connection (no yellow exclamation point through it). It even says "internet connection" when you hover the mouse pointer over the wifi signal symbol. However, it's almost like there is a split second interruption and even though all indicators say I'm online with an internet connection, going to a new web page or refreshing the current one results in a spinning circle on the phone for about 20-30 seconds and then the dreaded "safari could not connect because you are offline" or something. On the computer, it just says you are not connected to the internet when you try to go to another page (even though the wifi status says "internet connection.

    If I disconnect from the wifi and reconnect, all is good again for about a half hour. On the phone, I turn wifi off and right back on and it fixes it. I'm so frustrated with it. Just in the time I'm writing these two posts, I've had to turn wifi off and on twice...
  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    I've upgraded our wifi router three times over the years and have noticed the dreaded 'no internet connection' in the browser, but also the exclamation point over the wifi signal strength icon.

    At first, I'd go thru the ritual of resetting the wifi router and the cable modem to restore connection.

    But now have doubts that its the router or modem and that its the wifi driver on my laptop because if I go into networks and disconnect the wifi connection in the laptop gui then reconnect - everything is back.

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    I'm surprised the tech trashed that 6121. I thought maybe you had a Scientific Atlanta or something before.

    I just checked and have the SF6183. Specs comparison are here, but the 6121 not listed
    http://surfboard.com/products/arris-product-comparison/
    6121 - 4 channel bonding; 160Mbps
    6141 - 8 channel bonding; 343Mbps
    6183 - 16 channel bonding; 686Mbps
    All "theoretical", and upstream bonding seems limited to 4ch on each unit.
    I think the 6183 was the only model available in store when I purchased.
    I don't know whether you'd notice anything either way performance wise if your service is below these throughput specs, but not sure whether there are other additions affecting speed in these modems.

    I don't think this would be an issue with any of the equipment that you are using, but it's worth consideration - some devices only issue a set number of DHCP addresses by default. Depending on the number of wifi connected devices in your home, you may be using them up, and this can cause some to intermittently drop offline until a reset lets all currently active devices pull a slot. I had this issue years ago when I was using a salvaged pro firewall with only 10 user access licenses on it. Didn't think for a minute that I had that many devices connecting, but between notebooks, desktops, phones, and then the new audio stuff...

    Most newer routers won't have this configured so tightly by default though, and should allow plenty of hosts/clients to connect. Might check it out though in the admin control panel if you have a large number of wireless devices. It'll be under the wireless/dhcp settings pages.

    Router firmware updates sometimes resolve these connectivity problems, even if something's brand new, it's worth checking for.
    I disabled signatures.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    Ok ,
    Here is what you do,
    First off remove the Netgear router and just use the Linksys as your Main Router and WIFI access point.
    Then I want you to separate your networks Wifi meaning 2.4 and 5g
    Make a SSID like Scublab and a password like popcorn for the 2.4
    Make a SSID like Scublab_5g and a password like popcorn for 5g
    now the trick here is going to be finding out what channels are around you meaning the 2.4 band has really only 3 available channels and they are 1 , 6 and 11. Forget about 2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10 as they all overlap each other and cause issues.
    Your going to need a scan tool like INSSIDER to find out what channels your neighbors are on and get on the channel that is the least amount of users. Also check DB ratings, the higher the number the better which will mean less likely to cause interference.
    So the same thing for 5g. You can use all the channels on 5g from 32 to 153, they do not overlap or interfere with each other. So scan for that bandwidth and find out who is one those channels and pick one that is the least amount of people on and the highest DB rating.

    Now if you have a Wifi Printer in your home that has WIFI direct Print, turn that smack off. This will cause your 2.4 not to work well at all and cause network storms.
    You can have your printer join Wifi and print over the network NOT WIFI DIRECT.

    Let me know if you need any more help.

    Dan
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • mrloren
    mrloren Posts: 2,454
    lots of good advice here, most of my house is hard wire or power line.

    For wireless I was having the same problem as you.I have used several different routers and still the same dropping I even got one of the techs at work a 6 pack to come over and try it. We worked on it for over an hour and then came to find the the router has a nice little setting "Auto 20/40mhz". We changed it to 20mhz and all has been good.
    When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
    Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
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  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,163
    I think these issues come from compatibility between wireless chipsets. They are very hard to diagnose and fix.

    I was having a similar problem with 1 of my laptops and got lucky in fixing it. It happened after I switched from an N-class Access Point (Atheros chipset) to an AC-class router/access point (Broadcom chipset). I use a dedicated hard wired router and separate wireless AP. Through this process, the wired router was unchanged.

    Shortly after changing out the AP, I noticed the laptop would loose connection while streaming music. I though maybe it was a problem with my server, but after looking closer, I found that it would randomly give the "!" in the signal strength meter with "No Internet Connection." It would connect just fine on the 2.4GHz band with good speed (150Mbps), but the "!" came every 5-20 minutes. The connection would usually come back after a few minutes, but when you are streaming music, that is not acceptable.

    I tried uninstall/reinstall drivers, updated drivers, reset the wireless AP, re-seated the wifi card and cables, no change.

    I then figured the card was bad. I bought a newer N-class Intel card, but it ended up being DOA, so I put the earlier card in and decided to try the 5-GHz band connection. Turns out it was perfectly stable and problem solved.

    So, bottom line, I'm not sure what the problem was. Could be bad 2.4GHz radio on the wireless card, could be an incompatibility between the chipsets, could be something OS/Driver related.

    Bottom line, is just try different settings/connections and see if anything improves. I do not think the problem is with the Arris modem. That 8-channel is perfectly fine for most needs. I use an 8-channel and have no issues even with 10+ devices connected and often all surfing/streaming. With the AC-class router, you will get better results if your devices are AC, but even with the N-class devices, they will work better on 5GHz unless there are a lot of walls between or the distance is at the limit.

    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • scubalab
    scubalab Posts: 3,101
    I should add that this problem happens on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz connection over wifi only. We have an Ethernet port in our living room upstairs that is hard-wired to the modem. I took my work computer up there last week and it worked flawlessly. So, the problem is definitely in the wifi connection. Weird thing is, I never see it lose internet connection (red ball on phone or yellow exclamation point on laptops), although if it's just a quick blip, then it's very possible I just miss it. I only notice it when I navigate to a new web page, refresh, or if I'm working on our VPN and it gets stuck until I disconnect and reconnect.

    I should also note that the Xfinity technician wasn't really bashing the new modem I got. He actually said it was a good modem. What he said was that in regards to the "end of life" modems, it wasn't much different than the one it replaced. I guess Xfinity is going to 16 channels, and is considering any modem that has less than 16 channels at the end of it's life. He even said, the one we got was probably more than we'd ever need. I was just more frustrated that replacing our old modem and router didn't fix the problem, and that I bought the new modem thinking it would be one that was NOT an 'end of life' model and would be a tad bit more future-proof (well at least current).

    Dan (@mantis) - I should clarify that the Netgear router IS out of service. You may have mistaken the Ooma (VOIP telephone hub) as the old Netgear. We're only using the new Arris modem and the new Linksys router. I already have the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks separated and setup with network names and passwords (that we changed from the default). I'll have to figure out how to do what you're recommending on the channels. As for the printer, I'm not sure what wifi direct printing is, but I'll look into it and turn it off if it is on. (The printer is an HP Envy 4500).

    Also, as for connected devices, we have the HTPC hard-wired to the router, the Marantz AV processor hard-wired to the router, and the Ooma hard-wired to the router. The fourth hard-wire is for the Ethernet port (typically unused) in our living room upstairs. We also have a Google Chromecast, a Chromecast Audio, an Amazon Echo, an Amazon Fire Stick, a Roku 3, the HP Envy 4500 printer, an Oppo 103 (wireless dongle), a Samsung BR player (rarely ever used) and two laptops that may or can connect wirelessly. Lastly, we have up to 4 iPhones that default to wireless when we're home. We hadn't changed anything in MONTHS. It was just a little over a week ago that the problem started. So, I can't pinpoint something new that would be causing it.
  • jflail2
    jflail2 Posts: 2,868
    While I'm not dealing with a bad wifi connection, I had a bad internet connection a few months back, and the folks on the phone with Comcast would NOT let the "end of life modem" BS rest. I have a surfboard 6141, and it was definitely not the problem. After enough pushing, they sent a tech out who determined immediately it was a line issue. He ran a new line to my house and I was good to go. My blast connection is just fine with the new line, 6141 modem and all.

    So while I can't help with your specific issue, I'd say it's definitely not your modem being too old.


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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    scubalab wrote: »
    I should add that this problem happens on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz connection over wifi only. We have an Ethernet port in our living room upstairs that is hard-wired to the modem. I took my work computer up there last week and it worked flawlessly. So, the problem is definitely in the wifi connection. Weird thing is, I never see it lose internet connection (red ball on phone or yellow exclamation point on laptops), although if it's just a quick blip, then it's very possible I just miss it. I only notice it when I navigate to a new web page, refresh, or if I'm working on our VPN and it gets stuck until I disconnect and reconnect.

    I should also note that the Xfinity technician wasn't really bashing the new modem I got. He actually said it was a good modem. What he said was that in regards to the "end of life" modems, it wasn't much different than the one it replaced. I guess Xfinity is going to 16 channels, and is considering any modem that has less than 16 channels at the end of it's life. He even said, the one we got was probably more than we'd ever need. I was just more frustrated that replacing our old modem and router didn't fix the problem, and that I bought the new modem thinking it would be one that was NOT an 'end of life' model and would be a tad bit more future-proof (well at least current).

    Dan (@mantis) - I should clarify that the Netgear router IS out of service. You may have mistaken the Ooma (VOIP telephone hub) as the old Netgear. We're only using the new Arris modem and the new Linksys router. I already have the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks separated and setup with network names and passwords (that we changed from the default). I'll have to figure out how to do what you're recommending on the channels. As for the printer, I'm not sure what wifi direct printing is, but I'll look into it and turn it off if it is on. (The printer is an HP Envy 4500).

    Also, as for connected devices, we have the HTPC hard-wired to the router, the Marantz AV processor hard-wired to the router, and the Ooma hard-wired to the router. The fourth hard-wire is for the Ethernet port (typically unused) in our living room upstairs. We also have a Google Chromecast, a Chromecast Audio, an Amazon Echo, an Amazon Fire Stick, a Roku 3, the HP Envy 4500 printer, an Oppo 103 (wireless dongle), a Samsung BR player (rarely ever used) and two laptops that may or can connect wirelessly. Lastly, we have up to 4 iPhones that default to wireless when we're home. We hadn't changed anything in MONTHS. It was just a little over a week ago that the problem started. So, I can't pinpoint something new that would be causing it.
    Log into your router and go to where you set up your password and SSID.
    Then Log for AUTO and change it to Channel 1 to start on 2.4
    Then change AUTO to Channel 32 on 5g.
    If you don't down load the scan tool and know how to use it then this is a process of elimination. So Try those channels first and test. If you get great results then leave the channels there. If not here is the next channels to try

    2.4 go to Channel 6
    5g go to Channel 48

    If that doesn't work

    2.4 to Channel 11
    5g to Channel 52

    DO NOT USE any other channels for 2.4
    Use any channel you want with 5g as none of them overlap.

    Go to that Printer and turn off WIFI Direct OFF . If that Printer is producing a SSID then turn that crap off.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • scubalab
    scubalab Posts: 3,101
    Dan,

    Things were looking up this morning. I got a better modem (Arris SB6190 - 32 channel) last night set it up and this morning things were going well. Around 10 or 11 AM, things got bad again, and I mean REAL bad. Constant loss of connection.

    The first thing I did was take the wireless printer offline entirely. That didn't help. Then I called Xfinity again, and they are sending a senior tech out on Friday. Then I tried to get onto the router and change channels, but couldn't get on. I called Linksys support and they were able to get things going better (so far). He checked firmware, and changed the router channels (2.4g is on 11 now and 5g is on 153 I think...). ran a speed test, and it buried the needle. We're getting 120+ Mbps down and 6 Mbps up. It's been about a half hour now, and so far so good.

    So, THANK YOU for the advice. I'm keeping the Xfinity appointment just in case things act up again. If all goes well this week, I'll probably cancel the appointment. Strange thing is, talking to a friend who lives up the street, he said they have to reset their modem and router at least once a day. Additionally, I saw a Comcast/Xfinity truck working on a pole about a half mile from our house last night. I think they are doing some upgrades that are s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up people's wifi... The tech who came out last week mentioned that they are upgrading things and have a LOT to finish. Wonder if that's what the truck I saw last night was doing...

    Fingers crossed that things go better now.
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    scubalab wrote: »
    Additionally, I saw a Comcast/Xfinity truck working on a pole about a half mile from our house last night. I think they are doing some upgrades that are s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up people's wifi... The tech who came out last week mentioned that they are upgrading things and have a LOT to finish. Wonder if that's what the truck I saw last night was doing...

    Fingers crossed that things go better now.

    You "think" you saw a Comcast/Xfinity truck last night.... what you actually saw was a CIA/FBI van tapping your connection lines as they have gotten a tip about a massive explosions coming out of your basement and so you are now on "the list"....

    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    scubalab wrote: »
    Dan,

    Things were looking up this morning. I got a better modem (Arris SB6190 - 32 channel) last night set it up and this morning things were going well. Around 10 or 11 AM, things got bad again, and I mean REAL bad. Constant loss of connection.

    The first thing I did was take the wireless printer offline entirely. That didn't help. Then I called Xfinity again, and they are sending a senior tech out on Friday. Then I tried to get onto the router and change channels, but couldn't get on. I called Linksys support and they were able to get things going better (so far). He checked firmware, and changed the router channels (2.4g is on 11 now and 5g is on 153 I think...). ran a speed test, and it buried the needle. We're getting 120+ Mbps down and 6 Mbps up. It's been about a half hour now, and so far so good.

    So, THANK YOU for the advice. I'm keeping the Xfinity appointment just in case things act up again. If all goes well this week, I'll probably cancel the appointment. Strange thing is, talking to a friend who lives up the street, he said they have to reset their modem and router at least once a day. Additionally, I saw a Comcast/Xfinity truck working on a pole about a half mile from our house last night. I think they are doing some upgrades that are s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up people's wifi... The tech who came out last week mentioned that they are upgrading things and have a LOT to finish. Wonder if that's what the truck I saw last night was doing...

    Fingers crossed that things go better now.

    Good deal man. I do networks everyday. We use Luxul, Araknis, Pakedge and Rukus network equipment.
    So setting up and trouble shooting Network issues is my thing. I can also remote log into your computer if things go real south and I can make adjustments to your network from home. I may have to bill you for that service LOL

    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • bikerboy
    bikerboy Posts: 1,205
    Looks like you are on the internet road. I was having issues like you with a Samsung tablet and uninstalling the setup on the tablet and reconfiguring network connection settings seems to have solved my issue. Lots of smart people to help on this forum.
    Main system: Lyngdorf TDAI 2170 w/ Pioneer 42" plazma-> Polk LSiM 703 w/Tivo, Marantz tuner, BRPTT: Nothingham Spacedeck-> Pioneer PL L1000 linear arm-> Soundsmith DL 103R-> SUT->Bottlehead ErosDigital: I3 PC w/ Jriver playing flac -> Sonore Ultrarendu -> Twisted Pair Audio ESS 9028 w/ Mercury IVY Vinyl rips: ESI Juli@24/192-> i3 PC server
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    This may be a horrifically worthless aside :) but reading through this thread (finally) reminded me that we've had "issues" in the past with high-frequency RFI with our wifi from two different sources that might have been obvious (but only in retrospect).

    "Cordless" phones (of the old-school, land-line connected variety)
    Microwave oven

    :)
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    This may be a horrifically worthless aside :) but reading through this thread (finally) reminded me that we've had "issues" in the past with high-frequency RFI with our wifi from two different sources that might have been obvious (but only in retrospect).

    "Cordless" phones (of the old-school, land-line connected variety)
    Microwave oven

    :)

    That darn microwave....drove me insane trying to figure out what was causing the interruptions a few years ago. Until I noticed every time it happened the wife was warming something up in the darn micro. Changed channels and all was well.
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  • mdaudioguy
    mdaudioguy Posts: 5,165
    tonyb wrote: »
    That darn microwave....drove me insane trying to figure out what was causing the interruptions a few years ago. Until I noticed every time it happened the wife was warming something up in the darn micro. Changed channels and all was well.
    I caught my microwave taking pictures of everything going on in the kitchen and sharing them to Facebook.

  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,042
    mdaudioguy wrote: »
    tonyb wrote: »
    That darn microwave....drove me insane trying to figure out what was causing the interruptions a few years ago. Until I noticed every time it happened the wife was warming something up in the darn micro. Changed channels and all was well.
    I caught my microwave taking pictures of everything going on in the kitchen and sharing them to Facebook.

    Shhhh! It's listening. Don't talk so loud. Crap, my TV just heard me!
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    My TV has tubes in it. Well, OK, one big one.
    It's pretty dumb.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    Funny re: the microwave - I notice music dropout sometimes when I use the microwave!

    Glad to hear you made some progress Al. I checked out the neighboring wifi networks here per Dan's recommendation, and made some adjustments myself.
    I disabled signatures.
  • scubalab
    scubalab Posts: 3,101
    Well, I may have spoken too soon... :(

    We had some progress (at least we thought) yesterday and got speeds way up, but the stable connection was only short lived. We were good for a couple hours, but around 4 PM, it started losing connection again. And, it was very bad again. This morning, I've already lost connection and got kicked off everything twice already in the 10 minutes I've been at the computer. It really makes working from home extremely difficult.

    I'm keeping the tech/specialist call for Friday and hopefully he can get things fixed.

    When we troubleshoot the connection it says the DNS server is not responding. I believe that is on Comcast's end. I've run several event logs on the router and they always show "Lost MDD Timeout;..." and RCS Partial Service:..." repeatedly, and sometimes "Service Add Ack rejected - Invalid transaction ID;...".

    I'm at a loss.

    Oh, the good news (sarc.) is Comcast offered a $20 credit on our bill 'for our troubles'...
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    On the strength of this thread, I think I am going back to -- short wave radio.

    ;)


    r390a1.jpg
    (not mine -- sadly :()
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,163
    edited March 2017
    Sounds like a Comcast issue. Keep bugging them until you get bumped up to Tier 3 support. Tier 3 is where you need to be. I would also recommend posting on the Comcast Tech Support forums and keep posting/bumping the thread that the problem still exists.
    Find the appropriate sub-forum here:
    http://forums.xfinity.com/

    I had a problem last Fall with a sudden loss of 5-channels on my cable feed. I use Tivo+cablecard so troubleshooting was harder than normal. Lots of calls to Tivo/Comcast, new cablecard, etc....still no fix.

    Finally posted in forum and bumped it a few times. Several days later I got a call from Tier 3 support. Believe it or not, they can actually see your modem and/or cable box diagnostics, channel strength, interference, etc and create a log that shows dropouts or other issues.

    For me, he could clearly see a signal issue (even though my signal strength was high.) He detected an interference that was causing the channel loss. Also said my modem was resetting a lot (I didn't notice a problem but they saw it).

    Sent a Tech out and after a couple hours, they finally found a pair of really old (90s era) filters that were installed at the head feed for my line. They never caused a problem until Comcast moved the 5-channels to the frequency that matched the filters.

    Filters removed, problem solved and now everything works better than ever.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • GospelTruth
    GospelTruth Posts: 403
    The best advice I've seen on this thread is from Mantis. Oh, and the thoughts that the NSA is gaining control of your devices. :)

    If you aren't having issues with hard connections through your router, then I don't believe it's a Comcast issue. They may have been working in your neighborhood, but if it wasn't affecting your hard wire connections, then it shouldn't be on the Comcast side. I can pretty much tell you they aren't going to fix the issue unless you get a bright tech who can help you configure your router.

    If you are only experiencing items with wireless then it could be from a few things and Mantis covered most of them.
    • Maybe one of the neighbors bought a new wireless router and your channels are over lapping causing dropouts. I had this before and found some software online that I ran with my laptop to see all the signals around my house. I then switched the channels accordingly so that interference was reduced. It may get worse at certain times of the day if you are overlapping channels with a neighbor. If there is no activity on their wireless until say 4pm and then you start getting dropouts, it may be the kids got back from school and started using their wireless network.
    • Did the neighbors have a baby? I've read that baby monitors can cause interference with Wireless networks.

    My issues always came in the evening, when I think all my neighbors were home and their wireless usage went up. I fixed it by monitoring the channels and finding something that wasn't used as much. I also made sure I was using WPA-2 Personal for the encryption method. I did eventually upgrade my router to an ASUS RT-N66U. It's older now, but it has been rock stable for us. I like the interface as well and have had no troubles like I used to have with our Linksys routers.

    Hope things get resolved for you. I know how much of a pain it can be when wireless stops working and you rely on it so heavily.
    Speakers
    Energy RC-70 Mains, Energy RC-LRC Center, Energy RC-R (x4) Rear Channels, Energy RC-R (x2) Front Effects
    Polk 5jr+
    Polk SDA 2B
    Polk SDS 3.1TL

    Equipment
    Panamax 5510 Re-generator Power Conditioner
    Yamaha RX-V3800 Receiver
    Digital Sources: Sony CDP-X339ES CD Player, HHB CDR830 BurnIt Professional CD Recorder, Sony PS3, Oppo DV-983H DVD Player
    Analog Sources: Sony TC-K890ES Cassette, Nakamichi DR-1 Cassette, Technics SL-7 Turntable
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    edited March 2017
    Al, you can see that kind of behavior when the connection drops, or with a connection that seems to be okay, but is suffering packet loss.

    Are you friendly with any of your neighbors, or are you the a-hole of the neighborhood who throws hammers at people and their dogs for stepping on your lawn? Might ask to see whether anyone else is having problems. I suspect it's on the service side from what youve shared so far. There's a way to try Google DNS to rule out a straight DNS resolution issue, but would put people to sleep to detail it here.

    PS
    An FCC complaint usually gets people involved who can make fixes happen.
    I disabled signatures.
  • scubalab
    scubalab Posts: 3,101
    A lot of great advice has been given, and I really appreciate the help. Here's what I have:
    • Modem - Arris SB6190
    • Router - Linksys AC1750
    I've physically re-assigned channels on the router for both 2.4 and 5g. Wireless direct is turned off on the printer. I've even tried turning the printer off entirely.

    We had a glimmer of hope on Tuesday after re-assigning the router channels, but about an hour or so later, the problems came back. I thought the steps Dan (Mantis) recommended were the trick... but the hope was short lived. It does seem that the problems are more evident around mid morning and mid-late afternoon. Seems like odd times...

    Our neighborhood is fairly small, and very rural (lots are all over an acre). On our street, I only see one or two other wireless connections that I can pick up. There are at best 7 houses within a 500' radius of our house, and 3 of them are empty. We know our closest neighbors pretty good, so I can check with them (We're the friendly ones... it's all the others who are the A-holes! :p ). I believe theirs is the only other WiFi in range. They are #5 on the aerial image below. #1 may also have WiFi in range, but she's in Florida for the winter. #4 might also be in range - I'll have to check tonight when I'm home...

    xitq51tpzgxy.jpg
    Where I saw Comcast working was out of the picture (about 1 O'clock and about 1/2 mile away). I'm really hoping the senior tech (specialist) they are sending out tomorrow can get this resolved. It is beyond frustrating. I've got a bad feeling that he's going to recommend we use one of their gateway modems... I've heard bad things about the built-in router not having a very good signal... At this point, it may be worth trying though.
  • scubalab
    scubalab Posts: 3,101
    On a side note... the router I bought can only be returned until tomorrow. I'm debating trying another router. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether the Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 (R7000) would be worth the additional $40?

    Or sticking with AC1750, is either the Asus RT-AC1750 or Netgear AC1750 (R6400 or R6700) a better choice than the Linksys? Just want to make the right choice. I'm fairly happy with the speed and range of the Linksys (when we stay connected...), but am wondering if the others might be better...
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited March 2017
    What's the story on that runway in the photo? Is there a control tower at the airport? I mean, I'm just spitballin' here -- but there are sometimes some... umm... electronics at airports.