[SOLVED] Rebooting PC also requires reboot of wifi switch

[Gorf12]

This isn't really a problem that needs "fixing", I'm trying to see if there's a reason that a noob like me can understand.

I've got Virgin Media 100mb broadband through their super hub. I have an ethernet cable running from that, under the floorboards, into my little study. It plugs into one of the spare ethernet ports on a TP Link wifi router configured as a switch. DHCP fixes my IP address so I can open ports for (particularly) Elite Dangerous peer-to-peer comms. For a couple of years I've had an ethernet cable running from the switch to the back of the PC. No problems ever with this config. After moving furniture it became impractical to have an ethernet cable across the floor so I now have a tiny USB wifi dongle in the PC.

It works fine until I reboot the PC. After that, the wifi stays up for 2½ minutes before losing connection to the internet and hub. Troubleshooting the connection results in the adapter being reset and it works again. For 2½ more minutes. Then the connection is lost again. After a ridiculous amount of time trying to fix this at the PC, I tried rebooting the switch. That fixed it outright. Now, whenever I reboot the PC, I have to reboot the switch to restore perpetual WiFi connectivity.

It's not a huge problem, as long as I remember, but is it something I can fix more permanently?

 

[RealBeast]

I don't clearly understand the TP Link wifi router setup, is it set as an AP/switch or a second subnet? In other words does it have DHCP enabled as well as the DHCP from the Virgin superhub, so the Ethernet cable goes to its WAN port?

 

[Ralston18]

Reference:

"so I now have a tiny USB wifi dongle in the PC."

Check the adapter's temperature by feel before booting and then touch again (very carefully) when connection is lost. The USB adapter may be very warm or even hot..... A hot wireless USB adapter is not a good thing. Hold true for electronics in general.

I will add the suggestion that you try using a known working USB extension cable to move the USB network adapter up and away from the back of the PC.

Reasons: 1) improved TX and RX and 2) cooler air.

What may be happening is the USB adapter gets hot, loses connection, etc..

Once the wireless adapter cools down then all may be well again - at least until it heats up again.

 

[Gorf12]

Thank you both for the replies. The TP link router is set up as a switch without DHCP, that's handled by the Virgin modem/router. The ethernet connection between it and the modem router isn't going through the WAN port, it's just one of the other ethernet ports (sorry for the poor terminology). Although I concede that the switch setup might be the problem, I think it would be on the wifi side, because when the PC is plugged into the switch via ethernet it does not show any of these problems.

The wifi dongle is plugged into a front USB port and isn't getting hot or struggling for a signal. I'll try it in another front-mounted port, but I think that if temperature or positioning were the problem, it wouldn't be being fixed by a hard reboot of the switch after each PC reboot.

 

[Gorf12]

Update on this one - partly in case anyone is having the same problem, partly in case anyone can shed light on why it's happening.

Completely by chance I turned WiFi off after a reboot following a Windows update. I did this by clicking on the WiFi icon in the notification area and clicking the wifi button. When I turned it back on, it stayed connected to the internet.

I forced a reboot, and turned the wifi off after it connected, turned it back on, and again it stayed connected.

Finally, I rebooted and did nothing. This was just to make sure it hadn't been fixed by the windows update. It hadn't. After 2ish minutes, I lost internet connectivity.

Long story short- it seems to be nothing to do with the router/switch setup. Something is not configuring correctly with the USB WiFi dongle until it's turned off and back on again.

 

[Ralston18]

Run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Post the results.

And the current connectivity is (line diagram):

ISP ----> Modem --->Switch ---> [WAN port]Router[LAN ports] ----> wired devices and ~~~~> wireless devices

Edit and correct my line diagram. Add/update device information (make/model) as necessary.