[SOLVED] Specific Sub-Network Issues and Disconnecting past a certain MBps Download Speed.

[Jacknub]

I'll try to explain this one as best I can, but the particular issues might be two separate ones or tied together, I can't tell.

Firstly, this happened before I ever looked at software to find specific subnetworks since when using the Xfinity router it offers the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. We got some Wifi extenders (3 of them) and my computer is located semi-far away and in a corner, so I began using the built-in Asus network manager and Netsetman to find which one was actually the strongest and using that one.

Here's me, using 1 GB Download speed from Comcast, and I'm stuck getting anywhere from 1 to 4 MBps downloads and I just assumed it was because I was so far away.

Later me, finds two specific subnetworks that ARE much faster. Up to 15-30 MBps. There is me, also ecstatic.

Now, this is the point where I can't tell if the issues are separate or combined. Before I knew there were these subnetworks to differentiate between, my computer (when it was closer to the router) would randomly disconnect from the wifi while downloading things. It would say I was still connected, but with 'no internet' and a quick disconnect and reconnect to the wifi network would make it right as rain.

Until it happened again mid-download a few minutes later.

Anyway, back to current me, who has these newly discovered subnetworks - The slower ones never, to my knowledge, disconnect when downloading things.

The two quicker ones I also can't always seem to connect to, or at least the Asus software/Netsetman seem to imply they frequently struggle to connect to them, based on the amount of times I have to try and make the connection work.

I was downloading a game and the speed managed to get to nearly 30 MBps - and now I'm running into the disconnecting issue again.

I'd looked it up before and run through some troubleshooting tips, but never got it solved, and now I just don't know enough to say whether its the particular networks fault or my computer experiencing an issue when going past a certain MBps. (seems to be over 15ish is when the problems begin occurring)

So to some extent, I am reasonably confident that the disconnecting thing is somehow tied to my computer. But, I am also experiencing difficulties either connecting or staying connected to what are clearly the two strongest networks for me - but my computer doesn't seem to know that. I had to find them myself at random instead (they're normally the higher options in signal strength as well)

Is there any easy way through software or otherwise to target a preferred subnetwork for my computer to always try and connect to first, and assuming it is my computer, what are some of the ways to try and see if it is (in regards to disconnecting past a certain speed of downloading).



Side Note: I don't know if 'subnetwork' is the right term, but hopefully its clear what I mean from my earlier description.


Edit: To be clear, the issues I mean when I say 'trouble connecting to the specific subnetwork' for example in Netsetman, when I 'connect' to any specific subnetwork it lights up green and 'highlights' it, indicating it was successful. For these two in particular it very infrequently actually does that, IE it 'connects me' but indicates I'm not connected to any network according to that software. I know it 'worked' however, because my download speed will pick up and I will be connected to a wifi network, so clearly its doing something. Occasionally by spamming the 'connect' button over and over again it will light up green and actually look like I connected, but otherwise just for those two faster networks it acts like I'm not connected at all (from the softwares perspective) all the time.

 

[bill001g]

Nope subnetwork generally means something far different.

Partially this is a problem because you have too much wifi in your house. There is too much overlap between the repeaters and you likely have not placed them properly. This is partially the manufactures fault because they want people to buy multiple expensive boxes and put them in every room.

Just having repeaters you are going to take a massive hit on your speed. You generally should not use them if you have any other option.

Better would be moca adapters if you have tv coax or even powerline adapters before you use repeaters.

Another issue depends on the repeater. In some ways it is better to have different SSID on each box. Then you the human can decide which is the best. Some repeater systems use the same SSID and depend on the end device to select and they are pretty stupid some times.

If you are going to be stuck with repeaters I would try to redesign your layout. You should not need 3 remote units.

So I would first turn off all the repeaters and sit very close to the router to test the maximum speed you can expect.

Next I would go to the remote rooms and see how bad it is connecting to the main router. Many times a lower power signal to the main router will be faster than higher power signal to a repeater because of all the overhead.

In the rooms where the performance is not acceptable I would then try to move 1/2 way between router and the room. Try to find a location that you get acceptable performance from the main router on your pc. This is the place you want to place a repeater. Now go back to the remote room and see how much you get a drop in speed with the repeater in the path compared to running from the main router at the location the repeater is. Adjust the position until you get optimum results.

Now if you are going to try to put in multiple repeaters it gets harder because this second and third repeater will interfere with each other.

What you start with is to turn the radio power lower on the first repeater until it just barely works acceptably in the remote room. After this you turn off this device and do the same steps for the second repeater to the other remote rooms. You can then turn on both and see how much they damage each other signals. You would need to have actual traffic active on both connection to really tell.

This is a huge pain to setup. You really should try to find a way to not use repeaters and if you do run as few as will make it work. More is never better with wifi, you tend to just stomp on your signals more and more as you add units.

 

[Jacknub]

Nope subnetwork generally means something far different.

Partially this is a problem because you have too much wifi in your house. There is too much overlap between the repeaters and you likely have not placed them properly. This is partially the manufactures fault because they want people to buy multiple expensive boxes and put them in every room.

Snip

When it comes to testing 'speed' or 'power' of the connection, would using something like the speedtest app on my phone be good for quickly checking, or is there a better alternative. I've used it in the past but I'm not sure of the accuracy.

 

[bill001g]

Best would likely be speedtest. Not sure about a phone, but you can see the signal strength rated in DB on a pc. Many phones use some silly bars which are too inaccurate. Speedtest is a much better because you are actually testing the connection rather than trying to predict what some number might represent as a transfer speed.

 

[Jacknub]

Best would likely be speedtest. Not sure about a phone, but you can see the signal strength rated in DB on a pc. Many phones use some silly bars which are too inaccurate. Speedtest is a much better because you are actually testing the connection rather than trying to predict what some number might represent as a transfer speed.

I mean Speedtest has an app on the phone that to my best memory functions identically to the browser version, so I'll poke around with that. Thanks for the advice on the repeaters, and what are the separate networks called in this instance? Where they're all technically the same origin. Are they just referred to as, in this case, the 2.4 and the 5 network?

 

[bill001g]

That is a interesting question about what wifi off different devices are called. I have held lots of certifications even wifi where you must memorize lots of crap information. Maybe I just forgot but I don't know of a name. It is most similar to a cell tower where they are called cells. What makes it even more confusing is there can be multiple 2.4 and 5g networks running on different channel groups on the same device. Fancy mesh repeater have different radio chips to talk between the units and to the end devices.

Things like repeaters fall into a class of devices that are considered layer 2. They have a generic name called a bridge. They only convert from one media to another or move data between similar media.

So a cable modem that converts coax to ethernet, a switch that converts fiber to ethernet of other ethernet. or in this case a repeater that moves data from one wifi signal to another these are all bridges. They do not actually do very much with the data itself. They are more media converters.

The concept of "subnet" is layer 3 concept. It is related to IP addresses. In a home user all your devices have ip addresses between say 192.168.1.1 -192.168.1.254. This is one subnet. A device in say 192.168.2.x would be a different subnet. Home user networks are seldom complex enough to need more than 1 network.