WiFi connection but internet regularly drops

[rafeuk]

Hi all,

I've seen this is quite a common issue although I'm not sure I've seen an exact example of what I have experienced, so here goes...

I have a home wifi network using the new BTHomehub6, with bt infinity broadband (c. 43mbps down, 9 mbps up). I have up to 6 devices connected at any one time when at home: android tablet, one android phone, an iPhone, the new MacBook, a chromecast, and a windows laptop (Razer blade stealth). However, the internet connection drops regularly (but not predictably so) on one or more devices at a time, most noticeably for the two laptops. However, internet still often works on one or more of the other devices whilst this occurs. I haven't noticed one device being consistently online whilst another is offline, if that makes sense. And for a two person household, we don't exactly come under the classification of 'power users' i.e. it's not a bandwidth issue.

I used to have the same problem with the old homehub I had (the current homehub is a result of my moaning to my ISP in the vain hope it might fix the issue), so it doesn't seem to be a modem/router problem per se. The wireless connection is 100% strength most of the time and the devices remain connected to the wireless network, but with no internet.

The tricky thing is that it is entirely unpredictable when and for how long this happens. Sometimes it is a matter of 1 or 2 minutes, other times much longer (e.g. 30 minutes or more) but rarely for longer than an hour at a go. It happens several times a day as far as I can see. Grateful for some suggestions on how to diagnose and fix this annoying issue!

 

[jdcranke07]

Hi all,

I've seen this is quite a common issue although I'm not sure I've seen an exact example of what I have experienced, so here goes...

I have a home wifi network using the new BTHomehub6, with bt infinity broadband (c. 43mbps down, 9 mbps up). I have up to 6 devices connected at any one time when at home: android tablet, one android phone, an iPhone, the new MacBook, a chromecast, and a windows laptop (Razer blade stealth). However, the internet connection drops regularly (but not predictably so) on one or more devices at a time, most noticeably for the two laptops. However, internet still often works on one or more of the other devices whilst this occurs. I haven't noticed one device being consistently online whilst another is offline, if that makes sense. And for a two person household, we don't exactly come under the classification of 'power users' i.e. it's not a bandwidth issue.

I used to have the same problem with the old homehub I had (the current homehub is a result of my moaning to my ISP in the vain hope it might fix the issue), so it doesn't seem to be a modem/router problem per se. The wireless connection is 100% strength most of the time and the devices remain connected to the wireless network, but with no internet.

The tricky thing is that it is entirely unpredictable when and for how long this happens. Sometimes it is a matter of 1 or 2 minutes, other times much longer (e.g. 30 minutes or more) but rarely for longer than an hour at a go. It happens several times a day as far as I can see. Grateful for some suggestions on how to diagnose and fix this annoying issue!

This really sounds like your current router or modem/router combo cannot support that many devices all at once. Routers come with preloaded settings that tell it when there is too much draw from "x" number of devices and if they don't have priority, then the router will drop their signal to boost the communication between the other devices still fully connected to the network. Otherwise, it could be that when you move to a certain location in your living area, you have too many obstructions in between you and the router and the signal will drop since it can't get through all of that material in between it and the device in question. HVAC insulation, extensive wiring, plumbing, insulation, wood, and concrete can all diminish the signal till it is nothing that can successfully connect to your devices. I know in my parent's house, they had to get a range extender just to get around a similar problem I mentioned. They really should have another additional one as well and that is just for a 2300 sqft, two level home.

 

[rafeuk]

This really sounds like your current router or modem/router combo cannot support that many devices all at once. Routers come with preloaded settings that tell it when there is too much draw from "x" number of devices and if they don't have priority, then the router will drop their signal to boost the communication between the other devices still fully connected to the network. Otherwise, it could be that when you move to a certain location in your living area, you have too many obstructions in between you and the router and the signal will drop since it can't get through all of that material in between it and the device in question. HVAC insulation, extensive wiring, plumbing, insulation, wood, and concrete can all diminish the signal till it is nothing that can successfully connect to your devices. I know in my parent's house, they had to get a range extender just to get around a similar problem I mentioned. They really should have another additional one as well and that is just for a 2300 sqft, two level home.

Proximity or signal strength shouldn't be an issue. We are in a 2 bed flat c. 800sqft and it can happen within about 5m of the hub. I have Killer Network Manager on my laptop which shows 100% strength but with internet dropping. Too many devices could be a problem. If that is true, I would find it somewhat disappointing on the part of the ISP, given how much it is marketed on having 'The UK’s most powerful Wi-Fi' (btw above is typo - it's Homehub5).

 

[jdcranke07]

This really sounds like your current router or modem/router combo cannot support that many devices all at once. Routers come with preloaded settings that tell it when there is too much draw from "x" number of devices and if they don't have priority, then the router will drop their signal to boost the communication between the other devices still fully connected to the network. Otherwise, it could be that when you move to a certain location in your living area, you have too many obstructions in between you and the router and the signal will drop since it can't get through all of that material in between it and the device in question. HVAC insulation, extensive wiring, plumbing, insulation, wood, and concrete can all diminish the signal till it is nothing that can successfully connect to your devices. I know in my parent's house, they had to get a range extender just to get around a similar problem I mentioned. They really should have another additional one as well and that is just for a 2300 sqft, two level home.

Proximity or signal strength shouldn't be an issue. We are in a 2 bed flat c. 800sqft and it can happen within about 5m of the hub. I have Killer Network Manager on my laptop which shows 100% strength but with internet dropping. Too many devices could be a problem. If that is true, I would find it somewhat disappointing on the part of the ISP, given how much it is marketed on having 'The UK’s most powerful Wi-Fi' (btw above is typo - it's Homehub5).

Personally, I don't ever use my ISP's equipment. They can easily throttle you and see what your traffic has been. Not to mention, they advertise that they are some of the best on the market which is a bunch of crap. My router and modem are made for gigabit+ connections and Cox Communications doesn't offer anything near that capability. Now I know my setup is overkill for my internet package, but I wanted no excuse for it to by my equipment limiting me in speed or number of devices connected. My parent's pay for less internet bandwidth than I do and being that they have been using Cox's modem, they regularly get throttled and they only really look up the occasional YouTube vid or visit basic websites for their business. I never get throttled unless I turn off my VPN when downloading in mass quantities.

I'm going to bet that it's either your router dumping connections due to too many devices trying to talk all at once or you might have power saver settings that drop the connection when the device is idle for so long. I'm thinking more of the former though.

 

[rafeuk]

Thanks. Any suggestions as to how I can make the router prioritise device? I don't really give a damn if my phone loses connection that often, but the tablet and the two laptops is a real pain in the backside. Failing that, I could just deactivate the wifi on phones for all but the most essential downloads...

 

[jdcranke07]

Thanks. Any suggestions as to how I can make the router prioritise device? I don't really give a damn if my phone loses connection that often, but the tablet and the two laptops is a real pain in the backside. Failing that, I could just deactivate the wifi on phones for all but the most essential downloads...

Unfortunately, for most consumer grade routers, the settings are preset in the firmware of the router and can't be changed without hacking or installing a custom firmware to the router. I know for a fact that my Netgear and my Asus routers do not allow me to change prioritization at all. However, on any device that can be hard lined into your router, it should prioritize those over wifi devices, but that's as much as you'll be able to do without getting a router that can handle more devices by default.