Wireless keeps disconnecting periodically

[kimisizer]

Hi everyone. So I have a router/modem combo thing that Century Link (my ISP) provided me that has recently been having issues. About every hour, the wireless will stop working and I am forced to restart the modem to get the wireless back up. When this happens, the ethernet connection I have to my desktop still works (so wired connections stay up all the time). Also, the "Internet" light on the modem is still green. Looking at the router's lights, nothing seems off but the wireless just doesn't work. It's becoming annoying to constantly restart the router so I was wondering if there was any fix to this. Thanks!!

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'll be honest, those combination DSL router modems are terrible even when they're new. I'd highly recommend purchasing a separate wireless router you can connect to the Ethernet port on it. It will be much more configurable, won't cut out (Which IS the most common issue with them. Especially the Century Link units even back when they were Qwest) and will have much better range. I can recommend several good models if you're interested.

I've worked with many of those units that had similar problems and in almost every case, after having them replaced and still having the issue, replacement with a dedicated wireless router cured the issue every time.

 

[kimisizer]

I'll be honest, those combination DSL router modems are terrible even when they're new. I'd highly recommend purchasing a separate wireless router you can connect to the Ethernet port on it. It will be much more configurable, won't cut out (Which IS the most common issue with them. Especially the Century Link units even back when they were Qwest) and will have much better range. I can recommend several good models if you're interested.

I've worked with many of those units that had similar problems and in almost every case, after having them replaced and still having the issue, replacement with a dedicated wireless router cured the issue every time.

Thanks for your answer. I would be interested in learning more about getting a separate wireless router; any suggestions? So would this new router completely replace the Century Link unit or be connected to it?

 

[Darkbreeze]

It would be connected to it. You would connect your current wired Ethernet to the new router, or the Century link unit if it is one with multiple Ethernet ports, but your wireless connection would transmit from the router. The most common configuration would be to connect the wire going to you computer now to the new router and then connect from the router to the computer. It would be recommended to go into the dsl modems settings and disable it's wireless features so they don't cause any signal interference with the new one.

Do you happen to know what type of wireless adapter you are using or would prefer to use? Common standards these days are 802.11N and 802.11ac. AC is the newest standard but N is more common by far. Wireless G is still hanging around somewhat but is far less common.

 

[Darkbreeze]

If your wired connection has no issues, then it IS the equiptment and NOT the ISP. The ISP has nothing to do with the wireless signal, unless the wired signal is also dropping off.

This is the model I use and have never had a single issue with it:

http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Wi-Fi-Gigabit-Router-WNDR4300/dp/B008HO9DK4


But if budget is an issue, this would be my choice:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008RV51EE?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=as2


And slightly further down the list, but still pretty good, is this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/22081740?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227016112204&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40881669872&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78811577312&veh=sem