# WiFi Keeps Disconnecting Every Few Minutes



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Hello,

Thanks for stopping by!

Anyway, I have had this problem for a week now. We have a desktop, PS3, and 3 laptops connected all at the same time. No problems with the desktop, PS3 and one of the laptops so far, but my Asus A53E and the HP Pavilion keep getting disconnected every few minutes! :ermm: I recently installed a Linksys router (just to try it out) and it didn't really do well so I returned it and switched back to our old router which is the *DLink DIR-625* router. It was doing okay for a few days and then suddenly it just started going crazy.  Both the desktop and the PS3 are connected to the router through cable, but the other laptop (Dell) is not. I don't understand why it's just the Asus and the HP that get disconnected a lot. :huh: I already tried updating my drivers and reformatting my laptop, but still nothing. I don't want to call our ISP (*Shaw*) and D-Link because the internet works fine on the other 3. 

Additional Information:
-Modem
-Microsoft Security Essentials (on the Asus)
-avast! (on the HP)

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks for reading my post! :blush:


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Welcome to TSF,

Both wired and wireless devices affected?
Can you post a Xirrus snip coming from one of the affected wireless computers? Instruction can be found from this Sticky.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Thank you for the reply.

Nope. Only 2 of the laptops which are both connected through wireless. Another laptop that is connected through wireless works fine though.


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Thanks for the Xirrus snip it looks good, but can we try changing the security from WEP to WPA2 with AES security? You will need to inform everybody in your network if you will doing any changes in your router, during this modification they will get disconnected.

Also, careful on using WEP, it is equivalent to a no security at all. :nonono:


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

It worked! I feel so stupid not using WPA. Thank you so much!


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Glad a simple resolution worked for you ElectricBear, did you say WPA and not WPA2? WPA2 is the highest security. :whistling:


ElectricBear said:


> It worked! I feel so stupid not using WPA. Thank you so much!


You're very Welcome.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

2xg said:


> Glad a simple resolution worked for you ElectricBear, did you say WPA and not WPA2? WPA2 is the highest security. :whistling:


My bad. Yes, it is WPA2. Thanks!


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Great to hear it's WPA2, your network is now fully secured. :smile:


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Problem persists  I still keep getting disconnected. -_-


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

No worries, next task for you to do is visit Linksys site and find out if there's an updated firmware. It is important to use a wired connection to install the firmware.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Oh, I use a D-Link router. And I did download the latest firmware but the connection was still horrible


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

ElectricBear said:


> Oh, I use a D-Link router. And I did download the latest firmware but the connection was still horrible


Oops...I got a little confused from your first post, I re-read it again.:grin:

Since more than one computer is having wireless issue (if this is still the case?) have you done a reset to the factory default setting then reconfigure everything from scratch. Feel free to backup the current router settings if you wish.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Yes, I have done that several times. Still nothing. Am I running out of options here? :sad:


----------



## redsolja (May 18, 2012)

ElectricBear said:


> Yes, I have done that several times. Still nothing. Am I running out of options here? :sad:


Have you try changing your wireless channel. maybe some one might be using the same channel as you.


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Looks like you have tried everything, perhaps a new router?

What's your subscribed bandwidth?
Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

redsolja said:


> Have you try changing your wireless channel. maybe some one might be using the same channel as you.


Thanks for the reply!
Yes. I change it all the time :blush:



2xg said:


> Looks like you have tried everything, perhaps a new router?
> 
> What's your subscribed bandwidth?
> Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test


Speedtest says 15Mbps. But I remember, our ISP only gave us 10Mbps. :ermm:


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

You may try a different Wi-Fi adapter and if that didn't fix the issue your router might be at fault here, sorry.


----------



## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

Just wondering if this could be an IP conflict between the Asus and the HP but if so, then not sure why just those two.

Have you tried assigning static IPs on each of these machines to see if that resolves.


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Great idea! :thumb:


Tomken15 said:


> Just wondering if this could be an IP conflict betwwen the Asus and the HP but if so, then not sure why just those two.
> 
> Have you tried assigning static IPs on each of these machines to see if that resolves.


ElectricBear - please give it a try.


----------



## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

Doing it on just one may suffice.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Tomken15 said:


> Just wondering if this could be an IP conflict between the Asus and the HP but if so, then not sure why just those two.
> 
> Have you tried assigning static IPs on each of these machines to see if that resolves.





2xg said:


> Great idea! :thumb:
> 
> ElectricBear - please give it a try.


I have never done that before. I don't know how :huh: Would you mind helping me? :uhoh:


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

I don't know where Tomken is but see if you can follow this:
Setting a Static IP Address in Windows 7 - PortForward.com
A youtube tutorial here:
Assign Static IP Address in Windows 7 - YouTube


----------



## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

2xg said:


> I don't know where Tomken is


Out shopping this morning and Grandkids visiting this afternoon :smile:


----------



## ammanamu (Jun 21, 2012)

This is most likly sometimes with the power management. Go to your device manager and expand network adapter. Now right click on the wireless adapter you see and click properties. After that go to power management tab and uncheck allow the device to save power.

This happend with me in past and this resolved it.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Alright, I have set up a static IP for my laptop. I'll give you guys an update if this helps with my connection or not.

I'm thinking that maybe our router is now too old and struggling to keep up with 7(?)* devices :huh:

*We also have phones and iPods connected (I know, it's crowded here-6 people:grin

I wonder if getting an adapter will help? I currently have no job so I can't afford to buy a new router. 



ammanamu said:


> This is most likly sometimes with the power management. Go to your device manager and expand network adapter. Now right click on the wireless adapter you see and click properties. After that go to power management tab and uncheck allow the device to save power.
> 
> This happend with me in past and this resolved it.


Thank you for the reply :blush:
I have done this, but only worked for a bit :sad:


----------



## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

It's quite possible that 2xg is correct and that your router could be failing as you seem to have sufficient bandwidth to maintain that amount of devices.

Leave either the Asus or the HP Pavillion off then see if the remaining one stays connected.

Does the router seem to be getting any hotter than normal or is this something you haven't noticed.

I don't bother checking mine so there's no real reason to do this unless there was forwarning that a particular make and model is prone to this.

What sort of phones are they and how close are they sited to the router ?

It's known that cordless phone bases sited near routers can interfere with WiFi, but that would affect all the wieless devices and I'm grasping at straws here :grin:

Trying desperately to find another reason other than a nadged router. :smile:


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Yeah....don't know what else to suggest you, we've tried all sort of troubleshooting. :sigh:

You may definitely try a different Wi-Fi adapter, remember you have 2 computers that are affected. If you buy 2 Wi-Fi adapters that's equivalent to the price of a reasonable router. :grin:

Also, please have a look at my article here, I have also suggested some great routers to buy, most of them are reasonable.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f31/whats-the-best-router-655254.html


----------



## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

How long did the static IPs work for ?


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Tomken15 said:


> How long did the static IPs work for ?


Sorry, I took long to reply. I was waiting things out. I switched my laptop to static IP, but it's still the same. Even before that, things aren't as bad as a few days back where I would disconnect every minute, though. I think the WPA did help a bit. I still get disconnected every, maybe, 10 minutes though. I can't really pinpoint it because it changes a lot... like it's moody or something.



Tomken15 said:


> It's quite possible that 2xg is correct and that your router could be failing as you seem to have sufficient bandwidth to maintain that amount of devices.
> 
> Leave either the Asus or the HP Pavillion off then see if the remaining one stays connected.
> 
> ...


Thanks :blush:

Asus' internet is still slow even with the HP shut down.

Actually, the router does get hot a bit more than before. Back then, it didn't at all.

Well, there's a Blackberry and an Xperia and 2 iPods. They would be around, usually, 5 metres away from router when used.

The cordless phone is about 2 metres or so away from the router. I don't think that's it because it has always been like that, even back then when internet was fine. :ermm:

Additional info:
When the Dell used to be my laptop and didn't have the Asus yet, the internet was fine. Then, I flew down to the states. I brought the Dell with me and bought the Asus there. My family said the internet was fine when I was gone (for months) and didn't have any problems with it (which is a good thing because they've no clue how to fix it lol). When I came back with the Dell and Asus, it started disconnecting a bit and got a tinsy bit slower. It wasn't bad at all, though. I bought the Linksys because I wanted to see if it would give us a better connection if we use internet upstairs (which the DLink kind of failed to do). Then, I bought the Linksys. Well, it didn't live up to my expectations so I switched it back to the DLink, and gradually, the internet just went downhill for my Asus and the HP :ermm: I can even barely connect to the internet when I'm upstairs. :neutral:




2xg said:


> Yeah....don't know what else to suggest you, we've tried all sort of troubleshooting. :sigh:
> 
> You may definitely try a different Wi-Fi adapter, remember you have 2 computers that are affected. If you buy 2 Wi-Fi adapters that's equivalent to the price of a reasonable router. :grin:
> 
> ...


Well, my price range for an adapter would be around $20-$30. So I would end up spending $60 (plus tax). I don't know if I'll be able to find a good router for that price. I think they would be around $80+


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Hmm, one more thing... My sister did mention that whenever my brother is playing Black Ops or Battlefield on the PS3, the internet is slower on the Dell. Maybe it's the same thing for my Asus and the HP as well and I just fail to notice it. Oh, and when I was trying to download this 1GB game, everyone just kept getting disconnected lol. I never got to finish to download it because it would just stop downloading.

EDIT:
Sorry I forgot to mention that we also switched to a different ISP before trying out the Linksys.


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Hogging bandwidth and not enough of it to distribute might be the issue. Heavy gaming, downloading stuff and video streaming all hog bandwidth. 10mbits may not be enough, try to cut down doing these stuff especially when all of you are doing it all at the same time.

How's your connection if you're the only one using your broadband connection?


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

My Asus still disconnects :nonono:

But I was able to download the 1GB game though, which took 20 minutes when I everyone was gone.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

It also seems like the internet is better in the morning/afternoon than at night.


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Perhaps at night there are more of you that's using the internet than day time. :grin:


ElectricBear said:


> It also seems like the internet is better in the morning/afternoon than at night.


Now, it seems to be that this is more of a bandwidth issue according from your last statement.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

Almost everyone is on vacation, so we use the internet just as much :grin: And it was all fine before we changed ISP and router. I'm a bit confused.


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Try a different router, it might do a miracle and resolve your issue. :grin:


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

What kind of router would you suggest for apartments?


----------



## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

While this still could be a hardware related problem, I've read that these steps have resolved the disconnections on heavy download for some and is something else you could try before going out and buying another router.

As a workaround to that you could contact your ISP and tell them you think their supplied router is faulty and would they send you a replacement for testing purposes.

But via Network and Sharing Center/Change adapter settings right click on both the LAN and Wireless Network Connection in turn then from Properties/untick the boxes for 

(TCP/IPv6)
Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper I/O Driver
Link-Layer Topology Discovery Responder

Apparently, Homegroup (not Home network) requires (TCP/IPv6) but Workgroup doesn't (something else I'd read :smile


----------



## TheCyberMan (Jun 25, 2011)

Hi can you do another speedtest please from link below:

Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test

Please post a screenshot of the result to ensure we can see the upload speed result as well as the download.

Also i would like you to conduct some tests please.

First i would like you to test internet browsing with all computers and PS3 you can download files from sites and upload files to sites as well. 

*Please at this point do not do any video streaming acroos the internet or in your network and please do do any gaming at all or use skype calling or similar apps which all take up bandwidth this includes steam and similar.

*This can be time consuming so please be patient.

First i would like you to disconnect all devices and power them all down including the Dlink and the modem.

Please then start and do the following:

1. Power up the modem and wait for lights to stabilize.

2. Power up the Dlink router and wait for lights to stabilize.

3. Turn on the asus Laptop only and boot into windows and connect to the network and browse the internet download files or upload files and surf pages etc and see if any disconnections.

If you suffer any disconnections please let me know and stop now if ok please reply passed and move on to step 4.

4. Turn on HP Pavilion Laptop and connect to the network and do the same as above leaving the asus connected and browsing.

If you suffer any disconnections please let me know and stop now if ok please reply passed and move on to step 5

5. Turn on Desktop and do same as in step 3 leaving other devices connected and browsing.

If you suffer any disconnections please let me know and stop now if ok please reply passed and move on to step 6.

6. Turn on PS3 and leaving other devices connected and do browsing but please do not play games or stream across network or internet.

If everything passes at this stage please let me know and we will go onto next stage.


.


----------



## ElectricBear (Jul 13, 2012)

@Tomken:

I don't really want to buy a new router just yet, so thanks for the suggestion :blush: 
Do I do this to all the PC's?

@TheCyberMan:

Thanks for the response :grin:
I hope you don't mind waiting 'til the weekend for an update, because I can't do that while everyone here is using the internet. I'll do it when everyone's gone. 

But here is my screenshot from Speedtest at around 2:00 in the afternoon:


----------



## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

ElectricBear said:


> @Tomken:
> 
> I don't really want to buy a new router just yet, so thanks for the suggestion :blush:
> Do I do this to all the PC's?


Just do it in the Asus and HP as they're are the ones affected and it could be down to heavy usage by the other users that's causing these to disconnect but not their own, or the other wirelessly connected laptop.

That's the puzzler.

If it doesn't fix, (as it doesn't always work but did for someone as recent as May this year) then reinstate prior to carrying out TheCyberMan's tests to maintain the status quo.

While you are on the phone to your ISP, it may be worth enquiring as to what their contention ratio is as this problem appears to have coincided with the change of ISPs.

The contention ratio is the number of people sharing each line and if it is more than 50, you should consider changing ISPs if you can because that can cause connectivity problems at peak times.

Whatever you were getting from your previous ISP is coming down the same line as this one except from different servers at the exchange.

Speed tests are best done morning, lunchtime, dinner/tea time~ and late evening both wired and wireless for accuracy and making a note of each.


----------



## TheCyberMan (Jun 25, 2011)

The speedtest results are what i expected that you have good download speed but the upload speed is not good at all and it is probably here where the bandwidth issue is probmatic and the ISP will need to be contacted if the tests and subsequent tests go as i see them going.

As the upload speed will be very important when doing skype or gaming from your end as a certain amount of bandwidth will be needed to upload the data to the skype servers or gto the game servers and i suspect this will be maxing out and exceeding the bandwidth throughput for upload that you are receiving.

So i want a bassline that is why i have suggessted you do the surfing browsing tests checking email etc to make sure under normal browsing conditions all your computers can connect and surf the internet.

For now please hold off buying a new router as even a gaming router the results or effect on your upload speed from your ISP will be negilible and you will still suffer the same issues.

I will be around at the weekend maybe not a 2pm but i will get back to you rest assured.


----------

