# [SOLVED] Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router



## Rusty13

Hi All,

I have a quick question regarding my router. 

I recently signed up for a broadband package from Orange. They have sent me a Netgear N150 ADSL2 router which I have hooked up in my home with a secure connection. Only my partner & I use the internet, both wirelessly & both our laptops are fairly new so there can be no issues with our wireless cards. 

The router is in the same room as the laptops, barely 12 feet away at a slightly higher position. There are no walls or obstructions & the signal is always excellent. However, the internet browsing & download speeds are frustratingly slow. Browsing speeds are shocking & streaming is almost impossible. This can’t be an issue with viruses or malware because there isn’t anything out of the ordinary with regard to the network usage (ctrl-alt-del networks) & we have up-to-date anti virus. The problem also occurs when only one of the laptops is in use. 

Anyway, I recently connected my laptop to the router with a LAN cable & now the connection is fantastic. It's really super fast when the connection is wired. The slow speeds only take place when it's wireless. 

Taking all of the above information into account, can the problem be attributed specifically to the quality of the routers wireless capabilities? If I want to experience faster wireless speeds will I need to buy a new router? If yes then could you please assist me in choosing one? I don’t want to spend a lot of cash on this & have almost zero knowledge regarding the technicalities. 

Cheers & thanks in advance for any help.


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## etaf

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

lets see an xirrus screen shot 
try removing the wireless security from the router and see if that speeds up the connection
also try changing wireless channels , 1 or 6 or 11 is usually preferred , but will need to see the xirrus screen shot and see if possible interference 
the wireless speed on the router should out perform the broadband download speed 

do a complete powercycle and see if that helps 
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

* How to power cycle *

“power cycle” process to reboot or reset the modem/router

 Switch off all the devices modem, router and computers also unplug their power cables.
 Wait at least 30 seconds.
 Plug the power cords back in, but don’t switch them on.
 First turn on the modem and then wait for a few minutes for it to settle and all the lights to become stable.
 Next switch on the router (if a seperate device ) and then wait for a few minutes for it to settle and all the lights to become stable.
 Now turn on your computer, You should now be able to access the Internet.
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Run Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector  
Download and install*
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to copy the program across to the faulty PC

Xirrus: High Performance Wireless Networks - Advanced IT Wi-Fi Networking Tools
Direct link to the program is here Xirrus: High Performance Wireless Networks - Advanced IT Wi-Fi Networking Tools
Then run and install the program - on a wireless enabled PC/Laptop
if you get an error - You need NET Framework installed for the WiFi Inspector to function.

Run the program 

post a screen shot of the program running - if there are a lot of networks showing can you click on "networks" top lefthand area - so we can see all the network information, and also post which network "Adapter Name" (1st column) is yours on the list 

To post a screen shot of the active window, hold the Alt key and press the PrtScn key. Open the Windows PAINT application and Paste the screen shot. You can then use PAINT to trim to suit, and save it as a JPG format file. 
To upload it to the forum, open the full reply window and use the Manage Attachments button to upload it here.
Full details are here TSG Posting a Screenshot - TSG Library of Knowledge

Note:
For a reliable (or robust as the Xirrus user guide says) wireless connection you need a signal of about -70 dBm or better.

If you are using the Mac OS then use iStumbler 99
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Thanks for the information Etaf. I have tried the power cycle before but to no avail. 

I will proceed with the Xirrus inspection & let you know what the results are.

Could you please tell me how I should remove the wireless security from the router & change the wireless channels?


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## etaf

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

the N150 appears to apply to a few netgear routers - whats the exact model - 
WNR1000
DG834G

its possible you have orange firmware on the device 
but
you would connect to the router with a cable to the PC
then type an IP address - something like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 this varies - but will be the default gateway in the ipconfig /all info - so easy to find 
then you may get a username and password screen - the default is usually admin 
however , this can also vary - netgear use username: _admin_ password: _password_
then you need to find the wireless setup pages to make those changes 

heres a manual for the N150 - WNR1000
ftp://downloads.netgear.com/files/WNR1000_SM_WW_23Jan09.pdf


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Thanks Etaf! I will look deeper into this & post back with results ASAP!


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Sorry for resurrecting this thread after so long. I finally got down to getting Xirrus. Screenshot below. Any advice? Do I need to get a new router? Current model is Netgear N150 ADSL2 wireless modem router DGN1000. FYI, connection is still slow as ever when wireless, but when wired it is excellent. I also tried changing the wireless channel but it did not help at all.


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## Old Rich

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

You have two other WAP's on the same channel nearby . . try changeing yours to channel 5,6,7 and see if it is any better


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Changed it to 5... Not really a noticeable difference (screenshot attached).


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

I'm a total noob when it comes to all this, but I just noticed (from my screenshot) that in the signal (dbm) column, although mine is in the green, the number alongside it is 58 while all the others are 70-80+. What does that mean? Is it down to the router being poor quality?


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## etaf

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

the signal is fine and is quoted in negative numbers , so 58 is better than 70 - in fact anything below -70 so the yellow & orange signals - xirrus manual says would not produce a reliable connection 

so you should be getting a good connection, often with channel interference it will disconnect - it may be a problem on the router itself - you could log into the router and make a note of all the settings and try a factory reset - there should be a button or hole on the back to reset the router


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Thanks Etaf. I don't really understand the technicalities about the settings jargon, so I think I will take screenshots of the router setup pages & post them here. Maybe you guys can help me point out anything that is out of the ordinary. I will post the screenshots when I get home tonight. 

Thanks


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Images attached! Anything out of the ordinary?

Thanks so much for the help guys!!!


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## etaf

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

on the screen shot - you can disable the wireless security 

security options
disable 

try that and see if you can connect with no wireless security applied


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Thanks for replying Etaf! I will try this as soon as I get home. What implications would this have? Would it mean that my wireless network is no longer password protected?


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## etaf

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*



> What implications would this have? Would it mean that my wireless network is no longer password protected?


 yes, but we will not leave it like that - just want to see if you can connect and if its a security issue - often disabling the wireless connects and then putting the security back on the wireless still connects with the passcode


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

OK that did help! 
Seems faster now... But no password...


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## etaf

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

try adding back the security - also try channel 6


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Thanks, will try that tonight! Regarding the security, should I put it on what it previously was - Mixed WPA-PSK+WPA2-PSK?

Also, I chose channel 5 because there are no other routers close by using 5. There is a 6 close by (as can be seen in my Xirrus screenshot). Should I still proceed to change the channel to 6? 

Thanks for all the help Etaf! I really appreciate it!


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## etaf

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Ch 6 it may make a difference 

the channels overlap each other - 
But 1 6 and 11 do not overlap 

5 overlaps 1 and 6 
see diagram below 

put back the same security WPA and WPA2 are good -


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Etaf, I did what you said last night & it actually was MUCH better! I couldnt believe the difference! Thank you so much! I'm going to continue observing until the weekend, just in case last night was a one off non-busy time, but it definitely made a difference! 
Thank you!!


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## Rusty13

*Re: Wireless Problems - Netgear N150 ADSL2 Router*

Seems fine now !! Thank you so much to all those that helped... Especially Etaf! I'm glad that it turned out to be a simple solution rather than me getting a new router.


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## etaf

excellent - :4-cheers: thanks for letting us know


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## Rusty13

Hi All,

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but it turns out that the problem has re-appeared recently. My wireless speeds have dropped drastically & I have had to use the cable. I have attached a Xirrus screenshot. Any help would be appreciated. 

Thanks


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## etaf

go through the same process of powercycle - remove the security and connect then add the security back on 
also it may be worth changing to wireless channel 1 in the router settings


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## Rusty13

Thanks for replying Etaf! I will try that when I get home this evening. Would 1 be the best channel, given the other connections in the neighbourhood? Just wanted to clarify as I don't really understand that "overlapping chart."  
Cheers


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## etaf

you can choose any channel you like - or even set to auto and then the unit will decide on the channel - but if there are a lot of channels appear the unit will try and switch channels and can then disconnect 

from the chart if you where on channel 3 - you can see it overlaps with channels 1,2,4,5,6 
so if there are a lot of strong signals on those channels - then you are better off moving to 
7,8,9,10 or 11

in a high volume area it can be difficult to choose the correct channel - and if the other routers are on auto- they will change channels anyway


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## Rusty13

In that case would you advise me to put it on auto? The last time this occured switching to channel 6 is what fixed it so the problem was specifically down to the channel. Could this problem be permanently solved by getting a new/better router? 
Thanks


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## etaf

> Could this problem be permanently solved by getting a new/better router?


 not really other than using a router which has the 5GHZ range - but all your devices would need to work with that 

i would experiment with different channels , as you say changing to 6 helped last time



> In that case would you advise me to put it on auto?


 you could try that - the only issues i have seen are in a very busy wireless environment - the router can keep changing channels and you get the occasional disconnect 


> The last time this occured switching to channel 6 is what fixed it so the problem was specifically down to the channel.


 due to the number of wireless networks on the channel - you were on 11 and you had quite a few on channel 11 at that time - looking at the old xirrus screen shot
now you have 6 and 9 nearby - so 1 will probably fix again 

see how you get on


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## Rusty13

Got it! Thanks Etaf! I'll report back later this evening...


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