odd wifi question from a luddite - update - SOLVED

[Kali]

Last edited Fri Jul 27, 2018, 11:33 AM - Edit history (1)

thanks everybody! it was that step in post # 3. seems to have taken care of the problem. I don't understand any of it but it worked!

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wow things have been going pretty good for me, haven't asked a question in here in quite a while!

I have something called Wi-Power for internet. It is through the rural electric co-op and consists of a kind of dish antenna aimed at a tower on a nearby mountain. inside I have what I guess is a normal wifi router for the devices in use in the house. I know we have too many devices and one is too far away, but in general they all work most of the time, and have been for 2 years.

last April we started having a lot of problems with the signal dropping. the "fix" being to unplug the router and antenna for 15-20 seconds and then plugging them back in. when we first got this set-up we had to do this little exercize once a week or so, then this spring it started to be several times per day and got really annoying. we spent a couple months doing phone tech until they finally sent somebody out here to look at the wiring. of course the problem never happened while he was out here though they could see it happening remotely when it did. so I think all he did was change out the cord and power brick for the antenna.

That did end up helping with one of my devices - I stream radio from a tablet into a stereo. And that is working MUCH better. Before it would drop and never restart unless I got up and reset/refreshed the page on the tablet (after doing the plug thing). I don't know if it helped the signal to my desk top as I mostly read pages and don't watch a lot of video. The remotest computer still has problems but I am pretty sure it is the distance and not anything else.

Now for the problem. In the back of the house my son uses a playstation 3 to watch video and ever since the tech guy was out, he can barely connect at all anymore. we have played around with repositioning the router, doing the unplug-plug reset, and nothing seems to help. he says he sometimes can get a few minutes early in the morning and occasionally randomly in the day time but in general there is no connection.

I have no idea how playstation works, he said something about they have their own network and that is how he watches hulu, but netflix isn't on there??? I do not know what any of that actually means. do playstation get viruses like other computers? is it a coincidence that this happened right when a power source/cord got changed? I no longer have a laptop to test with, but a smart phone works on the wifi back there, so it seems the signal is present.

is there a troubleshooting procedure for the playstation? writing that, I realized I could just google it, so I will try but if you all have any other suggestions please let me know - same with any questions. thanks!

[DetlefK]

1. A couple things...

Is the signal merely weak? Then it could be due to weather.

Is the rate of data-transfer bad once in a while? That could be due to somebody else's signal messing with your's. (New neighbor moved in?)

Is the rate of data-transfer bad all of the time? Then it could be that the software needs an update either on your end or on the other end.

[Kali]

3. this is a change in performance that happened very recently

no neighbors, I assume software has been updated up to router by tech guy/provider...??? I would need detailed instructions for morons to continue.

I found this https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/get-help/help-library/playstation-network--online/internet-connection/can_t-connect-with-my-playstation-3-via-wireless---wired-connect/

in particular this step:

The Media Server connection may interfere with the PS3 system’s internet connection. Disable it by accessing the XMB Menu and choosing [ Settings] > [ Network Settings] > [Media Server Connection] > [Disable] before attempting to connect to PSN.

My embarrassingly stupid question is...do I attempt to do that from the playstation or from my desktop somehow?

edit - it was on the playstation itself

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Routers do go bad. I replace mine every year or two...

I know that sounds like a lot, and maybe I should just try to update its firmware, but the signal does seem to get weaker over time..

[Kali]

4. during the several months long work on this they sent a new router

but it didn't seem to help with the original problem so we went back to the old one (it balances on top of a floor lamp easier than the new one, a position that seems to help with the furthest away computer. LOL)

[bigbrother05]

6. Not sure about the rest of the problems, but a repeater would help the distant computer

Had to get one to strengthen a the signal to a lower level smart tv.

They cost $50 - $75 and really improve the connection of the systems farther away and are fairly easy to setup.

[Kali]

7. how do they work?

the far away computer is actually away from the house in a travel trailer (50 feet?) would this repeater be in the house or out in the trailer? how close or far away from the router does it need to be? brand/model number?

[bigbrother05]

8. It takes the existing signal then boosts it to extend the distance it reaches

Don't know how you are arranged, but basically you setup the repeater between your current wireless router and the remote location. The most obvious spot would be the nearest point in your house to the trailer, maybe even in the attic if the temp extremes work for the repeater. Might even work from a garage or outbuilding that splits the distance and might even find ones made for exterior use.

Mine is a Linksys AC 1200, but Netgear and D-link are comparable. The setup on mine has a light that let's you know if the placement from the base is okay and then you log into the repeater with a computer/mobile device to setup a name and password for it. The repeater only needs an outlet to plug into, no other wiring is necessary. You can find some that plug right into the wall outlet, but not sure how well they perform from such a restricted location as you've mentioned that on top of the lamp works best with your current router.

Unless your current router is about as close to the trailer as any other point in the house, a repeater will dramatically improve the performance.

[packman]

9. Gotta second a repeater suggestion

I had trouble with my new 5g TV picking up my WIFI signal from the back bedroom to the main one on the other side of the house. Constantly lost signal, had to reset, and often just not getting anything. Tried all sorts of adjustments on the router, but got a repeater to plug into a regular electrical outlet and NO problems.

This is the one I got, dirt easy to install

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Intelligent-Indicator-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B07CRR32TV/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532738347&sr=1-1&keywords=tp-link+ac1750+range+extender

[DetlefK]

10. Two years? More like five to ten years.

There are two things that determine the lifetime of an electronic device:

1. Are software-updates still available?

2. When were the microchips made?
Nowadays, ordinary silicon-based electronics have a lifetime of about 15-20 years, before atomic diffusion starts destroying diodes and transistors. (Used to be more: Microchips are extremely miniaturized nowadays and more sensitive to such effects.) You can expect glitches after about 10 years.



My old router worked to a ripe old age of 11 years, until it suddenly got glitches.

[Chris Studio]

5. Playstation

You can troubleshoot the Playstation signal strength from within the setting menu. It runs a little test and let's you know how strong the signal is.

The Playstation network is like a shop. And like a way to chat during games, etc. It should be unrelated to the apps themselves like Hulu or Netflix. Those are just like the apps on a computer.

Hope that helps.

Intermittent wifi is an incredibly common problem. It could be happening for a million reasons... Some of which aren't even in your house.