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Wireless
Router Problems And How To Solve Them
Slow data speeds, dead spots, Wi-Fi that's AWOL -- don't replace
that router yet -- first try these tips to overcome your 802.11x
router headaches
A good router
gone bad isn't always a bad router. Most times it's just a good
router looking for a little love and attention.
We've all had it
happen: You're sitting there connected to your network, browsing the
Internet, or trying to get some game on, or you just want to watch a
video from upstairs, and, suddenly, Shazaam! You feel like you're
walking uphill through drying cement -- in lead shoes.
The feeling
isn't good and, when it happens, all you really want to do is point
your 27th century neutron rifle at your router and blast away.
It's an
understandable reaction, but it's not the most fiscally responsible
solution. Routers can be expensive items to replace. So we've
rounded up a few tips to try to overcome some of the more common
causes of router headaches.
1. It's So Slow
You Can't Get Any Work Done
2. It's So
Slow, You Can't Get Your Game On
3. You're Locked Out
4.
Your Router Is A Vampire “save some electricity’
5. Dead Spots
6. No Wi-Fi Signal
7. No Internet Connection
8. Other Problems.....
1. It's So Slow
You Can't Get Any Work Done
Problem: Your router is slower than
molasses running uphill on a hot (cold) day.
Solution:
A couple of
things that might be causing this problem. Most routers work on the
2.5GHz band. So do Microwave ovens, cordless phones, garage door
openers, baby monitors, and some other electronic devices (CRT
Monitors). Have you added anything to the environment recently that
works on the 2.5GHz band -- just about when the problem started? If
so, turn it off and see if there's an improvement.
If that's not an
issue, keep in mind that the 2.5GHz band has only three real
channels (1, 6, 11) despite pretending to have eleven (the others
overlap with each other). Your neighbors who are Wi-Fi-enabled are
also using those same channels. If you live in a major metropolitan
area with public transportation, it's a lot like trying to get on
the
bus during rush hour.
You can modify
the channel your router uses (and subsequently any
Wi-Fi adapters) by going into the device's setup controls
(usually hrough a browser-based program, that accesses a web page
located in the router, using 192.168.1.1 or “your gateway address”.
when you installed the router or adapter) and manually changing
it. (The default setting is where the problem can arise; vendors
always pick the same channel.) change the channel to the other end
from 1 to 6 or 11.
“The following
becomes unnecessary in most cases”, and just complicates things”
Alternately, you
can add a 5GHz band component, such as Netgear's
WNHDEB111 networking kit or Linksys's WGA600N
to your present router. There are 23 channels available at 5GHz, and
almost no one is using them right now. Switching to adapters is the
most cost-efficient method because you'll basically still be using
your original router, but adding a 5GHz pipe to it through which
you'll funneling your Wi-Fi devices.
You'll need a
pair of adapters. One is attached to a network switch to which
you've also attached several of your PCs or other networked devices.
The other is attached to your router. As far as your network is
concerned, the devices on the switch are hardwired to the router.
Practically speaking, they communicate through the 5GHz adapters and
it's the adapters that handle the transition down to 2.5GHz at the
two end points -- all the while communicating between each other
across the 5GHz band.
Don't overlook
2.5GHz/5GHz routers themselves (you'll want at least simultaneous
dual-band models, those that can work on both 2.5GH and 5GHz at
the same time, not either/or devices). This is a major
investment because you've basically put yourself on the full upgrade
path for your network and it's not going to be cheap. All of the
major router manufacturers have such products.
Upgrade Your
Firmware
Finally, try
upgrading your firmware. This is last in the pile because it's a
task that will probably make you nervous. The usual procedure is to:
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Go to your
router's or adapter's website and find and download a firmware
upgrade if available. (If you use the setup utility that was
installed with your router or adapter, you'll be able to tell
what firmware version you currently have. Just compare that to
the "new" version.)
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Once the new
firmware is downloaded onto your PC, go back into the router's
or adapter's setup through its utility software or your browser,
find the management section, locate the firmware upgrade section
in there, and just follow along.
It is that easy,
but you may freak out thinking of all the possible things that might
go wrong (like if you lose power during the upgrade).”or install the
wrong version, this could make your router useless.”
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2. It's So
Slow, You Can't Get Your Game On
Problem: You're trying to play a game
with your kids upstairs and things are excruciatingly slow.
Solution: There can be quite a few
reasons for this to happen, among them: too many game players, a
crowded 2.5GHz band on your router, or even a router that isn't
optimized for game playing (or even media playback).
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D-Link's DGL-4500 is a router made for gaming.
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We've already
mentioned two possible solutions above: Netgear's
WNHDEB111 networking kit or Linksys's
WGA600N. These happen to be gaming adapters that you add to your
existing network. They don't increase the overall speed of your
network but they do facilitate communication between the adapters
themselves which often lets you bypass the bottlenecks.
Then there are
gaming routers -- devices specifically designed for gamers -- or at
least there were. The advent of
802.11n routers, even in their current Draft 2.0 status, seems
to have cured much of these gaming woes just by virtue of their
faster speeds. D-Link still sells its
GamerLounge Xtreme
N Gaming Router DGL-4500, but Linksys appears to have
discontinued its
WRT330N Wireless-N Gigabit Gaming Router (which isn't even on
its website any more.) If the kids are kicking and screaming and
tossing furniture it might be time to jump on the 802.11n bandwagon
or have the house wired for screaming, gametastic speed.
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3. You're Locked Out
Problem: You've lost your passphrase
and you can't access all of your router's feature, “or change the
channels”.
Solution:Oh, are you in trouble -- but
not for long, and it's not as bad as you think. If you've arrived at
that point in the road where you once again need to access the
internals of your router but never wrote down what your access
passphrase was, relax. You can reset the device to factory defaults.
Most routers
have a reset button recessed into the back of the case. It's
sometimes ringed in red but often it's just an awfully small hole
into which you must blindly poke a safety pin tip (or unbent small
paper clip) so you can depress the recessed reset button for
(typically) 3 to 5 seconds. (Don't mistake it for the Wi-Fi
Protected Setup (WPS) button prominently placed, and usually
labeled, on the front of your router).
The upside is
that you'll now have access to your router. The downside is that any
settings you may have modified will now be back to their factory
defaults and you'll need to redo them. You've saved the manual that
was supplied with your router so you can look up the factory default
username and passphrase, right? In case you haven't, the usual
combinations of usernames and passphrases are admin/password and
admin/admin. (And now you realize why you should always change those
values, right?) “go online and download the manual before you reset
the router.”
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4.
Your Router Is A Vampire “save some electricity’
Problem: Your router runs 24/7 and
sucks wattage continuously.
Solution: Everything sucks wattage. Some
things should.
While you can
purchase a more energy-efficient router, consider the possibilities:
Have you set up Windows to check for updates when you're not using
your computer? Do you have other software that scans for updates?
(Windows Media Center, for example, will routinely go online to
update the program listing, as will most anti-virus software, and
scads of other stuff.) We live online, 24/7, and 24/7 power usage is
one of the consequences. If your network and Internet access is shut
down, those scheduled services will not complete.
That said,
Netgear, for one, has a line of
Energy Star devices that include more efficient power supplies
and (gasp!) an On/Off switch in many cases. You're not going to save
a lot on your power consumption -- just turning off your monitor or
even (gasp!) your PC will do much more for you -- but everything
adds up.
Make a habit out
of shutting down and turning everything off during the wee hours. An
easy way to do it is to plug PCs, routers, and printers into a power
strip, and plug the power strip into a timer. Then set the timer to
turn the power off overnight. Just remember to schedule software
updates during hours when your system is "awake" and be sure to
properly shut all your devices down before the power goes off each
night. The savings are small, but they'll add up over time.
5. Dead Spots
Problem: You have a dead spot in your
home that your 802.11g router can't seem to reliably reach.
Solution:If you're not already using an
802.11n router and adapter, it might be time for the switch. (True,
the standard hasn't been finally approved yet, but best guess is
that the hardware is locked down and any changes that are needed
will be done to firmware --which you can upgrade.)
Why "n?" Because
it uses a technology called
MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) that allows it to
broadcast and receive multiple signals.
When a data
stream arrives at your dead spot, it's often been bounced off of too
many walls, floors, and other obstructions to make much sense to
your 802.11g or 802.11b router. A MIMO-enabled router takes all
those bounced reflections and compares them, looking to fill in the
blanks until it's pieced together as much of the signal -- if not
all of it -- as possible. It's more than likely that the drop-outs
you've experienced with your 802.11b/g router and adapter will be
cured and you might actually see some honest Wi-Fi speed emerge.
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6. No Wi-Fi Signal
Problem: Your office at home is so far
away from your router that no Wi-Fi signal will connect.
Solution: The best and most obvious
solution is to run a CAT 5e
cable between the two points, but that's not a viable solution
for many people who have neither the funds to get it done nor the
skill to do it themselves.
Renters face
another obstacle: Landlords who don't want holes poked through their
walls and ceilings. If you find yourself in that rather large group
of folk, all isn't lost. There's always Powerline
networking gear.
If you're not
familiar with the work being done by the
Homeplug Powerline Alliance, check
its website for the all the background. The gist of things is
simple: You get two adapters. You plug one into an
AC
wall outlet near the equipment you want to network and the other in
a wall outlet near your router.
Too Good To Be
True?
As soon as you
do that, the pair will begin to look for each other, and, once they
find themselves, they start communicating. When that happens, you
plug your computer gear into one of the adapters and your router
into the other and you're networked. The adapters use the existing
electrical lines in your home as if it were CAT 5e strung between
the devices.
If that sounds
too good to be true, in some cases it is. Despite being advertised
at 300Mbs, at best the networking speeds probably hover around
802.11g levels (about 54Mbs). It might be slower as well or even
totally ineffective.
The throughput
speed depends on the condition of your electrical wiring (older
wiring tends to be slower), what, if any, other loads you might have
on those lines, and something called a phase leg. The latter is
probably the most important factor if your goal is to have some
network communication ability rather than none at all.
In the U.S., our
electricity enters our home as 220v "two wires each carrying 110v
(the legs) and a return line. Inside our homes, those lines can run
out to 220v AC out lets for heavy duty electrical equipment
(washers, electric ovens, or even a gigantic air compressor in the
garage) or 110v outlets for the majority of our electrical
appliances.
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The
problem is that those 110v lines might be wired from either
leg of the 220v input. If your computer gear ends up on one
leg and your router is on another, communications between
the two might not possible.
If
that's the case, you'll need to hire a licensed electrician
to switch the lines so they both run off the same leg. It's
not very expensive but you should weigh the cost of CAT 5e
wiring against the electrical work because the speed
differential between the two can easily be 4:1 in favor of
the CAT 5e and, as long as you're spending money, you might
as well put it to its best use. |
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Powerline network adapters use existing electrical lines in your
home as if it were CAT 5e.
7. No Internet Connection
Problem: You just moved your router and
modem to a new location and now Windows says you have a local
connection but no access to the Internet.
TRY THIS FIRST
” Release and renew your router to pick up a new ip number from
Telus or Shaw and then release and renew your computer network
connection. Log into the router using your gateway address and go to
status tab or internet connection status tab, release and renew.”
Solution: Reorganizing your network
topology to make best use of your wired and
wireless connections is always a good thing, but changing
something that's working can often lead to unintended consequences.
Assuming that everything is plugged in as before, your router may
not be at fault. If you have a local connection (and you've tried it
to be sure) but no Internet connection, it could be your modem. Some
modems have parental control buttons that, once pressed, lock out
your internet connection. They're not always in the best locations.
For example, the
Motorola SB5100 Surfboard modem, popular with several cable
companies, has its button at the very top of the case. If you palm
the modem, with your fingers holding onto the sides as you lift and
move it, you can easily press that button. (Don't ask how we know!)
If your router is all lit up and your modem isn't (or perhaps just
the yellow router communication light is on) find the parental
control button and press it. You might surprise yourself at what
happens and you won't have to call your local cable or
DSL provider and spend 20 minutes listening to a computerized
menu.
8.
Other Router Problems call me!
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If you have any specific questions, please do
not hesitate to
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