Home Wifi Problem...frustrating
#16
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Join Date: Feb 2000
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If it lasts another year or two or five, that's five years more technology that won't be passing you by when it's time to replace it.
#17
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Charlotte, NC USA
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I am on wireless. My wife isn't 100% certain, but we believe that it goes down even when me/my laptop is not here.
#18
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Charlotte, NC USA
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I had our cable company check the connection between their fiber cable and my coax connection at the utility pole. It turned out to be flaky, and the replacement fixed it. This happened after a particularly hard freeze. The cable modem will keep a log, have you checked it (your instruction manual will give you an IP address to its internal web page)?
#19
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Charlotte, NC USA
Programs: AA EXP; Marriott Lifetime / Annual Titanium; Massively Missing Starwood
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If you can separate your internal network from the external one, this might help a lot. Your cable connection would be a Motorola Surfboard (or such), and it should only connect to the internet - it should do nothing else. Make sure wireless and NAT are turned "off" on your cable connection device (if it has such functionality).
The big problem with many cable modems that also do local network functions is their NAT table fills up quickly, this could well be your problem. You have a lot of devices connecting, so your modem should do none of this work.
Your router should have a WAN port (I don't know if the AAX has an incoming WAN port?), which means it takes the internet connection from the cable modem via ethernet cable. Your router (not modem) should then handle all internal networking via ethernet and wireless.
The big problem with many cable modems that also do local network functions is their NAT table fills up quickly, this could well be your problem. You have a lot of devices connecting, so your modem should do none of this work.
Your router should have a WAN port (I don't know if the AAX has an incoming WAN port?), which means it takes the internet connection from the cable modem via ethernet cable. Your router (not modem) should then handle all internal networking via ethernet and wireless.
#21
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Location: Charlotte, NC USA
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#22
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The advice to connect your own wifi router the cable modem is good.
Also, sometimes the problem is that the connection is good, but dns service (to resolve names of web sites and such to IP network addresses) from the cable company os flakey. Set up your wifi router to use opendns (go to opendns.org to get the scoop).
Another problem could be strength of signal from the coax to the modem. Consider getting a signal amplifier.
Also, sometimes the problem is that the connection is good, but dns service (to resolve names of web sites and such to IP network addresses) from the cable company os flakey. Set up your wifi router to use opendns (go to opendns.org to get the scoop).
Another problem could be strength of signal from the coax to the modem. Consider getting a signal amplifier.
#24
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,487
The cables can be bad. Last year I replaced the cable feeding the neighbor's cable modem because the modem wouldn't stay locked on using it.
I have repeatedly seen "dropped" connections here but it's really a software problem somewhere, I have never managed to prove where. By all tests it's dropped--except already open connections are unaffected, the data continues to flow. It often fixes itself in 30 seconds or so, sometimes it needs a modem reset.
I have repeatedly seen "dropped" connections here but it's really a software problem somewhere, I have never managed to prove where. By all tests it's dropped--except already open connections are unaffected, the data continues to flow. It often fixes itself in 30 seconds or so, sometimes it needs a modem reset.
#25
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: PDX (wish I was in HNL)
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Point your web browser to this address: 192.168.100.1
(the info may not be of much help for you... I just remembered that I called the cable company after noting one of the blinking lights on my cable modem was red instead of green
![Big Grin](https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
From the documentation, your cable modem might be DOCSIS 1.0 (the original standard). You might get a bump in speed if you change your cable modem (may have to pay more)
#26
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 447
Yup that is the problem. I had it a few months ago and had the exact same issue, even though I had a dd-wrt flashed Asus rt-n16 router in the front end supporting about 12 IP devices. dd-wrt mitigated the issue initially but it was obvious after a while that the Cable modem itself was an issue. Did a search and read on dslreports about many people complaining about the Ambit, got it swapped with a Motorola SBG6580 (wireless disbaled/bridged mode) and that did it.
#27
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: EWR
Posts: 896
I had the same issue. Frequent dropped connection even when directly wired into the router from my desktop PC. Here is what I did to solve the problem:
1) Bought a fan for the router (http://tinyurl.com/caknrc9)
2) Run the tests on DSLreports.com (Line quality and smoke ping)
3) Sign up for 24x7 monitoring service on DSLreports.com.
The results for me indicated that the line quality was good. There were no problems with the pings. Monthly monitoring over the last few months also was good. But once I added the fan to the router, almost all of the dropped signals vanished.
Hope this helps
1) Bought a fan for the router (http://tinyurl.com/caknrc9)
2) Run the tests on DSLreports.com (Line quality and smoke ping)
3) Sign up for 24x7 monitoring service on DSLreports.com.
The results for me indicated that the line quality was good. There were no problems with the pings. Monthly monitoring over the last few months also was good. But once I added the fan to the router, almost all of the dropped signals vanished.
Hope this helps