Time for a new wifi router?
August 25, 2015 7:49 AM
After years of trouble-free operation, my 4 year old Linksys N750 wifi router has begun having problems, mainly that it drops the internet connection on the 2.4 G band (but not the 5 G band curiously enough). That is to say, the 2.4G Wifi connection isn't itself lost, just that the 2.4G channel loses its internet connectivity. It seems to happen mostly in the evenings. Since my phone and the Wii we watch Netflix through can only use 2.4G, this has become very annoying.
I'm fairly tech savvy, and have tried the usual tricks in the router's settings, including restricting the channel to various recommended settings (1, 6, 11) and making sure the latest firmware is installed (it is). I have TWC Standard (20/2, I think) internet service (usually the speed test comes in around 18M/1.5M). When the 2.4G band loses its internet connection, restarting the router restores it for a time (in the evening, maybe 60-90 minutes before it drops the internet again.)
It's late summer in a college town, so there are new SSIDs popping up in our neighborhood -- I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not, or whether the Linksys hardware is giving up the ghost. I know that happens with routers after a time.
Is there something I am not thinking of, or is it in fact time to get a new router? If the latter, I've looked at the Asus and TP-Link AC models available at the usual stores - they all get pretty good reviews so I wonder if there's anything to recommend one over the others. Thanks in advance.
I'm fairly tech savvy, and have tried the usual tricks in the router's settings, including restricting the channel to various recommended settings (1, 6, 11) and making sure the latest firmware is installed (it is). I have TWC Standard (20/2, I think) internet service (usually the speed test comes in around 18M/1.5M). When the 2.4G band loses its internet connection, restarting the router restores it for a time (in the evening, maybe 60-90 minutes before it drops the internet again.)
It's late summer in a college town, so there are new SSIDs popping up in our neighborhood -- I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not, or whether the Linksys hardware is giving up the ghost. I know that happens with routers after a time.
Is there something I am not thinking of, or is it in fact time to get a new router? If the latter, I've looked at the Asus and TP-Link AC models available at the usual stores - they all get pretty good reviews so I wonder if there's anything to recommend one over the others. Thanks in advance.
Yes, pretty standard cable modem. Making a direct wired connection to it works fine, and the 5G band does not lose its connection.
posted by aught at 8:12 AM on August 25, 2015
posted by aught at 8:12 AM on August 25, 2015
It's probably the 2.4 radio failing, which is not uncommon in 4 year old hardware. I usually get 3 out of wireless routers I purchase, but I also abuse the heck out of them.
Make sure your SSID is unique, to make sure there isn't name overlap and confusion for any devices. A super long shot but worth mentioning.
I've installed a brand spanking new TP Link Archer C9 for a buddy, and I recommend that thing highly (highly enough that I'm thinking about buying one myself before my current router dies).
posted by deezil at 8:14 AM on August 25, 2015
Make sure your SSID is unique, to make sure there isn't name overlap and confusion for any devices. A super long shot but worth mentioning.
I've installed a brand spanking new TP Link Archer C9 for a buddy, and I recommend that thing highly (highly enough that I'm thinking about buying one myself before my current router dies).
posted by deezil at 8:14 AM on August 25, 2015
Yep get an other one.
Apple Airport Extreme is a great choice if you want something that just works for a longgggg time.
posted by Mac-Expert at 8:25 AM on August 25, 2015
Apple Airport Extreme is a great choice if you want something that just works for a longgggg time.
posted by Mac-Expert at 8:25 AM on August 25, 2015
If you are renting your modem from Time Warner, can't you just ask for a newer one with wifi built in? You're paying for it every month anyway, so you might as well get something better. I don't know about Time Warner, but the modems that Comcast rents to people have wifi capability, which is nice because then you don't need a separate router.
posted by AppleTurnover at 8:53 AM on August 25, 2015
posted by AppleTurnover at 8:53 AM on August 25, 2015
I think the Wirecutter has two good recommendations. I have the cheaper one and it's 100% fine and trouble free.
I don't see any reason to spend $180 on a router when perfectly good options are available for far less money.
posted by cnc at 9:51 AM on August 25, 2015
I don't see any reason to spend $180 on a router when perfectly good options are available for far less money.
posted by cnc at 9:51 AM on August 25, 2015
My wifi routers seem to fail or become unreliable after 3 or 4 years. You would think they can't "wear out" but indeed they do. Continual heat on the components causes [insert technical explanation I don't understand] resulting in failure of the unit.
posted by The Deej at 9:52 AM on August 25, 2015
posted by The Deej at 9:52 AM on August 25, 2015
I was having similar trouble with a Time Warner router, and I just switched to my own modem and router. It both works way better, and it'll pay for itself in a year and a half.
posted by Itaxpica at 10:13 AM on August 25, 2015
posted by Itaxpica at 10:13 AM on August 25, 2015
This kind of stuff is why I gave up on buying consumer-grade wifi routers. I went through many over the years before giving up (fwiw my experience with the Apple Airport Extremes was the best). The more expensive stuff is of course not guaranteed to be better, but when I got fed up I went to Ubiquiti wireless access points paired with a separate router (currently a Ubiquiti Edgerouter Lite). Those access points have been extremely reliable for me, far more reliable than any of the previous combined router/access points I had. Yeah, it's more expensive and more of a headache to manage, but I find it worth it. Especially since I travel a lot and don't like having to walk my family members through troubleshooting stuff when it stops working (invariably when I'm on the other side of the country).
If you don't want to deal with all of that, just buy a new one and resign yourself to rebooting it from time to time and replacing it every few years...
posted by primethyme at 10:49 AM on August 25, 2015
If you don't want to deal with all of that, just buy a new one and resign yourself to rebooting it from time to time and replacing it every few years...
posted by primethyme at 10:49 AM on August 25, 2015
It is very unlikely that it has worn out. These circuits don't degrade, they fail.
The problem is likely not in your router, but that someone within radio range has installed a new router, or baby monitor, or microwave oven or garage door opener, or whatever.
WiFi is sensitive to interference and the unlicensed bands over which 802.11 operates are subject to all sorts of WiFi and non-WiFi interference.
Go into your router's settings and change the channels until you've exhausted all the options. If there's no improvement, physically change its location. If that does not work time to upgrade to a newer model which is no gusrantee but gives you more bands to choise from. The 5Ghz band is generally better than 2.4Ghz:
posted by three blind mice at 11:15 AM on August 25, 2015
The problem is likely not in your router, but that someone within radio range has installed a new router, or baby monitor, or microwave oven or garage door opener, or whatever.
WiFi is sensitive to interference and the unlicensed bands over which 802.11 operates are subject to all sorts of WiFi and non-WiFi interference.
Go into your router's settings and change the channels until you've exhausted all the options. If there's no improvement, physically change its location. If that does not work time to upgrade to a newer model which is no gusrantee but gives you more bands to choise from. The 5Ghz band is generally better than 2.4Ghz:
posted by three blind mice at 11:15 AM on August 25, 2015
I have had the "router seems to be wearing out" problem in the past, and have managed to fix it by reflashing the router's firmware. At least in some cases, it's not a hardware problem per se, but seems to be related to the flash chips where the firmware is stored corrupting the router's programming.
It won't cost you anything other than a few minutes of your time (to reflash, and then to reconfigure the router -- be sure to do it over a wired connection) so it's worth giving it a shot.
Although before I did that, I'd change the channel that the 2.4GHz network is using, preferably to something at least 3 channels away from what it's currently using. If there is a "site survey" mode on that router, use it to see if you can find a channel away from other networks.
However, if someone has an old 2.4GHz cordless phone, or even some 2.4GHz R/C toys, they will cause your router to drop a connection but won't show up in a WiFi-specific site survey tool. As a result they can be frustratingly hard to detect and work around (and some of them spam the entire 2.4 GHz band). There is no guarantee that a new router will deal with the problem any better, although some higher-end routers have better ways of dealing with crowded channel conditions.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:44 PM on August 25, 2015
It won't cost you anything other than a few minutes of your time (to reflash, and then to reconfigure the router -- be sure to do it over a wired connection) so it's worth giving it a shot.
Although before I did that, I'd change the channel that the 2.4GHz network is using, preferably to something at least 3 channels away from what it's currently using. If there is a "site survey" mode on that router, use it to see if you can find a channel away from other networks.
However, if someone has an old 2.4GHz cordless phone, or even some 2.4GHz R/C toys, they will cause your router to drop a connection but won't show up in a WiFi-specific site survey tool. As a result they can be frustratingly hard to detect and work around (and some of them spam the entire 2.4 GHz band). There is no guarantee that a new router will deal with the problem any better, although some higher-end routers have better ways of dealing with crowded channel conditions.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:44 PM on August 25, 2015
Thanks all for the suggestions. I'll try reflashing the firmware again and if that doesn't do the trick there are lots of full featured but <$150 AC routers made by Asus, TP Link, and others to choose from. I hate wading through consumer sites' comments and ratings sections because of all the contradictions and cranks mixed in with the good advice... I have a hard enough time making a decision anyhow, without all that crazy. Anyhow, thanks again.
posted by aught at 2:26 PM on August 25, 2015
posted by aught at 2:26 PM on August 25, 2015
Buy an asus, if you do get a new one. They're basically the toyota of network hardware. It's really hard to find someone unhappy with them, and they're well priced/reliable/don't have stupid software that causes issues.
I'll also vote against the "it either fails or i doesn't" thing. I haven't yet done a teardown to try and see if there's any visual damage or popped capacitors or anything, but i've never had a router just die. I've had routers slowly need to be rebooted twice a day, or experience things like what you have more and more until i just get tired of them. They've all gradually failed, never seen one just instantly croak.
posted by emptythought at 2:52 PM on August 25, 2015
I'll also vote against the "it either fails or i doesn't" thing. I haven't yet done a teardown to try and see if there's any visual damage or popped capacitors or anything, but i've never had a router just die. I've had routers slowly need to be rebooted twice a day, or experience things like what you have more and more until i just get tired of them. They've all gradually failed, never seen one just instantly croak.
posted by emptythought at 2:52 PM on August 25, 2015
Is there any chance that the Linksys has accumulated dust? One of my old ones did, and (I think) it caused overheating issues that manifested as flaky behavior. It behaved a lot better once I'd blown the dust out with a can of compressed air, and arranged for it to sit in a place that had decent air flow.
posted by dws at 9:10 PM on August 25, 2015
posted by dws at 9:10 PM on August 25, 2015
« Older I've spent the summer with a 2 year old and now... | Experience gifts in San Diego as a wedding present... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Static Vagabond at 8:11 AM on August 25, 2015