How to get a new modem/router to actually work?
May 3, 2017 7:07 PM Subscribe
My old router, after around 7-10 years of work, died. My internet provider recommended I replace my modem as well since it too was 7-10 years old and apparently was also throttling me down to 15mb even though my actual connection was more. They recommended I get a modem/router combo as they said they have fewer problems. I bought a Netgear modem/router combo and it had issues. I returned it after two weeks and bought an Arris one. It, too, is having issues.
My old modem and router (two different pieces of equipment) worked very well. They needed power cycling perhaps a couple times a month at most, and often went for months without needing it. When working, I could stream video as well as generally browse the internet just fine.
I believed my internet provider's tech support recommendations as I wasn't actually buying it from them so I saw no reason for them to advise me incorrectly. But the new Netgear modem/router combo (can't remember if it was N300 or N600 but it was one of those two) needed to be power cycled twice in the first week to work, and then in the second week starting giving me such slow internet that my computer couldn't handle YouTube, Facebook (streaming videos), etc. even after power cycling it over and over. It also was regularly showing between two and four of five possible bars of connection despite being in the next room.
I returned it two days ago and bought an even more expensive Arris modem/router combo - SBG6700AC. I have now had to power cycle it three times today in order to connect to internet. (It just stops showing up on the list of available networks and I stop having internet otherwise.) So far, once it does reconnect it is fast and with full bars.
All of these routers have been wireless, FYI. I use a laptop and ethernet cables are not ideal for me. I do still own my old modem and the (non-functional) router that started all of this.
Thoughts? Help? I also need to fix this relatively quickly as the return period for these is 30 days and I'm about to leave the country for two-and-a-half months.
My old modem and router (two different pieces of equipment) worked very well. They needed power cycling perhaps a couple times a month at most, and often went for months without needing it. When working, I could stream video as well as generally browse the internet just fine.
I believed my internet provider's tech support recommendations as I wasn't actually buying it from them so I saw no reason for them to advise me incorrectly. But the new Netgear modem/router combo (can't remember if it was N300 or N600 but it was one of those two) needed to be power cycled twice in the first week to work, and then in the second week starting giving me such slow internet that my computer couldn't handle YouTube, Facebook (streaming videos), etc. even after power cycling it over and over. It also was regularly showing between two and four of five possible bars of connection despite being in the next room.
I returned it two days ago and bought an even more expensive Arris modem/router combo - SBG6700AC. I have now had to power cycle it three times today in order to connect to internet. (It just stops showing up on the list of available networks and I stop having internet otherwise.) So far, once it does reconnect it is fast and with full bars.
All of these routers have been wireless, FYI. I use a laptop and ethernet cables are not ideal for me. I do still own my old modem and the (non-functional) router that started all of this.
Thoughts? Help? I also need to fix this relatively quickly as the return period for these is 30 days and I'm about to leave the country for two-and-a-half months.
Best answer: yep, go with separate devices. much easier to troubleshoot that way too!
posted by noloveforned at 7:45 PM on May 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by noloveforned at 7:45 PM on May 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Combo units are always, always worse. The only reason to use one is if your provider sells it at a discount.
posted by mikek at 7:48 PM on May 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by mikek at 7:48 PM on May 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'd log into the modem+router (192.168.0.1) and check the event log. There's the possibility your connection itself is bad. In my case it took me 2 modems and 3 routers to figure out I was having T3 and T4 timeouts due to upstream line noise on my cable company's end.
I'd also plug an ethernet cable in for a while. See if you lose a connection with that. If you don't, it's possible it's just a wireless issue - either on your router end or your wireless card in your laptop. Make sure both the router firmware and your OS/wireless driver are updated.
posted by bluecore at 7:53 PM on May 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'd also plug an ethernet cable in for a while. See if you lose a connection with that. If you don't, it's possible it's just a wireless issue - either on your router end or your wireless card in your laptop. Make sure both the router firmware and your OS/wireless driver are updated.
posted by bluecore at 7:53 PM on May 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
Three pieces of hardware not working in a row = are you sure it's not your provider?
I've had several cheap modem router combos that I bought used and they've all worked fine, required power cycling way less than every two weeks, just worked (and resold when I moved). They may not be the optimal hardware, but this many problems this fast makes me think you should consider the constant factor here - your ISP.
posted by momus_window at 8:24 PM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I've had several cheap modem router combos that I bought used and they've all worked fine, required power cycling way less than every two weeks, just worked (and resold when I moved). They may not be the optimal hardware, but this many problems this fast makes me think you should consider the constant factor here - your ISP.
posted by momus_window at 8:24 PM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Three pieces of hardware not working in a row = are you sure it's not your provider?
There's more than one constant factor here, and upstream issues are not really suggested by
regularly showing between two and four of five possible bars of connection despite being in the next room
just stops showing up on the list of available networks
I fix computers for money. My best guess would be that there's nothing wrong with any of these routers, but that the wireless NIC inside your laptop now has Issues. I've seen many of them do that. Sometimes it's a driver update from Windows Update that b0rks things, which you can fix in the Device Manager by telling it to roll back to the previous driver, but more often it's hardware failure. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with the NIC itself, but there's an antenna in the screen to which opening and closing it a bajillion times has broken the cable.
While tracking something like this down, USB wireless NICs are far cheaper to switch out than routers.
Also, for what it's worth, I think your ISP's tech support is talking out their arse. Separate modem, router and VoIP adapters FTW every time. So much less to reconfigure when something breaks or needs updating.
posted by flabdablet at 9:17 PM on May 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
There's more than one constant factor here, and upstream issues are not really suggested by
regularly showing between two and four of five possible bars of connection despite being in the next room
just stops showing up on the list of available networks
I fix computers for money. My best guess would be that there's nothing wrong with any of these routers, but that the wireless NIC inside your laptop now has Issues. I've seen many of them do that. Sometimes it's a driver update from Windows Update that b0rks things, which you can fix in the Device Manager by telling it to roll back to the previous driver, but more often it's hardware failure. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with the NIC itself, but there's an antenna in the screen to which opening and closing it a bajillion times has broken the cable.
While tracking something like this down, USB wireless NICs are far cheaper to switch out than routers.
Also, for what it's worth, I think your ISP's tech support is talking out their arse. Separate modem, router and VoIP adapters FTW every time. So much less to reconfigure when something breaks or needs updating.
posted by flabdablet at 9:17 PM on May 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you all for the advice so far!
I think I will return this one tomorrow and then see if separate modem and router hardware will fix it; if not, I'll check into the connection/ethernet/provider potential issues. I don't think it's the laptop because I just checked as it went out for a fourth time tonight and the connection stops on my phone, too, at the exact same time.
posted by vegartanipla at 10:50 PM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think I will return this one tomorrow and then see if separate modem and router hardware will fix it; if not, I'll check into the connection/ethernet/provider potential issues. I don't think it's the laptop because I just checked as it went out for a fourth time tonight and the connection stops on my phone, too, at the exact same time.
posted by vegartanipla at 10:50 PM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Another thing you might care to check for is interference from other routers, microwave ovens and whatnot.
If you've got phone running Android 2.3 or later, there's a handy app from Farproc called Wifi Analyzer that will give you signal strength readings for all the access points on all the channels the phone can see.
If your own router is being interfered with by a nearby one on the same channel, you should see that reflected in the AP signal strength readings and you might be able to improve things by switching to a less crowded channel. If it's being interfered with by something brutal like a faulty oven, you should see all the available APs disappear at the same time.
posted by flabdablet at 11:39 PM on May 3, 2017
If you've got phone running Android 2.3 or later, there's a handy app from Farproc called Wifi Analyzer that will give you signal strength readings for all the access points on all the channels the phone can see.
If your own router is being interfered with by a nearby one on the same channel, you should see that reflected in the AP signal strength readings and you might be able to improve things by switching to a less crowded channel. If it's being interfered with by something brutal like a faulty oven, you should see all the available APs disappear at the same time.
posted by flabdablet at 11:39 PM on May 3, 2017
Also, I can't think of a single thing an ISP could do from their side that would mess with local wifi connection strength or reliability. Many people don't seem to grasp that wifi is purely local and does have a whole pile of frequent failure modes, which is why every ISP tech support script in the entire history of ever has started by instructing the customer to check whether connecting directly to the modem via an Ethernet cable resolves their reported issues.
posted by flabdablet at 11:48 PM on May 3, 2017
posted by flabdablet at 11:48 PM on May 3, 2017
Response by poster: It's too early to tell for sure, but so far I've owned the new, separate modem and router hardware for two and a half days and there have been no problems at all.
posted by vegartanipla at 10:09 AM on May 6, 2017
posted by vegartanipla at 10:09 AM on May 6, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
On the other hand the cheap standalone modem and cheap standalone router combinations have worked perfectly and generally have infinite up-time, power cycling them is unheard of for me.
posted by xdvesper at 7:16 PM on May 3, 2017 [8 favorites]