questions → how is your home network set up?

vote-for21vote-against +21 -0

How is your home network set up?

So my home network is always having problems
I have AT&T DSL Pro -I cant get cable where I live
Im using a D-Link Wireless N router, model DIR 615
I have it all set up unsecured
for some reason I lose connection frequently,
usually the problem can be fixed by unplugging and re-plugging the router
I use the connection for 3 laptops, 2 are wireless N and one is G, as well as wireless N for my xbox360 and whatever Letter the wireless is for Nintendo 3ds and Kindle fire.

Is there something about having it unsecured that makes it drop out, do you think i have a faulty router? is it a problem with the ISP?

I live in the middle of nowhere so im not worried about it being unsecured

If you have a similar router, and are problem free, how is your network set up?

by shadowblue42
asked 4 months ago

9 Answers answer

Sort By:

vote-for7vote-against

You can try a few things: updating the firmware, hard reset, unplug router and modem for 30 sec, try making the network secure, and you can try making your network hidden/undiscoverable.

Let me know if you need any help with the above.

jsoko
4 months ago

vote-for5vote-against

I have DSL as well, with Windstream. They gave me a combo router/modem, and I have two computers connected over wifi and a Dish box connected via ethernet. As far as I can tell, it never cuts out. I don't think it's been rebooted in months.

Wish I could help. Best o' luck.

rprebel
4 months ago

vote-for6vote-against

I'd be amazed if it is because the wireless network is insecure, though that would take about five minutes to rule out (and then your wireless network would be secure). (Note that "security be obscurity" isn't security at all, and I would use WPA2 unless you have a requirement for an insecure network, regardless of where you live.)

It is more likely your router or DSL modem (or the link from your provider), though it could be dirty power (especially since you live in the boonies).

You say you power-cycle the router and that fixes the problem. Have you tried power-cycling the modem instead?

You'd likely need another router to rule out the router, but doing so would tell you it is the modem (or link) rather than your gear.

Also, before doing anything else, follow the suggestion above and verify that all of your firmware (router AND modem) is up-to-date.

baqui63
4 months ago

vote-for5vote-against

Are you sure you have DSL filters on all your phones? I used to have DSL and I forgot about one phone in the basement and every time I got a call the Internet connection would reset. If you notice that this happens when you get a call that might be the problem.

When you say "lose connection" do you mean the wireless network connection or just the Internet connection?

stingray69
4 months ago

vote-for0vote-against

Mine is set up to steal my neighbors internet. That was a joke.

atd15
4 months ago

vote-for4vote-against

I've wired the house, so only guests use the wireless.

It's possible that your problem is related to dirty power, which would be fixed with a UPS.

It's also possible that your upstream is renewing your IP lease frequently, and causing a delay.

You could determine if the problem is internal or external by checking to see if your machines can still connect to each other, or if the wireless itself drops.

capitalggeek
4 months ago

vote-for3vote-against

@capitalggeek:

i think it may be the renewing IP thing, because i lose my login to any site ive logged into each time it cycles, even if ive checked remember me or keep me logged in or whatever

how would i go about checking/fixing that?

shadowblue42
4 months ago

vote-for3vote-against

I've basically given up on the stock firmware that comes with any router. I recommend getting a router that can run DD-WRT or Tomato.

It might take you a couple tries to buy, since manufacturers like to completely change out the entire inner workings of a router and just increment the version number (on the back of the router, not on the box). For that reason, I recommend the Asus RT-N16 running Tomato. Tomato is relatively easy to use, and the Asus RT-N16 was made for putting alternate firmware on. It's a bit pricey, because it's powerful hardware.

omnichad
4 months ago

vote-for1vote-against

If the problem is fixed by rebooting the router, it's easy to say the issue is the router.
Security won't cause connectivity issues. Although I have seen one occasion where my customer had connectivity issues that were somehow fixed by switching from WEP to WPA2, so it would at least be worth the 5 minutes to set it up.

Is it only the wireless that goes down when this happens? If your wired connections also go down at the same time, I say it is time for a new router.

mmyles
4 months ago

Stats

Asked
4 months ago
Asked By
shadowblue42
Answered
9 times
Viewed
386 times
Voted Against
0 times
Voted For
21 times

Similar Questions

Related Deals

Hey, log in or sign up first!

Whatever it is you're trying to do can ONLY be done by registered, logged-in Deals.Woot members. Why? Because they're better people than you. Don't worry: you can easily improve yourself by logging into your Woot account or signing up for a new one.

Sorry

This is only for people who have bought woots

We restrict voting to users who have purchased something from one of the other Woot stores. It's not just because we want your money (which we do) - it's the best way to be sure all the votes are coming from real people and not spam-bots or phony accounts. The best way we can think of, anyway. For now.

You can always get voting rights by buying something from one of Woot's other sites:

Purchases through Deals.Woot don't count, because in that case you're not buying anything from us. And we don't have your account information for those purchases.

If you think you've bought something from Woot before and still can't vote, make sure you're logged in with the same account you used to buy from us.

Geez, why so negative?

You have to vote up more before you can vote down.

Don't get us wrong. Negativity has its place. And downvotes are just as essential as upvotes when it comes to making Deals.Woot a useful place to find deals.

But when your votes lean so heavily toward the dark side, we have to wonder. Go vote up a few things. Accentuate the positive for a little while. It'll do you some good, and it'll do the site some good, too. Then you can get back to dealing out the smackdowns, OK?

Too late, we all heard you!

Hmm... you're wanting to take your vote back?

Well, that's a bit tricky. See, we do a lot of stuff with your vote, using it to work out the popularity of what you voted for, compare that to all the other things voted on, tally up our leaderboard, work out your reputation. Someday we'll do a little cartoon showing just how hard your vote is working.

Anyway, taking votes back messes all that up, so we give you five minutes, in case you just mis-clicked. After that we've got to say no take-backs. Luckily, votes are free, so feel free to throw them around left and right wherever you see fit.