Hi Guys,

Just curious if anyone is familiar with wireless connection issues...I'm in a new spot now, and using a NETGEAR WG111 V2 5Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 adapter that I got from work for free.

I plugged it into my computer, and I'm using the Wireless assistant that came with it. The internet seems to be pretty good speeds, and according to the "Signal" it seems pretty strong.

Here is my results from SpeedTest.net:

<a href="http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/2936850555"><img src="http://www.speedtest.net/result/2936850555.png" /></a>

The issue is when I'm watching a YouTube video/streaming music it seems to hiccup and stop. I also seem to drop connection every so often (maybe once or twice a hour), and then it will come back in a few minutes. The connection seems to either work perfect, or totally hiccup. I just tried to D/L a 100mb file, and it keeps failing mid way in during one of the quick hiccups.

I have the USB plug in the back of the computer, and this house has AT&T U-Verse. The router/transmitter is in another bed room on the other side of the house, although all on the same floor.

Is there any diagnostic programs or anything I can do to see what's causing the hiccups? Anything I can do to keep the connection stable, and stop breaking every few minutes?

Thanks!

 

I think your roommates need to stop downloading porn so you can.

 

Youtube sucks for everyone. You can have gigabit speeds and youtube will still crawl. You can get as much as youtube will give you.

Try running the test at http://www.pingtest.net/

also run a ping test to your router from a command prompt. for example type in

ping 192.168.0.1 -n 50

but replace that IP with your routers IP. let that test run and if you have any dropped packets then you got issues.

 

Eggplant-EX is OP's room mate? What a small world.

 

USB Wifi adapters are not the best.

 

Uverse internet is also terrible. It is much slower on the internal network than those speed test show. I switched from it not long ago to cable internet and its so much better. I also found out that all the ports were suddenly closed on Uverse and you have to pay for support to unblock them. BS.

 

I love my Uverse internet service...

 

You forgot the red text

 

Get a plugin for your browser that allows Youtube to buffer properly. There are dozens out there.

 

Here's an example for Chrome

 

No. I have ZERO complaints about anything from Uverse. My internet FLIES at home and in 14 months I haven't had a single minute of downtime.

 

Does anyone recommend a good budget friendly Wifi adapter to use for a desktop PC other than a USB plug-in? I'm thinking there's gotta be a better one out to pick up a stronger more steady signal.

Thanks!

 

Did you check your signal? What's the dB? They have USB with antenna, but if you want more power either get a wifi repeater or a pci card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320173

But it all depends how far you are from your wifi router, your dB level, router's settings and channel you are using.

If you have android, download Wifi Analyzer

for pc/mac, you can download http://www.inssider.com/ this will tell you in detail about your wifi and give you recommendations to fix it.

 

How do I check the dB? The Inssider program looks great, are there any free versions available?

 

Kevin, the wifi's out..

 

Make sure power management for the USB device is not enabled. If it is, the computer may sense a lack of activity and power down the USB device periodically.

Control Panel>Device Manager>Network Adapter>(Right click on your USB WIFI adapter)>Properties>Power Management

For a non-USB solution for a desktop, take a look at something along these lines:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...140203164838:s

 

It's free for like a week or so. Just install it and it will give you all the info including your signal strength, all interfering wifi signals and it will recommend you what to do.

 

Thanks!

The Power Management first box was actually checked, and I just unchecked it. Great tip, hopefully this helps?

 

I can't seem to find a free version even for a week, it's $19.99 download only?

Additionally, I tried buying a different USB adapter, and bought the Belkin N150. The performance was actually worse than the old NETGEAR WG111v2 54Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 adapter I was using. I now switched back.

This morning I tried to download a 50MB excel file that I need, and I literally tried about 25-30 times. It kept getting to 25-35mb range and then I got the "Failed - Network Error" message on each download in Chrome. I also tried FF and IE and same/similar issue. Sometimes it would error out even before 1MB. I tried using GetRight, or a download manager, but it's a secure file so it won't work.

NETGEAR WG111v2 Wireless Assistant is showing a signal of 55% or higher at all times. I tried moving the USB adapter from the back of computer to front, although not seeing any changes. The Mbps in the assistant program ranges from 11Mbps-18Mbps and then sometimes drops to 1Mbps or 2Mbps.

Does anyone have anymore ideas? Internet surfing really isn't too bad other than the occasional hiccup, but I literally can't download a file bigger than 5mb without a problem.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has experience in this. Greatly appreciated!

Brad

 

OK, here is how I would test it, if you can...

1. Plug into the router with eth cable and see if the router is working via eth.
2. Try a different laptop of tablet computer via ONBOARD wifi and see if you have connectivity issues.
3. purchase and try a different model/brand usb wifi adapter.

basically, try to isolate the cause to the router, the router wifi radio or the specific USB adapter you are using.

 

Sounds like your suffering from wi-fi interference or possible overlap which is really common on the 2.4GHZ spectrum. Cell phones, house phones, microwaves and etc. will interfere with your connection. My advice, scan the area with the wifi analyzer app and switch to a less congested channel. Otherwise, replace the network adapter and purchase a 2.4/5ghz network adapter with an antenna.

-Best