wifi Inconsistent Internet?

[M A J O R]

Hi, 

 

I'll keep it short. I have a 30/30Mbps cable connection, the wired connection is fine and the wifi is fine. Except for my roommate. She has been having a bad time recently. She says that Netflix and Apple music stream fine, but simple web pages like Facebook, Snapchat, Gmail and her bank app have been loading very slow. Our rooms are side by side and I get close to the 30/30 but when I jump in her room it's very inconsistent. Usually half speed, if not less? 

 

What could be causing this? Any suggestions? 

 

I've tried: 

- updating the router

- changing the wifi channel

- restarting the router

- checked the connection quality on her computer vs mine

[KuJoe]

Are you able to move the wireless router/AP closer to her room? If not, would you consider adding another AP to your network to make the signal stronger?

[kb5zue]

If she is just around the corner on the other side of the wall, why worry about wifi?  Just run a cat5/cat6 cable around the corner for her and then you don't have to mess with things like channel, etc.

 

[KuJoe]

1 minute ago, kb5zue said:

If she is just around the corner on the other side of the wall, why worry about wifi?  Just run a cat5/cat6 cable around the corner for her and then you don't have to mess with things like channel, etc.

A lot of devices don't have RJ-45 ports these days so wireless is basically a requirement for most home networks.

[kb5zue]

Just now, KuJoe said:

A lot of devices don't have RJ-45 ports these days so wireless is basically a requirement for most home networks.

Sorry, I just assumed (bad word) that she was using wifi because you said, " the wired connection is fine and the wifi is fine".  What is she using that doesn't have an RJ45?  I just set up internet on my mother-in-laws television because the cable box that she got from Suddenlink had an ethernet port (RJ-45).  Kinda sad though, now she watches old Elvis the Pelvis movies.  Ugh........  Elvis.  And I thought at 63 that I was old.

 

[KuJoe]

2 minutes ago, kb5zue said:

Sorry, I just assumed (bad word) that she was using wifi because you said, " the wired connection is fine and the wifi is fine".  What is she using that doesn't have an RJ45?

No clue. I'm just pointing out that "switch to wired" is not always the right answer with so many wireless-only devices these days. I do agree that wired is better, it's just not always an option unfortunately.

[M A J O R]

Her room is 6m away from the router but running a cable to her would be awkward as it would have to run straight through a walkway. We're renting so we can't run it elsewhere. It's strange that the speeds in my room are fine as it's another 2m away from the router. Same amount of walls to pass through.

 

She has a Mac Pro, a Macbook Air and a phone connected in the same room, would that effect the speeds so much as to chunk 15Mbps off?  

[kb5zue]

1 minute ago, KuJoe said:

No clue. I'm just pointing out that "switch to wired" is not always the right answer with so many wireless-only devices these days. I do agree that wired is better, it's just not always an option unfortunately.

Now I'm really confused......  She needs wifi but you don't know why or what type of device she is using?  I thought you said she was your roommate?  I would imagine that it is either for a desktop computer, laptop or notebook computer or a cell phone.  Of course she can't use ethernet cable for the phone.

 

In my home network the modem/router sit about 3 feet from my desk and there are 6 televisions, 2 desktops, 3 notebooks and 4 cell phones on the network and I know where all of them are and have a piece of paper here in my notebook with all the ip addresses for all of them.  As a network manager, I feel it is my responsibility to have that information readily available so if there are any problems, I know where to look to solve it.  Oh, forgot the 2 iPads.

 

If your roommate is having problems with her wifi and she is the only user of the wifi and she has the problems that you describe, then maybe she is not the only person on your wifi network using the bandwidth.  Have you checked your routers table to see if there are any other unauthorized users on your network?

 

[kb5zue]

2 minutes ago, TiTANiTE said:

Her room is 6m away from the router but running a cable to her would be awkward as it would have to run straight through a walkway. We're renting so we can't run it elsewhere. It's strange that the speeds in my room are fine as it's another 2m away from the router. Same amount of walls to pass through.

 

She has a Mac Pro, a Macbook Air and a phone connected in the same room, would that effect the speeds so much as to chunk 15Mbps off?  

No, a Mac Pro, Macbook Air and a cell phone should not eat that much bandwidth because she probably isn't physically using all three of them at the same time.  Even with those device, she should be alright.  Something tells me you may have unauthorized users on your network.  When was the last time you changed your networks passcode?

 

[KuJoe]

Just now, kb5zue said:

I thought you said she was your roommate?

No, the person who created this thread did.

[kb5zue]

Just another "DUH ME" moment.  sorry.

[kb5zue]

Run a cable to her room, slap a box on the end of it and VIOLA!  She has her own mini wifi network.  Just an idea like the guy up the ladder here had.  Hey, just an idea.

[M A J O R]

1 hour ago, kb5zue said:

Now I'm really confused......  She needs wifi but you don't know why or what type of device she is using?  I thought you said she was your roommate?  I would imagine that it is either for a desktop computer, laptop or notebook computer or a cell phone.  Of course she can't use ethernet cable for the phone.

 

In my home network the modem/router sit about 3 feet from my desk and there are 6 televisions, 2 desktops, 3 notebooks and 4 cell phones on the network and I know where all of them are and have a piece of paper here in my notebook with all the ip addresses for all of them.  As a network manager, I feel it is my responsibility to have that information readily available so if there are any problems, I know where to look to solve it.  Oh, forgot the 2 iPads.

 

If your roommate is having problems with her wifi and she is the only user of the wifi and she has the problems that you describe, then maybe she is not the only person on your wifi network using the bandwidth.  Have you checked your routers table to see if there are any other unauthorized users on your network?

 

I've checked. No unauthorized users. Only my: PC, Macbook and phone. Her: iMac, Macbook and phone. I've tested the wifi speed on my laptop in my room and hers with all factors that would effect the speed the same. I tested in my room a couple of times: 25-30Mbps down, 30Mbps up. Her room: 8-15Mbps down, 15Mbps up. 

[kirashi]

37 minutes ago, TiTANiTE said:

I've checked. No unauthorized users. Only my: PC, Macbook and phone. Her: iMac, Macbook and phone. I've tested the wifi speed on my laptop in my room and hers with all factors that would effect the speed the same. I tested in my room a couple of times: 25-30Mbps down, 30Mbps up. Her room: 8-15Mbps down, 15Mbps up. 

Sounds like either poor router / modem positioning in your room, or just a really weak / poor radio / antenna on that router / modem you have. What modem / router model(s) do you have currently?

 

Take her MacBook Air to various places in your flat and run multiple speedtests. Document each one in each location. If she gets poor reception / speeds in every single room except for where the modem / router is, that points to it being a shitty modem / router that you may need to upgrade / replace, or simply reposition so it provides better signal through to her room.

If possible, you can draw a little map of your floor plan for us, and perform these speedtests. Might as well test with multiple wireless devices too, such as phones and tablets. Always ensure you're using the device in roughly the same spot, and test on both the regular 2.4G network and the 5G network, where applicable. Note that 5G is faster, but much shorter range than 2.4G, not that this should matter much as 2.4G can handle speeds between 30-60mbps, depending on the devices and router / modem you have.

[M A J O R]

This is the basic layout of the apartment. It's about 6/7 steps to the "iMac" from "Router". It's a NetGear N300 "WNR2000v5" Wireless Router. I'll have her run the tests and get back to you asap.