I bought a wi-fi router last night. After hooking it up and installing it I discovered that our internet connection slowed to a crawl. We have broadband and after I hooked up the wi-fi it was like being on dial-up again on both ends of the signal.
Our connection is secure and we live in an area where NO one has a way of stealing our signal. Plus I was a cheap-o and bought the least expensive router with the smallest range. Now I'm looking to upgrade this thing in hopes of getting a better signal for gaming.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a decent router? I'm not looking to spend a lot of money (did that yesterday). The range doesn't have to be very far. I just need like 100 feet or so but I need something fast enough that I can use it to play games.
Thanks for the help!
-MJB
Is it just on your gaming that it's slowed to a crawl or is it your entire internet use (like web browsing and such?) If it's just your gaming, you may just need to forward your ports so the router knows where to direct the traffic (which is very noticeable if you've ever tried downloading anything using torrents without forwarding your ports. There's a wonderful port forwarding website for all different kinds of routers if you toss port forwarding into google.)
With my wireless router, I've definitely noticed it isn't as fast as my wired connection, but I also found that when I updated my wireless drivers to the newest versions (from the wireless card's website,) that I got much better performance, and a much more stable connection when I upgraded the router's firmware (which you can get from their website.)
And if that doesn't work, nothing shows guests how big a geek you are than by decorating your home with ethernet cable. I've got some pretty spiffy purple Cat6 zigzagging all over the floor, it also makes a fun game called "How Long Until Drunk People Trip." Always a blast.
-A
Is it possible to have 2 ethernet cables for one broadband modem? Would one have to buy a ethernet card with an out port or something?
-MJB
Quote from: MJB on July 06, 2008, 11:55:30 AM
Is it possible to have 2 ethernet cables for one broadband modem? Would one have to buy a ethernet card with an out port or something?
-MJB
Well, since you already have a Wi-Fi router, you shouldn't need 2 ethernet cables going out of your broadband modem to connect multiple PCs.
Unless what you're planning on doing is connecting one PC directly to the modem and then using the router as a router/switch for other PCs to get onto the internet (some modems come with a USB connection in addition to an ethernet port to allow for this with minimum hassle).
If your Wi-Fi router is still giving you trouble, have you tried the "wired" connections on the Wi-Fi router, instead of just the wireless ones? If your internet connection is still slow while using the wired connections, perhaps the router just isn't configured properly (most routers have a default IP address you can log onto and tweak the settings... go to your router manufacturer's website, it should be listed there) or it could just be a bad make and model.
I'm using a LinkSys Wireless-G router (WRT54G)... it's one of the cheaper routers out there, and I have had no problems with it (I'm currently using an ethernet cable to connect to it, though).
When I still used a laptop, though, the wireless internet connection was pretty good... range was at least 100 feet or so, although as with any 802.11b or 802.11g connection, it is a tad slower than a hard-wired ethernet broadband connection, but not enough that it's noticeable in everyday situations or Half-Life 2 gaming.
Running an ethernet line to the game system might just be what I end up doing.
Another question. The tech support people said to get the speed up for my router I need to disable all firewalls. I did it and it worked but now I feel a bit... unprotected. :blink: Anyone else here run their PC without a firewall?
-MJB
I have a lot of trouble with wireless internet. There can be heating up issues, miscompatiblity, interference from mobiles and microwaves and much more. to make the matter worse, most people I speak to (who supposedly know what they're doing) seem to have the same problems I do. I have a feeling it's a bit of a hit and miss technology.
Having said that I now have a very good wireless system up and running, and it seems to get better with age (more reliable at least). *touches the largest chunk of wood he can find*. There are a million and one ways to alter how your router broadcasts, channel, signal type and various codes letting people in and out. Simply by changing one of these you may get a much better signal.
One more thing, how are you receiving the wireless Internet at your remote computer? I used a dongle-like usb device initially and I experienced the same problem you have. You had to take it out after a few hours because it slowed to a crawl (due to heating I believe). A hardware card inserted inside the pc is a much, much better option as, and ultimately more robust as well.
good luck :)
Quote from: MJB on July 06, 2008, 09:16:29 PM
Anyone else here run their PC without a firewall?
-MJB
It's a very poor idea, no matter what OS you have.
Disabling the firewall is a good troubleshooting step, as it reveals that that problem was in your firewall. Now, you need to re-enable it, and start removing rules one-by-one until you figure out which one was causing the problem.
The router itself should be a firewall. Having a software firewall on your PC(s) is a good extra layer of protection.