Slow wireless internet

[tunna]

Hi guys, I'm having problems with my wireless. I've recently moved rooms, from downstairs to upstairs and even though the internet was pretty temperamental before, it's even worse now. I was getting 4 bars when I first moved to the room, now I'm only getting 3 and it's ridiculously slow. I'm not sure what to do, as I tend to live on the internet. I'm with Virgin Media, it's the 100mb unlimited package and it's a netgear router. I've ran a diagnostic and most people are on channels 1 and 11 and we're on 6 with a couple others with supposedly slower internet, so I guess there's no point really changing channels. I've tried a good old fashioned tin foil wind surfer. Nothing's working and I'm so annoyed! I would appreciate any help and suggestions people can offer. Thanks in advance :) Zoe

[BeeCeeBee]

Which netgear router do you have?

[tunna]

VMDG280 I think

[KenB]

Hi Zoe

 

Is there anybody else using the network and if so what is their connection like ?

[tunna]

Hi Ken,

 

Thanks for replying :)

 

Well, we are a household of 5 but when it started going weird this weekend there was only me and one other flatmate in. I went to bed at around 7am and no one else was up by then. When I did a speed test it was like than 1MB! :S We tried restarting the router several times but it still didn't work. The internet does seem to be worse upstairs than downstairs when there router is and I did notice there isn't an antenna at all on there so when I tried to put my windsurfer on it, there was no where to slot it on :|

 

Do you think our neighbours might have hacked into our network? We are in Tottenham (where the riots started last year) :D

[KenB]

Hi Zoe,

 

The internet does seem to be worse upstairs than downstairs when there router is

This is normally the case with wireless networks - sadly.

 

Can you confirm that your flatmates are experiencing the same problem.

 

We need to know as, if they are, then it is obviously a router problem.

 

use this test please - wait for "Begin Test" to appear

http://www.speedtest.net/

 

Let us know the results.

It would be helpful to know the results from upstairs / downstairs / and one or two of your flatmates.

It would also be helpful to know what connection speed you should be getting - in other words .....what package is being paid for?

 

Do you think our neighbours might have hacked into our network?

Is this network "Secured" ?

If it has a Network Key ( password ) that is needed to initially connect then this is extremely unlikely.

[tunna]

Hi Ken,

 

When I first started the thread the internet speed was around 0.01MB and we're paying for 100MB unlimited with Virgin. At the time it was only the two of us and we were both having problems but now the internet is really temperamental. Sometimes it's ok for me but not for my flatmates and vice versa and I always get chucked off the network. It disconnects at least twice a day. Now the download speed is 1.2MB and upload speed is 1.6MB Our wireless network is password secured using the password on the back of the router but not something we made up ourselves.

[KenB]

we're paying for 100MB unlimited

Sorry - I missed this from your first post.

 

So you have a fibre-optic connection?

 

The wall socket is different for a fibre-optic connection.

And the ones I have seen have a router AND a hub

 

It looks something like this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]844.vB5-legacyid=1656[/ATTACH]

The wall socket should be filtered - so there should be no external filter.

 

Is this what you have ?

[tunna]

I seemed to have got it wrong! We only have 20MB broadband and it's unlimited. We only have a netgear modem which is attached to the wall, there's no filter or any other box.

 

The internet is driving me insane tonight! >.<

[KenB]

Hi

 

We only have 20MB broadband

OK - ignore the picture from my previous post ..............that is a fibre-optic set-up.

If you are paying for 20MB you should be getting at least 15MB ( you will not get 20MB ........they say "up to ..." )

 

You need to connect directly to the router with an ethernet cable.

This will by-pass the wireless and give you a true reading of what you are getting.

Do a speed test with this set-up.

 

there's no filter or any other box.

Can you check that every connection to a phone socket has a filter attached.

You certainly do not want 2 filters on any connection.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]845.vB5-legacyid=1657[/ATTACH]

 

You then need to disconnect all phones etc from the phone network at the wall and leave ONLY the router.

Try the connection. Do a speed check.

If this is OK then replace the connections one at a time.

 

If the speed drops when you attach one of the connections - try changing the filter.

 

Work through this logically one connection at a time.

 

If this is OK then I would ask Virgin to check the line.

If you pay BT for the line rental you can phone them direct.

 

If the line checks out OK I would replace the router.