What is wrong with my internet/wifi?

[Carrie12345]

I am so not a techie, and dh and my teens aren't here.

 

Since yesterday, my (old) laptop, dd's (new) laptop, and the smart TV have been struggling on and off with Internet access. Neither of the printers will connect to print at all, even when other devices are connecting well.

 

Dh swears up and down that his laptop hasn't had any issues. He ran speed tests that were fine. When i troubleshoot my laptop it says my internet is fine. My phone is using wifi slightly slower than normal, but much better than the other devices.

 

We've rebooted everything more than once.

 

What else in the world can I possibly do?!? I'm supposed to be lesson planning this weekend, and unreliable Internet with no printing isn't going to get the job done!!!

[Guest]

Try resetting the modem. Just unplug it, wait a minute, then plug it back in. You then will have to wait several minutes for the modem to reset itself, but usually this will do the trick when wifi starts acting wonky.

[AK_Mom4]

How old is your router? Is it possible that your DH's laptop is connecting using a newer method than the older devices? Not to get too technical but my newer devices connect using 5G connections and the older ones don't. That would explain what you are seeing.

 

If you have rebooted the wifi router (and the modem if hays a separate box) then you may need a new wifi router.

 

In the mean time can you run a Ethernet cable to get your work done? Otherwise head for a coffee shop with free wifi because it's not worth the hassle to go without.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I don't know if this is your problem, but in the past we've had problems with our internet going on and off. It turns out that routers are very, very sensitive to power surges. Once DH hooked the router up to an UPS (uninterruptable power supply, about $100), we stopped having to buy new routers every 6-12 months.

[J-rap]

Can you call your internet provider?  Sometimes they can see things at their end that you can't see yourself.  There have also been a couple times too when my provider has had to make some little change at their end and then it works fine again at our end.

[Alessandra]

I had a similar problem a while back. actually, I think I've had it two times. After doing all the restetting and rebooting, again and again, I took the modem back to my provider and got a new one, free. Problem solved. Btw, some of the diagnostics showed a problem with my $$ Apple router. But new modem fixed the problem, so I guess diagnostics were not accurate.

 

ETA

The people at my provider said modems just wear out.

Edited July 29, 2017 by Alessandra

[Lanny]

In your web browser go to Speed test.Net and see what your Line Speed is for Download. What kind of Internet do you have? If it's ADSL which we had until May 11th sometimes I would call Tech Support when Internet got flaky. They could look at our Modem remotely and reconfigure if necessary. Sometimes they found an issue in their central office too. When I exchanged ADSL Modems in their local office after. I installed the Modem I had to call Tech Support to get them to configure the WiFi. Possibly the WiFi radio in your Modem or antenna has an issue but I suspected that it may be the devices are not getting an IP address from the DHCP server. In the Modem. Call the Technical Support..

 

 

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[Lanny]

I'm on my Laptop now. Finished the System Image. Before I was on my phone. I read the OP again...  WiFi signal is weaker for some reason? Did you touch or move the antenna(s) on the Modem?  Is the laptop your DH used located closer to the Modem? Do you have WiFi Extenders around the house that are not working?  Is your Modem like the HGU (Home Gateway Unit) we have for our FTTH Internet and it has two (2) WiFi Bands?  Is there some possibility the  SSID of your WiFi Network or Password got changed, inside the Modem?  Have you changed anything?   Have you called Tech Support of your provider and explained the WiFi issue(s) to them?  Is it possible that the range of IP addresses for the DHCP Server inside the modem (each device needs an IP address to get onto the Internet) is too small for the number of devices you have connected? I think our HGU can handle up to 20 IP addresses the way they configured it, not sure of the exact number as I write this.  Sounds like something in your WiFi from the Modem is not working as it was before. Possibly something the provider can fix, Remotely, over the phone line by reconfiguring. (I'm assuming it is ADSL, but guess it could be a Cable Modem).  If not it might be an issue with the WiFi Radio(s) or antenna(s) and if that's the case you will need to swap for another modem.    If and when you have FTTH (FIber to the House) DO NOT TOUCH the cable that goes into the HGU. There is Glass inside the cable and fragile if you bend, etc...   Question: If you connect a Fast Ethernet cable (CAT 5E) from your laptop to the Modem do you get an IP address OK and get onto the Internet OK?  Is it limited to some devices not being able to get onto WiFI. It sounds like you can connect, but that the Signal is unreliable if you get an IP address from the Modem.  WiFi Signal issues? DHCP issues (not getting an IP address)?  WiFi SSID (network name) or Password issues?