Have to watch out for strong signals on non-standard channels (i.e. other than 1, 6, 11, 14). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels explains the situation well.
In my experience the "auto" channel selection option doesn't always work well. Depends on the make and model of your WiFi A/P. WiFi repeaters might also help if you have low signal in areas that you often use your devices.
I have a Plusnet 2704n router connected by cable to two other rooms with poor wifi signal. The wifi on the router is switched off.
In the two other rooms there is are two TP-LINK TL-WA801ND used to create access points - these run on different channels and have static IP addresses.
On to the problem. Sometimes the internet connection slows to an incredibly poor speed - simple pages fail to load. This occurs with no apparent increase in load (based on the traffic graphs on the access points).
I've not done any setup beyond what's described here.
I have a suspicion that the hub is unable to handle the number of total connected devices (as much as 10) as it sometimes fails to list wired devices on the settings page.
Any ideas on things I might try or buy? I'm aware the 2704n router is pretty basic but I'd still like to work out what the issue is before replacing it.
- Assuming you are running 2.4GHz, check for interfering devices, for example, microwave running at the time of slow speeds. Offending ovens could be in an adjoining unit or home. I find some BlueTooth devices can also cause sporadic interference. Cordless phones, less so, but also possible.
- Run speedtest.net when performance is good and when it is bad. This will give you a sense of the underlying internet speeds you are accessing via your router.
- Are the different channels 5 channels apart? I would use 1 and 11 if possible.
- Are the A/Ps configured for different SSIDs? I find it easier to diagnose things when they are different. Check that your device isn't connecting the the weaker WiFi access point.
- Do you use DHCP on both A/Ps? I would configure each to a different subnet, e.g. 192.168.11.0/24 and 192.168.22.0/24 and yet another subnet for the router.
- Do you have a system plugged into an ethernet port on the back of the router? I suggest that you do and do some comparison testing from there to rule out issues with WiFi. Especially speedtest.net when the WiFi connected devices are experiencing slowdowns.
- If possible do a WiFi signal check, I like WiFi Analyzer (Android app). You want to stay away from misconfigured channels. See my other post in relation to this HN topic.
- Double check that the WiFi is disabled on your router, just in case a power cycle has rest it back to default configuration.
- In my experience the router is rarely the problem, especially if you have disabled the rather low grade WiFi that particular model has. It is also possible the your internet service provider has some under-provisioned equipment somewhere along the line. In some rapidly growing areas, DSLAMs are connected to low capacity backbone connections or MLPS switches. You might want to check what other users of your internet service provider are experiencing.
It helped me a lot when I lived in an apartment and got a dual band Apple wifi AP.
It's worth scanning the wifi networks with either openwrt or a command line tool and checking out which channels everything is on.