G+_Rud Dog Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 After much trepidation, my testing was concluded. You see my wife's and son's Apple laptop along with all of my IoT devices (NodeMCU and Wemos) were randomly dropping from the Wifi connection. And there was no attempt to reconnect in fact the only way to reconnect was resetting the IoT devices and on the laptops manually reconnecting tot he Wifi service. After trying everything I could think of decided to retire the RT-AC87u and try a different piece of hardware. After seeing the problem with dropping WiFi noted in Amazon customers reviews for the Synology router decided as much as I wanted the device it was not a good idea based on reviews to purchase that device. So checking on several routes there was one with no complaints of Wifi droppings. So I posted my question asking if anyone has ever experienced this problem and all came back with a resounding "NEVER". Ordered and received the Google WiFi router hook up was a snap and testing began. No more than an hour later the first call from my wife in the living room, which was one wall over from the main Google Wifi device, "lost WiFi". I was dumbfounded! I checked the IoT device it was fine. Then shortly after that checked again only to find it too had dropped the WiFi. BTW the laptops in question are one room over from the main Google WiFi hardware and the IOT devices are in the same room Is the industry not telling us something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rickbearcat Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Maybe all of your devices have a shared virus or other malware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Booo Urns Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Did you use a WiFi frequency apps to check for interference and switching the frequency your router broadcasts on? What is the wall made out of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Booo Urns Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 And do you have a cordless phone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Booo Urns Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 And I’m also assuming you’re broadcasting on the 2.4 ghr band channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 Rickbearcat That is a scary thought wonder how one would check every device on the network? Maybe powering down everything and bringing them one up at a time but with the failure being intermittent that would take some real-world time. So guess the questions for the community how do you check your network for virus infection on a per device scan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 Booo Urns I use Wifi Analyzer but not sure how I would check for interference and how to change the frequency my router broadcasts on? The walls are sheetrock construction. Yes, we have cordless phones as do most households I would imagine. There is one interesting fact on the Asus RT-AC87u you could select what devices used which frequency as in 2 or 5 GHz on the Google WiFi it decides which to use. Also, the IoT devices only use 2 GHz. The laptop can use either but as I mentioned the router decides which to use. (Thought that was interesting for whatever that is worth). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rickbearcat Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Rud Dog I would power down just the IoT devices and see if just the laptops will run stable on WiFi. If they do, then it has to be one or more of the IoT devices. Then you should troubleshoot each one of those individually to narrow it down. If the laptops stop working after a short period of time, then power those off and just run the IoT devices and see if they work. If they work, then the laptops are at fault. It might take some time as you said, but eliminating things at this point is your only hope of getting to the bottom of this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Booo Urns Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 WiFi analyzer should show you the channels that are being used the most by other devices. Try setting the devices that can by set to the 5 ghz channel to only use the 5ghz channel and try switching 2.4ghz channels between 1, 6, and 11 and see if any one is more stable. Only other thing I can think of is if there is something in the wall, like a whole bunch of wires, creating interference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 Booo Urns Not sure how to have the Wifi analyzer show me what channels are being used by most other devices? I am using the app for my phone, WiFi Analyzer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Travis Hershberger Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Rud Dog WiFi Analyzer is only going to show you wifi signals, to measure other signals interfering you'd need a software defined radio or something of the sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 Travis Hershberger Thank you....any suggestions from anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jason Brown Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 We've had a terrible time with 2.4 saturation. Every channel has a few devices broadcasting on them. I generally try to play nice by not employing over powered devices. After going ahead and getting something with a little more power service is better, but can still be spotty. Now I'm the loudest kid on the playground. Even through several walls, 5Ghz out performs 2.4 for us. Good luck figuring this out bud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 Jason Brown If only I knew how to amplify a solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Booo Urns Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Might be able to boost the power on your router, in your router settings or buy a signal booster. They are not that expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dan Hockey Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Are there any settings for transmit power? I had problem with my Chumby where it would drop the connection to a TP-link nano router I use for my aging Chumby. It always had a problem with disconnecting. I started changing the power settings, I ended up with the power turned down to the lowest level. Now it doesn't drop the connection. It's a weird problem I'd been fighting ever since I got that Chumby. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Rud Dog which WiFi Analyser app do you have. Here's the one I use, am familiar with, and recommend. Others may be just as good or better, but when giving advice it helps to be on the same page. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer The main page will show all the wireless networks in the area and give a visual representation of their channels and overlap. This screenshot is from their Play Store listing, but gives a good example. We know there are 3 non-overlapping channels : 1, 6, 11. In this example home is in a great situation where there is no interference. Four of the others are getting interference from Tenda. Technically, the blue, green, and purple are causing some interference, but probably not as harmful as Tenda. If possible, position your WiFi like home. If that's not possible, yellow in this example doesn't have it too bad. This WiFi analyze app can help in trying to find a better channel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 On this page, you select your network at the top and it shows how congested other channels are compared to yours - taking into account the channel overlap. If there's a better channel, it will recommend it on this page. I hope that helps. Dropping WiFi is always annoying and even more frustrating if you can't figure out why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 Ben Reese This is what I enjoy about having an old phone laying around it is dedicated to use by my computer and although it does not have Cell connections the wifi works great. From this post, I am thinking I should be using ch between 2 and 6 now need to find out if Google WiFi will allow me to carry out this change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 Looking at the pic above is this saying the least congested channels are 1 through 6? And therefore I should select one of these channels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 I'd go with 11 in that case, but part of that could be your own APs. If you select an AP at the top it may redo the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 Ben Reese After talking with Google WiFi support there are some items of interest for those in need of more info in making a decision when purchasing products. There is no option allowing you to select a Frequency, 2 versus 5 GHz, to use for wifi on your devices. Apparently from what I am told Google WiFi is a "smart" device and will decide which to use. In answer to my question concerning dropped WiFi the response was a bit funny to me; Do you have other devices such baby monitors, phones and other devices of this nature. Hmm, what home doesn't? Then it was suggested it was my DNS selection (google's DNS) and finally was asked to venture into to the darkness where my modem is located and recover the make and model. I really am starting to believe dropped WiFi is a common occurrence we are just to busy to notice. Until it interrupts the wife's or son's web surfing then it is noted. Most articles I read blame normal home conditions which tells me during the development this was not taken into account. What average person will dig into this as deep as needed to come away with what they think is a solution. Only to find there is none. The industry has just crossed there fingers and hoped no one noticed. If you search google for dropped WiFi the consensus is more or less as I have stated here. If there is one saving grace as far as the Laptops in this household, they tend to reconnect after dropping connection which was not the case with the Asus RT-AC87u. Unfortunately, the IoT devices have no such luck. There is one hint on this matter and will dive into it for anyone finding themselves in this arena. That is two entirely different programs for these devices behave like night and day. One never drops wifi and the other does on a repeatable basis. And to answer the question yes the programs have been switched and the results are the same. Good day. Rudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Is it actually dropping WiFi - as in devices lose all network connection, or is it only dropping Internet access? Looking through my Ubiquiti logs, devices will occasionally drop then come right back throughout the day. Not down enough for Netflix or YouTube to ever care. I also have cable issues (noisy coax cable) and Internet will drop for a few seconds throughout the day. Sometimes long enough to kill VPN (work) and streaming video. These drops affect both wired and wireless devices and are also visible in the modems log. On the other hand, I've used wireless routers and access points that would drop clients and require a reboot to allow them to reconnect. Also, as the Google tech probably pointed out, 2.4 Ghz gets interference from everywhere. Wifi, Bluetooth, baby monitors, microwave ovens, cordless phones... The curse of being on an unlicensed frequency. I hope you're able to figure it out. It's frustrating trying to fix an issue you can't see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 Things are getting worse. After using my new Google WiFi router for about 24 hours it suddenly stopped working. I am online now only by replacing the router with my old Asus router. Now I am waiting for my turn to talk to someone concerning this failure. More to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rud Dog Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 So far our conversation is as follows now waiting on super tech to take over: Alex U1:13 PM Thanks for contacting Google Support. My name is Alex U. Alex U1:13 PM Hi Rud, I'll be happy to assist you today. Rud Dog1:14 PM Installed my new Google WiFi unit yesterday and today it stopped working Alex U1:14 PM I can see that you have a query related to Google WiFi, correct? Rud Dog1:14 PM Yes Alex U1:14 PM Thank you for confirming. Alex U1:15 PM I would like to inform you that you have been connected to the order management team. Rud Dog1:15 PM What does that mean? Alex U1:15 PM It looks like this issue can be best handled by a specialist from the Google WiFi support team. Alex U1:15 PM It’ll take me just a moment to get in touch with them. Rud Dog1:15 PM OK Alex U1:18 PM I have transferred this chat please be online. Rud Dog1:18 PM OK Alex U1:22 PM We are in queue, please stay connected. Rud Dog1:22 PM ok Alex U1:27 PM Thank you for waiting. It is taking longer than I expected. Rud Dog1:28 PM ok Alex U1:28 PM Do you want me to transfer the case over email, they'll get back to you via email. Rud Dog1:28 PM No want to talk with someone live this failure needs to be addressed Alex U1:28 PM Alright! Alex U1:29 PM Please do not worry, I'll be with you until I get you connected to them. Rud Dog1:29 PM Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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