Wireless USB Adapter Dropping

[AndyDavis]

I've been using a D-Link DWL-G122 wireless usb adapter on my desktop (XP + SP3) for over a year without any problems. About a month ago the wireless started dropping out and was very, very slow. I thought the problem was my router so I changed my router (D-Link DSL 2680). The wireless has improved but regularly stops, and I have to reboot to get it to start again. When its working its usually very slow. The network indicator in the bottom right system tray is regularly "Low".

I've tried uninstalling and re-installing the drivers, both from the CD and the internet which had a more recent version. I've also tried switching to a new (same) adapter that I had.

Anybody else had similar problems? Anyone found a fix?

 

[Mursal]

Had similar, and found it was to slow a provider. Have you other things on the wireless network, are they slow?

 

[madder]

Are you using up a download limit? Over usage per month can make connections lag? There is also a chance the usb wireless adapter is failing. Can you check it out, perhaps at a friends place?

 

[AndyDavis]

I don't have anything else on the wireless and not sure if I'm reaching the download limit as I don't download much. Just in case though, is there a way to find out how much I'm downloading?

 

[madder]

Your provider should be able to confirm.

 

[TerryMI5]

What ISP are you with?

 

[AndyDavis]

I'm with TalkTalk, and I think its supposed to be unlimited broadband.

 

[charles5001]

You may find your neighbours have started using wireless routers on the same frequency range as yours. Try logging into your router and changing to another frequency range (channel). This may improve things. The diagram on this page illustrates the overlaps on the various channels: http://www.moonblinkwifi.com/2point4freq.cfm

 

[mattylad]

If you have an android device, wifianalyzer will help show who's using what channel.

 

[AndyDavis]

I've tried changing the channel without much luck. I've now set it to automatically scan for the best channel, the manual suggested that as the best setting.

Found that whenever the connection slows if I reconnect (I'm using the the standard Windows tool) the wireless adapter to the router it seems to work pretty well. After a day or two it seems to slow again. A sort of way round but I've never had to do it before and shouldn't have to. Its like the adapter is forgetting the password?

 

[enyam]

How long have you been with TalkTalk? If you go onto the TalkTalk community site you will see that they have an awful lot of complaints about speed,myself included.


http://www.talktalkmembers.com/

 

[charles5001]

You may well find that other people's routers are also set to 'find the best channel', thus they may be fighting each other.

- Have you tried a cell phone app which shows how many routers are operating at the same time, and what band they are on?

You may also be in a very congested area (from a electro-magnetic perspective).

I found that buying a PROPER router solved all my problems a few years ago. Just take a look at routers by BILLION on amazon. They are quite expensive, but for me, it was worth every penny. Having 3 transmit aerials, it seems to cut-through the interference most of the time.

Cheers!

 

[jonwish]

Is the signal stronger the closer you get?
Whats it like with a cable connecting to the router?
Have you tried another computer (eg: laptop) and if so what happened?

If the above are all just as bad you need to contact Talk Talk. I had a similiar problem with my brothers bb and after days of testing and swapping we got in touch with Talk Talk and got an engineer out, they confirmed it was a problem at their end. PLEASE NOTE: they will try charging for an engineer to come out but if you argue and ask to speak to a manger they back down on the charge.

 

[charles5001]

I suppose I agree with the above poster - you should always try the cheaper option of contacting TalkTalk before you spend your money on a new router.

In your configuration menu in the router, does it show the signal to noise (SnR) somewhere? If it does, it may be a good indicator of a poor quality line.

I believe most ISPs will get you to plug your router into your master BT socket just to rule out any noise on the other sockets in the house. Have you tried this yet to rule out a problem with phone line extensions in your house?

Looking back, I did go through all the other possible problems before I invested in a new router.

I think I just got fed up of (cheap and rubbish) sky routers going wrong every 6 months....

Cheers!

 

[AndyDavis]

Thanks for all the great advice!

There used to be just one other router nearby that was being picked up, now there are 3 so that might be a cause. I tried connecting from another (away) part of the house and the connection does improve, but only a tiny bit.

TalkTalk have tried all the line checks and the router lights (including SNR) are all green. Personally I think this is a TT issue as the router and dongle are both new, and the connection was fine until recently. They have talked about sending an engineer out but (yes) that want to charge for the visit. The Billion router looks pretty cool (straight off the star ship Enterprise!) but a bit out of my price range. I think I'll put my haggle hat on and have another go with TT.