Wireless Internet Problems
For the past few weeks, we've been experiencing some internet issues, mostly with our wireless internet. However, there have been times when our wired internet was a pain in the butt as well.
For a little while, I was having difficulty deciding whether or not the source of our problems was due to a bad modem (Comcast's hardware) or a bad wireless router (our hardware). Most of our problems were related to dropped wireless so I was focused on our own router rather than Comcast's modem.
There were times when we would lose all internet though. There were times when our FireTV wouldn't startup because it could not find internet and, unfortunately, we have our FireTV hardwired so I knew that particular problem wasn't due to a wireless problem but it still could be a problem with that wireless router since the wired connections are routed through there.
Even considering some of the wired internet problems we were experiencing, the source of our problems seemed to be our wireless internet router which is also a hub for wired internet running to four different locations in the house.
Easy enough... I'll just get online to order a new wireless router that has at least four RJ45 jacks too... I get onto Amazon... search for "wireless router"... and I get all these funky looking contraptions with multiple antenna's sticking out of them. This is another minor issue... we don't have a whole lot of room for our wireless router in our entertainment cabinet which is attached to our fireplace. I wasn't liking these monstrosities that looked more like stealth fighters with big pencils sticking up out of them (antennas) rather than a piece of electronics!
I did more research... sorted in my mind what is now available (which is quite different than what we've had in our house previously)... and quickly chose one and put it in my Amazon "Wish List". I figured that if we continue to have internet issues, I'll order this particular wireless router.
In the meantime, we also researched new modems. Well, we tried. Comcast is of little help. Their website is useless for info when you need accurate pricing or specific information so that was a waste of time. We gave up on Comcast and headed for bed. I suspect I could just disconnect our modem and bring it to a Comcast Center to swap it for a new one but we couldn't find any info on this so we gave up and went to bed.
I turned on my Kindle to read a few magazines before falling asleep and I didn't have internet again.... "ugggggg...."
I called it a night and figured I would take care of this problem in the morning. I must have been exhausted and feeling lousy because this is something I would not normally do because this problem typically would nag at me enough to keep me awake all night long. Nevertheless, I called it a night and went to sleep.
In the morning (yesterday morning), I rebooted our router... we had internet again... and then I immediately ordered the new wireless router from Amazon. The new router arrived after lunch today. (Now that is what I call convenient!)
Since I'm feeling quite lousy lately and at this point in the day I was exhausted, I decided to get some sleep before tackling this router issue. I slept for a few hours and then jumped into swapping out the old router for the new router.
It was pretty easy but time consuming... between re-routing cables within the entertainment center shelves and needing to reboot the modem twice (according to the directions) and then needing to wait for the miserable Comcast modem to fully boot-up... what should have taken three to five minutes really required about 30 minutes. It was pretty easy though.
I installed a "Securifi Almond+ Long Range Touchscreen Wireless Dual Band AC Gigabit WiFi Router / Range Extender / Wireless Bridge / Access Point + Home Automation Hub + Works with Amazon Alexa". This router has a nice, easy to use LED front display which made setup exceptionally easy.
I downloaded an app for my cellphone and my Kindle Fire tablet so I can control this router as well as control any number of 'Smart Home' add-on gadgets. This router is a 'smart home hub' too.
When Sheila arrived home from work, I simply had her tap the screen on this router... then tap "Wireless Settings"... choose the band she wanted to connect to... and up popped the password... bright, colorful and backlit. Easy!
So far, this new wireless router has been operating flawlessly. I'm liking this wireless router so much that I think I'm going to buy another one to use strictly as a range extender to get wireless internet at the other end of the house.
For a little while, I was having difficulty deciding whether or not the source of our problems was due to a bad modem (Comcast's hardware) or a bad wireless router (our hardware). Most of our problems were related to dropped wireless so I was focused on our own router rather than Comcast's modem.
There were times when we would lose all internet though. There were times when our FireTV wouldn't startup because it could not find internet and, unfortunately, we have our FireTV hardwired so I knew that particular problem wasn't due to a wireless problem but it still could be a problem with that wireless router since the wired connections are routed through there.
Even considering some of the wired internet problems we were experiencing, the source of our problems seemed to be our wireless internet router which is also a hub for wired internet running to four different locations in the house.
Easy enough... I'll just get online to order a new wireless router that has at least four RJ45 jacks too... I get onto Amazon... search for "wireless router"... and I get all these funky looking contraptions with multiple antenna's sticking out of them. This is another minor issue... we don't have a whole lot of room for our wireless router in our entertainment cabinet which is attached to our fireplace. I wasn't liking these monstrosities that looked more like stealth fighters with big pencils sticking up out of them (antennas) rather than a piece of electronics!
 |
Securifi Almond+ Long Range Touchscreen Wireless
Dual BandAC Gigabit WiFi Router / Range Extender /
Wireless Bridge /Access Point + Home Automation Hub
+ Works with Amazon Alexa
|
In the meantime, we also researched new modems. Well, we tried. Comcast is of little help. Their website is useless for info when you need accurate pricing or specific information so that was a waste of time. We gave up on Comcast and headed for bed. I suspect I could just disconnect our modem and bring it to a Comcast Center to swap it for a new one but we couldn't find any info on this so we gave up and went to bed.
I turned on my Kindle to read a few magazines before falling asleep and I didn't have internet again.... "ugggggg...."
I called it a night and figured I would take care of this problem in the morning. I must have been exhausted and feeling lousy because this is something I would not normally do because this problem typically would nag at me enough to keep me awake all night long. Nevertheless, I called it a night and went to sleep.
In the morning (yesterday morning), I rebooted our router... we had internet again... and then I immediately ordered the new wireless router from Amazon. The new router arrived after lunch today. (Now that is what I call convenient!)
Since I'm feeling quite lousy lately and at this point in the day I was exhausted, I decided to get some sleep before tackling this router issue. I slept for a few hours and then jumped into swapping out the old router for the new router.
It was pretty easy but time consuming... between re-routing cables within the entertainment center shelves and needing to reboot the modem twice (according to the directions) and then needing to wait for the miserable Comcast modem to fully boot-up... what should have taken three to five minutes really required about 30 minutes. It was pretty easy though.
I installed a "Securifi Almond+ Long Range Touchscreen Wireless Dual Band AC Gigabit WiFi Router / Range Extender / Wireless Bridge / Access Point + Home Automation Hub + Works with Amazon Alexa". This router has a nice, easy to use LED front display which made setup exceptionally easy.
I downloaded an app for my cellphone and my Kindle Fire tablet so I can control this router as well as control any number of 'Smart Home' add-on gadgets. This router is a 'smart home hub' too.
When Sheila arrived home from work, I simply had her tap the screen on this router... then tap "Wireless Settings"... choose the band she wanted to connect to... and up popped the password... bright, colorful and backlit. Easy!
So far, this new wireless router has been operating flawlessly. I'm liking this wireless router so much that I think I'm going to buy another one to use strictly as a range extender to get wireless internet at the other end of the house.
Comments
Post a Comment