Posted: 5/1/2014 5:42:25 AM EDT
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Morning guys.
So I think my wireless router is going south. It randomly looses internet connection and I have to unplug it to reset it. I had the internet co install a brand new modem and the problem did not go away so Im pretty sure its the router. Its a lynksys wrt110 that is 6years old. Is there a way to see if there is a software update for it? Or is it time to go DTFR? If it is time to get rid of it, what do you suggest for a more powerful router with greater distance? Thanks |
| Check Linksys website for a firmware update. You should really go with a dd-wrt firmware however as it opens up a lot of additional features. I would try that before getting a new one. If that doesn't work then you need a new wireless device. I personally and running a Unifi Access Point as my wireless device and am getting great range from it. |
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Maybe try logging into it and resetting back to factory defaults then setting it up again. That has cured several of mine. Also if you are a heavy internet user, i.e. download gigs and gigs of stuff you ISP could be dropping off your bandwidth. My ISP, Suddenlink is really bad about it. Its so obvious to. For instance you start doing something repetively and then suddenly traffic to that sight slows to a halt over time, then you quit for a while and it works again. This has happened to me on xbox live, and Netflix and got to the point where it was unusable so I had to keep watching my Suddenlink cable. |
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Read this thread here: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_124/1617706_New_router_.html |
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Quoted:
Check Linksys website for a firmware update. You should really go with a dd-wrt firmware however as it opens up a lot of additional features. I would try that before getting a new one. If that doesn't work then you need a new wireless device. I personally and running a Unifi Access Point as my wireless device and am getting great range from it. According to that dd-wrt site the 110 is not supported? Ill check linksys's website. |
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Maybe try logging into it and resetting back to factory defaults then setting it up again. That has cured several of mine. Also if you are a heavy internet user, i.e. download gigs and gigs of stuff you ISP could be dropping off your bandwidth. My ISP, Suddenlink is really bad about it. Its so obvious to. For instance you start doing something repetively and then suddenly traffic to that sight slows to a halt over time, then you quit for a while and it works again. This has happened to me on xbox live, and Netflix and got to the point where it was unusable so I had to keep watching my Suddenlink cable. I dont download a lot. Just surf the net and sometimes play games. |
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6 years old = the caps have probably dried out.
There used to be some decent Cisco branded mid-tier SOHO stuff, but then they bought out Linksys and turned everything less than $1k into Linksys. Get yourself a decent wireless router and the same brand/series wireless extenders. Unless you want to be in the 4 figure range, then a guy that does networking for a living will have better advice than me. I'm just a UNIX admin 
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Thanks |
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6 years old = the caps have probably dried out. There used to be some decent Cisco branded mid-tier SOHO stuff, but then they bought out Linksys and turned everything less than $1k into Linksys. Get yourself a decent wireless router and the same brand/series wireless extenders. Unless you want to be in the 4 figure range, then a guy that does networking for a living will have better advice than me. I'm just a UNIX admin This^^ It sounds like your router is about to take the Deep Six with a bow shot in 32 seconds |
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This^^ It sounds like your router is about to take the Deep Six with a bow shot in 32 seconds Quoted:
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6 years old = the caps have probably dried out. There used to be some decent Cisco branded mid-tier SOHO stuff, but then they bought out Linksys and turned everything less than $1k into Linksys. Get yourself a decent wireless router and the same brand/series wireless extenders. Unless you want to be in the 4 figure range, then a guy that does networking for a living will have better advice than me. I'm just a UNIX admin This^^ It sounds like your router is about to take the Deep Six with a bow shot in 32 seconds My router ninja skillz are lacking. What are the caps? I just contacted linksys online chat and they wont help me. They want me to pay for help. 
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caps are electrolytic capacitors. Think of thin cardoard tightly rolled into a cylinder shape, encapsulated in metal, and filled with a fluid that conducts electricity at very specific ranges.
I've seem them bulge, burst, or simply stop working(most of the time due to the electrolytic liquid evaporating due to heat and use) |
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caps are electrolytic capacitors. Think of thin cardoard tightly rolled into a cylinder shape, encapsulated in metal, and filled with a fluid that conducts electricity at very specific ranges. I've seem them bulge, burst, or simply stop working(most of the time due to the electrolytic liquid evaporating due to heat and use) Copy. Thanks for the explanation. |
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I like to try and fix something before giving it the boot. If I cant then thats ok. Quoted:
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Spend a whopping $60 or so and get a new one. I like to try and fix something before giving it the boot. If I cant then thats ok. I can guarantee you that your time spent researching and buying a new A/C capable wireless router is a far better investment than trying to fix this old router. However, I do appreciate your sentiment on trying to fix it. |
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6 years old...probably due for an upgrade anyway.
That's about the age my old router started getting flaky, which coincidentally was when my ISP upgraded their service and sent me a new modem. I replaced my router with something more modern. I repurposed my old router and put it in service as a wireless bridge to network in my security camera DVR. |
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I went through the exact same scenario, dropped connections, had to reset the router constantly. For the small amount you have to spend on a decent router, it should be considered a consumable item and replaced every 5 years or so, which is about how long my Netgear lasted. I went with this one from Amazon, it lives up to it's excellent reviews, easy to get up and running, and the customer service is excellent: Medialink router
It's been flawless so far, no issues streaming Netflix, Amazon video, etc. |
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Do you have Windows 8 or 8.1??
Ive been having wireless connection issues due to windows. I thought it was my router but my tablets have no issues and connections are fine. I determined it was a windows problem and fixed it. Then I made the mistake of updated the op system to 8.1 and the issue is back. I havenr figured out how to fix 8.1 yet. |
| I picked up one of the new Linksys WRT1900AC routers (AC is faster than the old "Wireless-N" standard) and it has range like no other router I've owned. I used to need a router with a range extender to cover my entire house, but with this router I don't need an extender anymore. |
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Do you have Windows 8 or 8.1?? Ive been having wireless connection issues due to windows. I thought it was my router but my tablets have no issues and connections are fine. I determined it was a windows problem and fixed it. Then I made the mistake of updated the op system to 8.1 and the issue is back. I havenr figured out how to fix 8.1 yet. Windows 7 |
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Routers are not expensive. When the local retailer puts them on sale I pick up a cheapo Airtech for $19 or something. That way when I think I may have a router problem I can hook up the cheapo and see if it works. I've got 3 or 4 around here, including an old WRT54G that I experiment with DD WRT firmware. It also helps when I'm talking to the cable co. and they try to blame my router. It really shuts them down when I say "That's funny, because your modem did the exact same thing with the other 3 routers I tried. So you think that all 4 or these routers are exhibiting the exact same failure mode? Or maybe it's your modem that's the problem." |
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I picked up one of the new Linksys WRT1900AC routers (AC is faster than the old "Wireless-N" standard) and it has range like no other router I've owned. I used to need a router with a range extender to cover my entire house, but with this router I don't need an extender anymore. +1 Research and get a new 802.11AC router. I can pull up to 465 Mbps on a single stream client. My download speeds on single stream N clients are also about 30% quicker than my previous 802.11N router. Technology has improved and the horsepower that AC routers have is more efficient and serves older N clients quicker and better as byproduct. |
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How electrolytic capacitors are made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D-BAMHOVJ8 |
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Get an Asus RTN-66U and install the Tomato Shibby firmware. Here is a link to the router on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B006QB1RPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398963036&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+rtn66u We run an Asus RT-N66U at work as a VPN server and we also have multiple VPN client connections to our datacenter, houses etc... in addition my business partner and I both run a similar setup at home. All of these are running the Tomato Shibby firmware. Google around for information on how to download and set this up. If you go to the store to get a router, be aware that there are several variations of the RT-N66... and only the U version supports Tomato. I've also heard that the stock firmware on these is pretty darn good as well, but I don't have any experience with it. This router is the #1 selling router on Amazon and there is a good reason for it! |
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So for the guys who are spending over 100$ on a router. Will they last longer than my current router? I realize technology changes and upgrade is enviable but thats a decent chunk of change. The honest answer is that nobody really knows because any model that you buy hasn't been around long enough to test how long it will last. But that's just the way it goes with modern electronics. 
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Quoted: So for the guys who are spending over 100$ on a router. Will they last longer than my current router? I realize technology changes and upgrade is enviable but thats a decent chunk of change. I just know I spent $60 on that POS Linksys and had headaches every couple of days. I got frustrated, decided to switch away from linksys, picked Netgear, got their best damn router, and have been happy ever since. Network is lots faster (newer wifi technologies), range has increased greatly to where I no longer need a repeater or external antenna to reach the corners of my house, and the router doesn't need to be reset weekly. I am a heavy user, professional network engineer who works from home at times, gamer, and heavy media streamer (sometimes have up to 3 HD streams going at once from Netflix, Amazon, and my local Plex storage. The purchase was well worth it for me. In all reality though, some of the mid-range routers probably would have worked, but I wanted the assurance.
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So for the guys who are spending over 100$ on a router. Will they last longer than my current router? I realize technology changes and upgrade is enviable but thats a decent chunk of change. The other honest answer is why the hell you would spend over $100 on a router and NOT get an 802.11ac capable router. AC was approved by the IEEE in Feb, and will be the standard that ships on all new wireless devices going forward (investment protection). To buy an 802.11n Router that doesn't do AC will guarantee shorter lifespan out of your purchase, regardless of whether or not an N router is "currently" the best seller on Amazon. |