Wireless Router problem??

[bos2420]

Not complaining, just need some technical advice.  I have NOT explored all the avenues I should, (getting up, checking modem lights, etc) but this question is nagging me.

Sometimes, regardless of time of day, internet is great.  Then, sometimes the little wheel (loading) just spins, and I get a time-out.  Goes on for 5-15 minutes, then, back up.  I play solitare to kill the time.  This is in perfect weather, and can happen any time of the day or night, any day of the week.

So, in the last week or so, I have been bringing up my System Control Panel.  Now, if my internet is working fine, it pops right up, with all the little status buttons.  However, if the internet is lagging, the SCP loads very slowly, or sometimes, not at all (times out)

So, my question is, regardless of internet signal (like a weather problem), shouldn't my SCP come up right away?  Is my wireless router the problem?

For background, running HN9000, laptop via router (I forget the make/model) Win 10, and I don't have enough RAM-4 gigs. I just upgraded about a year ago to the 9000, and it is better than what I had.  Hughes user for about 12 years.  Standard surfing, no videos, no other devices in our 2 person home.  Forum websites, e-mail, FB, etc.  It happens regardless of how many tabs I have open.  Sometimes, I can open 10 tabs from The Chive, and they will all  be loading by the time I select a new one, and all are loaded in a minute or two (which I consider to be just fine speed)

Oh, this does not happen if I am on a public wi-fi service, so I am discounting computer problems. 

Again, not complaining about the service.  If this is what it is, fine.  I am aware of the ups and downs of sattelite internet.  Just wondering if I should try a new router.

[BirdDog]

Hello bos2420, the honest answer is you are on a legacy satellite that may not be up to optimum speed.

That said, you could have other hardware issues on your end.

Plugging a computer directly into the modem will help eliminate the router being the problem.

Honest opinion, time to upgrade again. Upgraded to 9000 a year ago? That was not much of an upgrade.

Hopefully the new satellite  (Gen5) means you have a better option.

Think of it like switching from dial-up, to dsl, to cable, and then to fiber. Is the same progression on satellite. From 4000, to 7000, to 9000, to 1100, to 2000.

[bos2420]

First, thank you for at least replying to my issue....

Plugging a computer directly into the modem will help eliminate the router being the problem.

Yea, the modem and router are in another room.  Not gonna happen.  This is literally my LAP top computer.  

Honest opinion, time to upgrade again. Upgraded to 9000 a year ago? That was not much of an upgrade.

Actually, it was.  I was on a 4000 when I upgraded.  Didn't even WANT to upgrade, but they had no 4000 modems, or at least the one the installer/repairman had could not be made to work.  Thus, the upgrade, which was the ONLY upgrade available then.

Hopefully the new satellite  (Gen5) means you have a better option.

Again, 'hopefully' isn't an answer I am looking for.  

Think of it like switching from dial-up, to dsl, to cable, and then to fiber. Is the same progression on satellite. From 4000, to 7000, to 9000, to 1100, to 2000.

Maybe you missed the part where I am a 12 year customer.  I keep up on this stuff, I know what is out there.  

Again, I have ONE specific question.  Should the display of the System Control Center be tied to poor signal reception, or should I get a good display of the SCC regardless of signal.  See, if it is the 2nd situation, then the ROUTER is my problem.  I would need to replace my router.  

If it is the 1st answer, then my router is FINE, and it is just signal loss.  It happens often, regardless of weather or other conditions, for anywhere from 3-30 minutes.  It is annoying, but satellite in general is annoying, compared to a cable connection, but that doesn't matter, because satellite is the ONLY option where I live.  

And, once again, I am NOT complaining about my service.  I am asking if the drops in connections are because of MY hardware.  That I can fix.  But I need an answer to my question before I spend the money.  

[Gwalk900]

Yes the SCC should come up.

Reasons why it may not:

IP address between the router and the modem. The Modem is hardwired for 192.168.0.1

That address can not be shared.

The Routers LAN IP should be set to 192.168.1.1 to avoid conflict.

DHCP should be enabled in the router.

There is a "connection path" of 192.168.1.1 (router), next station along the path is 192.168.0.1(modem).

If you lose, for whatever reason connectivity to the router you then lose connectivity to the modem then hence your connection to the internet.

Are you using 2.4 or 5.0 Ghz for wireless?

[bos2420]

Are you using 2.4 or 5.0 Ghz for wireless?

Well, I got off my lazy butt and looked.  It is a WD N600.  Specs show it is  Dual-Band, 2.4/5 GHz.  I have not messed with any settings, or dabbled with it since I installed it.  I am good on computer stuff, software problems and such, not so much on hardware.

Yes the SCC should come up.

Reasons why it may not:

IP address between the router and the modem. The Modem is hardwired for 192.168.0.1

That address can not be shared.

The Routers LAN IP should be set to 192.168.1.1 to avoid conflict.

The router is set to 192.168.1.120 (which I assume is no problem)

The reason I started all this is because it only made sense to me that the SCC should show up, regardless of satellite signal problems.  It seemed it should be static information that is available at all times, via the modem.  We have been having this problem for about 6 months, and I finally got around to searching for solutions.  The SCC page idea hit me.  If the SCC is not popping up right away, then the signal from the Router should be at fault, not the modem or signal.  In the past, *older modem, 4000* the SCC always came up, usually with the Red or Yellow problem buttons.  

Again, no connection problems on other wireless connections, including my phone hotspot.  So, I was discounting the computer as a problem.  

Thank you for the reply. 

[Aedan]

Hello bos2420,

Thanks for posting. Yes, you are correct. Since the SCC resides on the modem, it should show up regardless of signal quality. I also pulled up your account to double check your system and the diagnostics show that the internet connectivity is good. The issue is most likely on your home network side. Thanks.

-Aedan

[bos2420]

My thanks to everyone who replied, and special thanks to Aedan for that specific information.  That is what I thought.

I installed the new router yesterday morning, and I have had ZERO time outs or failure to loads.  It is going to be hard to get used to perfect internet service.  My solitare game is going to suffer also (I would play solitare while the problem fixed itself)

Again, THANKS!!

[maratsade]

Can the mods move topics?  I think this topic should be moved to Tech Support, since this board was set up for off topic discussions.  

[GabeU]

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@bos2420 wrote:

For background, running HN9000, laptop via router (I forget the make/model) Win 10, and I don't have enough RAM-4 gigs.

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Actually, being that your type of laptop usage sounds as if it's fairly basic, 4GB of RAM should be plenty.  The biggest thing that would probably help you, if you experience lag on the laptop with programs opening and such, is replacing your hard drive with an SSD.  It breathes new life into PCs.  Aside of that, though, 4GB is decent for basic, non intensive, computing needs.

Glad the problem that brought you here this time is fixed.    

[C0RR0SIVE]

Trust me @GabeU 4GB on Win10 x64 isn't enough....  If on x32 it should be OK, but it's being pushed.  Most machines are x64 now though.  Anymore, 8GB should be the minimum for a "smooth" experience if running a 64-bit OS.

Only thing opened is Chrome, Outlook 2016, Skype, and TeamViewer.  Actually doing almost nothing and I have used a rather large chunk of the pagefile and physical RAM at this point.  You can thank Prefetch for this... While it helps speed certain things up (like launching your favorite web-browser) it does consume a considerable amount of RAM.

[GabeU]

@C0RR0SIVE

That's interesting.  My Dell Inspiron 15 laptop with a Core i3 1.9Ghz processor and 4GB of RAM is just as responsive, and in some cases even more so, than my desktop, whose specs are listed below.  

Both have the 64 bit, 1703 Creators Update Windows 10 Pro installed.  The only reason my desktop has 16GB of RAM is because Newegg had a sale at the time and 16GB was only about $10 more than 8GB of the exact same memory.  I don't know what the clock speed of the memory in the laptop is, but it's definitely not any higher than that of the desktop, and is most likely less.

Perhaps I've just been lucky.     

[C0RR0SIVE]

If memory serves right Gabe, the FX-6100 is a good bit slower than an i3 @ 1.9Ghz (I assume an i3 3227U?). Which would explain why the one with a lower amount of RAM feels the same, if not faster.  Regardless, I can almost promise ya, if you upped your RAM, then prefetch would be a happy annoyance.

[GabeU · Accepted solution]

@C0RR0SIVE

You're correct on the i3 being the 3227u, but it's just over half the clock speed of the FX6100, and less than half when it comes to benchmarking.  

It's probable that the performance of the laptop, at least when it comes to things like opening and running basic programs and such, is faster due to it being more integrated.  Feed it something more intensive and it will most likely fall behind the desktop, and quickly.