Hello to you all.
I know this isn't the right place to ask, but I need help with my wireless router. Hopefully someone has an idea to help or is able to point me to a helpful website for a solution or good place to ask.
Anyway, here's the info:
About four months ago, I got a new wireless router to replace our old one. The one we had wasn't working right (it was a Sitecom), constantly dropping connections and sometimes not able to connect to the internet at all. So I decided to get a new router: The D-Link Wireless N Powerline Gigabit Router DHP-1565.
It worked perfectly for about two months, but it all changed once I replaced my old laptop. I bought a Toshiba Satellite laptop (The Satellite P50-A) and replaced the Windows 8 OS with Windows 7.
I was simply switching files from my old laptop to my new one, until a few hours in the internet connection gave out. The router completely disappeared from the router list. I also received the error message that I have an IP conflict with another computer. I thought it was between my old laptop and my new one, so I just reset the router and moved on.
However, from that point on, I started getting the same problem structurally. I didn't have my old laptop on at the same time my new one was on and I even deleted all internet connection history from the old laptop and disabled the wireless adapter in it. That did not solve the problem.
What happens is that the router disappears from the connection list, as if the router is turnend off. I inspected the router, but there's nothing wrong with it. No odd lights are burning or anything. Yet the problem keeps happening.
I've had it happen for probably close to 100 times in just two months now and have only seen the IP-conflict error message four times. They seem to come at random.
Our household has quite a number of wirelessly connected objects. We have:
- My laptop
- My mother's iPad
- My father's iPad
- A box for watching television programs 'on demand'
- My mother's computer
- My mother's phone
- My 3DS
- My Wii U
- My Playstation 3
Most of the time, only my laptop, the iPads, the television box and my mother's phone are connected to the internet. So that's just 5 items.
I have however noticed that the router problems seem to stay away as long as my laptop is turned off, which would signify some kind of problem with it (or with the router connecting to it), but we don't know for sure.
I have also noticed that the connection is more prone to drop when I am 'straining it'. Having a skype call for example. But even that isn't guaranteed. Yesterday for example I was able to skype call someone for over 50 minutes, yet after having to reset the router once, wasn't able to hold a connection for 2 minutes on several subsequent tries.
I've also tried going wired instead, but even that is creating problems. When I put the ethernet cable in, it doesn't seem to be able to make the connection. I can only have wireless.
Then I have tried resetting the router completely, starting over from scratch. But for some reason when I put the install disc in the tray and start the program up on this laptop, I receive the error message that my wired connection isn't recognized. So something must be wrong there. But that is odd since the ethernet cable I am using came with the router and it worked fine when I first installed it.
The old laptop I used worked perfectly with this router. I installed the router with it and had no problems until I started using THIS laptop. I checked the router and everything and I just can't find anything weird. All devices connected to the internet use DHCP and at no times are two deviced equipped with the same IP address. So the IP conflict error message seems to be wrong.
I called the router manufacturer but they didn't seem to be able to help me either. Can anyone help in any way?
If you need any info or screenshots please tell me.
Hmm, I had a smiliar problem three years ago.
My computer caused dopping the whole internet connection for all devices in my network. We have tried different things, like getting a better ethernet cable, buying a new router. None of that really solved the problem.
But surprisingly after some time the problem vanished, even if I still have the same computer.
Hmm, I had a smiliar problem three years ago.
My computer caused dopping the whole internet connection for all devices in my network. We have tried different things, like getting a better ethernet cable, buying a new router. None of that really solved the problem.
But surprisingly after some time the problem vanished, even if I still have the same computer.
Any idea what exactly caused the problem in the first place?
And it just... fixed itself? How long did it take?
Oh, and can you tell me if you've tried using a static IP outside of the normally used IP pool (like using 192.168.1.20 although you normally only go as high as 8)?
I need to be able to pinpoint the problem somehow.
I've had weird wifi problems from tablet battery life and just plain bad connections where there's contention on a channel.
One thing you could try is checking for local interference. There's an Android app called Wifi Analyzer that tells you how much spectrum is in use and how bad. I know you only listed IOS devices in your possession so that's complicated.
Failing a scan, try changing frequencies between 1, 6, 11, and the Auto setting (if supported). See if any of them help.
Wifi's biggest downfall is its popularity. You can't go anywhere without severe crosstalk these days.
Any idea what exactly caused the problem in the first place?
And it just... fixed itself? How long did it take?
Oh, and can you tell me if you've tried using a static IP outside of the normally used IP pool (like using 192.168.1.20 although you normally only go as high as 8)?
I need to be able to pinpoint the problem somehow.
Not really, the internet dropped when I powered on my computer.
I didn't use a static IP address. We only have 7 internet devices in our household.
Not really, the internet dropped when I powered on my computer.
I didn't use a static IP address. We only have 7 internet devices in our household.
The connection usually seems to start dropping when my computer is turned on, but not right away. The amount of time I have internet heavily fluctuates. It can be a few minutes or several hours between connections.
I don't have any devices set up to static IP. I have tried a static IP on this computer a little bit ago, but after just a few minutes it couldn't connect to any websites.
DeHackEd wrote:
I've had weird wifi problems from tablet battery life and just plain bad connections where there's contention on a channel.
One thing you could try is checking for local interference. There's an Android app called Wifi Analyzer that tells you how much spectrum is in use and how bad. I know you only listed IOS devices in your possession so that's complicated.
Failing a scan, try changing frequencies between 1, 6, 11, and the Auto setting (if supported). See if any of them help.
Wifi's biggest downfall is its popularity. You can't go anywhere without severe crosstalk these days.
Is it possible that the day I started using my new laptop that interference became a problem? It seems too much of a coincidence. But maybe my laptop is somehow interfering with things, I don't know for sure.
I'll keep this idea in mind either way. Thank you for the suggestion.
So the IP conflict is a big clue. That means your network has a loop in it somewhere. I think what would help solve the problem is draw a diagram and how they are connected (wired/wireless). Be sure to include any other details like modems, APs, switches, or even hubs (gasp!). While drawing, I would really just follow the wires (if possible). As for reinstalling, did you try a direct connection from your new laptop to the router with NOTHING (including the modem) else connected? You should get an IP if it is just your laptop wired to the router. This is a good starting point. If you want more faster help, I suggest you get on IRC so we can talk directly.
Oh I should mention that if it really is related to your laptop only, maybe bridge mode is on somehow creating the loop.
So the IP conflict is a big clue. That means your network has a loop in it somewhere. I think what would help solve the problem is draw a diagram and how they are connected (wired/wireless). Be sure to include any other details like modems, APs, switches, or even hubs (gasp!). While drawing, I would really just follow the wires (if possible). As for reinstalling, did you try a direct connection from your new laptop to the router with NOTHING (including the modem) else connected? You should get an IP if it is just your laptop wired to the router. This is a good starting point. If you want more faster help, I suggest you get on IRC so we can talk directly.
Oh I should mention that if it really is related to your laptop only, maybe bridge mode is on somehow creating the loop.
Can you tell me at what time you can be on IRC?
And no, I didn't try a direct connection on just the laptop. I'll see what I can do about that later today.
Joined: 3/9/2004
Posts: 4588
Location: In his lab studying psychology to find new ways to torture TASers and forumers
For starters, you should be thankful for the miracle that so many devices you have actually work wirelessly. Just like you wouldn't expect a cordless phone from one company to ever work with a cordless base from another company, you should never expect better results from various devices and a router.
The different manufacturers have put a lot of effort into wireless interoperability, but we're not there yet. Different devices support different standards. Sometimes a device implements a standard in a slightly different way than other devices. Then there's room for all kinds of options in the implementation regarding frequency and certain features. Some devices will simply implement things in a more robust manner than others, giving broader compatibility with other devices despite some flaws those other devices may exhibit.
If you have never gotten a certain device to work with your router long term, you may never get those two to talk to each other properly. First you should ensure that your firmwares and drivers are up to date, as those often include specification bug fixes and compatibility improvements. If that doesn't work, you can try switching to different protocols, such as other authentication methods, wireless speeds (802.11g), or frequencies.
As mentioned above, everything may work fine and you just have interference. See how the distance of your device to the router makes a difference. Another possibility is that you have some interesting network setting in Windows messing things up. Try using an Ubuntu Live CD or similar to see if its a setting or the device itself.
But as I said above, with all tweaking, if it boils down to a hardware compatibility issue, it may never work. I've seen cases were devices refuse to talk to each other, constantly drop connections, lock up, or only work properly over protocols from way back when like 802.11b, despite all devices in question being relatively new.
Warning: Opinions expressed by Nach or others in this post do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or position of Nach himself on the matter(s) being discussed therein.
hi, is the router the DHCP server ?
can you post the DHCP configuration and (if you can ) the DHCP Table ?
thanks
Sorry for the wait. These are the things you need, right?
(configuration) http://i.imgur.com/hPpYdrS.png
(table) http://i.imgur.com/zuNm2mO.png
Also, confuguration-wise:
Wireless Band: 2.4 GHz Band
8.2.11 type: Mixed 802.11n and 8.2.11g
Channel Width: Auto 20/40 MHz
Channel: 11
Warepire wrote:
Did you disable Ad Hoc networking on the laptop? I've seen that cause some very interesting things.
Well, I'm not very knowledgeable in this, but I DO have a Bluetooth device in my network settings, which I've turned off as a friend of mine told me I was better off disabling it. Do you think it's smarter to keep it on?
Nach wrote:
For starters, you should be thankful for the miracle that so many devices you have actually work wirelessly. Just like you wouldn't expect a cordless phone from one company to ever work with a cordless base from another company, you should never expect better results from various devices and a router.
The different manufacturers have put a lot of effort into wireless interoperability, but we're not there yet. Different devices support different standards. Sometimes a device implements a standard in a slightly different way than other devices. Then there's room for all kinds of options in the implementation regarding frequency and certain features. Some devices will simply implement things in a more robust manner than others, giving broader compatibility with other devices despite some flaws those other devices may exhibit.
Of course, that is true, but I get a feeling this can be fixed. The router is relatively new, only about 2 years ago it was first manufactured and my laptop is from roughly the same time. I'd find it odd if the device wouldn't work appropriately, especially since the internet DOES work when I reset, but just vanishes at random.
However, you mention later on that even that doesn't matter. So why should I, a humble poster question overlord Nach? You are very likely FAR more knowledgeable than I am at this (and no, this isn't sarcasm).
Nach wrote:
As mentioned above, everything may work fine and you just have interference. See how the distance of your device to the router makes a difference. Another possibility is that you have some interesting network setting in Windows messing things up. Try using an Ubuntu Live CD or similar to see if its a setting or the device itself.
But as I said above, with all tweaking, if it boils down to a hardware compatibility issue, it may never work. I've seen cases were devices refuse to talk to each other, constantly drop connections, lock up, or only work properly over protocols from way back when like 802.11b, despite all devices in question being relatively new.
Distance isn't solving anything. I get just as many dropped connections sitting mere inches from the device as I would from 10 feet away. I tested that several times with my ethernet cable, which isn't being registered by my laptop for some reason.
Network settings might be it, but I don't recall making any actual changes to the router or my computer's settings other than disabling Bluetooth. I've reenabled it now to see if that changes anything.
Joined: 3/2/2010
Posts: 2178
Location: A little to the left of nowhere (Sweden)
QuizmasterBos wrote:
Warepire wrote:
Did you disable Ad Hoc networking on the laptop? I've seen that cause some very interesting things.
Well, I'm not very knowledgeable in this, but I DO have a Bluetooth device in my network settings, which I've turned off as a friend of mine told me I was better off disabling it. Do you think it's smarter to keep it on?
What happened for me when I used my laptop at university once was that there were 3 Ad Hoc APs and a real AP within range, and my laptop decided it would constantly drop connection and switch AP, at the university when the connection was dropped, even for a second, you had to log in to the university network again before you could surf.
I've seen some crazy things with computers, it would not surprise me if you had a network loop between 2 APs. But even if this isn't the problem, doing this is a tad safer.
Here's some detailed reading about removing existing ad-hoc networks and disabling it all together:
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/50453-remove-saved-ad-hoc-network.htmlhttp://superuser.com/questions/163117/how-to-disable-ad-hoc-wireless-connections
Joined: 3/9/2004
Posts: 4588
Location: In his lab studying psychology to find new ways to torture TASers and forumers
QuizmasterBos wrote:
Nach wrote:
For starters, you should be thankful for the miracle that so many devices you have actually work wirelessly. Just like you wouldn't expect a cordless phone from one company to ever work with a cordless base from another company, you should never expect better results from various devices and a router.
The different manufacturers have put a lot of effort into wireless interoperability, but we're not there yet. Different devices support different standards. Sometimes a device implements a standard in a slightly different way than other devices. Then there's room for all kinds of options in the implementation regarding frequency and certain features. Some devices will simply implement things in a more robust manner than others, giving broader compatibility with other devices despite some flaws those other devices may exhibit.
Of course, that is true, but I get a feeling this can be fixed. The router is relatively new, only about 2 years ago it was first manufactured and my laptop is from roughly the same time. I'd find it odd if the device wouldn't work appropriately, especially since the internet DOES work when I reset, but just vanishes at random.
I've seen similar issues with modern hardware.
QuizmasterBos wrote:
Distance isn't solving anything. I get just as many dropped connections sitting mere inches from the device as I would from 10 feet away. I tested that several times with my ethernet cable, which isn't being registered by my laptop for some reason.
Try turning off all wireless things you have around. Cell phone, cordless phones, computers, etc...
With your computer the only device on in the vicinity and right next to it, is it working? Try changing wireless frequency to see if any other frequencies work better.
It's also possible that your router has a limit on how many devices it can handle at once before something fails. There's well known issues with routers forgetting to clear tables, and work until RAM runs out, or allowing more devices to connect than it has electricity for.
QuizmasterBos wrote:
Network settings might be it, but I don't recall making any actual changes to the router or my computer's settings other than disabling Bluetooth. I've reenabled it now to see if that changes anything.
There's many more complicated settings that could occur than whether bluetooth is on or not. I strongly recommend trying a Live CD with another OS so you can see if some funny setting somehow got enabled. The fact that you said Ethernet doesn't work either suggests some strange setting.
Also as I mentioned above, try to update all firmwares and drivers.
And as I stressed earlier, some devices just refuse to work together (or under certain settings). At a place I used to work, we ended up getting two identical routers, we set one to 802.11n only, and the other to 802.11g only. This was the only way to ensure everybody's laptops to get online, and some could only use the wireless connection from one router, and some the other (and some could work with either).
You really should be testing different protocol settings to see if it makes a difference.
Warning: Opinions expressed by Nach or others in this post do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or position of Nach himself on the matter(s) being discussed therein.
Try turning off all wireless things you have around. Cell phone, cordless phones, computers, etc...
With your computer the only device on in the vicinity and right next to it, is it working? Try changing wireless frequency to see if any other frequencies work better.
I'll try this.
Nach wrote:
It's also possible that your router has a limit on how many devices it can handle at once before something fails. There's well known issues with routers forgetting to clear tables, and work until RAM runs out, or allowing more devices to connect than it has electricity for.
Well, even with just four devices connected, it still drops connections, so that isn't it.
Problem is, three of these devices are on 24/7. My parents never turn them off completely. However, the connection seems to drop only when my laptop is turned on.
Nach wrote:
There's many more complicated settings that could occur than whether bluetooth is on or not. I strongly recommend trying a Live CD with another OS so you can see if some funny setting somehow got enabled. The fact that you said Ethernet doesn't work either suggests some strange setting.
Also as I mentioned above, try to update all firmwares and drivers.
And as I stressed earlier, some devices just refuse to work together (or under certain settings). At a place I used to work, we ended up getting two identical routers, we set one to 802.11n only, and the other to 802.11g only. This was the only way to ensure everybody's laptops to get online, and some could only use the wireless connection from one router, and some the other (and some could work with either).
You really should be testing different protocol settings to see if it makes a difference.
My protocol is set to a mixed 802.11n and 802.11g. It's also set to channel 11 (which I believe is default).
As I said above, I'll try changing it once I get the chance to. Thank you for the help.
hi !
sorry for the long time out, i litteraly got overworked to the bone...
fun fact i tought of you as i had to flash one of my routers with a DDWRT for some nasty IPSEC Storys...
but i think i know this lovley interface,
is it a linksys TP-link? a small yelloish one with round corners ?
a D-Link Wireless N DHP-1565 ?
hi !
sorry for the long time out, i litteraly got overworked to the bone...
fun fact i tought of you as i had to flash one of my routers with a DDWRT for some nasty IPSEC Storys...
but i think i know this lovley interface,
is it a linksys TP-link? a small yelloish one with round corners ?
a D-Link Wireless N DHP-1565 ?
Yep, that's the one. I stated that in my opening post as well.
And thank you for thinking of me. You don't have to apologize, you don't owe me anything.
yeah i was REALLLLLY tired that day....
anyway, i couldn't find the hardware spec for your router ( Flash RAM )
but i suspect that it's simply not powerfull enough to support all your wireless trafic.
windows 7 is far less "network friendly" than windows XP, it might be far more conssuming on your network than you think... also for now skype still use a P2P protocol to work, it's hitting hard on your network (but it should change with future versions )
to solve the problem try the following:
- disable all the "memory conssuming features" like
- the QOS
- the trafic logging
- the internal firewall ( you're on a local network, it's a big plus in your security
- the mac filtering
- wire your tv box and your playstation 3 if the router is close from those equipement, use a network cable, it's cheap and this will reduce the load on your wireless network
- realy not safe, but lessen the encryption of your network, remember that every connection is encrypted and that your router has to calculate the encryption key pretty frequently....
in any case, wiring a maximum of equipement is a good solution, and if it's still not working as well as you hope, your can try a more expenssive router to see if it fits your needs....
as a bonus here are two headache inducing PDF on the wireless CPU consumption / security :
http://www.ijcte.org/papers/054.pdfhttp://www.academia.edu/1501652/GPU_-_accelerated_WPA_PSK_cracking_solutions
i hope that this will help you !
good luck !
yeah i was REALLLLLY tired that day....
anyway, i couldn't find the hardware spec for your router ( Flash RAM )
but i suspect that it's simply not powerfull enough to support all your wireless trafic.
windows 7 is far less "network friendly" than windows XP, it might be far more conssuming on your network than you think... also for now skype still use a P2P protocol to work, it's hitting hard on your network (but it should change with future versions )
I find it odd that my router isn't powerful enough to support 5 devices at a time. It's a pretty new router and it got good reviews, so this would be a strange phenomenon. Still, I guess this problem could exist.
Nicos wrote:
to solve the problem try the following:
- disable all the "memory conssuming features" like
- the QOS
- the trafic logging
- the internal firewall ( you're on a local network, it's a big plus in your security
- the mac filtering
I wasn't able to find the traffic logging anywhere on the router. And from the looks of it, QOS is turned off already, so I can't disable that.
I also can't seem to turn the firewall off.
Funnily enough, I decided to filter out the TV box because we don't use it and it seems to help somewhat. I still have internet issues sometimes, but instead of having to reset the router every day several times, I now only have to reset it once per two days or so.
Nicos wrote:
- wire your tv box and your playstation 3 if the router is close from those equipement, use a network cable, it's cheap and this will reduce the load on your wireless network
I can't wire them sadly. Also, I have the PS3 and Wii U set up to a power strip with an on/off function. So whenever I am not using them, they are turned off completely. Therefore they aren't connected to the internet most of the time.
Nicos wrote:
- realy not safe, but lessen the encryption of your network, remember that every connection is encrypted and that your router has to calculate the encryption key pretty frequently....
I prefer to keep it safe. Maybe I would do this as a last resort of sorts.
Nicos wrote:
in any case, wiring a maximum of equipement is a good solution, and if it's still not working as well as you hope, your can try a more expenssive router to see if it fits your needs....
It's true the router was relatively inexpensive and money really wasn't the issue here. I assume that this router is capable of handling at least 6 or so devices at a time, which I why I went with the D-Link.
Eventually, I probably will replace this router with a more capable one, but I prefer to go with this router for the time being.
Nicos wrote:
thanks for the update, don't hesitate to ask if you need anything else !
I will.
As far as it goes right now, I only have one question to ask.
When I come across a MAC Address that I don't recognize and definitely isn't part of any of the devices in our house, should I block that address then?
