Wireless Speed keeps dropping
JerseyPlayer
Enthusiast - Level 3

My Actiontec rev F router has poor wireless connectivity even close to the router.  I used a site monitor and can see I am getting a slow speed that keeps dropping to zero every few seconds for a second.  The signal strength is full, but data throughput is terrible.  All the other connections the monitor can see in the area are solid, fast, and no dropping to zero.

So I installed a second router off of the action tec and  I am getting great speed and do not see it dropping to zero at all on the monitor.  I had 4 game consoles connected wirelessly  with no problem.  The  second router is in the actiontec DMZ zone and is unsecured so only the consoles connect to it.

Should I see the speed keep toggling to zero ?

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Re: Wireless Speed keeps dropping
Hubrisnxs
Legend

the second router in your actiontec DMZ is the best thing to do, have no fear, it is secure, because your new router has it's own firewall.  It doesn't need two.   🙂    If you are still getting a variable wireless signal even connected to the new router, then you probably have a wireless signal interference issue, and you should change the wireless channel.  It is not enough to change the channel once and hope for the best.    The other day I had the same problem I changed all wireless channels and none of them worked well, and I had to factory reset my router, and oddly that fixed it.    I don't recommend factory reset unless you are at your wits end.  But you should definetely change the channel.

If you do it for the actiontec, then you would open a browser, and go to http://192.168.1.1

user name is admin.  and the password is most likely the serial number found on the service tag of your VZ router unless you changed it. Once you login succesfully, go to the top and hit wireless, then on the left basic security.   then go to option 3 which is channel  1, 6 and 11 and are the only channels you should try.

So it will likely be set to auto, change it to 11 and put the check for keep settings even after reboot (Directly under the channel) and then hit apply.  after you hit apply,  test your connection out, if you notice a difference, leave it like that until the problem happens again, and if it happens again, go back into the router, and try channel 6,     test it out.  and then finally 1 if the first two don't work.

Also take a look at page 2 of Actiontec's Wireless PDF File.  It gives you some idea's with regards to position and orientation of where the router sits and how it can best be positioned for maximum coverage.

  http://support.actiontec.com/doc_files/MI424WR_Rev(all)_Wireless_Networking_Guide.pdf

Without knowing which other router you have, I couldn't tell you how to change it's wireless channel, but it would be similiar to above.

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Re: Wireless Speed keeps dropping
weedeater1
Contributor - Level 3

If the 2nd wireless router is working better, turn off the wireless in the Actiontec.

If by 'unsecured' you mean that you have no encryption on the 2nd router, you should turn something on.  Like WPA, or whatever your consoles support.

Re: Wireless Speed keeps dropping
JerseyPlayer
Enthusiast - Level 3

Thanks for the responses.  I know wireless is not an exact science.  I tell my kids how good they have it when watching TV. They don't know the the pain of  having to adjust the attend because you are missing the best part of a show as a plane moves overhead.  There was no rewind back then.

The second router is really a lot better.  Same location as the Actiontec; I don't get it.  Both have excellent signal strength, but the actiontec data rate bounces to zero a lot.  Maybe the newest router is better, but you have to pay for it even if it will solve any troubles you are having.  I am learning to live with it.  The second router is unsecured as it will accapt all incoming traffic through the DMZ of the actiontec.  I am amazed at the amout of attempted connections; scary !

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Re: Wireless Speed keeps dropping
Hubrisnxs
Legend

well there are TWO firewalls at play. the actiontec which is disabled in the dmz, and then your router's firewall.  So as long as you haven't disabled your second firewall then you should be protected.

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