Weird Wi Fi Issue

[Cliff]

Main Workstation modem and router are upstairs in my home
Down stairs
My wife has an HP windows 7 laptop,
She also has an ASUS tablet.
I have a Dell inspiron running ubuntu,
There is a Dish wifi connection too with netflix.
The router is an Asus RT - AC 88U
Everything was going smoothly until the other day when My wife started complaining about no connectivity.
I told her to go cycle the modem.
She did - - no change.
Oddly she noticed that her Asus tablet was experiencing no connectivity at the same time as her laptop.
Some times she gets fine connectivity sometimes not and when she does not both of her devices can't connect. They are on together and off together. It's like they share an issue. They are in sync.
My PC running ubuntu and the Dish unit have no problems
Her Samsung Galaxy 6 phone has no problem using the router to connect.

Any one with any idea what the heck is going on?

[Grandpadave52]

Have you tried deleting the Wifi connection on her tablet & laptop then reconnecting as if a new device?

We've had similar issues on a couple of the grandkid's Amazon Fires and a few rare instances with my Samsung tablet...We've had to do it with phones too.

 

Are you just cycling the router with the on-off switch or doing a "hard" reset? I have to use a straightened paper clip to hard reset mine. Seems like the router gets backed up once in a while.

In fact, I just had to do that...desktop was working fine, then wouldn't connect to anything...everything else was working OK...hard reset, desktop came back on-line

Can't explain it, but that's what has worked here.

[lew]

That new drill press sucked all the WiFi energy you better send it to me, I'm certain that will solve the problem.

 

Seriously, Dave's advice about deleting the router/access point on the devices and re-adding them would be the next step. Other possibilities- any new 2.4 or 5 gig devices added to the house (i.e.- cordless phone). Also, maybe switch from 5G to 2.4G or try using a different channel (https://www.extremetech.com/computing/179344-how-to-boost-your-wifi-speed-by-choosing-the-right-channel)

[schnewj]

12 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Are you just cycling the router with the on-off switch or doing a "hard" reset? I have to use a straightened paper clip to hard reset mine

Gramps has some good advise. If that fails then look to the WiFi card in the laptop. Do the normal PROPERTIES items; latest driver, verify it is working properly, etc. If all is OK and the problem still exists uninstall and reinstall the card via the DEVICE MANAGER ---->NETWORK ADAPTERS. Click on the WiFi card and uninstall it, reboot and allow the computer to rediscover and reinstall the card. If it doesn't, then do it manually.

 

If the problem still exists, delete the laptop from your network, reboot and set the network connection back up on the laptop.

 

Let me (us) know if any of this works...if not we'll regroup.

[schnewj]

13 hours ago, Cliff said:

Oddly she noticed that her Asus tablet was experiencing no connectivity at the same time as her laptop.
Some times she gets fine connectivity sometimes not and when she does not both of her devices can't connect. They are on together and off together. It's like they share an issue. They are in sync.

Thinking about this a little more. It sounds like the two are competing for the signal.  The WiFi cards may be using the same addresses. Whichever gets there first wins.

 

Has there been any recent software updates and if so, did the problem appear after the update(s)? If so, then, do a restore to a previous configuration and see if the problem still exists. If the problem clears up you may need to assign one device or the other to a different address manually after the recent update is installed.

[Grandpadave52]

Update: after last night's episode with the desk top and resetting the router, my phone would not connect this AM...found the Wifi path but would not connect...

My phone had installed AT&T/LG updates last night, then automatically rebooted. I tried rebooting the phone a couple times...same issue...

Back to the router , Reset, (hard boot), all is good again.

Thinking back when I had a paying gig we'd experience a similar problem with our laptops; usually going from building to building or from one campus to another; quite often would have to delete the Wifi network path, then remap the map. The local IT guys said, "yep that happens sometimes!"

[Cliff]

2 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

to delete the Wifi network path

whassat mean?

I'm going to power down the router and see what happens.

2 hours ago, schnewj said:

like the two are competing for the signal.  The WiFi cards may be using the same addresses. Whichever gets there first wins.

well not exactly  when one is out they both are out.  when one works they both work

 

[Grandpadave52]

1 hour ago, Cliff said:

4 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

to delete the Wifi network path

whassat mean?

I'm going to power down the router and see what happens.

Sorry, poor choice of terminology on my part...for the tablet assuming Android OS, In the Settings menu>Wi-Fi">Select specific "Network Name">Options should be Cancel or Forget, select Forget; then when you (device) searches for available networks, re-select your local network...you'll have to re-renter the 12,000,000,000 password characters for your router. FWIW: Same process for Android phones; I assume similar for I-phones but IDK

 

As for the laptop see Bill's advice above...

 

Powering down the router doesn't always work for me rather the router switch or the surge protector...Look on the back of your router for either a small red button or small opening that has a button recessed...with the router ON, continue either holding down this button or cycling it ON/OFF until the router indicator lights go out...on mine all do but the Power light...wait for the router to Restart. I've actually had to do this 2 or 3 times in succession to get all devices to re-connect.

 

https://www.router-reset.com/reset-manuals/ASUS/RT-AC88U

With the reset button on the router

• Locate the reset button on the backside of your unit
• with a sharp object, e.g. a paperclip or pencil, press and hold the reset button for 5s or until the power led starts flashing

 The 30-30-30 reset

• If the above instructions don't work you can always try the 30-30-30 reset as follows:
• When router is powered on, press the reset button and hold for 30 seconds. (Use a paper clip or something sharp)
• While holding the reset button pressed, unplug the power of the router and hold the reset button for 30 seconds
• While still holding the reset button down, turn on the power to the unit again and hold for another 30 seconds.
• This process usually works for resetting any router to it's factory setting. If that doesn't work be sure to check out thequestions and answers incase someone else has had similar problems resetting their router. 

[schnewj]

2 hours ago, Cliff said:

 

I'm going to power down the router and see what happens.

well not exactly  when one is out they both are out.  when one works they both work

 

Some of the cable company routers VOIP gateways have an internal battery back-up. I don't believe you have this with your router, however, if by chance it does, power the router down and disengage the back up battery. Reinstall the battery, restore the AC/DC power and set the router back up.

 

2 hours ago, Cliff said:

well not exactly  when one is out they both are out.  when one works they both work

I guess I misunderstood your explanation. It sounded like they were taking turns connecting. Try moving them to a different room and see if they have the same issues.  Make sure that there are no other wireless devices nearby (like a cordless phone) these devices often share the same bandwidth and can sometimes interfere or diminish the signal power to other devices. Most wireless devices use a TCP/IPv4 protocol. The load on this bandwidth has become so bad the FCC authorized an expansion bandwidth, which is TCP/IPv6. Both operate on a different Mhz. So, make sure that there are no device conflicts.

[Cliff]

UPDATE:  I did  cold boot of the whole system Router modem and all.

Problem solved.

Thanks guys I'd probably never have thought to cold boot the router.

[Grandpadave52]

2 hours ago, Cliff said:

UPDATE:  I did  cold boot of the whole system Router modem and all.

Problem solved.

Thanks guys I'd probably never have thought to cold boot the router.

Thanks for the feedback Cliff...always appreciated and may help someone else.

Happy that resolved the issue for you.

Seems I can go for weeks, even a few months and never need to do a hard boot then all of sudden I may need to perform a few times a week. IDK...but I want to believe it's an ISP issue.

Now you can get back to the important stuff, like getting the new lathe and drill press exactly where you want them so you can play, 'er work.