Laptop constantly drops Wi-fi

[Erni]

Probably. Nursing a cold, only 80% coherent today.
This is where I would pitch the Ubiquity gear , but too pooped today.

[CS1983]

Irving, check out these graphics:

2.4Ghz vs 5Ghz


The channels are 1-11 on 2.4Ghz, w/ 1,6, and 11 being non-overlapping.

5Ghz has a lot more channels, but it has less range.

By running a wifi scanner, you can figure out what the highest channel usage in your area is (that the device can pick up), and from there modify your channel usage. Ideally, it should look something like this:



However, if everyone's X-Brand device is default to channel 11 or 6 or whatever, you're gonna have interference.

Try going into the admin GUI and seeing if you can change the actual channel once you place back on 2.4Ghz. If you can, you can download a scanning app and see if everyone is running a particular channel. Then just make a strength map and modify to your usage needs. Or leave it on 5Ghz and have a beer, cus you have better things to do than geek out.

[brutal]

Good advice in the thread.

However, most newer routers/AP are going to auto-pick the best channel and will change channels as conditions change.

FWIW, my Ubiquiti stuff has been rock solid and never any issues. That said, it's kinda prosumer and not well suited to the average Joe to setup.

[Gman]

Sounds like a dual band router. I have found that some of my older devices, even though they support 5GHz, to be more stable on 2.4GHz. Some routers will try to avoid other devices and select channels based on what the router sees. The problem I've found with this strategy is that the WLAN traffic at the router often looks very different than at the remote device. I've even seen some routers that will intentionally hop onto the same used channel if the other device is nearby. There's some debate as to having nearby devices sharing the same frequencies being more efficient rather than having multiple overlapping channels.

[CS1983]

That’s a solid point about the device’s visible spectrum != router’s. Is this disparity entirely geographical or based on antenna strength? In other words, is it something which can be mitigated by conducting the scan in very close rpoximity to the device?

I’d be interested in some solid resources on both sides of that debate.

[CoGirl303]

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad W520 Windows 10, and it constantly drops Wi-fi. The signal goes out, I lose work, then the wi-fi symbol goes out. It usually takes about 60-120 seconds before the wi-fi comes back and the page loads again and I can continue working. I figured it was my old router/modem being old so I replaced them. Now, instead of having to manually turn the Wi-fi off and on, it will reset itself automatically, but it still does it about every 15 minutes. It's very annoying and is slowing down my productivity.

I looked up a few things on-line and this seems to be a common problem with machines that have Window 7,8, and 10, and there seems to be a few different options, but there doesn't seem to be anything that consistently works for everyone. The only thing I've tried so far is turning off the option to save power in the network configuration.

I thought I'd turn to the experts on here for help. I'd prefer to set this laptop on fire, but I can't afford a new one at the moment and wouldn't know what to buy anyway. Any help to tide me over? Other than this one issue, I have little problems with my current machine.

Ever since I got rid of my PC's and switched to MAC, my computer issues have dropped exponentially.

I bought a mint condition rarely used 2012 Macbook Pro over Black Friday for $650. I replaced my 2010 version which had a faulty graphics chip.

My 2011 iMAC 27" has been going strong w/ exception to needing a new hard drive last year.

Aside from that, no issues.



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[TheGrey]

I have PCs, and am learning a great deal from this thread. Irving, you're not the only one that has this issue with laptops!

[Mazin]

If you can hardline in, sounds like your Wi-Fi card is dying. You can also get a usb Wi-Fi and try that if you can't run the cable.

[Gman]

Ever since I got rid of my PC's and switched to MAC, my computer issues have dropped exponentially.

Whatever floats your boat. I have both at home and manage both at the office. Macs have had a history of WiFi issues for as long as there have been...Macs. If you have any platform that isn't having issues, you're just not pushing it hard enough.

If you're trying to identify the best WiFi channel selection for your home, I'd recommend using a tool like WiFi Analyzer to perform a site survey in various parts of your home to find the configuration that works best for you. In my case, my router is located in my home office in the basement and is somewhat shielded from my neighbors. Most of my end-user devices are on the main floor of our ranch style home and are bombarded by so many networks it'll make your head spin.