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WEAK Wifi signal; nothing seems to help
Hi there - hoping someone can help me. I've been struggling with a super weak wifi signal for ages and have tried everything I can think of to boost it so that I can use wireless devices in other rooms in my house.
I have the modem/router DPQ3925 and it's connected to my desktop through ethernet. My iPhone is also usually connected pretty well to the signal.
The problem is the laptop and smart TV. I have the (potential) capability of streaming Netflix and YouTube on my smart TV, but they never, ever work. So, I gave in and got a Google Chromecast, which worked pretty well for a bit. Then, for no apparent reason, it stopped working well (lots of dropped connections). I used the Chromecast to stream YouTube yoga videos to my TV.
Of course, since I was using the Chromecast, Google pointed the finger at Cox and Cox pointed the finger at Google. I have since given up on the Chromecast. I asked my IT guy at work and he said I should just connect the laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable. Brilliant! I did it and it worked...sort of.
The problem is this: I can connect the laptop to the TV, I can see the laptop desktop on my TV, but when I start the YouTube video, it buffers because the WIFI SIGNAL is so weak! I have bought better routers and used them. The Cox technician that came out told us to unhook the other router. We did. I have bought a wifi extender. Nothing.
My modem/router is located at the back of my house, about 30-40 feet from my TV. There is no wall between my router and my TV.
I have considered buying my own modem/router. I have considered trying to run a cable from my wall outlet. But, come on, it's 2014...why can't I have wireless connections? Help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Health_Edge
Valued Contributor III
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4.2K Messages
11 years ago
How many networks are around you? Also I would try a USB exstender for the Chomecast. It being so close to the TV can effect it's signal.
I would also try your own router and modem, but thats a general suggestion, not sure if it will fix your problem. If multiplr routers are showing weak signal to multiple devices, then it must be some kind of passive or active interference causing the problem. Any issues with dead zones for Cell phones or cordless phones in your house?
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smtips
New Contributor II
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329 Messages
11 years ago
Try changing the wireless channel, you may be picking up some interference from close networks. For instance, if it's set to 11, try 5 or 6. Most people don't have a clue about wireless channel interference and the default is usually 11 or 1 and never gets changed, so if you get a lot of networks near you on the same channel it will cause problems. Also, in the wireless settings, make sure you are broadcasting at Max power, there is either 20 or 40mHz. If your settings don't display a power level, then yes buy a new router and use a modem/router combination. Not sure about others, but I know that TP-Link routers give you a choice of 20 or 40. I completely solved some friends issue that were having EXACTLY the same issues you are by adding a TP-Link router to the mix and disabling the built-in router on the modem (that's called Bridge Mode). For home use you could go with the TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND Ultimate Wireless N300 Router, Gigabit, 300Mbps on sale for $43.99, or the TP-LINK Archer C7 v2 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router, it's a bit more at $99.99 but worth it compared to other brands that way overcharge for routers.
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