Matt_C
Distinguished Member
A while ago I set up a LAN/WAN in my mums house, and after a few initial problems it was working fine (and has been for about a year or so). Until recently, when problems with signal strength and drop outs upstairs. This is the brief set up;
DOWNSTAIRS;
Primary ADSL router (D-Link) - internet comes in from BT socket to router, and is broadcast over wifi to laptops, phones, and a wireless printer. IP for this router is 192.168.1.1. DHCP is set to assign from 1.3 onwards (can't remember if I set an upper limit), and 1.2 is reserved for the secondary router (Netgear) upstairs
UPSTAIRS;
Secondary router (Netgear) is connected to the primary router using a long Ethernet cable (previously had been installed to connect a non wifi computer to the primary router). This is MAC assigned to 192.168.1.2 in the primary router DHCP settings.
The SSID and password, and protection etc are all identical, and as said everything was working fine - you could go upstairs and downstairs on the same device with no drop outs of signal issues.
However, a couple weeks ago, a company installed solar panels on my mums roof. These are all hardwired to a control box in the understairs cupboard, and that control box is connected via Ethernet cable to a powerline adapter. Another powerline adapter is plugged in near the primary router, and connected using an Ethernet cable. Makes sense so far.
However, since then the wifi signal upstairs has been crap. I'm sitting in the same room as the secondary router (it's about 4 feet away) and it's showing 1 bar on the Windows signal strength indicator (looking at it's connection properties, it shows 1 bar, poor signal strength, and connected speed of 1.0Mbps. I can't remember what it was before, but it should be 54Mbps since it's an 802.11g router)
It's also getting random drop outs - for no reason the wifi will simply disconnect and be a pain to get back. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't and a reboot is required (of the laptop I mean)
I've done the usual reboots of the routers, checked the connections, etc etc. Even with the Ethernet cable from the powerline adapter disconnected, it's still properly poor, and nothing like it was before.
Signal strength downstairs seems fine, and strangely, my iPhone upstairs also shows full signal and seems fine (and I'm sure before I set all this up, and was running off just one wifi router downstairs, the signal on my iPhone upstairs was very low)
I'm wondering whether the secondary router upstairs simply isn't outputting any wifi signal, so the computers (upstairs) are drawing from the primary router downstairs). But then, I can log onto the secondary router (using 192.168.1.2 in a browser) over wifi while upstairs, so it must be, no?
Very confused.
Also, not sure if it's relevant, but if I log into the primary router via browser, and look at the connected devices, all of the devices are still showing as connected; some of which are turned off, and one isn't even in the house! The IP's range from 1.3 to 1.7, and the wireless printer is something like 1.39. Strangely, the two iphones, and the printer show DHCP release/renew in a smidge under 24hrs, but the other devices (two laptops) show over 2000 hrs till release/renew?
The other odd thing is, if I disconnect from the wifi network on my mums laptop, the network (while disconnected from) shows full signal. Soon as I connect, it drops to one bar?
Lastly, the lights on the routers. Primary router is showing two Ethernet lights (for the backhaul cable to upstairs, and the powerline adapter for the solar panel box), along with power (obviously), wifi, and internet. The secondary router is showing power, wifi and one Ethernet connection - the internet light isn't showing. I presume this is because it's not using it's ADSL function? I can't remember if it was or wasn't showing an internet light before the problems started...
DOWNSTAIRS;
Primary ADSL router (D-Link) - internet comes in from BT socket to router, and is broadcast over wifi to laptops, phones, and a wireless printer. IP for this router is 192.168.1.1. DHCP is set to assign from 1.3 onwards (can't remember if I set an upper limit), and 1.2 is reserved for the secondary router (Netgear) upstairs
UPSTAIRS;
Secondary router (Netgear) is connected to the primary router using a long Ethernet cable (previously had been installed to connect a non wifi computer to the primary router). This is MAC assigned to 192.168.1.2 in the primary router DHCP settings.
The SSID and password, and protection etc are all identical, and as said everything was working fine - you could go upstairs and downstairs on the same device with no drop outs of signal issues.
However, a couple weeks ago, a company installed solar panels on my mums roof. These are all hardwired to a control box in the understairs cupboard, and that control box is connected via Ethernet cable to a powerline adapter. Another powerline adapter is plugged in near the primary router, and connected using an Ethernet cable. Makes sense so far.
However, since then the wifi signal upstairs has been crap. I'm sitting in the same room as the secondary router (it's about 4 feet away) and it's showing 1 bar on the Windows signal strength indicator (looking at it's connection properties, it shows 1 bar, poor signal strength, and connected speed of 1.0Mbps. I can't remember what it was before, but it should be 54Mbps since it's an 802.11g router)
It's also getting random drop outs - for no reason the wifi will simply disconnect and be a pain to get back. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't and a reboot is required (of the laptop I mean)
I've done the usual reboots of the routers, checked the connections, etc etc. Even with the Ethernet cable from the powerline adapter disconnected, it's still properly poor, and nothing like it was before.
Signal strength downstairs seems fine, and strangely, my iPhone upstairs also shows full signal and seems fine (and I'm sure before I set all this up, and was running off just one wifi router downstairs, the signal on my iPhone upstairs was very low)
I'm wondering whether the secondary router upstairs simply isn't outputting any wifi signal, so the computers (upstairs) are drawing from the primary router downstairs). But then, I can log onto the secondary router (using 192.168.1.2 in a browser) over wifi while upstairs, so it must be, no?
Very confused.
Also, not sure if it's relevant, but if I log into the primary router via browser, and look at the connected devices, all of the devices are still showing as connected; some of which are turned off, and one isn't even in the house! The IP's range from 1.3 to 1.7, and the wireless printer is something like 1.39. Strangely, the two iphones, and the printer show DHCP release/renew in a smidge under 24hrs, but the other devices (two laptops) show over 2000 hrs till release/renew?
The other odd thing is, if I disconnect from the wifi network on my mums laptop, the network (while disconnected from) shows full signal. Soon as I connect, it drops to one bar?
Lastly, the lights on the routers. Primary router is showing two Ethernet lights (for the backhaul cable to upstairs, and the powerline adapter for the solar panel box), along with power (obviously), wifi, and internet. The secondary router is showing power, wifi and one Ethernet connection - the internet light isn't showing. I presume this is because it's not using it's ADSL function? I can't remember if it was or wasn't showing an internet light before the problems started...