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Post by The Doctor on Sept 20, 2017 17:35:45 GMT
Phil! And other computer experts. In the last week the wifi keeps falling off when using the laptop and/or websites are loading slower. No problem with the phone at the same time using the same wifi.
Is there a way to check what is causing the problem?
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 20, 2017 17:49:52 GMT
Could be any number of things. Have you got a benchmark speedtest from before it started going wrong?
Is it just one device it's affecting or several?
What are they? O/S and browser?
I know I've been trouble since the big Firefox update at the start of August which was designed to kill of third party add ons
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 20, 2017 20:35:04 GMT
I don't know what a benchmark speed test is.
Only laptop is affected. I am on Chrome. The computer thingy that shows the broadband doesn't, er, light up as much. It's as if the signal is weaker? But phone works fine.
Sites are taking longer to load and the connection is falling off if trying to run something like Netflix or Youtube.
This is a real worry as I start an OU course in a couple of weeks and a lot of the material is online so I need the connection to laptop to work properly.
I'm on whatever the current version of Windows is.
-Ralph
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
Posts: 6,057
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Post by primenova on Sept 20, 2017 21:31:53 GMT
Have you closed the lid then opened it again? I sometimes have had to turn wifi off & turn on after a minute then it works again after flashing green for a few minutes. But the closing the lid isn't has much a joke has you'd think, sometimes it does work.
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 20, 2017 21:38:42 GMT
Have you tried doing something simple like rebooting the router? If I get a slow patch that usually helps.
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 21, 2017 7:03:34 GMT
How do I reboot the router?
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Sept 21, 2017 7:06:32 GMT
Turn it off, then back on again.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 21, 2017 7:13:47 GMT
Ah right. I thought rebooting was something more technical. Did that and same result.
-Ralph
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Dezzeh
Thunderjet
Wait, what?
Posts: 4,887
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Post by Dezzeh on Sept 21, 2017 9:01:49 GMT
So there is an option on a wireless router to change the wifi channel. That is usually a good shout in situations like these. Obviously how to do it depends on the make/model, but it should be fairly easy to google.
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
Posts: 6,057
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Post by primenova on Sept 21, 2017 17:00:42 GMT
You sometimes has a reset button on the device & you can login into reset the password etc & also turn off the wifi so it works on cable only. You normally login to the hub itself using the ip address.
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 21, 2017 20:51:09 GMT
So there is an option on a wireless router to change the wifi channel. That is usually a good shout in situations like these. Obviously how to do it depends on the make/model, but it should be fairly easy to google. Different channels??? -Ralph |
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Dezzeh
Thunderjet
Wait, what?
Posts: 4,887
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Post by Dezzeh on Sept 21, 2017 20:58:01 GMT
Yep, it’s a thing that you have to log in to the admin panel to change.
What make router do you have, I might be able to find some instructions
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 21, 2017 21:02:56 GMT
I...I have no idea. I might get Andu to have a look with his eyes.
Hilariously, the problem keeps going away whenever I come on the Hub!!!
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 21, 2017 21:24:35 GMT
Our positive vibes fix Ralph's WiFi.
We rule!
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 23, 2017 21:52:58 GMT
It's falling off constantly now. How do I know if it is the laptop or the broadband Hub thing which is the problem? The latter is about 8 years old.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 23, 2017 21:54:47 GMT
Put your phone onto the wifi connection (or another device like an ipad) and see if it looses it's connection too
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 23, 2017 21:57:14 GMT
The phone is getting a strong wifi connection but the laptop is not. All the blue lights on the broadband hub thingy are on. I know the phone is fine as I always have to have that on wifi at home as the 4g signal is very poor in this area.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 23, 2017 22:02:40 GMT
Laptop it is then. The onboard wifi will be on it's last legs.
My Laptop is a similar age to yours and has similar symptoms.
Tried an Ethernet cable from Laptop to Router?
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 23, 2017 22:23:16 GMT
The laptop is only a year old. This is driving me demented. I need it to work for an OU course starting in two weeks.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 23, 2017 22:48:16 GMT
You wouldn't believe how many external wifi adapters I got through on the old desktop!
Try the Ethernet cable
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 23, 2017 22:48:55 GMT
Um, there is no cable. Just the power one.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Sept 23, 2017 23:27:05 GMT
Um, there is no cable. Just the power one. -Ralph Do you have a spare network cable you can use? |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 24, 2017 7:08:36 GMT
Just in case we're heading into unknown territory for Ralph...... An Ethernet Cable and a Network cable are the same thing. The plugs and sockets look like a slightly squarer version of those used with a mobile phone. There's a picture of the plug at www.lifewire.com/what-is-an-ethernet-cable-817548There's a picture of the socket at www.lifewire.com/what-is-ethernet-3426740There should be at least one socket on your modem/router, probably round the back of it. There should be one socket on the side of your laptop. There probably should have been a cable in a the modem's box. If not you can get a lead for pennys. Andu probably has half a dozen in a box somewhere, it's the sort of spare toy end up accumulating multiples of. It's probably wise to have one anyway for those just in case moments: our modem, and my Mum's, permanently has a spare hanging out the back. If you can't find one, then lmk and I'll get one in the post to you. |
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 24, 2017 17:26:27 GMT
I think I need one of these magic cables.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Sept 24, 2017 19:12:32 GMT
If I still lived closer I'd drop by Edinburgh with one of my spares. Maplin on Dalry Road should be able to supply one fairly easily - let the staff know what you are looking for and they'll be able to point your in the right direction, they are pretty good and were my go-to supplier for bits-and-bobs when I worked through there.
Karl
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Sept 24, 2017 23:31:41 GMT
Sainsburys or Asda will sell them as well. I bought one last week from Asdaland for £6.
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 26, 2017 18:49:52 GMT
I think I need one of those magic leads. Weirdly, the laptop connects depending on where on my bed I sit it so now I know where to plonk it to watch Netflix but working on it is more tricky as where I usually sit the net keeps falling off!!!
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 1, 2017 19:28:54 GMT
The laptop now will not connect at all anywhere in the flat with wifi (though it still worked last night). Luckily, I found an ethernet connection though this is a short term solution as the room with the Hub gets very very cold in Winter and I also need to use wifi elsewhere for OU coursework etc. Is there any way to fix the laptop so the wifi works? It's a Toshiba Satelltte and I only got it a year ago.
Phone can still connect to wifi.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Oct 1, 2017 19:31:44 GMT
You could get a really long ethernet cable (I got a 10m one years back for cheap that I still use!)
Or risk bringing it to Phil's to get us to fix it?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 1, 2017 19:43:45 GMT
Can the laptop connect OK to other wifi elsewhere? I suspect the answer is not
we've proved your wifi signal is still good with the phone so I suspect we're into "get a wifi USB stick" territory here, but I've got no experience getting one to work on Win10, you may need to turn the faulty built in one off first in the Device manager
I think I've got one that used to be on the desktop here somewhere, remind me at the weekend. Take it home, plug it into the laptop while it's wired in so it can download any necessary drivers and that *should* then give you wireless network connections again.
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