In most cases, intermittent wireless issues are caused by local environmental factors that effect the wireless signal. This article helps you troubleshoot intermittent wireless connection problems you may be having with your NETGEAR router.
Symptom:
- Wireless devices intermittently disconnect from the wireless network, while wired devices are still connected and working ok.
Things to keep in mind regarding wireless routers, placement and performance:
- The farther away from the router you go, the weaker the wireless signal will be. Try moving closer to the router to see if the connection improves.
- Keep the router in the most central spot in the home and away from anything that might block its signal such as metal objects, bodies of water, reinforced concrete walls, foil-insulated walls, and other similar construction materials may severely weaken a wireless signal passing through it.
- The more devices that are sharing the wireless network, the less bandwidth is available for each device to use. One or two devices may be 'hogging' bandwidth. Try disconnecting some of the devices to improve performance on other devices.
- All devices with an antenna are trying to send data over the air. Cordless phones, baby monitors, Bluetooth devices (i.e. wireless speakers, mouse) and neighboring wireless networks are all competing with the wireless network. Move Wi-Fi devices away from other transmitting devices, or turn them off when not in use.
- For routers with antennas mounted on the outside of the casing, try adjusting the orientation of the antennas for maximum performance. For more modern routers with the antennas mounted internally, it is often best to mount the router vertically rather than horizontally, by using the special feet/brackets shipped with it.
- Some cable modems may create interference with the router, so it is best to place the router at least 3 feet away from the modem.
If the issue still persists, you may need to try changing some wireless settings on the router.
To do this you will first need to log into the router's administrative interface:
- Using a computer that is connected directly to the router with an Ethernet cable, launch a web browser. Examples of web browsers include Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.
- Go to http://www.routerlogin.net. You can also try the following:
- http://www.routerlogin.com
- 10.0.0.1
- 192.168.1.1
- 192.168.0.1
For further details, see How do I login to my NETGEAR home router?
If you changed your router IP address from the default, enter the new IP address instead. If you forgot the new IP address you assigned to your router, please visit this article to determine the router IP address: What is the IP address of my NETGEAR router?
- You are prompted to enter a username and password.
Default login credentials are:- Username: admin
- Password: password
Note: both username and password are case sensitive. If the default login credentials do not work, you may have previously changed your default password. If you can't remember your new password, you'll need to reset your router to factory default settings. For more information, see Restoring a NETGEAR Router to Factory Default Settings
Some options to try in resolving your connection issues:
Try changing to a different wireless channel:
- Click on Wireless Settings below the setup menu.
- Change the Channel (channels 1,6 and 11 are generally best, but any channel can be used).
- Click Apply and test for improvement in performance.
Note: The Wireless Settings option is available under Advanced Setup in routers with the newer genie interface.
Try reducing the connection speed:
(This a a trade-off, as slower connections are usually more stable)
- Click Wireless Settings below the setup menu.
- Change the Mode to a lower speed.
- Click Apply and test for improvement in performance.
Adjust advanced wireless settings:
- Click Wireless Settings under Advanced.
- Change the Fragmentation Length and CTS/RTS Threshold values to 2304.
- Click Apply and test for improvement in performance.
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