My wireless signal seems to phase out over time. I’ll probably have to get in touch with the cable company, but for now, I’ve found a quick fix and that is to change the wireless channel. So I’m using my Eastlink setup and my modem identifies as Arris.
In my web browser, I type in 192.168.0.1 to go to my modem/router settings page.
So first I have to log in. You should always protect your modem/router settings with a username and password.
Then I get taken to System Basic Setup. In the Wireless 2.4 GHz, I can see my basic settings. I click on More Wireless Settings…
Here in the Channel drop-down menu, I can change the channel settings. The recommended are 1, 6, or 11.
Then I click on Apply. The other options are rebooting and resetting. In my case, neither seems to work in the long run.
Even though 1,6, and 11 are the recommended, it might not be the best choice if you live in a densly populated area and a lot of people are already using those channels. So you would probably need a program to see what you and your neighbors are using.
Identify Your Channels
The best way to do that is by using a small free utility called:
WirelessNetView — www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_view.html
I just downloaded the portable version, unzipped it and ran the program which then automatically identifies all wireless transmissions in your vicinity and lists them. There are more than two connections in my area but I'm using an old laptop that can barely connect to mine.
Just look for the column called Channel Number. If you don't see it, click on View (top menu) then Choose Columns
Then find Channel Number in the list and check it. Then OK.
So if your connection is unstable, try this. Less congestion on another channel might lead to a more stable and faster connection. No promises or guarantees.
Just another small note: another recommendation is to try and connect to the 5 GHz bandwidth of your router if your devices support it. You might have to go into your router settings to enable it first.