Network help needed

[Picky]

Well as you may have seen yesterday I've been having some network issue since a while some days it's not so bad but some days like yesterday it's horrible to the point that I'm lucky if I login in game and play 5 minutes before getting logged off. When I say not so bad it means what it means I get some lag cuts of 1sec every now and then due to the cable connection we have that I can live with and play with no problem.

I thought the only reason it was horrible was because my room-mates were downloading stuff but now I'm kinda wondering if it's only my wireless router since he slowed his upload and download yesterday and well I was still having issue getting a proper connection while he was playing WotLK no problem. I'm the only one on wireless on a different router so it may be the problem. If it is don't know really what to do so I kinda hope it isn't the case.

Anyway for now, I can't give you any info on the 2 routers we are using to connect all the stuff but I'd like to know if any of you happen to know an easy program to use that could tell you how your connection is doing (how much lag I've got). I'd like to find one if there's one out there I could test out on my room-mates computer and on mine to compare our connection.

[Pedro]

Did you try doing a ping on war's site to see how that fares?

Also you mentioned using 2 routers, that's splitting up the internet signal, and all the splitters from the line in (wall) to your PC weakens the line more and more.

Are they wireless signals key protected? if not then anyone around your room can access them and use your internet for free and in the process hogging your bandwidth.

[Picky]

Originally Posted by Pedro

Did you try doing a ping on war's site to see how that fares?

No. I'll do that tonight if I have time but probably more tomorrow

Originally Posted by Pedro

Also you mentioned using 2 routers, that's splitting up the internet signal, and all the splitters from the line in (wall) to your PC weakens the line more and more.

Yes, my 2 room-mates have their desktop computer in the "public room" next to the living room and there's not really enough place for a 3rd desk to set my computer there also. I have my computer in my room. So the way we're set right now I'm on wireless. My wireless router is connected to the main router. My room-mates desktops are connected in the main router and when my room-mates takes his laptop in that room to set it up next to his desktop he takes the 4th connection in the main router else his laptop is on working on the wireless router. Main router is connected to the modem. I will be able more spec on the routers we use when I get home if that may help out.

I know the walls separating my computer from the wireless router might not help out my connection. That said I seem to always have a better connection for a tad after I unplug and replug the routers... so that's what makes me think it might not be a proximity problem but I don't have any numbers to actually see the difference. One thing that makes me think that guess isn't wrong is for example yesterday I was trying to connect to the servers some times 6-7 times in a row without any success. I seemed to still have the internet (I could browse websites) but just not enough to connect to the servers for whatever reason. Just after I restarted the router I was able to finally get on but I was kicked off again not even 5 minutes later. I know my room-mate had some download/uploads going so I'm gonna try to get that out of the problematic completely out of the equation sometimes this week in order to test out more the basic problem that I have right now.

That I said before is also true doh.... Man I want that to be fixed so bad. In the end, I just want to figure out a way to have a stable connection enough to be able to play.

Originally Posted by Pedro

Are they wireless signals key protected? if not then anyone around your room can access them and use your internet for free and in the process hogging your bandwidth.

I'm pretty sure it isn't but wouldn't my room-mate also have problem with their connection if someone else was using the connection since we're all on the same internet connection anyway?

[Pwnzilla]

You should always implement password access to your wireless network or as Pedro said anyone can access your bandwidth. Your routers should at least support WEP if not WPA for access protection. You might also want to check to see if your firewall (assuming you have one) is causing the connection/disconnect issues. Finally, try checking your connection speed on dslreports.com site to get an idea of your average download/upload speeds.

[Promethium]

Wireless plus 2 routers?

That sounds like a recipe for horrid connection right there...

[Picky]

Originally Posted by Promethium

Wireless plus 2 routers?

That sounds like a recipe for horrid connection right there...

Sorry for the dumb question in advance I'm no network expert I just know the basics and well not to familiar with the wireless router capabilities. I know a standard home router can only handle 4 ports "no place for more" on the basic models. Can one wireless router handles 5 connections properly?

2 direct with wire (make that 3 if laptop is in the public room)
2 wireless (3 if the laptop is somewhere else)

My wireless router has 4 ports so I could actually try it but I don't got a clue if it would actually be better.

[Promethium]

As far as I know it should support it and hopefully it will help ya.

[Pedro]

There is no limit on how many wireless connections a router can handle, so you can have 5 other wireless PC's in the room and they all get it. Of course depending on the router, the signals might get weakened due to all the traffic, there are routers with improved signal and some with more antennas for more range and better signal processing.

That's why putting a key on the wireless signal is important, because anyone in your building, even ppl outside, can access your router, and in doing so your bandwidth and your computers, which leads to identity theft and much more.

[Picky]

Originally Posted by Pedro

That's why putting a key on the wireless signal is important, because anyone in your building, even ppl outside, can access your router, and in doing so your bandwidth and your computers, which leads to identity theft and much more.

OK now how does the key work? I know when I scan for networks from time to time I catch up another network then my own and it asks me for "user/pw" don't know the exact name but yeah I can't access it. Now that says I have a room-mate who is way way more noob with computers then me and my other room-mate and she would really freak out on me if it happened to ask her to provide 2 info every times she wants to get on the net. Her computer is plugged directly to the router. Would it ask her to provide those info in her case? I think it would pass better with the guy but yeah... I'm worried it would ask that to everyone and not just only to people trying to connect to it with wireless.

Maybe I'm not thinking about the same thing either.... Network protection you lose me

[Promethium]

Originally Posted by Picky

OK now how does the key work? I know when I scan for networks from time to time I catch up another network then my own and it asks me for "user/pw" don't know the exact name but yeah I can't access it. Now that says I have a room-mate who is way way more noob with computers then me and my other room-mate and she would really freak out on me if it happened to ask her to provide 2 info every times she wants to get on the net. Her computer is plugged directly to the router. Would it ask her to provide those info in her case? I think it would pass better with the guy but yeah... I'm worried it would ask that to everyone and not just only to people trying to connect to it with wireless.

Maybe I'm not thinking about the same thing either.... Network protection you lose me

It won't prompt the people who are directly connected to put in a user name and password.

Here is a decent tutorial for setting up the router:
Geek to Live: Set up a home wireless network