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Wireless Signal Dropping Intermittently

I have had FIOS Internet for about a year now and recently got FIOS TV about two months ago. About two weeks ago I started noticing that my wireless internet connection was dropping intermittently. It is just for a second, but when I am connected through my VPN software at work it causes me to have to reboot (which is annoying because I work from home once a week.

I actually have a line of site to the router and the signal reads as "Excellent" so I do not think it is a signal issue. The weird thing is that this problem seems to have started around the time of the 1.6 image update for FIOS TV. I do not know if they also updated the router, but I wonder if the issue is related.

I have WAP security with a 128-bit key but i have had this configuration for a year now with no issues.

Any thoughts on what this may be? There is no ryhme or reason to when it happens - when I am logged in all day it happens two or three times.

Comments

ubrew

I have had a similar situation which started a few weeks back as well. It has not gotten any better. I did attempt Verizon Tech support and suggestions, such as hard code the radio channel (I tried them all) with no change in frequency of dropped wl connections. My connections would drop every few minutes as opposed to 2-3 times per day.

My solution wasn't pretty, but cheap enough to be viable - I disabled the wl on the actiontec, bought my own dlink wl router (supports N too!) and wired between actiontec and the dlink. Wireless is stable now - no dropped connections for a couple of weeks! BTW, a neighbor down the street experienced the same situation, frequent drops on wl and his solution is the same as mine (except he uses netgear).....

I do believe the actointec to be an inferior wl router (this is actually my second one - the first one died with bad pwr supply). I wish Verizon would acknowledge this inferior piece of equipment as it actually gets me frustrated with Verizon and their service as opposed to directing it towards actiontec.....

spta97

Ubrew - Thanks for the info, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who has this issue. My only thought is that the DVR update required an update to the modem (since the TVs are connected) and that is what is causing the issue.

I actually have my old Linksys router stuffed behind my home theater for my PS3 and Audiotron so I guess I can turn the wireless back on for that device. I still will call Verizon so they are aware of the problem as it seems you have to have a mob complaining about something before anything gets done about it 😞

Locke2

I'm having the same intermittent wireless dropout problem I've had FIOS for about 6 months with no problems until the last 2 weeks at this house.

Before that I had FIOS for a couple of years at my old home with the Dlink router with no problems. I haven't added anything to my network recently and have no new wireless devices in my house. I have an Actiontec router that I haven’t changed any setting on since I first got it.

Several times a day I lose wireless connection to all devices in my house (2 laptops, TiVo, etc...) at the same time. Usually the devices can still see the router but can’t connect. Sometimes it’s gone from the list of available networks. Sometimes the outage is 2-10 seconds or can be as long as ten minutes. This is really annoying if I’m playing an online game.

I’ve looked at the router logs but don’t see anything useful. I’ll try setting the radio channel in case I’m getting interference (good idea). If that doesn’t work I guess I’ll call FIOS support. Problem is its not reproducible its random but happens frequently. If they aren’t helpful I’ll just replace the router. I care more about a stable connection then I do about VOD or channel guide.

I’ll let you guys know how it goes.

TimSykes

Everyone that I know who has had this issue, I have told them to change to channel 11 and it fixes the issue. To many wireless devices in homes use the 2.4GHz range and that messes with the routers wireless because it runs on 2.4GHz as well.

PaperbackWriter

I've been having exactly the same problem. And unfortunately, unlike everyone you know, I've changed to channel 11 but to no avail. The wireless signal continues to drop intermittently and then come back shortly. I'm thinking there's a setting somewhere that's causing a timeout of some sort, but I'll be darned if I can figure out what it is.

By the way, I also noticed that someone else in this thread said the problem went away when they turned off wireless on the ActionTec router and instead connected another wireless router. Well, guess what? I tried that, too, and I have the same problem. It has not made any difference.

Any other ideas?

PaperbackWriter

Is this still working for you? I turned off wireless on the ActionTec router and connected a Netgear router instead, but the problem is still occurring. It hasn't made any difference at all.

TimSykes

If its a issue on both routers with different wireless networks. It shound like a issue with your wireless card.

lagay

I'm having the same issue. I had FIOS Internet and TV installed at the end of October this year.

For me, the signal doesn't completely drop off. What it does is cycles through the connection speeds on the wireless. I'll connect up at 54Mpbs and be cruising along for about 10 minutes then all of a sudden I'm connected at 24Mpbs and can't get any web pages to load up. Then I'll be connected at 36Mpbs, then 48Mpbs, and then back to 54Mpbs and all is well. That will last for about 5 minutes and then it cycles again: 24, 36, 48, 54.

I called Tech Support with no help from them and they acted like they have never heard of this issue. I find that hard to believe. Their suggestion was to turn off the wireless on the ActionTec and hook up my old Linksys wireless router that I used before with Comcast (I had no issues with the Linksys with Comcast). I did that and I still have the same issue with the Linksys which tells me the ActionTec router or the Internet feed is still causing a problem.

The only thing that was setup on the ActionTec router when it was installed was the SID and WEP key; the channel is set to 11 and based on tech support's recommendations, the speed was changed from mixed (G/B) to G only.

The weird part is my girlfriend had FIOS Internet hooked up about 2-3 years ago which was in the early stages of FIOS being available. She had the exact same issue and got the technician to come out to the house. They talked with the support people and somehow fixed the issue and she has never experienced the problem since. However, she and I can't remember or didn't really know what they did to fix the issue. Once again, I find it hard to believe that tech support has never heard of this issue.

I'm about done with FIOS Internet only having had it less than 2 months and am ready to switch back to Comast which I never had an issue with.

Help! Anyone have any other suggestions? How about Verizon FIOS Tech Support employees on the forums??? How do I get a technician to come out to the house to look at the problem? Help!

spta97

Over the past several weeks I have not had the issue. I did not make any changes to my router to cause it, and it would seem that it may have fixed its self. FIOS service is great but when you run into problems the tech support is sub-par. I still do not understand why companies make you feel as if you are the only one with a problem when they have call logging systems that can be searched for similar ones.

I found it intersting that changing the router does not help in some cases - to me that seems as if it is not a wireless issue at all but a connection issue to the FIOS network.

PaperbackWriter

It's happening with too many devices to blame the wireless card, I believe. It happens with my Dell laptop, which has a built-in wireless G card. It happens with the same laptop when I plug in a Netgear USB wireless N adapter. (I have a Netgear wireless N router.) It also happens with the new Dell laptop I just bought for my wife, which has a built-in wireless N card. And it happens with my iPhone.

I supposed it's possible that they are all bad, but I find that hard to believe.

PaperbackWriter

Based on what I'm seeing from this forum, your girlfriend could make some serious money if she'd go back to the Verizon support folks, find out how they fixed her problem and share it with the rest of us. I'd pay for it!

lagay

I'm with you on that one!! The bad thing is she works for Verizon Business and can't seem to find anyone on the FIOS side within the company to help! So even being an employee gets you no where.

The only she remembers the technician talking with the support people is the configuration on their side (within FIOS) was set differently than the configuration on the router side. But we have no idea what part of the configuration they were talking about. When I had the Tech Support person on the phone I asked him that question about the FIOS configuration; did it have to be set a certain way and he said no there was nothing on his side. I'm not sure I believe that or not. He saw the issue first hand as I allowed him to take control of my laptop and saw the connection cycle through; but they have no idea why???

I'm completely baffled why some people are able to change to a different wireless router and this issue goes away; but for some of us it doesn't go away.

billski1

At the risk of being naieve, are you all certain it's a wireless issue, or are two different issues being intertwined?

Are you certain it's a wireless-exclusive issue?

I live in Lexington, Mass, I don't know where the rest of you are.

I have FIOS internet and phone service.

I have a rather complex home network ,both hardwired and wireless. I use my own routers.

Last Friday night 12/5 I had no internet connection on any port, wired or wireless, for about two hours.

Again this morning 12/8 lost the internet again for two hours.

In both cases, the phone line continued to work.

Verizon doesn't give me any tools to ascertain if I can get to the internet, but being soemwhat tekkie, I figured out I couldn't get from my router to the internet. Friday night, in desparation, I swapped out the router, thinking that was the problm went away. Well, it went out again this morning, Itouched nothing, and it came back two hours later.

I have to wonder if Verizon is having network outages, and if perhaps with all our futzing around, we are drawing incompleteconclusions.

Does Verzion have a system status board somewhere?

lagay

I am absolutely positive it is the wireless. I can take my laptop that is sitting right next to the router (2 feet away) having the wireless connection cycling issues, plug in an ethernet wired cable to the router, turn off the wireless on the laptop and off I go cruising around the internet.

Good points about there possibly being issues with FIOS in general.

I'm just hoping and praying that someone who is more techie than I am reads this tonight and has already figured out how to resolve this issue. Or an FIOS employee may wonder in on the forums and knows the solution!

Otherwise, I'm going to have to get a technician out to the house and take time off from work to be there. If that doesn't fix it, then I'm going back to Comcast and they forget whatever contract I have with them.

PaperbackWriter

I, too, am absolutely positive that this is a 'wireless only' issue. I work from a home office. I dock my work laptop in order to use a wired connection to the Internet. While the signal continues to drop intermittently to all of my wireless devices, the wired connection is rock solid. It rarely if ever fails.

There has got to be some configuration issue specific to wireless that is causing this. And if I don't find an answer soon, I may have to revert to Time Warner or some other service.

My wife has yelled up the stairs to me twice in just the last 15 minutes to tell me that she's lost the wireless connection trying to check e-mail from her laptop. She's about to tear me a new one if I don't get something figured out soon.

zdenneh

I've had the same issue for a while now. I had the older version of the Actiontec mi424 router; they sent me a new one but didn't change a thing. I've tried every channel there is and every single possible adjustment I can come up with and nothing works. All devices connected wirelessly lose their connection; this can last anywhere from 10 seconds to 20 minutes. This is particulaly frustrating when gaming online. Connecting with a wire is never an issue but I can't run it into the living room to reach my ps3. Sometimes I can go a couple of days without a drop in connection, but I would say on average there are at least 2-3 drops per day. I tried calling Verizon tech support but you know how that goes... no help. If I don't find a solution soon we'll be switching to another provider. Surely there is something causing this?

parkwood

I've been experiencing the same problem since about mid-October. At that time, Verizon sent me a replacement MI-424 router because the old one stopped working completely. I never had the drop problem with the old router. Since then, it seems like my VPN connection to my workplace will drop several times a day. I've tried different wireless channels with no success. Adding my old Linksys router to the Verizon router seems to maintain a more stable connection, but I'm not always able to connect.Here are a few things I've noticed after many hours trying to investigate on my own:1) From my Win XP laptop, it seems that the VPN connection drops because there is a loss of wireless access, even for less than a minute. If I run an "ipconfig /all" command, it looks like the wireless adapter is trying to obtain a new lease about every 4 minutes. (I even get that annoying little pop-up balloon telling me about my wireless connection.) When it can't renew the lease, it drops.2) I have a desktop machine, running WIN 2000, connected wirelessly with a Linksys USB wireless adapter. If I run an "ipconfig /all" from this machine, it does not appear that it's trying to renew the lease at all. I haven't noticed any wireless signals dropping from this machine, though I could be missing them.3) If I log into the MI-424 router and go to System Monitoring/Advanced Status/System Logging, it shows an event that says:Event-Type: LAN DHCPDetails: DHCP LAN Connection IP: 192.168.1.3, ...repeated x times, last time on....My limited understanding tells me that its trying to renew the DHCP lease for my laptop about every 4 minutes. I see that message only once for my desktop machine, when it initially logs into the wireless network.I am as frustrated as everyone else. Any insight is appreciated.

Justin46

parkwood,

I am far from being an expert on this, but have you checked the router to see what the lease time is? Mine is set for 1440, and in my log I don't see anything like you describe for either of my wireless PCs. I don't see why your two different wireless-attached PCs would experience different lease activity, I though the time was controlled by the router - am I wrong?

Not that it helps any, but I have the Actiontec Rev. D, and I never have seen any drops like you are experiencing. Strange.....

__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0, Build 06.89
Keller, TX

parkwood

Thanks Justin. My router is MI424-WR Revision C. I also thought the lease was controlled by the router. Where can I check the lease time on the router?

Interestingly, when I have my D-Link router connected to the Actiontec and connect wirelessly to the D-Link, I also see the lease renewing every 4 minutes. However, I never lose wireless or VPN connection with the D-Link.

PaperbackWriter

You sound like an expert to me. I don't even know what a 'lease' is. First time I've heard that term. But this sounds like the kind of thing that could be causing the problem. I've always suspected it had something to do with a setting that's somehow causing a timeout. So what is a lease? And how do I find and reset my lease time?

G-Pon

The wireless connection has nothing to do with the internet service provider. You can have a poor wireless connection just as easily with Comcast as you can with AT&T or Verizon.
The wireless connectivity is a product of the router and wireless devices using it. If for example Comcast made you go buy a router with your own money, and it works well in your environment, then use it instead of the one Verizon gave you for free. Set it to bridged mode, plug it into the Verizon router’s LAN port(s) 1, 2, 3, or 4 and enjoy the wireless as you did before. All wireless routers are the same on strength of broadcast, this is a FCC regulation, but antennae differ greatly, further it is reasonable a D-link wireless card in a computer might be best paired with a D-link router.

But the original post was spta97’s 1rst post, it did not say if the OS was XP, or something else and if the wireless device was built in or a USB type, but wireless is a tricky thing. I saw in a electronics ad a inexpensive hand held device that detects wireless radio interference, man, what a cool-tool that would be for t-shooting issues like this!!

The odd failures described in the original post are going to require other measures to resolve I’m afraid. The symptoms spta97 describes are those of Wireless issues, not TCP/IP protocol issues like we are all more accustomed to trouble-shooting.

XP has a known weakness using a USB wireless device, it and a couple other ideas are found in one of my favorite KB articles, it has good screen shots too! http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870702/en-us

There may be an electro-magnetic field knocking it down, This is by far the most common issue, a ballast in a fluorescent light, a garage door opener, a cordless phone, a high-intensity lamp, bad brushes on the refrigerator motor, all things and MANY more can create the wireless interference issue.

Some helpful Verizin sites are:
http://netservices.verizon.net/portal/link/help/index.jsp?epi_menuItemID=c567d167631f692124525d7253295c48&objId=23632
for the Actiontec and for other Vz routers:
http://netservices.verizon.net/portal/link/help/index.jsp?epi_menuItemID=c567d167631f692124525d7253295c48&objId=15813

nyhc77

I've been having the same problems but when I connect my Netgear wireless router to the FIOS router I get a solid connection. My question is how do I setup my Netgear router, while it's connected to the FIOS router, as a WEP wireless network?

G-Pon

to the NetGear, the Verizon router IS the internet, follow the standard NetGear instructions that came with it. And if it did not come out of the box set to "Bridged Mode" set it up to "Bridged Mode". The support from NetGear is really good too, I call 888-638-4327 when I need help with one

Jeuke

I am having the same problem with intermittent wireless. I live in a 1bdrm apt. Verizon has replaced the router 3x, changed the MDU, and replaced the VDSL. I am at a loss. I didn't have this problem with DSL. I had fios 3wks. Totally disgusted and frustrated. Verizon talks to me as if I am from space. I have changed to every channel, a new router was installed today. Off, off, on, on. The tech told me there is interference but he can't tell where. I use 6.0 phones and I tried to piggy back a new Belkin router but still have the same problem. It's not the computers, I use MAC, VISTA, XP, IPhone, they all loose connection. They all can't be broke.

lagay

Thanks to G-Pon posting with this link... http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870702/en-us

I have made two changes to my wireless configuration. I'm not ready to declare victory just yet; but I'm not seeing the cycling like I was before. So I wanted to pass this along to everyone and hopefully it might some.

When I spoke with the FIOS Tech Support on the phone, the one change we made was to switch to handle G only in the router. This works for my laptop; but will need to verify all my other wireless devices in house are G and I don't have any B devices left over.

Start | Connect To | Wireless Network Connection

On the General Tab, Click Properties button

On the General Tab, Click the Configure... button next to the wireless device name you are using

I'm using Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200BG, so my configuration options might look different than yours.

On the Advanced Tab, there are Property and Values

I changed the following 2:

Ad Hoc Channel - was set to 10, changed it to 11 (this matches the router channel)

Wireless Mode - was set to 802.11b and 802.11g, changed it to 802.11g only

Save the settings

Since I started writing this reply, I did notice it cycle all the way down to 2Mbps and back to 54Mbps; but I was able to surf the entire time while that was happening. Before when it would cycle, I was not able to surf at all, it was just hung there until it got back to 54Mbps.

Hopefully, this will help some people out there. Please let us know if it does.

parkwood

lagay - thought you were on to something here. I also have the 2200BG card and made the changes you suggested. Additionally, I changed the Power Management setting to "Highest" (as recommended from other research.) However, I'm still getting the dropped connections about every 4-8 minutes. Please let everyone know how yours works out. Thanks.

parkwood

Will creating a static IP address help at all?

Locke2

Problem Solved

Thanks to Tim Sykes and everyone else who offered suggestions. I mentioned that I was having this problem on page one. With all the activity since then it looks like its pretty common. My dropout problem was definitely wireless related. I had lost connection daily from 5 seconds to 15 minutes in length. Rebooting router, PC, or renewing IP addresses didn't help. I have an Actiontec router and this happened on several different laptops and even a Tivo so the computer/nic was not the problem.

The solution was (as Tim suggested) forcing the wireless channel on the router to 11. By default it is set to Auto.

Once I made that change the problem has not resurfaced. I did this several days ago and have not had a recurrence so I am calling it solved for me.

Hope this helps someone else.

TimSykes

YAY!!! I WIN!!!! :smileytongue:

spta97

Kudos! Thanks!

12-09-2008 02:05 PM

G-Pon,

I have a windows XP setup on 2 different laptops where I had the problem. Whereas it is possible that this was casued by temporary interference, it really seemed to coincide with the 1.6 update. That does not explain how everyone else here was having the problem as well.

I have had FIOS internet for about a year and never had an issue, as soon as 1.6 was rolled out I started running into these problems. Now it seems to have resolved its self.

MikeyB

I have had FIOS internet since late 2005 (the very first day I could dump Comcast!) and have been using a Linksys WRT54GL router since late 2006 when my actiontec died. I have never had any issues with dropped wireless links. I just got FIOS TV Nov 28, 08 and have to use a new actiontec for tv guide and multi-room function. But I disabled actiontec wireless xmtr and use my Linksys as my wireless access point. I have had no issues for the past 3 weeks.

The FIOS router is connected by a LAN cable from the ONT box. If you lose internet due to a FIOS problem, you should be able to look at the router status page and see that you no longer have an IP address lease with VZ. Even if you lost your connection to the ONT box, you would still have a local network within the router, including wireless connections.

Have you had any Windows updates lately? Could there have been changes to wireless config based on a recent update? I once had a problem with the Windows wireless manager (Wireless Zero Configuration service) causing me to see constant wireless disconnect/reconnect. I disabled it and now use the utility that came with my wireless card(s) to manage the connections and have had no issues since then.

It could be an actiontec router issue as some folks suggest. If possible, replace it with your own router if you don't get FIOS TV. If you still have issues, it is hard to see how FIOS is the problem. You can run a router with absolutely no WAN connection at all, and it will still connect all your wired and wireless computers together regardless.

parkwood

I tried a number of different changes as posted here without success. Finally, hooked up an old D-Link router from a LAN port on the Actiontec to a LAN port (not the WAN port) on the D-Link and turned off DHCP on the D-Link. So far, so good....

Jeff_in_Burke

Glad to see I am not alone here, got FIOS today and similar drop out problem to you all. Easy test microsoft checkers. Works fine on my desktop which is hardwired to the router. Both the other desktop and my laptop drop out after a minute or two of the game. This seldom would happen with my Linksys WRT54G router and DSL. Will try locking the channel on 11 , wireless g only and see what happens and report back.

Jeff_in_Burke

Back again tried setting G only and channel 11, no difference, note my fios is phone and internet only. Dropout does seem reproducible every three minutes. Also set rate to auto vs 54. Glad this forum exists so have more info to hammer Verizon with, if they cant fix hope threat of going back to copper, I think I have 30 days to do this, will get them to do something about this.

Jeff_in_Burke

solved have to use WEP security not WPA, with WPA would drop connection exactly 3 min after reconnecting from prior drop over and over again. Maybe prior linksys system did it too but so infrequently I never picked up on it.

Skipperl

Hi fellow disconnect friends. Here is a link to a fairly complex thread trying to fix this problem. It's a little long but worth the read. In the end, it it still not solved, please reply with any further possible ideas or solutions. Happy reading.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/itprovistanetworking/thread/db5ee76c-7f11-4c55-ab0e-f96d7b063324/

Thierry

I have tried using WEP instead of WPA. It is definitely an improvement. I'd recommend anyone experiencing problems to try that.

But it is still not working as smoothly as expected. Smiley Mad

I still experience drop-out, just not as frequently.

Thierry

famv5

We changed our channel to 11 and still experience "limited or no connectivity." At first it connected but then dropped right away. UGH!!!!!!

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