Tech Help--WiFi router dying?

Vanity | April 21, 2017 | Tech idiot

[PROCON]

I bought and hooked-up a Linksys E-1200 wifi router ($30) 2 1/2 years ago and everything worked fine.

I only needed it for my home ASUS laptop but since have added a wireless printer, Wii U gaming system and Sling TV with ROKU stick, all which work off the router.

Lately I'll just all of a sudden lose wifi signal. I reboot the router and it'll work fine again but the outages are happening more frequently.

Is it time for a new router?

I don't want to spend a ton of money. Should I buy a new $30 Linksys router and just expect 2 1/2 years of use?

Thanks for your help.

[butlerweave]

Check and see if you have the latest firmware update on the router.

This

[reg45]

Check out Small Net Builder. It is a great reference site.

[2nd amendment mama]

Bookmark

[TexasGator]

Small so you would notice!

Also, you can zoom in.

[Red Badger]

Now, the only other thing I can think of is as others have noted there may be others near you whose WiFi routers will interfere with yours if both are trying to use that same channel at the same time. Many other things can also interfere, like microwaves, cell phones, radio transmitters CB,Ham etc, television stations and radars.

If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, with WiFi, you can use the device’s WiFi setup to seek out any other WiFi routers in your nearby situation and see if they may be overpowering yours.....................

[palmer]

If you decide to get another Linksys, don't get any of the following until they are patched:

Impacted are the entire line of EAxxxx series routers along with WRT series router models WRT1200AC, WRT1900AC, WRT1900ACS and WRT3200ACM.

[Sergio]

tech bookmark

[SeeSharp]

How many DHCP IP addresses did you allocate when you set the router up? If it was a small number like 5 you are probably getting bumped by one of your other devices each time your DCHP lease expires.

[LonePalm]

That is a nice little app.

Thanks for mentioning it.

"Ceterum censeo Islam esse delendam."

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[freedumb2003]

Get a new one.

Invest a few bucks more, even. Like all tech, routers get cheaper and better every few months.

$30 isn’t worth the time or trouble.

[Mount Athos]

I’d replace it, but aim a desk fan at the current one until you can get the replacement

[pops88]

“Check out the wireless SOHO router from Ubiquiti Networks. Superior product at market-disruptive pricing levels.”

Can you provide a link or more specific detail for the particular Ubiquiti product? I’ve found several things. I recently bought and returned an expensive Nighthawk router as it had worse connectivity than what was replaced. I have frequent outages that don’t seem to be related to what channel I use. Thanks.

[SgtHooper]

Have you recently added any electronic wifi devices that would interfere with the frequency band of the router? Can you try 2.4 and 5 GHz to see if one worx better than the other?

[Noumenon]

Try this. https://amplifi.com

[glorgau]

> A $30 router is a “commodity item.” Cost more to fix it, assuming its bad, than a new one would cost.

Also, routers can and do get hacked if you’ve not kept the firmware up to date. Or even if the firmware is “up to date”.

Most people never even do this.

And if it is “hacked”, how could you even tell if it were? That’s a technical feat that requires skills most people don’t have.

If in doubt, throw it out.

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Speed drops a tad but range improves dramatically, and router to router connections are more solid than router to pc. As a bonus you can up your transmit power and drown out the neighbor stepping on your signal.

http://lifehacker.com/5563196/turn-your-old-router-into-a-range-boosting-wi-fi-repeater

This may help you as well if you are running 802.11G

http://www.metageek.com/training/resources/why-channels-1-6-11.html

There are similar resources on that site for N and AC.

My routers connect AC. My laptop where I am right now connects N. I get higher N speed this way. Laptop is not AC capable.

[Noumenon]

I’m posting from my phone atm, so my site navigation is limited. There’s a dirt cheap Soho router in there somewhere

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Another person mentioned overheating. Overheating is like a cancer that won’t affect performance for a long time then down they go.

2.5 years is pretty good. If you have a ROKU4 or better, or a phone less that 2.5 years old you need to go wireless AC anyway. ASUS and NetGear are pretty good, and keep your Firmware up to date.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

I read yesterday Linksys has a lot of unpatched vulnerabilities. It was on the Internet so it must be true.

[Hootowl99]

Hey there...

I've got a tough love kind of opinion on your $30 router situation. At $30 bucks, it can be safely assumed that it has the cheapest components on gawd’s great earth. Even if you figger out what is going on with it, the router can't be reasonably fixed and the only positive thing you could do is to drop it off to be recycled. You've got some satisfactory miles out of it. Give your old router a hug goodbye, retire it and head at a rapid pace towards your next new router.