I Need Tech Help!

[DeepGreen]

I have a wireless G router (cheap Belkin) installed to my main computer and a second computer that is shared with my daughter. When listening or watching a game on Mean Green premium, the streaming stops, then after several minutes starts up again. I know it's doing the buffering thing because of the router I'm using. Last night I was trying to listen to Harry and Evan's podcast, same result. I can disconnect the router and all is fine. But that's a pain.

My question is this- is there a better, faster router that would fill the buffer faster so that I would not notice any dropoffs/slowdowns, etc., during the streaming? Would I be better off going to a "N" Gaming Router? Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks in advance!

*Disclosure - I am not, nor do I pretend to be a "tech savvy" person with router set-up skills. Nor do I pretend to know how to use the correct wording or terminology. So, when you respond, please remember K.I.S.S. (KEEP IT SIMPLE for STUPID)

[LongJim]

You're having the trouble when running wireless to the router, but don't have the trouble when wired directly to the modem, and the router is out of the loop, correct?

[LongJim]

From Microsoft:

"Generally the performance degradation happens due to issues like interference, assuming you have an 802.11g router. The easiest, most cost-effective way to get around this is to wire...to your router via a LAN cable. Doing so will provide the best streaming quality bar none; although that probably was not the answer you wanted to hear.

A second (albeit more expensive) workaround is to purchase a router capable of 802.11a. Choppy video performance is likely due to either too much interference on your wireless’ operating frequency due to home appliances (i.e. the microwave, the cordless phone, or Bluetooth devices) or too much interference on overlapping g wireless channels.

802.11a has clear (non-overlapping channels) and operates on 5Ghz, a frequency that doesn’t have as many home appliances running within it, which makes it a better mode to stream anything that requires a lot of bandwidth.

The operational frequency of 802.11g is 2.4 Ghz, which is a common operating frequency for devices such as the microwave, all Bluetooth devices, and cordless phones. This means that if you have any of the above devices running, your home network could take a hit in performance due to the interference generated by your household appliances. The operational frequency of 802.11a is 5 Ghz which is a more uncommon operating frequency, mitigating it from interference caused by other devices.

IEEE 802.11 a/b/g all communicate in their respective operational frequencies by splitting their frequencies into several channels. A major difference between b/g and a is that the channels in b/g overlap, creating interference whereas the channels in a do not. In general, channel 1 on a b/g network overlaps with channels 2, 3, 4, and 5. This means that if your home network is on channel 1, but your neighbor’s home network is on channel 2, your WiFi signals may interfere, causing a degradation of performance for both networks (WiFi pollution). Contrast to this is 802.11a which has 12 clear channels meaning there’s less of a chance that you will incur a performance hit."

[UNTflyer]

Wireless G should be fine for streaming audio. A few questions:

1. Is it secured?

2. Is your daughter gaming while you're listening?

3. Are you gaming while listening?

4. Is your router or computer near anything that could be giving off EM interference?

[GabeGMG]

DeepGreen,

If you live in the Denton area I'd be more than happy to help you.

It could possibly be fixed by a simple update of the router firmware, especially if you say it works fine for awhile after rebooting the router.

PM sometime if you'd like.

edit: I would NOT recommend wasting money on a 802.11a or n router, the g should work fine but if a firmware update/possible change of some settings doesn't fix the problem, you might want to buy a different 802.11g router.

Edited January 16, 2008 by GabeGMG

[DeepGreen]

You're having the trouble when running wireless to the router, but don't have the trouble when wired directly to the modem, and the router is out of the loop, correct?

That is correct.

[greenminer]

Belkin wireless is horridly inconsistent. I have my share of problems, and my friends say the same.

[Guest JohnDenver]

Could be as simple as microwave or cordless phone interference causing the buffering to kick in.

You can change the range the router uses and see if it clears up. Or move your router away from the kitchen area

802.11b and 802.11g use the 2.4 GHz ISM band, operating in the United States under Part 15 of the US Federal Communications Commission Rules and Regulations. Because of this choice of frequency band, 802.11b and g equipment may occasionally suffer interference from microwave ovens and cordless telephones. Bluetooth devices, while operating in the same band, in theory do not interfere with 802.11b/g because they use a frequency hopping spread spectrum signaling method (FHSS) while 802.11b/g uses a direct sequence spread spectrum signaling method (DSSS). 802.11a uses the 5 GHz U-NII band, which offers 8 non-overlapping channels rather than the 3 offered in the 2.4GHz ISM frequency band.

[Cerebus]

If your router gives you the ability to change wireless channels, see if any of them work better.

If you router has QoS, make sure its not turned on and throttling your bandwidth.

If you haven't replaced your tin foil hat in a few months, do so or the space insects will control you.

[DeepGreen]

If you haven't replaced your tin foil hat in a few months, do so or the space insects will control you.

So my old hat could be causing a degradation in my wireless streaming speed?

[Cerebus]

So my old hat could be causing a degradation in my wireless streaming speed?

Tin Foil Hat Safety is Paramount!

John Denver doesn't want you to know that, he's part of the Government Conspiracy ©

[LongJim]

As mentioned in my post from Microsoft above, and others have mentioned, usually the crap bandwidth is caused by interference from a household device using the same band. I am not advocating throwing your router away and purchasing and 802.11A router, either--Microsoft says that it's an alternative if you want to consider it.

There are all kinds of things that can cause the degradation you're experiencing. Some recommend disabling DDOS measures on the router while streaming. That's a potential security issue, so proceed accordingly. That may or may not work.

Some home routers are flaky, and a flash of the firmware will cure all, as was suggested above. Some do better being thrown in the trash and trying another brand, also. Interesting about Belkin: My brother originally purchased a Linky G band router for his home, which turned out to have all kinds of problems with interference. He took it back for a Belkin, and has had no issues with wireless bandwidth. Que sera, sera.

You may have to do something similar. Good luck!

[GabeGMG]

Since someone mentioned DDoS attacks, if you aren't too sure if your computer has been infected, you should try Trend Micro's new product called RUBotted. It's currently free since it's in Beta, and works great. Since the software is behavior based and not definition based, it does not require constant updates like Anti-Virus programs (which cannot guarantee that you aren't infected). It's definitely worth trying out, especially if you are the computer support guy for an entire family like I am

http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/to..._tools/rubotted

p.s. If you're wondering how it works, it watches the network traffic on your computer and does very well at determining whether or not the traffic is intent or not.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Perhaps the aliens on the UFO's at Dublin are trying to gain access to your computer files.... Be careful... LOL..