March 2, 2015 at 01:56 pm

Likbez: why the Internet over Wi-Fi slows down at home

• Blog of VimpelCom (Beeline)

• recovery mode

The classic scheme for enabling Internet services in an apartment building is as follows: TKD (collective access point) - twisted pair- a router in the client's apartment, to which client devices are connected via wire and Wi-Fi.

Typical complaints of subscribers - the speed is below the tariff, and there are regular "fades" when working on the Internet, which is expressed by a long opening of pages in the browser, video interruptions, loss of connection with game servers, etc. This behavior is intermittent and occurs most often during peak hours of user activity around 18:00 to 23:00, depending on the city.

There are a few simple steps that will allow you to determine the possible cause of such problems and solve 90% of user situations. They are below.

The first logical step is to test the speed.
To complete this paragraph, you should minimize the number of transit devices through which the Internet is connected in the apartment. Ideally, you should connect the operator cable directly to the computer and set up a connection on it. After that, check the speed on resources that provide a similar service, for example, speedtest.net. This is a special service that can send data at high speed - which, alas, cannot be said about all resources on the Internet.

If you managed to achieve a speed close to that indicated by the tariff, then there are no problems with the operator's equipment and the cable to the apartment. If the speed is significantly lower, the connection is constantly disconnected, you should contact technical support provider for operator diagnostics and possibly repair.

Please note that all "home" contracts always have a wording in the spirit of "up to 10 Mbps", where the most important part is "up to". Without this pretext, only corporate contracts are possible, where the bandwidth is guaranteed: you pay about 2-3 times more for this guarantee. But, nevertheless, the difference is more than 5-7% with the rate of the tariff, repeated with a direct connection at different times of the day - this is the provider's problem.

The second step is to diagnose the router
Let's assume that you got normal speed "directly". Now we need to look at intermediate devices. There are quite old models of routers that are still in use by users. These models have significant performance limitations that do not allow them to implement tunnel connections (L2TP / PPTP) at speeds above 20-30 Mbps. An example of such routers are DIR-300, ASUS WL-520 and others. Unfortunately, only replacing the router with a more efficient one, or using a tunnelless solution, if your carrier has one, will help solve the speed problem in this situation.

By the way, we are going to switch to IPoE instead of L2TP soon.

• On DHCP, minimize the user network from 255 hosts to a minimum number of +3-5 guest devices by netmask /27 - 32 hosts, /28 - 16 hosts, /29 - 8 hosts. I recommend choosing /28, because it is unlikely that you will have more than 16 devices on your home network.
• Select the router address not at the beginning and not at the end of the network, for example, for the network 192.168.0.0/28 (255.255.255.240), set the router address to 192.168.0.8. Recommended network 192.168.10.32/28 (255.255.255.240), router address 192.168.10.40. Glue the new address of the router to the router.
• Match home devices with MAC+IP bindings in the DHCP pool so that the devices are hard-bound. Set up Wi-Fi access restrictions based on the MAC addresses of your devices (but then guests at your home will not be able to connect or you will also have to register the MAC addresses of their wireless devices).
• Change the administrator password to access the router, use at least 8 characters as a password, taking into account the case change, as well as numbers and symbols. The administrator login and password should immediately be written down somewhere in a safe place; after such operations, we always have a lot of requests “how to reset the password”.
• Set up Wi-Fi: hide SSID, set WPA2 encryption, enter a password more than 8 characters, case sensitive and numbers/letters.

You can check the type of encryption on the client side in Windows in the Wireless connection settings - Wireless networks tab - select a network - Properties - Authentication (WPA2-PSK),

Fourth step - channel selection
After the router has been configured, you need to pay attention to the Wi-Fi channel used, on which the router and wireless clients work. Many telecom operators, when connecting their customers, immediately issue a router in addition. Thus, almost every apartment connected to the Internet has a wireless Wi-Fi device.

Now the vast majority of Wi-Fi equipment operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, in total there are 14 channels at this frequency on which wireless devices can operate. In addition to frequency, signal-to-noise ratio, signal strength, and bandwidth are significant parameters. If all devices work on the same channel, then conflicts will arise between them, which for the user will look like regular “freezes”, i.e. freezes when opening resources in the browser or interruptions in the broadcast of video and sound.

Therefore, you need to choose the channel on which the least number of competitors with a signal strength close to yours. Another option could be to “transfer” wireless devices to the 5 GHz band, but for this, the router and the wireless devices themselves must have the technical capability.

Utilities that will help analyze channel occupancy are Wi-Fi Explorer for Mac, or inSSIDer for PC.

The screenshot of the WiFi Explorer program shows that the two Asus293 and r-r-r...miau networks are close in signal strength to each other and a conflict may occur, but they are on different channels, the first network is on channel 11, the second on channel 12, which solves the problem.

Summary
Do not worry too much about the location of the router in the apartment relative to windows or the influence of the microwave: it rarely causes any problems. The router is recommended to be placed "in the middle" of the apartment with priority placement to the most frequent point of work with wireless devices, for example, in the living room or office, and not in the kitchen or in the closet in the hallway. From the point of view of device conflicts, in my experience there was only one case when the subscriber had radio noise in the 2.4 GHz range with a Samsung HW-H450 soundbar connected via Bluetooth, acting as a music center. This has only been discovered experimentally.

In normal cases, signal strength adjustment is not required. In multi-room apartments with concrete walls, it is sometimes important to study the radio with utilities like the ones above in order to decide whether to increase the signal strength.

According to statistics, about 90% of requests were resolved in such simple ways.

From speed and stability wireless internet a lot depends on it these days. Work, personal life, the opportunity to always be in touch with loved ones, recreation, self-education ... You can’t list everything. Therefore, the Internet that suddenly began to “slow down” for many people is equated to a small Apocalypse. What could be the reason for the failure? And what to do in this situation? Experts in the field of IT-technologies give their advice.

Low-quality equipment

The problem with low connection speed is often associated with low power and scanty built-in memory of the router. So it's not worth saving. The situation is exactly the same as with computers or smartphones: the cheaper the device, the weaker its processor and less memory. For 1300 rubles, it is quite possible to purchase a router that will cope with a small load. But if you plan to download a large amount of information or broadcast online (in a word, do something that will require a steady high speed Internet), it is better to pay attention to devices costing from 4000 rubles.

"Peak hour"

It may seem strange, but the speed of wireless Internet depends on how many people are connected to the same port at the same time as you. If you have a large family, then in the evening, when everyone goes online to chat, watch movies online or play games, the speed will drop. There are several options:

1. Set up multiple access points.
2. Buy a tariff with a speed of at least 20 Mb / s (and, of course, make sure that your router supports this capacity).
3. Agree with your family about the schedule for using the Internet.

Low bandwidth cable

In some cases, you can get rid of problems with the Internet by simply changing the USB cable that goes from the router to the computer. The higher the cable performance, the faster the information will be loaded. In addition, the cords wear out over time and, accordingly, their throughput decreases.

Poor Wi-Fi Router Location

A big mistake is to assume that if you have a router with Wi-Fi support, the Internet will be equally stable everywhere. The signal strength depends on the location where the router is installed. What can be done if the Internet "slows down"?

• Make sure that the router is not blocked by any large object. It is better to put it in an open space. Many users hide the Wi-Fi router in a closet or table to save space. This is permissible only if the device has enough power to create a stable signal.
• In some cases, you can speed up the Internet by raising the router higher or, conversely, lowering it. The optimal height above the floor will have to be determined empirically.
• Try moving it closer to your workplace. In large apartments or office buildings, the signal strength may be weaker away from the router.

Cheap plan

Trite, but this is one of the most common causes of "problems" with the Internet. If the tariff you paid guarantees a speed of up to 2 Mbps, then a 1.5 GB movie will be downloaded for several hours. Of course, doing something resource-intensive in the browser will also be inconvenient.

In this case, it is worth measuring the speed of your Internet on one of the specialized sites, familiarize yourself with the offers of providers and choose the most suitable tariff for yourself.

Router failure

If a connection problem arose unexpectedly, then most likely your router just hung up. Do not be surprised: this device has the same principle of operation as a computer or smartphone, and an internal failure may also occur in it.

Most routers have a key that allows you to easily reset the machine. In case it's not there or you don't know where it is, you can do one of the following:

• Press the power off button.
• If it does not work, hold it down and hold for 15-20 seconds.
• In extreme cases, you can simply unplug the power cord from the outlet.

You need to turn on the router no earlier than after 30 seconds, so that the overload that has arisen in the electronic filling of the device has time to disappear.

Software problem

There is no Internet on your smartphone, or is its speed very low, while other devices easily access the network? No need to try to configure the router! The problem is with the smartphone. Maybe you just don't have Wi-Fi set up. Or you need to install new drivers. Or maybe the built-in memory is not enough for normal operation. In such a situation, it is better to contact a specialist who will tell you whether you need to reinstall software Or just get it right.

Running background task

Many users forget to turn off apps after they've finished using them. They continue to work in the background and take away part of the Internet. Which, accordingly, is no longer enough for other tasks.

Running programs can also reduce the speed by using a significant part of the device's internal memory. This is especially true for low-cost smartphones, tablet phones and budget laptops.

To speed up the Internet, try the following steps:

1. Close all unnecessary browser tabs. It is best to leave only one - the one with which you are currently working.
2. Did not help? Then clear your browser cache.
3. Turn off running programs or applications. On Windows, this can be done through the Task Manager. Mark the unnecessary application with the mouse and click on the "End task" button at the bottom of the window.
4. If you have any computer cleaning program installed, such as CCleaner, delete all temporary files.

As a rule, these simple steps allow you to significantly speed up not only the Internet connection, but also the gadget itself as a whole.

The signal is jammed by other electronic devices

The cause of an unstable Internet connection may be devices that emit radio frequencies. It can be a TV, remote control, car radio. Checking if they affect the connection is simple: step aside and try to access the Internet again.

If the suspicion is confirmed, you will have to make a small rearrangement: move the router as far as possible from the “hostile” equipment, ideally in another room. Make sure that there is nothing else between the router and the place where you usually use the Internet that could jam the signal.

In most cases, the problems that have arisen are easily solved by one of the listed methods.

If you have problems with the speed of the Internet browser, then you need to read this post.

• problems on the line connecting the user with the provider, or breakdown of network equipment;
• low computer performance;
• malfunctions in the browser itself.

If the tips to speed up the loading of sites do not help, you will have to contact the technical support of the provider. But first you need to determine the cause of the malfunction.

Internet browser works slowly, pages open for a long time

Slow browser speed is a consequence of the following network connection problems:

• problems on the provider's side - in this case, the user will not be able to do anything;
• interference on the line associated, for example, with bad weather;
• if you are using a wireless modem from mobile operator, the reason for slowing down the connection may be the congestion of the channel due to a large number users - this problem occurs in the evenings;
• too much active use connections;
• low rate rate.

Channel Release

Your computer is connected to the ISP by a network of cables carrying pieces of information - packets. In order for the speed to be high, the packets sent and received by the browser must freely pass through the channel provided to you.

If other programs use the channel in parallel, the channel becomes clogged, and there is no room for loading pages.

So the first thing you need to do is:

• disable torrent clients and other programs for downloading files;
• disable applications for watching TV and listening to music online;
• stop software updates - often like to update, for example, Steam, antiviruses and Windows itself;
• disconnect other users - laptops, tablets and smartphones connected via Wi-Fi, set-top box for IP-TV, etc.;
• reboot the modem or router - this will disable the "extra" connections.

Do you have a problem?

It is also worth checking if the site is working normally - perhaps the problem is not with you at all. For this, different methods are used:

Hardware setup

If you are connecting to the Internet via a 3G, 4G or xDSL modem, you should check your network equipment settings.

xDSL modem or router:

• reboot the device;
• go to the settings by entering 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.10.1 in the address bar;
• check connection status and compliance real speed tariff - these data are located in the main menu of the device or in the WAN section;
• check the connection settings using the instructions for your equipment model.

3G/4G modem:

• disconnect the device from the USB port and connect again;
• restart the modem software;
• update the modem driver.

What to do if everything is in order on the part of the sites and the provider, the channel is free, but the sites take a long time to load?

Increasing PC performance

The lack of hardware resources affects all aspects of working with a computer - all programs slow down, the Internet starts to work slowly, and the browser takes a long time to open pages.

• press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete, in the menu that opens, click on the "Task Manager" button - you can also do this through the context menu, opened by right-clicking on the taskbar;
• go to the "Performance" section (in Windows 10 - "Performance");
• we look at the percentage of CPU and memory usage - if it exceeds 80%, then there are not enough resources.

The problem is fixed either by closing unnecessary tasks or by upgrading the computer.

Choosing a browser for a weak PC

If there are not enough resources, choose an undemanding browser according to your needs:

• Internet Explorer / Microsoft Edge - requires the least resources, but cannot boast of rich functionality;
• Mozilla Firefox is ideal;
• Opera - more demanding, but has an Opera Turbo mode that speeds up work on a slow connection;
• Google Chrome / Yandex.Browser are the most resource-intensive options.

If you are using little-known software (for example, Amigo from Mail.ru), delete it immediately.

Disk Cleanup

The browser saves temporary files to the system drive, and if there is not enough space on it, the Internet may slow down. To free up space, use:

• program Ccleaner - removes unnecessary files and unnecessary entries in the registry;
• standard cleaning tools - "Add or Remove Programs" in the control panel and "Disk Cleanup" in the properties of the system drive.

Defragmentation is the process of optimizing free disk space, rearranging clean clusters on a hard drive. This must be done at least once a month; if programs and files are written and deleted often, then defragmentation should be done more often - so the disk will work faster.

The required tool is located in the properties of the disk. Go to the "Service" section of the properties of the C: drive and run the defragmentation.

Cleaning and setting up the browser

Whatever browser you use, you need to constantly monitor it so that it does not clog. You need:

• clean history;
• clear cache (temporary files) and cookies;
• delete unnecessary bookmarks;
• do not install unnecessary plugins and extensions.

As a rule, all temporary files are deleted after the program is closed. Therefore, for timely cleaning, you just need not keep the program constantly running.

Management of all modern browsers is more or less standard, so it is difficult to get confused in the settings. To remove extra plugins:

• go to the settings through the main menu (opens with the corresponding button on the taskbar);
• go to the "Add-ons", "Plugins" or "Extensions" section;
• remove the excess - in most cases it is enough to leave only AdBlock.

You can also clear the cache through the settings:

• Chrome and Yandex.Browser: "Options" - "Advanced" - "Delete data";
• IE: "Internet Options" - "Delete browsing history", check the box "Delete history on exit";
• Firefox: "Settings" - "Advanced" - "Network" - "Cached content" - "Clear now";
• Opera: "Settings" - "Delete personal data".

If the above tips do not help speed up page loading, call the wizard for a more thorough diagnosis and repair of your computer.

What is the reason and what to do

Below we list common causes that lead to Internet slowdowns and how to fix them.

First of all check:

• whether the torrent client is enabled on this computer or any other computer on your local network;
• whether OS updates or other software updates are being downloaded on any of the computers in the local network.

1. Malicious software on the computer.

This is especially true for malicious browser extensions. If, in addition to a decrease in the speed of loading web pages, you also notice the appearance of advertising banners in the browser, then most likely the computer is infected with malware.

View the list of installed extensions in each browser. If detected, remove the following malicious extensions:

• iWebbar

2. Traces of malware activity after its removal

Even if your computer is clean after an anti-virus scan, follow these steps:

3. Viruses on another computer in the local network

Run a virus scan on other computers on the network. A network attack may be coming from a nearby computer, as a result of which the network and the Internet may be slow and unstable. To check computers on the network for viruses, the same programs that are indicated in paragraph 1 are suitable.

4. Failure on the router or access point.

• Check that your router or access point settings are correct.
• Reboot the router to eliminate the possibility of failure or freezing.
• Make a router (modem, access point). , specifying the correct settings of your Internet provider.
• Try updating the firmware of your router or access point. Perform by analogy with.

Updating the firmware rarely helps with this problem. If earlier the Internet worked fine on this firmware, then most likely it's not about it. However, sometimes nevertheless, the router fails, which can only be cured by flashing it.

5. Network adapter problem

• network adapter. Sometimes the network adapter can work on a non-native driver, but is unstable and at a low speed.
• Try connecting with a different network adapter, if possible.
• Try replacing the network adapter if possible.

6. Hacking WiFi networks

The Internet may also be slow if third parties have accessed your Wi-Fi network and are using your channel.

Check if someone else has connected to your network:



If you find an unknown device on the network, change the WiFi network security key using a new one. Disable remote login to the web interface of the router and access point.