[jayc085]

Hello,

Apologize in advance I'm not that tech-savvy, but I am having a lot of problems with my wireless connection. My internet was running perfectly fine for the first 6-9 months, but recently has deteriorated to a mess (keeps getting booted on and off or slows to the point where it's virtually unusable). It seems to be the worst on weeknights and weekends.<removed by moderator - etaf>, and I'm near tears in frustration-- please help!

For reference, I am running a Windows 7 machine, connecting wirelessly through a Netgear WNR1000 router. When connected to the router using an ethernet cable, it works perfectly fine. There is another wired device which works fine, so it's mainly the wifi connection. For my Windows 7 PC, the wireless cuts in and out (working fine now), and oftentimes drops me. I have to reset the router/modem multiple times just to be able to use it. My roommate who also has a wireless PC also has problems connecting wirelessly as well. Currently, I have IPV4 connectivity, but no IPV6 connectivity.

I also have another router when I tested (a Medialink router), and it also has very intermittent connectivity-- so I'm skeptical it's a hardware issue. My NETGEAR firmware is up to date. I'm guessing there's some configuration that's non-optimal which is causing the issues (it used to work like a dream!).

Any help would be really appreciated! NETGEAR support shut me out and will only talk to me if I drop $130 for technical support! . Thank you so much in advance for taking a stab at this... I feel like throwing money at the problem (e.g., buying a new router) will have very limited results...


My ipconfig below:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : J-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Peer-Peer
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-24-33-73-89-66
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100 AGN
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-22-FB-58-E5-12
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::10bd:c706:4d00:c3ba%11(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.6(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, July 25, 2012 1:10:13 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, July 26, 2012 1:14:50 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 201335547
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-12-12-62-4D-00-1D-BA-EF-C7-EB
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Marvell Yukon 88E8040 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-1D-BA-EF-C7-EB
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{320252D2-49E7-4514-B3B3-48E72F07CC1C}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:5ef5:79fb:cae:3f34:3f57:fef9(Preferred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::cae:3f34:3f57:fef9%14(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

[jayc085]

I also found this in my router's log, but not sure what it means:

[DHCP IP: 192.168.1.5] to MAC address 64:20:0c:da:4d:2a, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:26:44
[WLAN access rejected: incorrect security] from MAC address 64:20:0c:da:4d:2a, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:26:36
[LAN access from remote] from 121.202.132.163:36527 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:18:39
[LAN access from remote] from 68.97.169.185:43526 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:18:36
[LAN access from remote] from 118.166.121.248:18688 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:18:33
[DHCP IP: 192.168.1.4] to MAC address 64:20:0c:da:4d:2a, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:16:43
[WLAN access rejected: incorrect security] from MAC address 64:20:0c:da:4d:2a, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:16:36
[WLAN access rejected: incorrect security] from MAC address 00:22:fb:58:e5:12, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:16:36
[WLAN access rejected: incorrect security] from MAC address 00:26:08:e5:5f:1b, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:16:36
[Internet connected] IP address: 76.126.138.240, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:16:28
[DoS Attack: ACK Scan] from source: 69.171.237.32, port 80, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:13:56
[LAN access from remote] from 60.240.36.80:28097 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:07:15
[LAN access from remote] from 60.240.36.80:3031 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:07:15
[DoS Attack: RST Scan] from source: 207.211.36.13, port 443, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:07:10
[UPnP set event: add_nat_rule] from source 192.168.1.6 Sunday, July 29,2012 21:07:00
[UPnP set event: del_nat_rule] from source 192.168.1.6 Sunday, July 29,2012 21:06:56
[WLAN access rejected: incorrect security] from MAC address 00:22:fb:58:e5:12, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:06:36
[WLAN access rejected: incorrect security] from MAC address 00:26:08:e5:5f:1b, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:06:36
[LAN access from remote] from 121.202.132.163:36527 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:06:14
[LAN access from remote] from 101.160.198.42:27486 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:04:26
[LAN access from remote] from 101.160.198.42:61005 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:04:26
[LAN access from remote] from 118.166.121.248:18688 to 192.168.1.6:60807, Sunday, July 29,2012 21:04:23
[UPnP set event: add_nat_rule] from source 192.168.1.6 Sunday, July 29,2012 21:04:19
[DHCP IP: 192.168.1.3] to MAC address 00:26:08:e5:5f:1b, Sunday, July 29,2012 20:57:26
[Time synchronized with NTP server] Sunday, July 29,2012 20:56:32
[Initialized, firmware version: V1.0.0.12] Sunday, July 29,2012 20:56:32
[Internet connected] IP address: 76.126.138.240
[DHCP IP: 192.168.1.2] to MAC address 64:20:0c:da:4d:2a
[WLAN access rejected: incorrect security] from MAC address 64:20:0c:da:4d:2a

[etaf]

i have edited the post and remove ** remember this is a family friendly site and we do not like * here so please avoid

lets see a xirrus screen shot - maybe wireless interference
do you have a cordless phone or microwave
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Run Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector
Download and install
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to copy the program across to the

faulty PC
Save the file to a USB flash drive or other removable media. Plug it into the working computer with

internet access and copy the file and install the program.
You will now need to take a screen shot and copy that back to the working PC and attach the screen

shot in a reply on the forum here.

http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Wi-Fi-Inspector.aspx
Direct link to the program is here http://info.xirrus.com/Wi-FiInspectorConfirmation.html

{If the above link does not work heres another link http://<br /> <br /> http://www.pcwo.../download.html}

Then run and install the program - on a wireless enabled PC/Laptop
if you get an error - You need will need to haveNET Framework installed for the WiFi Inspector to function.

Run the program

A user guide is available here http://www.xirrus.com/cdn/pdf/Xirrus...de-1-2-1-RevB-

6.aspx

post a screen shot of the program running.
if there are a lot of networks showing can you click on "networks" top

lefthand area - so we can see all the network information.

post which SSID name is yours, its located in the list, under

network "Adapter Name" (1st column)

To post a screen shot of the active window.
1) hold the Alt key and press the PrtScn key. Open the Windows PAINT application (Start> All Programs>

Accessories> Paint) and Paste the screen shot. You can then use PAINT to trim to suit, and save it as

a JPG format file.
OR
2) if you are using Vista/Windows 7 you can use the "snipping tool" which is found in Start> All

programs> Accessories> Snipping Tool

To upload the screen shot to the forum, open the full reply window ("Go Advanced" button) and use the

Manage Attachments button to upload it here.
Full details are available here http://library.techguy.org/wiki/TSG_...g_a_Screenshot

Note:
For a reliable (or robust as the Xirrus user guide says) wireless connection you need a signal of

about -70 dBm or better. "A desirable signal level for a robust Wi-Fi connection will be green".
note: the signal level is a negative number, so for example -88 is worst and -40 is better

If you are using the Mac OS then use http://www.istumbler.net/ or
if you want to optimise base station position and signal strength / dead spots use
http://www.chimoosoft.com/products/apgrapher/ which has a graph function to monitor signal
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[jayc085]

Thanks Wayne; sorry about the language. Just extreme frustration but I'll keep it in check

No cordless phone, and the microwave is very far away (and rarely used).

The SSID is Chubbybuddies (the first one highlighted in the screenshot below). Right now the wifi internet is working reasonably OK (not great, but passable) - it's usually the worst in the evenings and on the weekends.

Please see image below-- and thank you so much for responding / helping!

[etaf]

-71 is not going to give you are robust connection - so you need to improve that to a level where it is green - its quite busy for wireless around - can you click on networks - the word above the radar symbol - has show all under it

so we can see all the networks - you may be able to change the channel the router is using - also try moving the router sometimes a couple of feet can make all the difference - do you have a PC or laptop - if a pc does it have an aerial you can move - does the router have an aerial you can move ?

[jayc085]

Wayne, I am using a laptop (not desktop). I have attached the new image with the Networks all shown.

Right now it's just under -70, and it's better than it was this morning. The latency varies quite a bit depending on how lucky I am (at least at the moment it's working!). On the weekends there are times it's so slow that it would take multiple resets + entire minutes just to load one page. I also find that it gets worse later into the evening, but this handy new program will be a good test to see if that hypothesis holds true in a few hours.

The laptop does work faster as I get closer to the router, but I'm already pretty close as it is (maybe 20-30 ft away?). The location of the laptop / router have not changed, and we never had any problem with speed up until a month ago (worked like a dream for a good ~8-9 months)! Given the way the apartment is wired, unfortunately moving the router / laptop is not really in the cards at the moment.

Thanks again for the continued help!

[jayc085]

Unfortunately the internet cutouts have started again. I tried the "connection test" and it shows that the internet is bombing out as usual. (Again, it's late night here, so the internet tends to cut out in the late weeknights). I've taken a screenshot in case that's helpful.

We've never had this problem before until the past month or so.

Any ideas?

[etaf]

thats quite a crowded area for wireless
And your router will not work at 5ghz which maybe an option

lets try some tests

an ipconfig /all (as you posted in the first post, so know how to do ) and three ping tests (see below) and the xirrus screen shot (which you know how to do) - keep xirrus running - so you can see the graph

would you post the following tests when the internet is working OK, and then repeat ALL the tests when the internet disconnects.
Make sure you also indicate on the reply which tests are for what condition.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ping Tests
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to paste the results into something like notepad and then copy onto a machine that can access the internet and post the results in a reply here.
Save the file to a USB flash drive or other removable media. Plug it into the working computer with internet access and copy the file and paste here.

Start> Run {search bar in Vista/W7}> type CMD to open a command prompt box
(A new dialogue box - black with white font, will appear on screen ):

Type the following command
Ping {then a space and then add the number that is shown against the item labeled "default gateway" shown in the results from the ipconfig /all}
Post back the results in a reply here
right click in the command prompt box
select all
enter
control key + C key - to copy
then reply here and
control key + V to paste

Type the following command
Ping google.com
Post back the results in a reply here
right click in the command prompt box
select all
enter
control key + C key - to copy
then reply here and
control key + V to paste

Type the following command
Ping 209.183.226.152
Post back the results in a reply here
right click in the command prompt box
select all
enter
control key + C key - to copy
then reply here and
control key + V to paste

For your information only
these tests will check various stages of the connection, the first ping test, ping default gateway checks to see if you still have a connection to the router.
The next two Ping google.com & Ping 209.183.226.152 tests the connection to internet. google is to test by name and the ping test using a number is checking that a connection exists without DNS.
these tests then confirm if there is a dns issue on the connection.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[TerryNet]

With eight other 2.4 GHz networks at least as strong as your signal there's no way you will avoid interference. There is a very small chance that if you change the encryption to WPA-PSK the PC will be able to better fight off the interference.

I'm about 30 feet or so from my router with a wall (diagonally) in the path and getting a signal of about -49 dBm. By orienting the laptop differently or moving it slightly I was able to vary the signal from -46 to -56 dBm. The weakest was with me sitting directly in the path. I'm wondering why you are getting such a weak signal at about the same distance. Is there a new (since you were getting better results) obstacle in the path?

[jayc085]

Thanks for the continued help guys. I'm not sure what you mean by "which condition I'm posting in" - but I'll assume you mean the connection status. Right now the connection is OK (it typically is in the mornings), so all my ping reports are for a state that's currently working. I will try to do another round of screenshots later tonight when the internet starts dying again.

Regarding new obstacles, there has been no changes. We did incorporate a new iPad onto the network a few weeks ago, but realistically we have a lot less devices on the network now than when the network was working beautifully (we had a roommate move out entirely). It's possible there are new neighborhood networks now, but that's difficult for me to confirm.

Thanks again for all the help. Please let me know if I should be screenshotting something different (the graph doesn't seem to show much movement).


Readout below:



Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : J-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Peer-Peer
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-24-33-73-89-66
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100 AGN
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-22-FB-58-E5-12
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::10bd:c706:4d00:c3ba%11(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.17(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, July 31, 2012 7:31:33 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, August 01, 2012 7:31:48 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 201335547
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-12-12-62-4D-00-1D-BA-EF-C7-EB
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Marvell Yukon 88E8040 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-1D-BA-EF-C7-EB
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{CD01B279-A438-4C01-BCE9-7E3E3EF487B9}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:3471:934:3f57:feee(Preferred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3471:934:3f57:feee%14(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter 6TO4 Adapter:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft 6to4 Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{989DB0C0-19D0-4A58-A9AD-3E8E73DCA4E9}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Reusable Microsoft 6To4 Adapter:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft 6to4 Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{320252D2-49E7-4514-B3B3-48E72F07CC1C}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #3
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 16:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft 6to4 Adapter #3
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 17:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft 6to4 Adapter #4
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 18:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft 6to4 Adapter #5
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Pinging 192.168.1.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 13ms, Average = 4ms

Pinging google.com [74.125.224.130] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 74.125.224.130: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.224.130: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.224.130: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.224.130: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=55

Ping statistics for 74.125.224.130:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 16ms, Maximum = 31ms, Average = 20ms

Pinging 209.183.226.152 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 209.183.226.152: bytes=32 time=89ms TTL=46
Reply from 209.183.226.152: bytes=32 time=86ms TTL=46
Reply from 209.183.226.152: bytes=32 time=86ms TTL=46
Reply from 209.183.226.152: bytes=32 time=88ms TTL=46

Ping statistics for 209.183.226.152:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 86ms, Maximum = 89ms, Average = 87ms

[TerryNet]

You've got a stronger signal now--from -67 to -60 dBm may not be earth shattering, but it is still significant. Especially if it is making a significant difference in your network's performance. Assuming that is not random and that you have no quick answer for why it is stronger in the morning than at night I'll venture two (maybe way out in left field) theories ...

Maybe the router is running warmer later in the day--either from more usage or because the ambient temperature is higher.

Maybe the electrical circuit is a little overloaded--OK in the morning, but the router is suffering a "brown out" later when TV, air conditioner, lights, etc., are more in use.

[etaf]

would you also post the network page as well - just to see if any of the networks change channel one a new one pops up

The graph does not look perfectly straight so the wireless maybe fluctuating

try using http://www.metageek.net/products/ins...VgD5ECVjr_yxug this inSSIDer program - sometimes it can see wireless networks that are fluctuating a lot

[TerryNet]

The graph does not look perfectly straight so the wireless maybe fluctuating

Yes! I should have noticed that. Can indicate a problem with the wireless driver or adapter or router. You have the latest wireless driver from the laptop manufacturer's web site, right? You could also reinstall it in case the installed instance is corrupted.

[etaf]

just to give you an idea - I have a router which is fluctuatiing and needs replacing

My Wireless are both running here - green is a straight line and blue is my old (4 years now) router

just to show how inSSIDer can help

[jayc085]

To answer a few questions: the internet is particularly bad during the weekend, so I'm not sure it's entirely a day v. night thing. My guess is that the online traffic is greater in neighboring routers which may be slowing it down a bit, but I'm not sure.

I checked for firmware updates, but everything is up to date. What's the best way to reinstall firmware?

I've attached two new screenshots (One with the Network view, and another using the new inSSIDer program). Both Channel 3 and 7 show up now (earlier this morning only Channel 3 was present). I'm not sure how to interpret the inSSIDer chart.

Currently the internet is OK (better than last night!). Seems pretty random these days...