Customer's WiFi keeps randomly dropping

[gilesitis]

I've got a customer who works in a metal building and does truck and trailer repairs. Their wifi, which has worked fine since they opened is now intermittently dropping. They contacted ISP, who came out, checked everything, replaced modem/router, and said it was nothing on their end. The ISP also tried changing channels to rule out interference with their microwave and cordless phone. Any idea what may cause their wireless connection to just cut out randomly. The client says if they reboot router, then the wifi will work again--but only for a short time. If you could provide any guidance on maybe where to start troubleshooting this, it would be greatly appreciate. Thanks Everyone!

 

[ohio_grad_06]

What kind of router? Maybe their router is going flaky?

 

[phaZed]

First bet would be the Router or WIFI - especially if it is the ISP's equipment. First thing to try is a good WIFI unit when you get there and see if it helps.

It is very possible that, if the building is all metal, you could be getting "ghosting" or signal reflections from the WIFI and the laptop which can cause the connection to frequently drop. This is usually more common in a larger building instead of a smaller one. A larger building causes the reflections to be further off of timing and the WIFI equipment to count those signals as "different" signals.

 

[gilesitis]

It is a router/modem combo from the ISP. The building is relatively large; I'd say closer to a medium-sized building. It has some large bays where he can do truck and trailer repairs. Maybe 4-5k square feet. If it is indeed "ghosting", I wonder why it worked fine for their first two months in business.

 

[phaZed]

Maybe 4-5k square feet. If it is indeed "ghosting", I wonder why it worked fine for their first two months in business.

In that case I would place my money on the ISP WIFI. Usually a building on the order of maybe 15-20K feet would be more suspect for ghosting, more like a warehouse.

 

[citizensmith]

WIFI dropout - so WIFI device loses connection to AP or wifi device cannot access resources on the internet ? There's a ping plotter type program that you can monitor where the connection stops. A bit like a traceroute ie AP local network or ISP side.
Specific times of day ?
Does your laptop have same problem?
Is it just one device or multiples

 

[gilesitis]

From what I understand, it is all of their devices: two laptops, a printer, and an iPod they use to stream music in the shop. I also believe that the AP is receiving connectivity from the ISP, and it something with the connection from the AP to the devices that is off. I was wondering if there was some type of program to test this. Do you happen to know the name of it?

 

[AndyM]

Personally, I use TamoGraph Site Survey
http://www.tamos.com/products/wifi-site-survey/

If you have an Android phone, you could use WiFi Analyzer. Very basic, but it will give you an idea.

Without knowing what the building is made of, without knowing what the walls and partitions are made of, and the thicknesses, without having a floor plan, it is impossible to diagnose successfully. As Phazed said, is there any metal racking etc? Environment is a huge factor in WiFi networking.

Andy

 

[citizensmith]

Forgot to post this - Loong day . PingPlotter 30 day trail - https://www.pingplotter.com/freeware.html there is an alternative but can't find my notes or what AndyM said^^^

 

[gilesitis]

Personally, I use TamoGraph Site Survey
http://www.tamos.com/products/wifi-site-survey/

If you have an Android phone, you could use WiFi Analyzer. Very basic, but it will give you an idea.

Without knowing what the building is made of, without knowing what the walls and partitions are made of, and the thicknesses, without having a floor plan, it is impossible to diagnose successfully. As Phazed said, is there any metal racking etc? Environment is a huge factor in WiFi networking.

Andy

Thanks Andy. There may be some metal racking. I am going back onsite tomorrow and wanted to have some type of game plan to figure this out. My first thought is it has got to be something with all the metal in there, but what confuses me is why did it work perfectly during their first two months in the shop?

 

[gilesitis]

Forgot to post this - Loong day . PingPlotter 30 day trail - https://www.pingplotter.com/freeware.html there is an alternative but can't find my notes or what AndyM said^^^

Thank you. I will definitely check that out. If you have any other suggestions please let me know. I really appreciate your feedback.

 

[Martyn]

This is the one I've used for checking connections

http://emcosoftware.com/ping-monitor

Wifi analyser is good for channel problems. You need to break down where the problem is. Is the internet dropping off or just the connections to the router(wifi)?

If the Internet is dropping off and the line has checked ok it's maybe a filter problem or a filter missing

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

My personal opinion is that I'm surprised it worked in the first place. The ISP supplied Modem/Router/AP is a consumer grade device and you should invest in a real AP that you can install in a better location.

You can find out if it's dropping between the device and AP or between the AP and internet by just opening the Network and Sharing Center in the Control Panel.

 

[mr m]

If it ran solidly for two months something must have changed. Do they occupy the entire building or share it? Did they/neighbor buy a new welder, air compressor or other piece of electrically noisy equipment? Is the modem/router installed close to any noisy equipment or did its location change?

They are going to have to help you troubleshoot and/or you can sit there and see for yourself what's going on. Make them aware of EMI/RFI and how it can wreak havoc on wireless signals. Maybe they'll/you'll notice a piece of equipment that is running or turning on when they lose the Wifi.

 

[citizensmith]

This is the one I've used for checking connections
http://emcosoftware.com/ping-monitor

Ping Monitor- that's the one I saw here. Going to write it down before it goes miss-ing

 

[phaZed]

Did they/neighbor buy a new welder, air compressor or other piece of electrically noisy equipment?

That's a great point as well. If they have a Plasma Arc welder those things really play hell with signals.

 

[gilesitis]

If it ran solidly for two months something must have changed. Do they occupy the entire building or share it? Did they/neighbor buy a new welder, air compressor or other piece of electrically noisy equipment? Is the modem/router installed close to any noisy equipment or did its location change?

They are going to have to help you troubleshoot and/or you can sit there and see for yourself what's going on. Make them aware of EMI/RFI and how it can wreak havoc on wireless signals. Maybe they'll/you'll notice a piece of equipment that is running or turning on when they lose the Wifi.

They do occupy the whole building. I will check to see if they've added any equipment. I know he does a lot of welding services, and business has started picking up. They also have several fluorescent lights in the building. The modem is located in a broom closet, where it has been since they opened.

 

[gilesitis]

Ping Monitor- that's the one I saw here. Going to write it down before it goes miss-ing

Thank you!

 

[Markverhyden]

If there has not been a meaningful change in the interior my vote is also there is a problem with the ISP device. What is the make and model? Who is the ISP? As mentioned a business grade AP makes a world of difference. I have a high end consumer Netgear router with wireless installed in one end of the apartment. I'm usually at the other end, with 3 stud and sheet rock walls. Wireless performance was horrible. Put in a Unify AP Pro and I have no connection issues via wireless.

 

[gilesitis]

The ISP is Frontier and it is their standard issue router/modem combo. I believe it is a Westell model.