Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - WIFI in Shady Brook
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Old 05-14-2025, 06:34 AM
McClendons McClendons is offline
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OP, some good recommendations in the above posts. To answer a couple of questions:

First, the issue will not get better on it's own as it is with YOUR system in the house (99%). If anything it could get a little worse as more channel interference comes on line. Second, the houses with poured walls have metal studded interior walls, so they do cause some signal loss. I have dead spots where two walls are perpendicular etc. Nothing you can do beyond planning a system around the spots if you have them.

The approach I would take:

1). Do a speed test as indicated above. This is probably not your issue, but get a baseline as compared to what you paid for. Look for steady upload/downloads......if you see it download well at speeds, then stop to 0, then restart there could be an issue with your cable system (modem provisioning, switches etc). This is highly unlikely, but....
2). Download to your phone a wifi analyzer app. I have a Samsung phone and use "wifi analyzer". Measure your signal near your current router, then walk toward the far corners of the house. You will likely find spots with big drops in signal, these are your problem areas. A good signal in my house is about -40 to -45 dBm. -30 dBm is near perfect, and starting around -65 dBM you start have connection issues.
3). If possible, move current router towards center of house, as high as reasonable, but not behind a lot of furniture etc. This can be a challenge. Now I would do step 2 over again, and see if it helped with the dead spots I mentioned.
4). Assuming it does not solve the issue, and it did not in my 2K sq ft house, you likely need a better wifi system. While far from state of the art, I have had great luck with the Amazon Eero wireless mesh system. I have a main router and 2 other nodes, and strong coverage throughout the house. While Eero has a very good wifi 7 system, they have an old gen 3 node system for about $300 that is good for many users. Note again though, the $300 system is not close to best on market, but I've found very stable in my use for 5+ years. I am assuming you have internet service of less than 500 Meg with that recommendation though.
5). If possible, plug anything you can into hard wired ethernet. Your house probably does not have an ethernet switch, and the cables in the garage would need to be terminated, but a wired connection is always solid. I use Centric where I am, and they were very reasonable to come out and terminate cables, but you did have to buy their switch. Not sure what other companies do. This is a good to do, not required if you solve the current wireless issue.

I personally would not have the cable company help with anything beyond the ethernet switch if you go that route, unless I find a bad cable connection. They will likely rent you a repeater or similar, but then you have a monthly bill and likely still marginal service. Not criticizing the employees, just the companies equipment.

Finally, if needed I would be willing to stop but and give an assessment. I am not an IT person, but have been a computer guy since PCs were first available. My gut says my recommendation will be the wireless mesh network (Amazon Eero or similar), so if you are able to run the tests mentioned you should get to the right conclusion.

If you need me to stop by, just PM me here. I am busy today, but would have some time tommorrow. Of course I am talk free recommendations as a neighbor, I am not a business.