Wifi signal strength
 

How might I check it? Here's the whole story. Laptop that spouse uses is located on other side of the house. It now says no networks are available and will not search for available networks. Two days ago, all was well. It works off of the Xfinity router in my office; that device is about 2 years old. Well, I haven't installed any lead walls, so why is the WiFi signal no longer getting through? Do these thing get weak with age?

Iran both a MalwearBytes scan and a Cleaner program on the laptop the other day. What, if anything, might I have deleted that could affect signal reception?

Have you tried connecting moving the laptop to your office? Could be the laptop.

Windows PC or Apple Mac or Chromebook?

Maybe your Comcast router doesn't have a strong enough signal. Our Xfinity modem also has a built-in router, Arris TG862, about three years old. Since we don't have cable TV, we use Roku to stream programs to the TV from the computer in the room with the modem. Neither the Xfinity nor the Linksys router we used could transmit a strong enough signal to the television. We were constantly losing programs. So we installed a newer, more powerful router which then caused something called NAT and screwed up the network. After delving deep into Comcast's website support I learned how to turn off the router function in the Arris. It is now operates just as a modem and the new router carries a reliable signal to other parts of the house. Roku is happy and we are happy.

You can get an extender to help boost the signal.

In reply to all so far. Thanks.
Yes, the laptop reads Wifi fine when I bring it into the office. As reported, that is the issue. The signal no longer reaches the utility room work station. It used to.

I tried a Belkin extender. It says "limited." The extender gets Wifi from the router, right? When plugged in a mere 15 feet from the router it says "limited" signal. That's got to tell us something about the router. The laptop and my desk top (to which the router is connected) are both running Windows.

I guess talking/chatting with the Comcast techs is necessary. Ugh!

I am guessing there is a problem with you laptop. If you are using Windows, go to device manager and check the driver for the network adapter and see if it is up to date, if not install the update, reboot and see what happens.

CrapCleaner and Malware would have no effect on your local machine hardware settings.

Make sure you are connecting to your Comcast router private network and not the limited public XfinityWIFI. Devices sometimes find that one first when power resumes or a reboot.

Raise the router/modem up, if it's on the floor. If that doesn't help, can you move it to another location? Sometimes just turning it 90 degrees will work. You should have both 5mhz and 2.4mhz, have you tried connecting to each? Have you moved some furniture around? Maybe you put something in the way of the single.

I doubt it's the router/modem or your PC, nothing changed.

Have you rebooted the router? I know it's a simple question, but that has worked for me a few times. unplug it let it sti for a could of minutes before plugging it back in, wait for the equipment to connect and test it. We have a larger stretched Gardenia and I installed a wifi extender half way between the modem & router in the back corner of the living room and the front bedroom/office. I still don't get the "advertised" speed, but I don't think anybody else does either.

There may be a key (probably in the top row on your laptop) which can turn your wireless on and off. Perhaps it was inadvertently pressed. To ID, look for a key with a picture of a tower with signals. On my laptop, there's a small red light in the corner of the key when wi-fi is on.

Addendum: Whoops, sorry. Just read that the laptop wireless does work in the office.

So let's recap where were are:

1. Assuming NOTHING changed in the environment.
2. Laptop works over WiFi but only at close distances but it was fine across the house before.
3. Reboot Modem/Router
4. Restart Laptop
5. Not mentioned yet: Reload WiFi driver or check the vendor website for a newer wireless driver.

If it still doesn't work properly, then I would suspect a hardware problem.

1. Assuming you have a SmartPhone, will that connect to the Router/Modem at a distance? If not, I suspect a problem with the modem/router. If it connects and runs at speed, then the Laptop is most likely the issue.

Let us know...

With the exception of Premier homes, the small footprint of villas and designers should be no problem for a modern router .. There are many to choose from at or around $ 100 .. two bands 2.4 and 5ghz .. Everyone has their favorite .. I ditched linksys and netgear after technology took us beyond a/b/g and moved to N .. I now have a TPLINK both in the Villages and the same one in a much larger multistory home in Atlanta. seldom needs a reboot .. Advice to unplug your current router and leave alone for a minute or two might solve an immediate problem, but if you needs to constantly do that its time to upgrade.

I have called Comcast and didn’t find the call painful.
If you had called most likely the problem would be solved by now.:ho:

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one way to test signal strength is to install a free wifi signal analyzer on a smartphone. I installed one a few years back to check signal strength at the plant. you can test in all areas of your home and walk towards the router to see where you have a problem.

Surprised no one suggested a mesh network that connects directly to the modem. We use a Linksys Velop tri-band mesh network in NY with 20 devices connected simultaneously with great results. It was an expensive solution but eliminated dropped connections and contention for router access. WiFi connection speeds are the same throughout the home.

Try using a wifi signal analyzer on a mobile device as suggested by Dgodin.
I downloaded the Google Play "NETGEAR WiFi Analytics" app to my tablet and used it to identify the networks around me.
This wifi analyzer has a page that shows the number of networks in your vicinity and the channels their modems are using. Your modem and channel should be easily identified - it should be the strongest one and at the top of the list. See if any of the other networks are using the same channel as your modem/router. If they are, change your channel to one that is not being used by a neighbor.
You will need to get into your modem/router setup to change its channel.
I had a similar problem that took me a long time to solve. I was trying to get a wifi signal out on my lanai so I could stream music outside. As soon as I went on the lanai, the streaming stopped. I thought the concrete wall was blocking the signal from inside the house. I tried using a wifi extender but only got poor results on the lanai. That is when I tried the Netgear analyzer and found that 2 of my neighbors were using the same channel that my modem was set to (1, its default). Outside of our house, their wifi signals became strong enough that my wifi was getting overpowered. There was no problem inside. After changing my channel to one which none of my neighbors was using, I had no problem getting a signal outside of my house.
I hope this helps.

We just changed a whole lot of hardware from Playschool stuff to almost all Apple. We didn't have enough jiggawatts of power to keep everything running happily together. We went to Comcast, fingers crossed and added a Linksys extender from Amazon for about $70. All ins well at this juncture. We notice the difference in speed, time will tell and so will I. I just don't like that it is a yearly contract but the price is so low it wouldn't hurt too badly if they foul up!

Found this out the hard way about 15 years ago on a long road trip. :oops:

Could not get a wi-fi signal from the hotel, was panicking... and called a computer store.

The person mentioned the wi-fi button...and asked it if was lit.

Pushed the button and then my wife and I looked at each other...and just laughed like the dummies we were. :D

Wifi signal
 

Again, thanks to all who replied. I wasn't aware of apps that can check WiFi signal strength and will now pursue that fix.

I use Acrylic Wi-Fi Home to check WiFi signals.

I haven't seen any follow-up on your original note that wife's laptop couldn't find any wifi, not just your own, and would not even try to find one. As so many people here have wifi unless you have an isolated home out in Fenney, there should be many networks detected by the laptop. That is what makes me suspicious the problem is in the wife's laptop not your router. My laptop now is showing 7 networks other than my own.

Here is a google search that gives many suggestions of things to try:

laptop won't search for wifi - Google Search

Weak wifi
 

The problem was the router, not the laptop. I got an app, at the suggestion of another TOTV poster, that measures signal strength. Signal was in the "poor" range. Comcast confirmed my router was dated (2 years old?) and is sending me one with greater range.

And now you know.

The new Comcast modem/routers are pretty good. We picked up a new one in May and the signal strength in our house has gone up quite a bit. Our Samsung smart tv previously showed us a signal strength of around 10 Mbps and now tests in the 70 Mbps range. Curiously when I set my iPhone down next to the tv it tests around 90 Mbps.

Still not convinced that it is the router. You haven't gotten the new one, so I (as a previous MS elevated tech) wouldn't consider your case closed, yet.
BTW make sure that your new router handles the latest 2013 transmission protocol 'AC'. Older ones' B' 1999, 'G', and 'N'. Best to have a device that will best handle your future devices. They recycle older modems so your 2 yr might actually be much much older. Look up the specs on your laptop WiFi card find out what transmission protocols it supports. 'AC' is the latest.

If the new router does not solve your issues, buy a USB dongle 'N' WiFi adapter, $10-$20 for the laptop.

I have seen WiFi signal strength in offices/ homes compromised by a dimmer light switch, wireless phone, wireless home theater speakers, older microwave ovens, and LCD blubs just to name a few. I also wonder if you have gotten any new appliances or WIFi devices. 2.4MHz and 5MHz are the WiFi ranges that are currently in popular use. 2.4 goes through walls/ material better and longer but suffers from slower speeds and bandwidth clutter. Even 1 other device that operates at a lower protocol could severely compromise overall system performance. I usually explain it this way: My Lambergini can go 200mph. But one of my tires is flat so I can't go over 10mph. In designing high-end PC's the performance falls to the weakest link. Networks can be affected similarly.

Keep us posted.

(Posted the above as general information so others could diagnose similar connectivity issues.)

agree on some of your points .. First an AC router is required for optimum performance .. But, most likely the current router picks the broadcast channel automatically .. recently there could have been some environmental changes affecting that selection .. The OP might not have the skills required, but it is relatively simple to go into the router and set the broadcast channel .. An internet search will reveal the allowed channels for 2.4 and 5 ghz transmissions .. that will show the "best" alternate channels to broadcast via trial and error ..

Weak Wifi
 

I appreciate these tech responses, but you are way out of my pay grade.

Linksys Extender AC750 Boost. Security wise if you select WPA2 are you secure? If not what is the correct thing to do?

Works great just security minded.

If you are a Comcast customer you should go to Xfinity.com and test your wifi signal with their speed test app. Do you know what wifi speed you are paying for? If you are only getting speeds in the 20s then I would let Comcast know and they will fix it. I had a similar problem and they checked it out and ended up giving me a new router that is capable of 400mps. That definitely solved the problem. I pay a little more but definitely worth it. I like you also only stream TV with Roku and Hulu and the faster the speed the better ie no buffering.

Good morning… we had the same experience at my sister's house recently. 1st question I would ask you is who is your Internet provider? If it is Xfinity then you must call them to run some test. If you know how to go into your Wi-Fi settings please make sure that you are not connected to the X finity Wi-Fi. Reason being is that the Xfinity Wi-Fi should be only used when connecting to hotspots outside your home. If you connect to Xfinity Wi-Fi while at home it is an unsecured network and then you are open to others getting into your system leaving you very vulnerable to hackers. Because of the weak signal my sister's computer was only connecting to the xfinity wifi. I helped them work it out with tech support.

We have Comcast. Our modem and router are in the utility room. When we do the speed tests, we are getting what we paid for in the utility room and a much lower signal to our computers. We have a newer modem and older router. Do you have a suggestion of what router to buy if we replace the router?

Very well said. I mentioned this reoccurring issue here in a previous post. Fixed twice for customers last month.

Or, you might be logging in to an SSID with your WiFi name with the word GUEST after it. Some wireless routers off this additional connection.

Let's see how the OP resolves this.

You should unplug the router from the power supply for several minutes. Then plug it back in. If that doesn't help just take the moden back to Comcast and exchange it.
If your laptop recpgnizes the wifi signal when you put the laptop near the modem then I don't think it is the laptop problem

actually the fix is quite simple. Comcast has been replacing routers for this reason, I have had to replace mine. also you should have a 2.4 and a 5.0 settting for wi fi. If your other computer is a 2.4 it will never see the 5.0 setting. Happened to me on my spare unit on the Lanai. Bottom line is the router is having issues and needs to be replaced. Have them come out and bring you one. Also have them put a booster on the line closest to your other unit. That is what you pay them for. It is their job to get it up and running. Schedule an appointment to have a Tech come over.

i have the exact issue and have spent many countless hours talking to comcast, i also have two wireless tv's that have the same issue it is the router comcast told me i will have to move the router into the central part of the house which would be in my dining room oh and put it six feet up in the air. idiots gonna probably dump comcast soon, it is not the laptop as mine is brand new. they also told me to go to bestbuy and get a booster thing but why should i have to buy something for their crappy equipment... also my house is only 1350 square feet so it is not a big house.

I use Sensorly (an app I downloaded) to check upload and download speed. See what it says then call your internet provider if still no signal. Sometimes I have to reboot my router also.

Here you are talking about a different issue altogether. Each frequency transmission has a set of channels that can be changed in the advanced properties of the router. Think of B&W broadcast TV of the 60's. You had channels 2-13 available, and a fine tuning dial. Same with the 2.4 band. Case in point: I was hired by a Chilis that was located next to a Verizon store. The Chilis router was set for the same channel as the Verizon's and both suffered severe dropouts as devices attempted to connect. A change of the Chilis channel resolved the conflict.

It is possible that the OP could improve his connection by selecting an alternate broadcast channel. But, I believe a clever use of aluminum foil, focusing the signal, on the router antenna would be more successful.

Awaiting an update.

Please make sure you are actually connecting to your router and not a neighbor's xfinity. All Comcast Xfinity routers come with a setting which allocates some bandwidth to allow other users connect. While this does not affect your advertised speed, it can be a problem if the laptop in question is connecting to someone else's wifi. If you are using Windows or Apple you can easily see what wifi you are connected to by clicking the wifi icon. Please reply back if you need any help with figuring it out.

Had same problem. Moved router box a foot and no more quits