Network issues at home Problem with internet connection Connectivity difficulties
Network issues at home Problem with internet connection Connectivity difficulties
Hi everyone, I'm facing some issues with my home network and trying to resolve them. I have a router from Vidéotron (Zyxel EMG 2926) and two gaming PCs connected via Ethernet. My PS4 Pro is wireless, and I also have two Galaxy S7 phones and an old laptop that's mostly idle. The connection speed is 120/20 Mbps, which should be sufficient for my brother and me. The router and modem are placed on my desk, while my brother is in the adjacent room, so the cables are only a few feet long. We've experienced several problems: sometimes we get no internet when we arrive home, the PCs run at full CPU and RAM usage requiring a reset, streaming becomes unstable during game updates, and my Discord ping spikes after an update. I suspect the router might be faulty and am seeking advice on replacing it with a wired solution. While I've checked online, most recommendations focus on wireless improvements, but I need a solid wired fix. Each download seems to consume all available bandwidth, leaving little for other devices. Please help me find a better setup.
My results are consistently strong, and I even improved slightly. It feels most comfortable with updates that impact the entire network.
I haven’t seen this situation before, especially not when one client is getting nothing while the other downloads an update. At home it usually shares the workload between devices, though not perfectly balanced and definitely not causing throttling of others. You might check the QoS settings, but I think it could be too complicated and unlikely to help. But I want to emphasize that I’m not a network expert—professional guidance or assistance would be better. Could you clarify how your PCs are connected? Are there separate lines from the router, using switches, or powerline adapters? Describing your setup might help identify the issue. I suspect a splitter could be the problem, as it might interfere with other users at the same time. If that’s the case, placing a switch where the splitter is present would likely resolve the issue, since it can properly direct traffic from the high-speed line to the router.
It's typical home setup: two wired PCs close to the router, router connected to modem. Everything else uses Wi-Fi occasionally. I don’t have a switch, hub, or splitter. Could it be the router? It’s working but always runs near 100% CPU and RAM. Sometimes the connection drops completely, forcing me to reset the router. My ISP hasn’t reported any issues or outages. If a new router helps, which one would you recommend for two gaming PCs that need occasional streaming?
If your router supports QOS features, I would consider turning this on. It helps assign priority to specific service types. There are various methods to set up QOS, but it’s important to apply it consistently across all connections for optimal performance. Another point worth mentioning is that recent Windows 10 updates via P2P might impact network speed. I’d recommend reviewing this setting. Here’s a quick guide on how to disable it: https://www.pcworld.com/article/2955491/...stems.html
It seems unusual... I’d consider switching to a new router if you don’t need a modem+router setup. A more affordable model would be worth trying. I’d suggest checking out the Netgear R7000 or other routers that support non-official firmware, such as Tomato ROM. If you have extra hardware and are okay with higher power consumption, PFSense could be a good option—it works on almost any PC but needs at least two network interfaces unless virtual NICs are used. I remember it can be tricky to get it working well. A Raspberry Pi might work too, though it only has one built-in port, so you’d likely need virtualization. That would probably be the most practical choice, except I recall its performance is limited to around 100 Mbps. If I had to pick something right away, I’d go with the R7000 for the chance to update firmware later if needed.