Wireless connections perform better than wired Ethernet. Additional issues may arise.
Wireless connections perform better than wired Ethernet. Additional issues may arise.
Evening friends, it's me again! My name is Grey, nice to connect. I just settled into a place in LA. Now I have proper outlets, a reliable landlord, and my computer is working fine. Everything seems perfect—except for the internet. The Wi-Fi is pretty weak. It looks like AT&T is using DirectTV, and it's only 2.5Gbps. I know wireless connections can be tricky sometimes. I usually get about 10Mbps down and 4Mbps up. There are often lag spikes during video games, which is frustrating but not impossible to handle. The connection feels unstable; even though I’m just a room away from the router, it sometimes shows no signal on my screen. When I disconnect, the bars jump back up. Still, I don’t see any straight-through drops. Another issue is that my router seems to double as a DVR from DirectTV. Oddly enough, when I connect an Ethernet cable and run it through my computer, the speed drops to less than 1Mbps in both directions, making games nearly impossible. I’m not sure what my next steps should be. I doubt convincing my landlord to upgrade his equipment would work, and the other router upstairs (which is 5Gbps) also fluctuates with my connection. Should I ask him to contact the ISP and cover the difference? I’m really confused. I thought Ethernet would fix everything! This seems like a complicated problem, but any advice on these issues would mean a lot to me. Take care, and keep the lag low!
AT&T offers DSL and DirecTV services. From personal observation, most equipment from ISPs tends to be unreliable. DSL generally provides slower connections; ADSL is the slowest, while VDSL can reach speeds up to 100 Mbps in some cases—but you usually need to be close to the provider’s equipment or live near a nearby AT&T office to achieve those rates. Another concern is that unless you reside in a lucrative location, AT&T may not prioritize your service. DSL is considered outdated technology. In certain regions, Uverse (VDSL) offers better performance, while some areas have access to AT&T Fiber. However, in less profitable zones, AT&T might not invest much. Additionally, many copper lines are aging and may need replacement, and older DSL gear can often fail. Because of this, providers aren’t typically replacing outdated hardware. Without Fiber, they struggle to match cable companies. Comcast’s D3.1 service delivers up to 1 Gbps down and 35 Mbps up across much of their area. I have Comcast offering 150 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up. AT&T doesn’t cover my address, but a friend nearby only got 18 Mbps down. DSL simply can’t match that speed. Therefore, AT&T seems to focus on upgrading with Fiber or hoping 5G will help them compete in areas they don’t want to serve. You might try contacting AT&T to request a replacement modem/router, or switch to your own router and use a wireless AP if possible. The ideal solution would be checking for cable or fiber internet options. Regarding Wi-Fi, 2.4 GHz can cause interference even with strong signals, whereas 5 GHz offers better range but limited coverage. Depending on your home’s construction, this might explain weak connections. Ethernet performance could depend on the gateway or service quality.
Thank you for your attention to detail! Unfortunately, this situation is quite disappointing. I plan to contact the landlord about possible improvements and see what options are available. If not, I’ll have to look into other solutions.
As it turns out! My landlord has several routers in the house, about three of them. They all connect to different things than he thinks/is willing to tell me. Now I'm both stumped and hopeless since I'm not coherent enough to explain the problem to get him to call the ISP / give me a working router. EGH!
Linking several routers together isn't recommended. Many people do it simply because they lack knowledge about research, and they're unaware of the benefits of wireless access points.
It seems my issue is more complex than I thought. I’m getting internet through a direct TV receiver called a Genie 1. I realize this after connecting my Ethernet cable—it displayed the same network name as the one I use with Wi-Fi. It’s odd, but true. My landlord allowed me to press the WPS button on the router upstairs, which was a Netgear model. I didn’t examine it closely. After trying the default admin settings and still not being able to connect via WPS, it looks like the modem isn’t linked to that router. Either my landlord doesn’t understand what he’s doing, or we’re all relying on this weak connection from the receiver.
Most likely this is hooked up to the network for on demand content, if I had to guess. But I myself have never seen an AT&T direcTV setup. My friend who had AT&T had Uverse TV. Which is a different animal. But yeah, someone with some sense needs to look at that setup. Figure out what is what. Most people have no fucking clue when it comes to networking. I learned because Im the techie in the family. I have many devices connected to my home network. 4 streaming sticks. 2 desktops, several tablets and phones, A plex server, a NAS, a HD Homerun. So I had to learn how this shit worked. But a proper setup should be Modem > Router > Devices. Thats a standard setup. If you have a more robust network then you might have something different. Most people have an ISP supplied gateway which is a modem and router in one box. Because those are terrible most go out and buy a router and figure you can just plug that in. While it will work, your double NATed which cause issues if you need to port forward and some more advanced features. The first step is to understand how your network is setup. What Network devices you are using and in what configuration, mind you many routers can be setup as Access points, basically just a wireless radio. What devices are connected to your network.
I'll start my investigation and get back to you soon. Appreciate the guidance on the right path.
A NAT stands for Network Address Translation. It changes private IP addresses to a public one so devices can communicate over the internet.