Intel Wifi and Netgear Router

dgrevillius

dgrevillius

Member
Hello all. I have a question for you all. I recently upgraded my router to a Netgear WNDR3700. Since doing this, my Wifi on my laptop has been intermittent whenever I have the card settings for "802.11n Channel Width for band 2.4" set to "Auto". When I change this setting to "20 MHz Only", I no longer have issues. The draw back is that with 20 MHz only, I can only connect to the router at 130 mbps.
When I lose the connection, I can still reach the router and cable modem configuration pages, but any other websites will not function until I restart the wireless connection.
I have installed the latest driver for the wireless card and ensured the router has the latest firmware. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
 
I'm assuming you're utilizing an N card, as well, correct?

What is the speed when the router connects at "auto"? (150mbps, 300mbps, etc.)

How many other computers are connected to this router wirelessly?

130 mbps at 20MHz equates to 16.25 MB/s; way more speed than is needed for normal use, and is still quite fast, just to let you know.

To acquire true N speeds, you must utilize "channel bonding". This can make it more difficult for g and b cards to properly connect.
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wireless/f/80211n-300-mbps.htm

According to a section in the article:

•Interference from other 802.11n networks nearby can prevent a Wireless N router from sustaining channel bonded connections. In fact, some Wireless N routers automatically fall back to single channel operation when they detect wireless interference on the channels.

I'm guessing that is probably what's happening with your current setup.
 
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It is indeed a wireless n card. It's an Intel Wimax Advanced-N 6250. When it is set to auto it connects at 300 mbps with no problems, but when watching Youtube videos it will routinely stop receiving data. It never shows that I was disconnected from the network or anything, and I can still load the router and modem config pages.
I had it connected to a WNDR3300 prior to getting the WNDR3700 last week. I never had this problem with the 3300 and it connected at 300 mbps. One other change I made at the same time was going from DSL to Comcast internet. I don't see how that would affect it though.
 
So the only computer connected wirelessly to the router is yours?

Scan around for neighbors' wireless networks; it's possible that the WNDR3700 is more susceptible to interference from other networks, cordless phones, etc.

What speeds are you signed up for with Comcast?

Try an internet speed test running both modes, and post the results. Also, I would call Comcast, and be sure you're getting the speeds you're paying for.

I understand you want the full N speeds, because you paid for that router with N capabilities, and you should get full N speeds.
However, if we cannot find the issue with the WNDR3700, I would just recommend once that you go for a cheaper N router because unless you're using a storage device (or thinking of adding one), or transferring files from one computer to another, you will NEVER reach the speeds of 300mbps (37.5 MB/s) (I don't think it's possible then, either). And for the uses you're talking about right now; which is youtube and probably downloading, websurfing, or gaming, you will never reach the full speeds of 130mbps (16.25MB/s) either.
 
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Demilich said:
So the only computer connected wirelessly to the router is yours?

Scan around for neighbors' wireless networks; it's possible that the WNDR3700 is more susceptible to interference from other networks, cordless phones, etc.

What speeds are you signed up for with Comcast?

Try an internet speed test running both modes, and post the results. Also, I would call Comcast, and be sure you're getting the speeds you're paying for.

I understand you want the full N speeds, because you paid for that router with N capabilities, and you should get full N speeds.
However, if we cannot find the issue with the WNDR3700, I would just recommend once that you go for a cheaper N router because unless you're using a storage device (or thinking of adding one), or transferring files from one computer to another, you will NEVER reach the speeds of 300mbps (37.5 MB/s) (I don't think it's possible then, either). And for the uses you're talking about right now; which is youtube and probably downloading, websurfing, or gaming, you will never reach the full speeds of 130mbps (16.25MB/s) either.
Click to expand...

It is not the only wireless client. I have another laptop, Ipad, Nook Color, and PS3. Only the laptop seems to be having this issue. When it happens on my laptop, the other devices are still connected and can reach websites with no issues.

I do have several other wireless networks in range. I am running channel 3, while the other networks are running either 11 or 6. As I said in another post, I was connected to my old router, a WNDR3300, also wireless N, at 300 mbps with no issues what-so-ever. I got the 3700 for the USB Storage and Gigabit ethernet to my desktop.

The Comcast package I am subscribed to is Blast. My speedtest.net tests are 25 down and 3 up. This is much faster than my old DSL, 6 down and .75 up. I don't think this would be the issue, but I suppose it is possible.
I already called Comcast yesterday and they confirmed my Internet was configured correctly. The speedtest.net test is the same whether I am connected at 300mbps or 130mbps, which is surprising to me because I can definitely tell that Youtube videos load slower while I am at 130mbps.
 
That's definitely interesting. Realistically, you should not be able to notice a difference between the two modes. But you say videos load faster with 300mbps connection, so it seems that the wireless adaper on the laptop just doesn't agree with the new router. What operating system is on the laptop? The brand of the laptop?

Try deleting the settings for the old router and the new router on your laptop, and then reconnect the laptop to the router. If this doesn't work, I would probably call Netgear customer service, and see if there's a setting on the router that might be just a bit off. I'll continue to research into this and see if I can't find something that I may be missing here.
 
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dgrevillius said:
Hello all. I have a question for you all. I recently upgraded my router to a Netgear WNDR3700. Since doing this, my Wifi on my laptop has been intermittent whenever I have the card settings for "802.11n Channel Width for band 2.4" set to "Auto". When I change this setting to "20 MHz Only", I no longer have issues. The draw back is that with 20 MHz only, I can only connect to the router at 130 mbps.
When I lose the connection, I can still reach the router and cable modem configuration pages, but any other websites will not function until I restart the wireless connection.
I have installed the latest driver for the wireless card and ensured the router has the latest firmware. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Netgear had a problem at one time where the router saw streaming video incorrectly as a DOS attack and disconnect. I worked with Netgear engineers for weeks to finally prove this. They wound up sending me a Skype phone for my troubles and told me to keep the router. Just a weird incompatibility between the products and my ISP.
 
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