I've had a Linksys router hooked to Road Runner cable for about three years now. Lately, my signal strength has been getting worse and worse. I've had Time Warner check the signal to the modem and they say it's good. Sometimes I get "excellent" strength, then it goes to "low." Now, I'm not much of a techie. My Linksys router is broadcasting without security (ya, I know this is dangerous, and I'm going to try and fix this asap - when I set up the system I had no idea how to do this.) Is their anyway I can tell if one of my neighbors is tapping into my internet? I assume this could be a reason why my signal is gong from excellent to low in a matter of minutes.
could be, running a free internet access point is dangerous, you could open yourself to liability if somebody spams using your modem or trades child porn using your modem. RTFM and turn on the security asap. Then see what happens to your signal strength.
My Linksys has been dropping connectivity lately too, but my DSL modem shows a consistent signal, so I'm thinking something is going on with the router. I couldn't find a firmware upgrade on the Linksys site. Hm. If you go into the router's web interface (many of them are at 192.168.1.1 by default) you can look at the DHCP table to see if there are any other machines riding your signal. You can also set the wireless to only allow x number of connections, or filter by MAC address. I suggest enabling WEP as well since this is easy and provides some security, certainly against the average user. I would like to know if you discover anything else with the Linksys issue. I am still looking into it myself.
I was going to suggest the 2.4Ghz phone also. All the new wireless phones are more likely to cause interfence. What else is between your router and your computer? Do you have problems if you're plugged in to the router?
router and modem are right next to each other. They're located in an armoire, on the shelf under a t.v. Squirrels are a distinct possibility! Thanks for the advice - I'll check the phone issue as well.
waldo is correct. The signal strength sign you get from your router has nothing to do with your connection to the cable modem or the number of users on the network. What you are most likely experiencing is interferance with your signal. The single worst culprit for wireless networks is 2.4ghz phones. If you have one, throw it in the trash and never speak of it again. If your neighbor/roomate has one, offer to buy them a new phone.
