Home network issues

[pb1300]

Good morning/afternoon

I live in Greece, and am with a company called Cosmote. For the past month or so, Ive been having issues with my home network. I thought maybe it was the router. I got the router swapped for a new one, which is a new model from the phone company. I keep getting my connections frozen, or slowed down to the extreme, for a few seconds, then it would go back to normal. I spoke to the tech support, and one person told me that it could be the switch that I am using with my TV, PS5, etc., but Ive never heard of the switch messing with my wifi. The switch is a few months old, and I like I said, I wasnt having this problem around a month a so ago.

I thought maybe Id run new ethernet wires to that switch, which I will do regardless, but again, I dont think that is the issue. It seems that something is bottling up my network. Sometimes, I would be on my ipad, and my iphone would not work on the network, so I forgot the network, and re-added it. After I would do that, I would lose the network on my iPad.

I created a 2nd 2.4GHz network just for the door sensors and LED adaptors, made the names all hidden, and changed the passwords, but I am still getting this pause in my network throughout the day.

BTW...my network is 100/10. I usually get 95-100/10 wired, around 93/10 wireless, but only on the 5GHz channel. On the 2.4GHz channel, I get 40/10 max.

Someone suggested to me that I just get a wifi router, and turn off the wifi on the modem/router I have now. But that seems like a bandaid rather than a cure. Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on the matter? Its driving me crazy. And its impossible to talk to the tech support of the phone company, because I know more than most of them there, unfortunately.

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the forums @pb1300.

If you're using hidden SSIDs, that may be an issue for some devices. There are no benefits to hidden SSIDs today, disable that setting.

Have you tried using port 1 on the router, going to the switch?

Can you just disconnect the switch to test if WiFi is affected by it? When was the last time you hard rebooted the switch? (Hard reboot: physically remove the power plug from both the switch and the wall outlet and let it sit there for at least 10 minutes before you plug everything back in). I don't believe this is the issue, but it may be.

Cosmote seems to be a mobile provider. Is the modem 'feed' via LTE? Or is it cable/Fibre? You may need to get a Cosmote tech out to your place to check all aspects of their installation work. Particularly if the pauses you're experiencing happen on both wired and wireless devices.

Getting your own WiFi router isn't a workaround. It effectively isolates your network from your ISP. Right now, they can see everything you connect to their router and may be using that information in ways you may not like or agree with.

 

[pb1300]

Welcome to the forums @pb1300.

If you're using hidden SSIDs, that may be an issue for some devices. There are no benefits to hidden SSIDs today, disable that setting.

Have you tried using port 1 on the router, going to the switch?

Can you just disconnect the switch to test if WiFi is affected by it? When was the last time you hard rebooted the switch? (Hard reboot: physically remove the power plug from both the switch and the wall outlet and let it sit there for at least 10 minutes before you plug everything back in). I don't believe this is the issue, but it may be.

Cosmote seems to be a mobile provider. Is the modem 'feed' via LTE? Or is it cable/Fibre? You may need to get a Cosmote tech out to your place to check all aspects of their installation work. Particularly if the pauses you're experiencing happen on both wired and wireless devices.

Getting your own WiFi router isn't a workaround. It effectively isolates your network from your ISP. Right now, they can see everything you connect to their router and may be using that information in ways you may not like or agree with.

Cosmote is all in one now. Home and mobile. Its a VDSL line. Fiber is available, just not here yet. The companies junction box is right across the street from my building, but they need to dig and pull the fiber across the street, then do work in the building, and they need a few people to want it, in order to do that.

So I disconnected the ethernet cable, and everything seems to be running more normal. This page would take a minute to reload at times when the ethernet cable to the switch was connected, but once I disconnected it, the page refreshed immediately. The switch is a basic D-Link 4 port 1000/100 one. Ive only had it like six months. So maybe that is the problem? Maybe the ISPs modem/router cant handle the power? Just a thought. If that seems to be the problem, then I will just run two ethernet cables from the modem/router, to where the switch is now. Ill use those two cables to connect to my Apple TV and PS5, and just run the other two devices off the wifi.

Also, the sensors on the door are Sonoff door sensors. They work off the wifi, are bluetooth, and do not require a hub. Id get a notification almost instantly on my iphone or watch when a door was opened or closed. Sometimes, that notification was delayed by a few seconds, and once in a while, I would get it minutes later. Once I removed the ethernet cable, I tried opening and closing doors, and Im getting the notifications instantly.

Ill disable the settings on the hidden networks too, since its of no importance.

 

[L&LD]

You may want to see what a new cable to your switch does too, before running two cables directly to your devices.

Be sure you also test fully powering it down too, to test with the existing cable, and with the new ones (power down each time).

 

[pb1300]

You may want to see what a new cable to your switch does too, before running two cables directly to your devices.

Be sure you also test fully powering it down too, to test with the existing cable, and with the new ones (power down each time).

I ran a new ethernet to the switch, and started playing a music app on my Apple TV. After a few minutes, I was getting the intermitting freezes. I ran the ethernet directly to the Apple TV, and its been running perfect so far.

What I also saw was that I had one of the ethernet extenders on the ethernet wire running from my TV to the switch, since the ethernet I had from the tv wasnt long enough. Maybe that is the problem as well. I havent tested it yet because Im trying to get some painting done before the end of day, but I would like to think that the problem is either the switch, or one of the ethernet cables going to my apple tv, ps5, tv, or cable box. Do you concur doctor?

Thanks for the welcome to the forum BTW.

 

[L&LD]

Yes, test with a good/known cable without that Ethernet extender in place too.

Remember to always start at the simplest and most basic steps first. Do not assume or take anything for granted. Until it's tested, it's suspect.

Hope you enjoy your stay.