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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : WiFi keeps dropping out since last Windoze update....
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
OK, I have received my WiFi AP, and have set it up in client mode, so that it basically acts as a wireless Ethernet cable back to the WiFi router, and that is all on-line and working. I have DISABLED the internal WiFi adaptor, that Windoze or the hardware itself, keeps switching off every hour, requiring a full reboot to get it going. I am inclined to beleive it is a Windoze issue, as if it was the hardware that was failing, one would expect the failures to become more and more frequent till the hardware failed totally, but this issue happens every hour or so - so much so, it is now highly predictable within about a minute or so, of when I EXPECT the WiFi to drop off, which to me, seems more like a Windoze issue. Anyway, the external AP should prove it or fix it one way or the other. I'll let the thread know if the internet is still on when I get back from doing some jobs I'm away to now. Hope, hope....  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
Everything working fine when I got back - no more having to reboot to get the damn net back. I still would have liked to know what the hell was going on there, but the external AP has fixed it, so.....onward. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| JohnS Guru  Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 4006 |
What did you buy, please? John |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
TP-Link 2GHz/5GHz AP, model # TL-WA1201 LINK to my NZ supplier..... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 4006 |
Thanks, John |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
I don't think you would need that EXACT make and model. Pretty much any AP these days will work as an AP, a range-extender, or a client like I have set this one up as. And yes....still connected overnight, so this is my workaround for the problem. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: Australia Posts: 2946 |
Hi Grogster, All, I would still be interested in how it would go with a different wifi dongle (as opposed to the AP) Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
Fair comment. I might order one and see - they are cheap enough and much smaller then an AP. If I do end up doing that, I'll update the thread. EDIT: TP-LINK USB2 Network adaptors are only twenty bucks! Edited 2025-05-08 09:28 by Grogster Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
OK, I put a USB2 dongle thing on, and removed the AP. It's a TP-LINK 150Mbps unit I found in my workshop. (same as the one I mentioned above) I will use it for a day or so, and see if it stays alive. If it does, I will buy a faster unit, cos this one is up to 150Mbps, which is slow for downloading large files etc. The next move is Windoze'zzzzz.... Edited 2025-05-08 16:20 by Grogster Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
The external USB2 network dongle seems to be stable and does NOT seem to drop off. I have ordered a USB3 dual-band dongle, which will give me a bit more speed. LINK. I wonder what was going on with the original WiFi? I wonder if it WAS a Windoze issue, or some odd hardware issue? But....if it was a hardware issue, surely it would not drop-off predictably every hour....    Edited 2025-05-08 17:35 by Grogster Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
Just a final update for this thread, perhaps. WiFi USB2 dongle stayed online overnight, so that seems to be the best fix, and much smaller then an external AP - you were onto something there, Mick! Unfortunately, that means I now have a spare brand-new AP, but I can probably on-sell it somewhere to somebody at some stage.  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: Australia Posts: 2946 |
Hi Grogster, As I suspected, I believe that the new updates have changed the way that it handles your inbuilt WiFi device. There may be an obscure setting in properties of device manager, like sleep after x seconds. but the easiest fix is to buy a decent speed dongle and plug it in. Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
Thanks again, Mick.   You were indeed onto something there. I have just bought a new dual-band WiFi USB3 dongle with much faster performance, so I will plop that in and see how I get on. It's another TP-LINK product(AC1300) - I like them. I've always found them easy to setup and get going. YMMV..... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
UPDATE: This is interesting. Perhaps I misjudged Windoze on this one.... I found out that - after I logged into my new modem(which I had not done before), that BOTH the 2.4GHz AND the 5GHz WiFi networks.....had the same SSID. That is not a good thing, and would have generated all kinds of merry-hell.  I have specifically set the 5GHz WiFi with a unique name, and moved my main PC and my phone etc, to THAT band, while leaving the TV in the lounge and other stuff on thge 2.4GHz band. Things seem to be running MUCH better now, and I am even toying with the idea of removing the WiFi USB dongle, re-enabling the curently disabled internal WiFi, and then connecting using the 5GHz band to see what happens. What on Earth, would have a manufacturer have BOTH the 2GHz AND the 5GHz WiFi bands.....use the same SSID?!?!?!!!! I mean.....REALLY?   Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
Having done this, the speed-tests are now off the charts(good), as you might expect with 5GHz WiFi. Wow. Interesting factory default configuration - having BOTH bands have the same SSID.. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| ville56 Senior Member  Joined: 08/06/2022 Location: Austria Posts: 220 |
Hi Grogster, nowadays it is quite usual to have the same SSID for both bands as the clients can switch bands based on the current RF situation, eg when roaming in a building. A prerequisite is, of course, that the router/repeater/accesspoints can handle that switching between bands and does not treat them as individual SSIDs. This is why I usually buy all this network appliances from one manufacturer (AVM in my case) as this gives the best interoperability. Edited 2025-05-15 04:45 by ville56 73 de OE1HGA, Gerald |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9505 |
One would think that that would be a recipie for THIS kind of mess IMHO, but then, what do I know and everyone's a critic!  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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