Had weak wifi issues and finally resolved it with a wifi...

[Xenomania]

Had weak wifi issues and finally resolved it with a wifi extender. Make sure the extender has an ethernet port. Once set up run a cat cable from the extender to the blue curve box. Blue curve thinks it's connected via ethernet and all the connection issues are gone. Bonus the box operates much faster between channels and guide. Hope this helps someone. 

[mdk]

@JyL -- My issues were very slow Wifi Speed, despite I have internet 300, it's super fast when I am sitting next to the modem, but 10 feet away it, the speed will drop significantly.  Shaw had me use extenders before.

One possibility is a very-weak WiFi signal from your BlueCurve. Its WiFi "cloud" should cover most of your house, not just a radius of 10 feet.

Tell us a bit about what is outside of your home? Do you live in a MURB (Multiple Unit Residential Building), where everyone else inside the radius of a stone's throw has their own WiFi network, overlapping with yours, resulting in network interference affecting your WiFi.

HInt: download, install, and run the free version of the SPECCY software on your WiFi-capable notebook computer. In its "Network" section, it will give you a list of all the WiFi networks within range, the "channel" that each network is using, and the signal-strength of the WiFi.

> It actually shows the wifi connection is good, at full bar, but keeps on dropping on my games on iPhone.

The BlueCurve has both 2.4 Ghz and a 5.0 Ghz networks. To which network is your iPhone connected? Is the alternate connection any better/worse?

> Shaw's been telling me there is some kind of interference going on in my house.

It could be your neighbour's (or neighbours' ) WiFi that is extending into your house.

My brother used to live within 100 meters of a transmitter-tower for a local radio station. Anytime he powered-on his computer's speakers, he could hear that radio-station through the speakers. Now that is REAL interference.

Any HAM-radio enthusiasts in your neighbourhood?

[JyL]

So, my house is regular single house in Vancouver, around 2800 SF, with 3 levels, it's relatively new, just 3 years, so all the technicians said, there shouldn't be anything wrong with the cable itself, especially they all said the signal from pole to the modem is always good.  It's all residential area, no apartment within  100ft radius.

I always have a hunch Shaw can something limit the signal strength which their phone tech said no, because like some other ppl said, it always works better after you call, then back to the same old problem after a while.

I just got the newest shaw modem, with the gig internet, sadly, still experience the same problem.  what concerns me is now, with the new service, I get close to 900MB download, 100MB upload when i am close to the modem on wifi, and consistenly over 800MB on wired connection.

I did ping test on 2 computers on the upper floor at the same time for over 21 hours, no issue found with the wired connection,  with the wifi, it shows not alot, about 5 drops and some response time close to 1000, while all others around 20.  The response time with wired one, seems to all within 1ms.

And my wifi speed test, again, is about 1/10 of what I can get from near the modem,  most the time which is great speed without the drop because we are talking about almost 1 Gig at best.  But it wasn't the speed that I had issue with previously, it's the drop.

I can honestly say, the number of devices connected  always be the same.

When I called shaw about the new modem doesn't work as intended, they are trying to get me to go through the same process now, as last year.  Changed spot of the modem,  get rid of the splitter by using wifi cable box which I told all were done before, but I was told this is a new modem, so might work this time.

[JyL]

I downloaded speccy,  ran a test, it shows my wifi signal strengh is at 70, not sure if that's good, and it shows my link speed is always changing, from 0 to random number,  couple hundred bps, and sometimes KBPS, every second, not sure if hat means anything. All other network, which I don't know what they are, except I had a google nest wifi, used as booster before, had 100 in network strength.  

The Shaw wifi setting, I I used the same SSID for both 2.4 and 5G, was told this way, it will change to better connect automatically

Thanks

[mdk]

@JyL - what other WiFi devices do you have inside your home? WiFi "door-bell" camera? Wireless telephones? Baby monitor? Nanny-cam? 

If you power-off all those devices, do you get higher numbers from the Shaw Speed Test ?

On your phone, or when using SPECCY, how many different SSIDs are showing as in range?

> it always works better after you call

Does your call cause the Shaw Agent to "reset" your cable-modem/router? If so, then it will pick the "best" network at the time that it is restarting.

[JyL]

It's mainly all phones, 5 or 6, and 2 computers, no other wifi devices, camera is wired, landline is wired.  Switch, ipad, but they are not on all the time, most the time, about 6 devices connected at a time.  When I do speed test I usually do it on couple different devices at the same location, tried at the same time, and also, different time.  different location.  It appears the number of devices is not an issue, the closer I am to the modem, the higher the speed.  upload speed, funny enough, has been consistently better than download.  

When I do speed test next to modem, I get close to 100MB upload, 900MB download, but move away form it to the 3rd floor, download down to under 100MB, but upload sometimes stays at 100MB upload, at worse, 30MB.

with the Speccy, I see 6 or 7, I guess, only the Shaw SSID and my nest router has name, and I am guessing, others would be from the Pods that I had, even all the other ones shows strength of close to 60.

I noticed the last week after I switched to the new shaw modem, wifi on my phone seemed to be disconnected which with my old blue curve, it would still shows connected, but signal dropped.  

[mdk]

@JyL --  I am guessing, others would be from the Pods that I had

No. SPECCY only lists the wireless-access points, not the "clients" (WiFi devices) that are connected to those access-points.

Each SSID is a different neighbour to you (next house, or your neighbours in the same condo/apartment block).

[mdk]

@JyL -- When I do speed test next to modem, I get close to 100MB upload, 900MB download,

That is what you should get with either an Ethernet cable, or a "modern" WiFi device that is using the "Wireless AC" protocol -- a device using the older "Wireless N" protocol will probably download at 150 (single-channel) or 300 (dual-channel).

> but move away from it to the 3rd floor, download down to under 100MB, but upload sometimes stays at 100MB upload, at worse, 30MB.

Such is the nature of the WiFi "cloud" -- strongest in a circle on the same floor as your modem, but lesser signal-strength when "up" a floor, and especially weaker when "vertically-above" the cable-modem.

[rickatk]

---

@mdk wrote:

@JyL -- My issues were very slow Wifi Speed, despite I have internet 300, it's super fast when I am sitting next to the modem, but 10 feet away it, the speed will drop significantly.  Shaw had me use extenders before.

One possibility is a very-weak WiFi signal from your BlueCurve. Its WiFi "cloud" should cover most of your house, not just a radius of 10 feet.

Tell us a bit about what is outside of your home? Do you live in a MURB (Multiple Unit Residential Building), where everyone else inside the radius of a stone's throw has their own WiFi network, overlapping with yours, resulting in network interference affecting your WiFi.

HInt: download, install, and run the free version of the SPECCY software on your WiFi-capable notebook computer. In its "Network" section, it will give you a list of all the WiFi networks within range, the "channel" that each network is using, and the signal-strength of the WiFi.

> It actually shows the wifi connection is good, at full bar, but keeps on dropping on my games on iPhone.

The BlueCurve has both 2.4 Ghz and a 5.0 Ghz networks. To which network is your iPhone connected? Is the alternate connection any better/worse?

> Shaw's been telling me there is some kind of interference going on in my house.

It could be your neighbour's (or neighbours' ) WiFi that is extending into your house.

My brother used to live within 100 meters of a transmitter-tower for a local radio station. Anytime he powered-on his computer's speakers, he could hear that radio-station through the speakers. Now that is REAL interference.

Any HAM-radio enthusiasts in your neighbourhood?

---

WiFi sweet spots is another app that might assist you with evaluating wifi coverage.

[mdk]

@JyL -- it shows my link speed is always changing, from 0 to random number,  couple hundred bps, and sometimes KBPS, every second

That probably is the "instantaneous" speed, not the "maximum" speed.

My desktop sees "chatter" (0 to 10 Kbps) on the LAN, even when my computer is otherwise idle.

The WiFi "cloud" emitted by your cable-modem can be weak on your 3rd floor:

and, as above, at the right-hand end of the 2nd floor.

A Shaw WiFi "pod", placed near the centre of the 2nd floor should greatly help, on the 2nd and 3rd floors.