WIFI Question

[Mr. Jelly]

Without getting into the story as to why, I have two WIFIs in my home. One I have had for some time and the other is supplied by my cable company. The older one I plug into the supplied WIFI from the cable company. Of course, the cable company WIFI is plugged into the cable line. When I route my computer through the cable company WIFI some web sites don't load well. Like Reverb. When I route my computer through my old WIFI there's no issue. Our other devices don't appear to have any issues when routed through the cable WIFI. I don't get it.

[Jamolay]

Since they come from the same cable, and therefore are the same service with different routers, it must be the router or router settings. Can you ask your cable company to upgrade the router they provide? Or can you look at its settings?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

Without getting into the story as to why, I have two WIFIs in my home. One I have had for some time and the other is supplied by my cable company. The older one I plug into the supplied WIFI from the cable company. Of course, the cable company WIFI is plugged into the cable line. When I route my computer through the cable company WIFI some web sites don't load well. Like Reverb. When I route my computer through my old WIFI there's no issue. Our other devices don't appear to have any issues when routed through the cable WIFI. I don't get it.

"don't load well" ? can you be more specific ? Do you mean slower than other websites (sometimes that is simply the amount of traffic on the servers of some popular web sites)


If that is not the case then I agree with Jamolay, it appears to be something specific to the cable company router. Now as to weather it is something you can change in settings I do not know

[Mandobart]

My cable company provides the cable modem that my router plugs in to. My wifi name, settings and specs reside on the router, though the ultimate upload/download speeds are a function of the modem and its connection.

They also provide a combination modem/router which I've never tried.

You have two "wifi's". Does that mean there are two separate modems feeding two separate routers? One modem feeding two routers? Some other hardware combo? As in all things electronic the problems can be in specific components as well as the cables connecting them. And software/firmware too.

Just like questions people have about their plugged-in guitar sound, we have to know the whole signal chain to offer meaningful suggestions.

[LAPlayer]

Have you done a speed test on your systems. If one is considerably slower than the other, some downloads may time out prior to loading. Do you have your routers firmware up to date?

[imwjl]

I'd need know more but outwardly, the two radios could create problems, you're likely creating another NAT or PAT (network and port translation) with them plugged into each other.

In just a house that could even be large you should only broadcast one wireless network. If you have more than one WiFi access point broadcasting they should be meshed but repeating can work.

Your best performance usually comes from not using what your ISP provides and getting a well regarded meshed system. You could have performance issues from congestion in the neighborhood and the frequencies you're using.

I can help more if I know what you have - brands and models.

Our (my work department) fast path for getting staff happy is usually with the Uniquiti home/SOHO Amplifi brand, and nothing is better than Meraki but that is expensive for a home user. For several years we'd suggest or place the Amplifi 3 pack but those are not WiFi version 6. If I had to buy new today I'd get their newer WiFi 6 product.

You should have some awareness of what all connects. Some home and older WiFi still needs the 2.4 radio frequency. Don't buy anything that doesn't have "band steering" if you still need to have 2.4, and don't waste time or money on repeaters in this day and age.

Check firmware updates but mostly don't operate two different networks if you don't know or have specific needs for that.

[rsay777]

Installing a Mesh system in my home has solved my Wi-Fi problems.

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by KevWind

"don't load well" ? can you be more specific ? Do you mean slower than other websites (sometimes that is simply the amount of traffic on the servers of some popular web sites)

When I bring up Reverb allot of the photos of the guitars don't load or cannot be seen. It just has a white blank space where the picture goes.

My Netgear WIFI plugs into the cable company's Arris WIFI. The Arris plugs into the cable plug in my wall.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

When I bring up Reverb allot of the photos of the guitars don't load or cannot be seen. It just has a white blank space where the picture goes.

My Netgear WIFI plugs into the cable company's Arris WIFI. The Arris plugs into the cable plug in my wall.

You need to get rid of that mess. Disable the WiFi in your ISP's device. If your Netgear - I asked for models - is reasonably suitable use it. If your ISP's device can be put in a bridge mode do that and only use your own firewall.

Your ISP's and your own device need to have latest firmware and especially knowing a lot of Netgear (and others) have been compromised by a bot net.

Images and static content from a web site not loading can also come from edge computing issues (out of your control) and the stuff people sometimes do or have for end point protection. From what you describe you have to first fix that matter of dasiychained devices that could be the issue.

[Mandobart]

Depending on component specifics, some have to be "daisychained" together.

In my case I have a cable modem that is not a router and does not broadcast wifi. If I had just a single device (desktop, gaming console or laptop) with an Ethernet port I could plug that directly into the modem. I would have an internet connection but it wouldn't be a wifi network.

Likewise my own Netgear router doesn't function as a modem. It needs a modem to access the internet. Onced connected to a router it broadcasts a wifi network that I can connect multiple devices to.

In my system, these components have to be connected.

Again, we don't know the specifics of the OP's system. If their router isn't also a modem they have to connect it to some kind of modem.

My cable company (Spectrum) is real easy to work with. I can take my old modem down to their office and swap it out with a new one for no charge.

[srick]

Originally Posted by imwjl

Our (my work department) fast path for getting staff happy is usually with the Uniquiti home/SOHO Amplifi brand, and nothing is better than Meraki but that is expensive for a home user. For several years we'd suggest or place the Amplifi 3 pack but those are not WiFi version 6. If I had to buy new today I'd get their newer WiFi 6 product.

Yes - IPv6 was at the heart of our issues too. We are using Eero Mesh Routers in the house - one upstairs and one downstrairs. Well worth the upgrade to new routers (and a new FO service (Frontier)).

[TheGITM]

After years and years of dealing with internet issues from various residential providers, I am happy to say that GoogleFiber works. I've had Comcast, Time Warner, Spectrum, etc... hell, when I started on the internet I used a dialup modem-bank service and Telnet or the ASCII-based Lynx browser... and then Mosaic when the first HTTP-based browsers began... when I started, the internet was still funded largely by the National Science Foundation and it could not be used for commercial purposes...

My how times have changed!

But GoogleFiber is fast, and easy. It's good tech, good infrastructure, and reliable service. Hopefully, I won't ever have to change again.

But to the original post, what is the need for two wireless networks? They apparently share the same internet provider service (so just one internet-side connection). Having two separate wifi routers seems unnecessary, unless it's a tenant situation where you want to provide discreet security control for each network... i.e., the tenant needs the ability to modify router setting for 'their' network separately from the main network.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by TheGITM

After years and years of dealing with internet issues from various residential providers, I am happy to say that GoogleFiber works. I've had Comcast, Time Warner, Spectrum, etc... hell, when I started on the internet I used a dialup modem-bank service and Telnet or the ASCII-based Lynx browser... and then Mosaic when the first HTTP-based browsers began... when I started, the internet was still funded largely by the National Science Foundation and it could not be used for commercial purposes...

My how times have changed!

But GoogleFiber is fast, and easy. It's good tech, good infrastructure, and reliable service. Hopefully, I won't ever have to change again.

But to the original post, what is the need for two wireless networks? They apparently share the same internet provider service (so just one internet-side connection). Having two separate wifi routers seems unnecessary, unless it's a tenant situation where you want to provide discreet security control for each network... i.e., the tenant needs the ability to modify router setting for 'their' network separately from the main network.

Don't even use two separate router/AP devices for a tenant or isolation. A new meshed system and especially better ones should have at least guest options or let you use VLANs.

Meshed and Layer 3 roaming are not the same and maybe worth knowing. Mesh is the multiple APs (wireless bridges) communicating. VLANs and layer 3 roaming is what lets one transit across the different networks and keep traffic separated. Most popular home grade stuff will not have the latter. Some sets up a separate guest and VLAN such as to keep your IoT devices separate.

[TheGITM]

Originally Posted by imwjl

Don't even use two separate router/AP devices for a tenant or isolation. A new meshed system and especially better ones should have at least guest options or let you use VLANs.

I was talking specifically where the tenant would want/need to manage their own network permissions. If they drop their router in and decide they want to open certain ports or add NATs or whatever, then it's on them. I wouldn't want to manage that for them, or give tenants access that might allow them to negatively impact others using the same physical connection.

There maybe other options, but that's likely how I'd handle it. Short of that, though, I struggle to come up with a use case for two separate network routers sharing the same hard connection in a house.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by TheGITM

There maybe other options, but that's likely how I'd handle it. Short of that, though, I struggle to come up with a use case for two separate network routers sharing the same hard connection in a house.

I can give you one.

I have an older Netgear Orbi wi-fi setup - base unit plus a satellite. It’s dual-band, but only advertises one network, so it’s impossible to direct devices that require a 2.4Ghz connection to the 2.4Ghz band. I don’t know whether it’s the particular device, or the Orbi, but a couple of devices I have which require 2.4 simply will not connect. I can play games with the Orbi to disable the 5Ghz band, and force connections that way, but if a device loses a connection for whatever reason, it’s a colossal PITA to deal with.

My cable modem has two Ethernet ports, one of which is connected to the Orbi. I connected the other one to an old, single-band Apple Airport, and set up a separate 2.4Ghz-only network. Works like a charm, and I can point the devices that refuse to connect to the Orbi at it without any issues.

Eventually I’ll buy a new WiFi 6 setup with dual bands that I can actually address individually, but for now, this works just fine.