losing wireless at 8pm

[Mr 672A]

my kids have been telling me that around 8pm every night give or take a few minutes wireless throughout our house becomes nonexistent. looking at our modem, all is ok. turning on the main desktop computer which is hard wired is 100% spot on and working correctly. now the big million dollar question is what is wiping our wireless out during this period? any clues?

[lsemmens]

I wonder if a neighbour has something that gets turned on at about that time every night that is generating some huge RF interference. How long is it out for? Does it come back by itself or must you re-start the modem? Another thought, you haven't got a setting turned on in the modem which automatically shuts down WIFI at set times?

[Mr 672A]

I wonder if a neighbour has something that gets turned on at about that time every night that is generating some huge RF interference. How long is it out for? Does it come back by itself or must you re-start the modem? Another thought, you haven't got a setting turned on in the modem which automatically shuts down WIFI at set times?

It goes out anything from 30 seconds to 15 minutes and it clears itself most of the time without re booting the Modem.
As for the WiFi shutting down via timed settings. Yes I have the WiFi set to be shut off between 9pm till 6 am to stop my game addicted son from playing wireless games in his room (has a separate Games room) but at the same time this problem was there before I introduced the Wi Fi shut down period.

[mtv]

It's likely something in your house or neighbours is causing either RF or electrical interference affecting the modem.

If it's a 2.4GHz modem.... bluetooth, wireless cameras, baby monitors, wireless AV senders, wireless alarms, etc all share the band and can be potential culprits.

Do you have a smart power meter that perhaps may switch something around that time?

Lots of other electrical appliances, electric motors, ignition systems etc can also cause interference.

[hoe]

Does it still do it if you disable wireless encryption ?

[porkop]

run a wireless spectrum scanner like netstumbler to see if there is another "huge" signal that is seen on the spectrum of a receiving computer.

[gordon_s1942]

I was wondering if you have or others have one of these new 'SMART' electricity meters and thats when they switch on to 'Call Home' !!!
But other than doing as Porkop suggests, I doubt you'll find where the interference is coming from.

[Mr 672A]

Do you have a smart power meter that perhaps may switch something around that time?

Lots of other electrical appliances, electric motors, ignition systems etc can also cause interference.

Yes I suspect the smart meter could be the culprit as the modem is only 3M away from it but the trouble is my houses if full of 2.4ghz stuff. later this week I will be shutting everything down and will see if this problem is coming from inside/outside or our neighbours.

[Mr 672A]

Does it still do it if you disable wireless encryption ?

Yes

[Mr 672A]

I doubt you'll find where the interference is coming from.

Not without the correct equipment.

[Gitch]

Have you tried changing channel on the modem?

[Mr 672A]

Have you tried changing channel on the modem?

NO.
Just checked my channel is set at AUTO. Manual setting are from 01 to 13.
Question!.
When set at auto does the channel change every time you re boot your modem or does it stay on one only "EG" Channel 1

[tristen]

It seems logical to assume that it would check each channel in turn until it found one which wasn't already in use by a nearby device.

I always set a channel manually as I like to know what channel the router/access point is using.

But...I also use a program such as Netstumbler (Windows) or Kismet (requires Linux) to check what other nearby wireless activity is taking place as an aid in my choice of channel.

[lsemmens]

It might be worth just setting channels manually for a few days to see if you can find an improvement.

[Mr 672A]

It might be worth just setting channels manually for a few days to see if you can find an improvement.

Yes will test starting today.
I'm in the process of installing PRTG on my back up computer.

[Mr 672A]

It seems logical to assume that it would check each channel in turn until it found one which wasn't already in use by a nearby device.

I always set a channel manually as I like to know what channel the router/access point is using.

But...I also use a program such as Netstumbler (Windows) or Kismet (requires Linux) to check what other nearby wireless activity is taking place as an aid in my choice of channel.

Tried to install PRTG but a message came up as soon as I tried to unzipp it saying it was corrupted or something like that.

[ol' boy]

my kids have been telling me that around 8pm every night give or take a few minutes wireless throughout our house becomes nonexistent. looking at our modem, all is ok. turning on the main desktop computer which is hard wired is 100% spot on and working correctly. now the big million dollar question is what is wiping our wireless out during this period? any clues?

Swap out the Wireless Access Point and see if things change.
Simple, Quick process of elimination Shouldn't take more than 3minutes

[Mr 672A]

Tried to install PRTG but a message came up as soon as I tried to unzipp it saying it was corrupted or something like that.

Downloaded Netstumblerinstaller from CNET installed it but nothing is there not even in add and remove program. Trouble is I said NO to all the CRAP it wanted to install in my computer.

[Mr 672A]

Swap out the Wireless Access Point and see if things change.
Simple, Quick process of elimination Shouldn't take more than 3minutes

3 minutes its more like 3 hours in my complicated house including a complicated computer room. The trouble is the power pack is cable tied in with 50 cable ties with all the other cables that feed 3 computers, Sat cables and other.
I will try changing channels first and if that fails I will have no choice but to temporary remove it and test it on another phone socket on the other side of the house and if that fixes it I will have to scratch my head and mount it elsewhere but the re-wiring of all the cat 5 and 6 cables to the router will put me off doing this.
I will be testing another modem this weekend (billion 7800NXL) borrowed by a friend to see what happens using another modem

[Mr 672A]

Downloaded Netstumblerinstaller from CNET installed it but nothing is there not even in add and remove program. Trouble is I said NO to all the CRAP it wanted to install in my computer.

Installed it this time still without all the crap. Hummmmm its saying " NO WIRELESS ADAPTER FOUND" ... In Devices its ticked to use any suitable device. Any other clues what needs to be set to get this proggy to work.