Author Topic: BT wifi router appears periodically to ignore wireless users to look for broadba  (Read 5588 times)

Gravitino

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I am trying to set up a configuration using an Asus Windows 10 laptop, Acer Android tablets and a BT wifi router.

Wireless communications work fine for a while, perhaps 20 minutes, and then the router goes through a phase where it neglects the tablets -- to the extent of disconnecting them.

I believe that at this point the router is having one of its periodic phases of looking for a broadband connection.  This isn't there, because I am running the configuration totally disconnected from the Internet.

Is there some parameter within the BT Router, perhaps reached through administrator access, to tell the router not to look for the broadband connection?

johng

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I assume you do mean that the wifi connection from the tablet to the router actually drops out (as opposed to losing communication between the tablet and the PC but with the tablet remaining connected to the router) ?

I'm not familiar with the BT router so can only suggest a few things to consider:

- does the disconnection occur while the tablet is asleep (i.e. screen off). Some android devices will by default disconnect automatically from wifi while the screen is off in order to conserve power. This behaviour can be changed through the Settings menu. Look in Wfi Settings/Advanced, there should be an option called something like "Keep Wifi On During Sleep"

- There are threads on google where people are reporting wifi disconnection problems with BT routers. I don't know if they are the same model of router as yours. This is an example: https://www.avforums.com/threads/bt-wifi-constantly-dropping-out.2057097/ . One suggestion I've seen is to disable something called "Smart Scan" on the router - I think this is a faeature whereby the router periodically searches available wifi channels to find the one with the least interference from other routers nearby. Alternatively, if the wireless router has been configured to use a particular wifi channel try a different one to see if it works better. There are various free apps for android, such as Wifi Analyzer, which will show you which wireless networks are active nearby and which channels they use.

- is there a firmware update available for your router (maybe you can't apply these yourself with a BT router).

- Try a different router if you can to see if that fixes the problem. At the very least it should indicate whether the problem is with the router or the tablets.

John

Gravitino

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John

Many thanks for these suggestions.  I've had another go at home today trying to sort out this connection problem, and I believe I can get 15-16 of my 17 android handsets connected into BridgePal.  Of course there's a big difference between this safe environment and having the devices work for 3 hours at the club.

I now have my BT Router -- a Home Hub 3.0 -- set to channel 8.

There is talk on some BT fora of there being a maximum number of wireless devices attachable to a HH3.  I have done a factory reset of the HH3, as one forum recommended.  Still one of the devices doesn't want to get to the BridgePal 'Start' button.  I'll have to check that it is OK connecting normally to the Internet.

All I have at home are discarded BT routers. I'm a little reluctant to splash out on a new router for the club, although there is some evidence of problems with BT routers.  Are you aware of any other BridgePal club using a BT router?

johng

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None of our clubs have hit a limit on the number of connected devices. At Chislehurst we have had as many as 22 devices in use. St Julians regularly have 18 at club sessions and I believe they have previously done a successful test with 22 devices.

Sometimes router vendors state that their product will support a certain number of connected devices, e.g. 10, but I think this is probably based on the throughput that the router can support rather than being a hard limit. The BridgePal application does not put a heavy load on the network so router throughput should not be a limitation.

I found this thread questioning number of devices that can be connected to a Home Hub 3.0, the consensus there seems to be that there isn't a low limit - https://community.bt.com/t5/Connected-Devices-Other/How-many-devices-can-home-hub-3-support/td-p/1515620

I don't know if any of our clubs are using a BT router, but except in a few cases I don't know which router they are using. I know that St Julians and Otford clubs use a TalkTalk router. I haven't heard of any club having wireless connection problems.

You mention that you are now able to connect all but one of your devices but what did you change in order to get them working - was it just a case of changing the wireless channel ? Are all of your devices the same type ? Does the device which is having problems connect if you power the other devices off and reboot the router ? I have very occasionally seen a problem where a device appears to be connected to the router but cannot communicate with the PC, even though it receives broadcast messages (as evidenced by the "Find BridgePal Server" function in the app). I have been able to fix this by setting wifi "off" and then "on" again in the device settings.

Is it possible someone else in the club has a spare router that they wouldn't mind donating to the cause ? Quite often, when people change ISPs, they acquire a new router from the ISP and don't have to return the old one. Alternatively, you may be able to pick one up on eBay quite cheaply.

John



« Last Edit: November 20, 2017, 10:25:32 by johng »

Mirna

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I have tried to put some info on club equipment here http://mirgo2.co.uk/bridgepal_forum/index.php?topic=36.0- not necessarily up-to-date and complete. It mentions some routers.

Reg Hull

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Not 100% sure I understand which connection is dropping out.
But as part of the elimination process have you tried hard wiring the connection between the router and the PC. This will eliminate any wi fi connectivity issues between these 2 devices. If there is still a connection issue then it's between the tablet and the router.
I am not an expert on routers but do know some of them can be a bit tricky and that some companies semi lock down their routers. I remember one off the clubs had a sky router that had it's own nuances.
I have 3 routers I can use.
A Netgear one I purchased for £40
An old Belkin one that I have had 10+ years. This is my back up.
Both of these run fine using 12 devices
The hall router which is my ultimate back up and the one I connect to at the end of the evening to post the results.
They are all different makes and configuration so I think you have been a little unlucky with the BT router.

JohnB

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My IT son tells me that the routers provided by ISPs - BT etc are not really designed to do the job required. They are set up in such a way that they work optimally with a small number of wifi connections as you would have in a domestic situation.

Generic routers on the other hand are capable of handling lots of connections.

We had problems with BT routers several years ago and since switching to a cheap generic router have had no further problems.