Need help with your equipment?
ATTU-verseCare's profile
Community Support

Community Support

 • 

6.7K Messages

Monday, August 10th, 2015 7:57 PM

Having Trouble With Your Internet or Wi-Fi? (Wi-Fi 101)

If you have blinking red lights on your router, please visit our Blinking Red Broadband article for more troubleshooting steps.

 

If you stream or download, check out our Streaming Support article for tips to improve performance. 

 

It’s important to identify potential issues that may be causing your Wi-Fi to be slow and intermittent. Here are some simple suggestions to consider when you run into issues with your Wi-Fi:

  • Are there other electronic devices near your router?
    • Provide at least 3’ of separation from other electronics and appliances for less interference.
  • How is your router connected to the power source? Is it connected to a power-strip, directly to the wall outlet, a battery back-up unit, a GFCI outlet…?
    • Plug your router directly to a non-GFCI wall outlet to help isolate potential power issues.
  • Where is the router located in home? Is it in the basement, a cabinet, on the floor…?
    • Place the router in an open space so it can stay cool. Be sure to keep the router elevated off the ground.


You may need to Factory Reset your router after making changes to the environment. Find out more information on How to Restart and Factory Reset your Router here.

  

If still having issues after arranging your router environment, you may need to run a Speed Test to determine whether the issue is with your wireless environment or your equipment connection.

  • It’s common to assume that your Wi-Fi and Wired (Ethernet) speeds would be equal, but because wired connections are less prone to interference, the wired speeds will always be the more stable and reliable internet connection.

This test measures the speed between your computer and the internet and can help determine if you should take steps to improve performance.

 

Test your internet speed with only one wired device connected to your router to establish the baseline internet speed. Is the speed test result in line with your subscribed service?

  • If yes, then test the speed with only 1 device connected to the router wirelessly (Wi-Fi). If there is a big difference, then wireless connection is the issue. Proceed to section 3.
  • If no, and your hard wired is either as slow as the wireless connection, or isn’t in line with your subscribed service, then you can proceed to login to the myAT&T app to further diagnose the issue using the Fix it now! Support tools.

Go here for more information about How to check your Internet Speed or Visit att.com/speedtest to run your speed test today. For more information about internet latency, check out this article on Understanding Ping and Traceroute

 

After going through resets/speed test, if Wi-Fi has been identified as the issue, you may want to consider changing your Wi-Fi channel. Get more information on How to change your Wi-Fi channel on an NVG and on a 2Wire/Pace gateway. 

  • Wi-Fi can be broadcasted on different channels and issues may occur when everyone is on or near the same channel. By changing the Wi-Fi channel you will help reduce the interference from other networks in range (e.g. neighbor’s Wi-Fi).
  • You may need to do some trial and error to find a good Wi-Fi channel, since it depends on how congested a channel is and how much electromagnetic noise there is for the local area.

 

Thanks

ATTJohnCS, AT&T Community Specialist

*I am an AT&T employee, and the postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent AT&T's position, strategies or opinions.

Still need help? Ask a question! Our 1.4 million members typically respond within 1 hour.

3 Attachments

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

8 years ago

I had to move my TV to childproof my home.  I had to add extensions to my Data cable, Ethernet & coaxil.  Is the data plug a different size than the ethernet plug?  The guys at the store gave me the same cables for the ethernet & data. Is this right?  The data ia a gray wire that has a CAT 5E, and the blue ethernet is a CAT 5e.  is there a difference?

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

8 years ago

CAT 5E is the same as CAT 5e. Ethernet is the same as data, so no issues there.  Coax is the only odd one.

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

8 years ago

Give ATT a call at 1-800-288-2020. Just tell their version of A.I. that you need to talk to their tech. folks to do a qualitiy line test of your internet line only. My issue was dropped packets. If it fails then you need a line/wire person to check your outside wires. Outside chance it could be the Giga modem. It may take awihle to pin point the wire issues, which they did, with my uverse service.

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

8 years ago

I just move to a new location and brought my service with me.  I didn't have any issues at my old location as far as internet.  Now I have had a tech out 2x plus an extender put in and I still have issues with websites not downloading or not downloading all the way.  This happens in areas where the speed was checked and it was fast.  Getting rather frustrated with this service.....any other ideas may help.  Channel has been changed and 2.4 and 5.0 were split up too still acts like I am on dial up at times.

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

8 years ago

I have a business with multiple connections 2 of 3 are working and connected to Internet, my main register is not connecting to Internet. I am getting green lights on AT&T u-verse box. We have checked all connections. Could my access port be bad? If so, How do I get a new box, ASAP,.

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

8 years ago

Khemberl *****
Acct#[edited for privacy-please do not post personal or unique information such as but not limited to full names, employee ID numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, etc.]
I work from home, and I can't do that because my internet is dropping out. I am not wireless but wired. I called yesterday and they remotely restarted my modem. That help for last night, but this morning when I tried to work, the same thing happen again. I would like credit for the days of my service not working. I need to my internet to work. I will lose my job if its not. This is not the first time either. I had to have a tec come out in July just to fix my internet because they were working on putting down new fiber lines. Before that I never really had this problem.

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

8 years ago

So kind of you!!! Thanks for sharing!!! This trick is helpful to me!

Contributor

 • 

3 Messages

8 years ago

on and off all day yesterday i've been having connection problems. but it only lasts for a few mintues then it works again. no red light and if i do get a red light about 15 seconds or so it turns green. and i think my dad said that the internet is acting up this morning as well. so can anyone tell me what is going on? it has never done this before. so what is wrong? is it nothing? is it interfence from a outside source?

Expert

 • 

20.4K Messages

8 years ago

@Auron8756   Have you seen my post about disabling IPv6, that causes disconects and rebooting in all Uverse RGs?

 

In post 9 above:

https://forums.att.com/t5/Troubleshoot-Internet-Service/Having-Trouble-With-Your-Internet-or-Wi-Fi-Wi-Fi-101/m-p/4855708#M10871

😉

 

Chris
__________________________________________________________

Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? PM ATT Uverse Care (all service problems)
ATT Customer Care(billing and all other problems)
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

Contributor

 • 

2 Messages

8 years ago

I am having some sort of connectivity issue with my wireless router. The on-the-phone technicians cannot find the source of the problem and have sent a replacement. Thank you for your promptness on that... Please tell the manufacturers and distribution centers to either send a modem that is either the same size as the one I have or smaller. The one sent to me is twice as big and does not fit in the area I have my old one.

 

I have a technician coming out soon to see about "placing" the modem in a different location. I DO NOT WANT THAT! I WANT TO KEEP IT RIGHT WHERE IT IS!

Not finding what you're looking for?
New to AT&T Community?
New to the AT&T Community? Start by visiting the Community How-To.
New to the AT&T Community?
Visit the Community How-To.