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Wednesday, November 5th, 2014 6:46 PM

Weak Wi-Fi? You May Be The Cause - Tips & Solutions from the AT&T Community

Learn why your home setup may be the cause of your loss of service and poor Wi-Fi

You probably think your cool, super nice desk set is great. You have your wireless printer close by, a minifridge with delicious snacks, your Amazon Echo ready for commands nearby, and maybe even some speakers to play your thinking music. Somewhere in the middle of all that tech, is your modem. It may look sweet but you may be stranging your Wi-Fi connection and even be the cause of internet drops.

The bad news, your service woes may be the result of your setup. Below you'll see some images that show a Bad Modem Environment and Proper Modem Environment.  improve your wireless experience.

 

Bad Modem Environment Can Cause: 

  • Slow wired and wireless speeds.

  • Loss of service

  • Modem resets

  • Modem Failure 

 

Electronics, speakers, surge protectors, and the location of the modem can impact speeds & service. Speakers are a major source of interference because of the magnet inside. If your environment resembles the image above, there is a chance your services are being affected. Surge protectors can also cause resets and over time, failure. Plugging the modem into a wall outlet can resolve this.

Proper Modem Environment Can:

  •  Improve Wireless Speeds

  •  Improve Wi-Fi signal distance

  •  Prevent drops of service 

I recommend:

  • Keeping the modem free and clear of electronics

  • Moving the modem off the floor and placing it on a hard surface

  • Plugging internet equipment into a wall outlet

  • Placing the modem out in the open for proper air circulation

If you need a surge protector or power strip because you need extra outlets, consider getting a surge protector rated for electronics like Isobar.

If the above does not help, use AT&T's Fix It app. You can use it on your smartphone by texting myATT to 8758 to download it. The app is a great tool and I have personally used it to troubleshoot and schedule a tech appointment for my internet service. It took me less than 5 minutes.

There is more you need to know!

Live in a two-story? The modem may work better on the second floor

Need to extend your Wi-Fi? Learn about some settings you can adjust

Is your modem on carpet? It is a shockingly bad idea.

 
ChrisZ, 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.

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Community Support

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2.7K Messages

6 years ago

Did you know the environment of the modem can affect your services? Learn what you can do to prevent this above. 

 

ChrisZ, AT&T Community Specialist 

Tutor

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10 Messages

7 years ago

This response is a nice try but my new gateway crashes whenever I use one of my slower Vista laptops. I did not have this issue with the older gateway which I exchanged for this newer faster version. I wish I had followed the golden rule "if it ain't broke don't fix it"

Contributor

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1 Message

6 years ago

I am glad I discovered the forum to take advantage of since I have been experiencing SEVERE issues with my Uverse service.

I can just about set my clock by when the service is going to go down, but the worse time is late at night, usually between 10:10 PM-11:10 PM. Once the service goes down, it is up and down like a yo-yo for hours. I try shutting down my computer, then pulling the plug on the back of the gateway. Waiting as long as 15 minutes. Then plug back into the gateway and restart my computer. 

If that does not work, I the try using the red reset button on the back of the gateway, which then also requires having to go into the wi-fi diagnostics and change my username and password back since they are not the original default settings.

After going through all of this, the service will usually stay up 5-7 hours before going down again.

Now, I did have 2 small Dell desktop speakers that were sitting directly behind the gateway up on the computer desktop shelf. Since reading the article "Bad Modem Environment" I have moved both speakers far away from the modem!

I also have a small desktop fan that sits right beside the gateway on my computer desk. I have turned it off!

I have a commercial grade surge protector that was given to me by a AT&T service tech to use in lieu of just your everyday store bought version. Since I am a big believer in having my valued electronics plugged into surge protectors and the fact that this one is a commercial grade, I think I will wait on pulling the plug from it for the time being.

If the service goes down again, I will pull the plug and try plugging directly into the wall outlet to see if that makes a difference.:-)

Teacher

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17 Messages

5 years ago

If your speed will not go above 105mbs go to Task Manager - Services and see if you have Smartbyte installed. If you do disable it. Dell puts it in their updates and Microsoft offers it on their website as a free download. The purpose of it is to channel your speed to enhance your streaming experience.  When I disabled it, my speed tripled. If you have U-Verse 300 or 1,000 Smartbyte is not needed.

Contributor

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1 Message

5 years ago

Can I move my Gateway to a more central location. My U-verse rep put in the bedroom 

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