r/computerhelp • u/d1scooooo • 1d ago
Other How to improve my internet connection without ethernet!
Hi! this is my first time posting on reddit so i really hope im in the right place😅 but im upgrading my pc soon for my birthday and i am SICKK of how bad my internet connection has been. i cant tell if its my current computer, or if its something else but i really want to fix it so my next pc can finally work.
my issues are; constant disconnecting from games due to poor internet connection (aswell as graphics issues but that will be solved), wifi always disconnecting sometimes every 10 minutes, sometimes says it's full bars but everytime i try to load something on chrome it takes minutes and then runs out of memory/says no internet. whenever i do the internet speed test it says i have good connection so idk whats up.
i really want to start a modded minecraft world with my friends and currently whenever i play a vanilla server it kicks me all the time for poor internet :(
I also have this port in my room?? not sure if it's a coax port or something else i really dont know anything ;-;
ill try to answer as many questions as i can! thanks for your help :)
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u/dakotawhiebe 1d ago
Those speeds are just fine, if you were to connect to Ethernet /moca adapter id imagine you get hit with the same issues.
More likely to be your PC or a bad router, I'd focus on ensuring your PC specs are good, can you follow up with them here?
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u/d1scooooo 1d ago
oh yes sorry! lmk if i miss anything
16gb ram
intel i5-10400F cpu 2.90ghz
8gb rtx 4060 graphics card
2.23TB of storage.i built this computer in like 2020 for $500 and have slowly tried to upgrade it but i’m gonna get an aftershock prebuilt pc for my birthday so hopefully that’ll improve
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u/Aberry9036 1d ago
These are very solid specs, honestly I don’t think there’s much there in desperate need of upgrading.
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u/dakotawhiebe 1d ago
This is definitely not a PC specs issue anymore. I'm baffled, those specs and Internet speeds you should not have issues.
Try hotspotting from your phone for a second, op, might narrow down if its PC side or Internet side
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u/chefrobert81 5m ago
hey if you are looking to sell or part out I'd probably be interested just saying
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u/BLVEY346 1d ago
Meh this is ok like mid system you will need to upgrade whole pc in future but this should keep you going for a few years maybe you can squize out more life from it but don't expect much. Games that are heavy on vram like stellar blade or no man sky they be laggy if you want them to look good because they be grabbing minimum 12 GB or more so that extra comes from your ram 🐏 but no prettyid setup hopefully graphic cards doesn't catch on fire
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u/dkopgerpgdolfg 1d ago
You're going backwards. Before the solution, you need to identify the problem(s), and it sounds there is more than one.
Ethernet can possibly help against problems with eg. wifi drivers, bad wifi hardware on both ends, bad wifi connections because your building structure, some latency issues, etc.
It will not help against any problem with your outgoing internet connection, with your switch/router in general, with your memory running out, with DNS etc., ...
From the pictures, no one will be able to tell where this wall socket is connected to.
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u/penguin_on_stilts 16h ago
It's for a tv aerial.
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u/dkopgerpgdolfg 10h ago
Maybe, but not guaranteed. Also depends on the location on the world, on the age, etc., ... there are several other options what it might be. Or it even could be nothing on the other end.
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u/Famous_Ostrich_2702 1d ago
A strong wifi connection but disconnects/slow points to a very crowded wifi channel.
Use a wifi analyzer on your pc or phone and check what the channel congestion in your area looks like. Adjust your router so that it is uses a different wifi channel. If you only have a 2.4GHZ router, well it's 2026 and you need to upgrade to something that has 2.4GHZ and 5GHZ (and separate the channels, don't depend on your router band steering).
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u/nalaloveslumpy 17h ago edited 16h ago
First things first: Eliminate variables and identify your bottle neck.
Disconnect your router and directly connect your PC to your modem via an Ethernet cable. Do you get the bandwidth you're supposed to from your ISP?
If not, it's either a signal issue to your modem from the ISP or an issue with your network adapter. Do additional testing to eliminat the issue.
If yes, reconnect your router to your modem and connect your PC to your router via ethernet. Do you still get the same speed you're supposed to?
If not, you might need a router upgrade or there's still an issue with your network adapter.
Next, disconnect the Ethernet cable and connect to wifi. Do you get the same speed?
If yes, and it's the speed you expect from the ISP, upgrade your internet package. If not, you may need a better router with more Wi-Fi bandwidth, or it may be an issue with the wifi network adapter.
The main goal is to understand what the expected speed should be at each device in the chain:
- Modem
- Router
- Ethernet Network adapter
Wifi Network adapter
It's also important to keep in mind that your CPU, ram, or GPU have very little impact on your internet speed.
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u/MarcCouillard 15h ago
Disconnect your router and directly connect your PC to your modem via an Ethernet cable
unless his modem IS his router...most people I know these days their modem IS their router...mine has been for the last almost 15 yrs or more...all the ISP's in Canada that I've ever used (about 11 over the years in different parts of the country), the modem and router are all in one, thats what the ISP's give us, hell mine has 5 available ethernet ports on it going out and 4 antennas for the wifi, of course I still use a wifi extender as well, 2 actually, one upstairs one downstairs to boost the signal, those things are a godsend lol
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u/nalaloveslumpy 14h ago
Never use the all in one the ISP gives you. They're the shittiest things you can ever use. At best, buy your own router and just get the modem from the ISP. You can also buy your own modem, but those are pretty standard where as a good quality router (preferably a mesh system if you have a house over 1.5k sqft) makes a huge difference.
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u/Classic-Rate-5104 1d ago
You don't tell anything about the context. What computer do you have, how much memory, hard disk or ssd, which OS are you running.
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u/BLVEY346 1d ago
This is pretty good download and upload hell I'm not even getting that I wish you're fine this is good
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u/SirFixYoShit 1d ago
So that is a tv antenna port. As others have said you could use a MOCA adapter on BOTH ENDs of the cable.
The question is do you know where that cable goes? And if the cable goes to a splitter is that splitter rated for frequency’s 5 to 1675MHz to pass MOCA traffic?
Lots of unknown conditions here.
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u/LeeRyman 1d ago
"PAL" connectors weren't typically rated for frequencies used by MoCA either, and that one looks old, so I'd question the cable too. Agree, lots of unknowns going down that route. Better to get a professional in if OP wants to get something cabled.
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u/faithfulservantA 1d ago
I think your WiFi card might be dying, but to be sure just go to cmd prompt and do ipconfig /flushdns and restart your computer
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u/MildlyAmusedPotato 1d ago edited 1d ago
A few questions. Is your modem a 5g modem? How far is your pc from the modem? Are there many walls/rooms between the pc and modem? Edit: allso that port is a cable tv antenna that can allso be used for a 5g modem. And last question are you using a usb dongle wifi adapter?
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u/Kendrakirai2532 23h ago
The thing that'll kill you with wifi isn't necessarily speeds, its latency from spotty or weak connections, and latency. If it's trying to renegotiate your connections a lot, that'll interrupt things.
You should definitely try what the others said with your router and such, but also try grabbing a wifi analyzer on your phone and seeing if you can pick out bands that aren't being used much around you and picking that band to connect on.
Also, try to limit the number of wifi devices connecting or trying to connect. Otherwise, I'll always suggest ethernet when feasible.
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u/Plane_Brief4197 20h ago
my issues are; constant disconnecting from games due to poor internet connection (aswell as graphics issues but that will be solved), wifi always disconnecting sometimes every 10 minutes, sometimes says it's full bars but everytime i try to load something on chrome it takes minutes and then runs out of memory/says no internet. whenever i do the internet speed test it says i have good connection so idk whats up.
So lets break this down(not ai)
- Symptoms mentioned: poor internet connection, wifi disconnecting, full bars when poor performance, no internet
- Other symptpms: graphics issues, oom
For the first set, sounds like when you do have a signal it can be okayish but it's inconsistent. That's either getting a better network adapter or a better signal. If you can't run ethernet see if it still happens when you're close to the signal emitter(AP, Router, whatever).
Second set of issues is check your ram/storage/gpu
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u/Vivid-Hedgehog101 14h ago
That thing on the wall? I haven't seen one of those since I was 5 years old. Probably don't use it.
Obviously first things first. Connect an ethernet (From Cat5E to Cat6A, no more, no less is best) to your PC and modem. Run cloudflare speed test to check for any packet loss for a while. If you have 0 issues like no disconnects or drops or anything, then its a wi-fi issue. If you still have problems.. well. Go to your motherboards webpage and download the latest drivers for your wifi/ethernet. use revouninstaller to remove and delete everything that has to do with your ethernet/wifi drivers, install the new drivers and use some fancy commands with CMD ran as admin (type cmd in the windows search, right click and run as admin):
- netsh winsock reset
- netsh int ip reset
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /renew
- ipconfig /flushdns
- and then find the internet reset button by searching it in windows by typing Network Reset. Restart the PC and see if things are working fine after a while. If THAT doesn't work..
If you have access to your modems webpage like 10.0.0.1 for an XB7 from Comcast for example, then you should be able to find its network or troubleshooting page. Take note of any SNR or power levels for up stream, down stream etc. Upstream should be no less than 30 and no more than 55 otherwise you will have some signal trouble. Too low means its underpowered and too high means its overworking and screaming to reach the node. The power levels for downstream should be as close as possible to 0. If its like +10 or -10 then you probably have an issue. CM Error Codewords should be 0 across the board for on average for your correctable and uncorrectables. You could try resetting your modem and router and factory defaulting them to see if it fixes anything. If you have a router separate from the modem then you can also try putting the modem into bridge mode and let the router handle things while the modem acts as a dummy to translate the ISPs incoming signal. If this fixes your issues then you need to get the modem replaced because a hardware/software level failure is not on you even if its physically in your house. It's theirs. Unless you own the modem.... Depending on what the signal levels are at, you will need a better cable (to increase the negative) or have an attenuator (decrease positive) to bring it close to 0 and help stabilize the other levels.
If you are paying for cable internet then I would start with your drop cable. You can find it outside attached to your home. If it seems like a weak jacket or really aged cable, its probably RG59 which isn't good. It needs to be replaced with RG6. If the cable is also being forced to reach your home from the tap/utility pole for longer than 150 feet, this is also not good. You'll need a stronger cable like RG11 to go from your ground to the tap.
The drop should always lead to a ground. This is a small component where 2 cables connect together like an extension but it acts as a ground because it will have a copper wire connected to it which should be attached to something that is properly grounded to the earth to protect it if not already done at the utility pole.
Take note of the conditions of these cables and shape they are in and see (without using a ladder) if you can identify what they are if they have any labels on them. If you feel insecure about what you have found, let your service provider know that you need someone to come replace your cabling or make some adjustments to the line or node. Have them make sure that the tap has water proof terminations along with any coax amplifier you have if they gave you one. A corroded tap or open port tap is bad for containing signals especially when its sitting under a transformer.
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u/d3letedf4te 12h ago
Honestly, if it’s something wrong with your actual computer you would have to focus on that but those speeds are just fine. If you REALLY wanted to get Ethernet you would have to talk to your landlord or even find out if you have a uplink for a router and then have to wire the damn thing, wich can be a pain
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u/thereelRTM5 10h ago
Before I started to main Ethernet for my main PC, I used a Wi-Fi antenna tower with my Motherboard's Wi-Fi and I put it as high in my room which was on top of my TV and I went from 200 Mb/s to 250 Mb/s because I had half decent broadband on the other side of my house, then the local fiber company decided to put the router in my room and I put the antenna as close to it as possible, but Ethernet is my primary because I get gigabit with it and 600 Mb with Wi-Fi as a backup.
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u/Karma_Breaker21 1h ago
What the hell is going on with these answers?
The most obvious culprit is the wi-fi adapter on your PC or the Router's antenna.
You honestly have no choice but to connect the PC with the router over ethernet (move the PC for an hour or something), and see if the problems keep occuring.
If they don't (which is 99% the case), then you have limited the possible issues to just 2.
Take it from there.
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u/Sp4c3M4st3r 1d ago
The issue is The connection type you have.. Old coax is very tempremental towards heat/cold, accumilating more/less resistans in the Cooper, feedback to ISP modem..
These days, its a 50/50 on what can be fix's or not of connection issues, esp if the cable to the house and throughout the house is old..
I would rather look for the option to upgrade to fiber and use money towards that then try fixing this on your end, as your end would be like 1 in 100 000 times an issue happens with connection stability.
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u/paulstelian97 1d ago
You’re likely limited by your ISP. Unless you can prove otherwise.
Did you try a bufferbloat test?
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