Intermittent Internet can be caused by three things:
Tower Congestion
Keep in mind that it is normal for internet speeds to fluctuate throughout the day. You will often see slower speeds around 6-10 PM, especially on weekends, because that is when the most people are on the cell tower. The cell tower only has so much bandwidth to give out to users. If there are more users requesting bandwidth than it has available, it will give less bandwidth per user. Metaphorically speaking, the cell tower must cut smaller slices of pie to ensure everybody gets a slice. This is called Tower Congestion.
Try moving the radio to different parts of the house to see if it will connect to a different cell tower that might not be as congested. If you have an external antenna, try pointing at a different tower. You can use this link to see what cell towers are nearby:
Low Bandwidth / Signal
If you are trying to use more bandwidth than the device receives from the cell tower, you may see your devices buffer, or take forever to load. This may be due to some devices in the background using said bandwidth downloading updates, or to low signal in general. Disconnect or turn off devices you think might be using the Internet in the background and run a speed test. 5Mbs download should be enough to stream video. If you are getting close to this value, fluctuations in speeds or background updates may cause your device’s download speed to drop below what is needed to stream. An external antenna should help with this situation.
Device Failure
If the Internet is cutting out completely, and it does not appear to be related to download speeds or tower congestion, it may be the fault of the device or firmware. We can revert the firmware and reset the device to the factory settings by holding in the reset button on the back of the device for 10 seconds. The button may be covered by a white sticker, and you will need to use something like a paper clip to push in the button.
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Net All Over was founded by one of the innovators of Wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) service, having designed one of the first outdoor wireless Internet networks in the U.S. in 1996. Our goal is to provide high-speed Internet service to rural or low-service areas that either have no competitive alternative – OR – have no high-speed choice at all.
For inquiries: support@netallover.com
