Windows 8.1: WiFi dropping and/or "Limited"

If I had a backbone I'd follow you in a second, except Chrome OS is not much more than a browser. I used it for a while and even installed it on my mother and aunt's computers and they were fine with it. I tried Windows 1.0 somewhere in the mid 80's. It was promising. That says everything - it is still "promising". If Microsoft can't get close with 30 years of development, they'll never get it. Bill Gates got out at the right time.

On the other hand, Linux doesn't seem any better. Linux users are more accepting of difficult configuration problems. Android is also "promising".

The problem is bigger than any of us. It is out of control.

Good thoughts......!

One more thing, I also had an issue where on computers Ethernet cable was bad, causing it to reconnect every chance it could. It was so fast that when windows started it got the connection started and before it new it wasn't connected it would connect. That was causing the router to kill other devices WiFi connections. What it did was the device would get a lease from the DHCP of the router. Something would corrupt the lease and kill that one device. You could restart the device but it would get the same IP. It made it look like the device was the issue when it wasn't. I honestly have no clue what was going on in the router to kill a device like that but it was interesting. What is not know is routers have CPUs and can get confused just like any computer. They can also get viruses. While some PCs like older OSes won't care, I wouldn't be surprised if windows 8 could tell something wasn't right. It would be hard for the OS to know what wasn't right but if the virus was old and the wireless connection protocols change, it is possible that they couldn't send out the correct handshakes to get connected. That's just a guess though....

I think it was both. The router seemed okay when I left it alone. Meaning when I was away and it was unused the router was always connected. When it was under load it would go out and doubling the load would make it break faster. What through be off was it wasn't just the entire router going out. Sometimes wireless only sometimes a single device and others wired and wireless. Mine is in a smart box which has the modem router and some other heat producing devices. I took it out first and it made it better. Then I was about to get a new one, but since I am known to be cheap :), I took it out and mounted just the routers motherboard in the smartbox and its been fine. One more thing is even when it was in its case and out of the smartbox it is still in a large closet that doesn't have much air flow. I bet if it was in a room with normal circulation it would be fine.

Dan,

I had the problem earlier and found that lifting the router up a blocks to permit air circulation did the trick. Was that the issue (air flow to keep the router cool) with removing your case, or do you think something else was going on with the encased router?

Many thanks, as always, for your helpful insights.

Ken