I"m so confused. Help?

[Carina16]

OKay, I'm hoping that this won't turn out to be as painful for you all as it was for me.

We have two different networks at the hotel. One is for the office workers and one is for the guest rooms. This is all run through the same router. The internet for the guest rooms is wired to run from the router to access points through out the hotel.

We have never, ever had a problem with the internet here. Two weeks ago the owner decided that he wanted me to start keeping the back office locked and that is where the router was. The owner decided that he wanted the router moved into the office lobby so it could be reset by the desk clerk just in case I wasn't here.

We have a guy that comes up for a couple weeks at a time and will work on a long list of things. We'll call him Jeff. So two weeks ago, Jeff moves the router and everything is done. But now the problems start. The office internet still works great.

We start getting complaints from guests that they can't get online. So my girlfriend and I start watching our computers in our rooms. We'll go from 5 bars to 3 bars, then it will cut out completely and then come back. Never had this problem before, always had a solid 5 bars.

Well, his computer is working fine and I'm told it must be our computers. Somehow I don't see that, as it's two different computers and well, it wasn't doing this two weeks ago.

So he and I get in a big yelling match yesterday and he's telling me that I should be able to pull up webpages just as fast at 1 bar as I can at 5 bars. I tell him that he's full of shit because at 5 bars it doesn't take me 30 minutes to load Yahoo.

So I guess the question is, is it something he screwed up and he's just full of shit? Or is it really suddenly a problem with several different computers?

[Kittish]

My first guess would be something to do with the wiring. Were there any new cables installed when the router was moved? Check that, and make sure the new cables are good and are also the right type, and any connections are secure and properly installed.

Next would be the position of the router, especially if the guest internet is wireless. There might be something interfering with the wireless signal in the router's new location (building struts, the internal wiring conduits of the building, etc.). Also, if the guest internet is wireless, the router might simply be too far from the wireless relay to get a good steady signal. If the initial relay is still in the office, and the router has been moved out of the office, this may be it.

Third would be to check on the router itself. They do die, and not always all at once. Our router here at home started acting hinky as it was dying. If this is the case, then your office internet will probably start acting up soon as well, as the router gives up the ghost. Easy fix, new router.

[csquared]

As the "change" here is the cabling to the router, it is the first suspect.

However, the bars are measuring the signal strength of the Access Points. As I am guessing that the cables go from the router - switch - access points, I would be more inclined to think it is the access points. If you had good signal strength and no access to the internet, then I would blame the new cables.

[Ironclad Alibi]

How much wiring did he change when he moved the router? Did he just run a single wire back to the original access point to hook up to all the others through a splitter? Or did he extend all of the wires to connet to the new location?

It might be that it that the way it is now, the router gets overloaded when lots of people try to use it. Is there any way to check the usage when it gets slow?

Or is someone unplugging the router so they can plug a floor polisher or vacuum cleaner?

[Carina16]

He extended all the wires, so no splitters. I"m on my computer all hours of the day and night. Two of the days, the entire hotel was closed do to a water line issue. So there was an entire 2 computer on the network, so I don't think it's being overloaded. The router is on a shelf, none of the wires even touch the floor. Plus the camera that is pointed at the cash drawer also sees the router so I know it's not being unplugged.

[lordlundar]

A question: Is is it only the Wi-Fi that's having the issue (I'm assuming so because of your mentioning of signal strength). I'm leaning toward the problem being interference from other signals myself.

[Carina16]

It's only the Wi-Fi for the guest rooms. The office Wi-Fi is still working great and both come from the router.

[lordlundar]

I'm still leaning toward some signal interference that's causing problems with the range. The office is close enough where it would be negligible. The further it goes the more apparent it is.

[dalesys]

An up off and over the wall idea: Could the wireless transmitter(s) have been reset or commanded by accident to transmit at a lower power?

[Der Cute]

Have you checked allllll the plugs on the router/switch/access points? Make sure they're tight and happy.
Are the electrical plugs tight and happy? (wouldn't a bad access point let the other working ones pick it up, and if you're under a bad one, the strength would go south)
Has anyone gone through the hotel and graded/noted where the bad spots are?
Where did the water leak go through? Any possibility on wire contact?
What kind of cabling did he put in? Same grade or lower?
It could just be that the access point is dying, the port on the router itself is dying...

You will need two people to test this stuff. Go thru the hotel and find the weak points. Leave all the plugs ALONE (after checking tightness). Note the weak spots.
Can you change one port on the router - unplug weak guest signal wire and put to another guest port that's open? Test again.
No change? Put wire back to original port. Change at switch end. Test again.
No change? Put wire back to original port.
Swap out weak access point to a new one. Change? No? wiring somewhere between the switch and access point.

But are there MULTIPLE weak spots? If so I'd look at electricity, and physical age of the access points. Were all of them purchased in one batch?

Have someone run a tracert from front desk to specific access points. That will help figure out if it's wiring.

Ok my brain's ideas are empty.

[EricKei]

O_O

About the only thing I can think to add would be regarding wireless:

Specifically, is there any (building) material between the signal source (the main router) and the nearest access points/booster boxes, such as brick or thick stone? Is the router at ground level (bad, usually), or higher up on the wall? Does it have adequate ventilation?

[Carina16]

I just wanted to thank all of you for suggestions and the help. The argument with the tech guy has now been taken out of my hands. The owner and his father came into town and invited me out to dinner. Mentioned the internet problems to them and the owner came back to the hotel to try his computer.

He has a very nice computer, much better than my 300 dollar Walmart laptop. He just happened to try and connect at the right time and it took him nearly 45 minutes to pull up Yahoo. So the owner is going to deal directly with the tech guy rather than me have to argue with him. Yay.