Intermittent Wireless Connectivity due to Steam?

ZebraRampage · 02-01-2010, 05:55 PM

Okay guys, so on Friday I purchased Modern Warfare 2 for the PC since I now have a machine that can handle such games. I do use a wireless connection. On Friday night I installed it, and then I had to cancel halfway, because I thought it froze, but it actually does take a long time, so I uninstalled MW2 and reinstalled it. Steam was already installed, so I had no reason to uninstall it.

On Saturday I was playing the game fine, but later that night, when I wasn't playing the game the wireless connection became intermittent. It has continued to do so since then. The internet works if it's a wired connection.

I called verizon about it yesterday, since I have Fios, and I was told to change the channel on the router, and of course it eventually connected again, but it continued to be intermittent. I called them again today, and told that it has been messed up since I installed MW2 and Steam, and they suggested doing a system restore, and also resetting the router if the first didn't work. I did a system restore and continued to experience problems, so I reset the router, and it's working fine and here I am.

I guess this means that Steam affected the router settings, and I had to reset the router to get it back on track? I'm not really sure.

Another funny thing is that I have my desktop still, and when I went to turn it on and check something, the wireless g card that I have for it would turn on, and the internet would work. Then after shutting down the desktop, the internet ceased to work. I feel like maybe that wireless card was capable of talking to the router, while my laptop's card wasn't. My sister's iMac was having connectivity problems as well, just as another variable control.

Now, it seems to be working fine, and I'll mention if I lose my connection in the future, but it seems like it'll be okay. I'm just not sure if I should install MW2 and Steam again. I'm not really worried about losing my game progress, though it was probably saved on my steam account online, so I probably have nothing to worry about with that. I just hope I can install it again without having this problem occur because I know I won't be able to return the game for a full refund. What do you think I should do, and what do you think was the cause of this problem?

manasecret · 02-01-2010, 06:23 PM

I have internet through AT&T Uverse, which is a fiber/dsl hybrid system that includes IPTV, internet, and home phone. I use it for TV and internet.

Since we got it, we have had problems with the wireless connections being intermittent on both my desktop and laptop. A simple right-click->Repair on the wireless icon fixes it, but it is of course a pain in the ass and, for situations such as yours where you want to play a game online, is completely broken.

But I don't use the internet enough at home to bother figuring out the root of the problem. Both computers are using wireless cards that AT&T gave to us, the desktop card connected through USB and the laptop card connected through the slot port. My guess that the problem originates with the wireless cards, but it is fairly coincidental that two cards have the same problem.

The Uverse system sounds like yours, in that the "modem" is also a wireless & wired router. Maybe the routers are just poor quality when it comes to wireless internet.

As for your case:

1. Highly doubtful the game or Steam did anything to affect your router or to mess up your wireless connectivity.
2. The best option of course would be to run a cat5 cable through the walls to where you need it to be. Of course, that is probably not the solution you want...
3. So the second option is to narrow down on what is causing the problem. Try switching to a different wireless card. You can get a fairly cheap USB one that you may need in the future anyway for whatever reason. If you still have the problem, then the card is likely not the problem. That means it's likely a problem with the router and Verizon needs to come do something about it.

ZebraRampage · 02-01-2010, 06:50 PM

It went out again, but I checked the router settings and changed the channel from automatic to a number, 6 in this case. That actually fixed it. Maybe other networks were interfering with mine as well. I really think that the router is where the problem is.

Combine 017 · 02-01-2010, 07:51 PM

Quote:

I called verizon about it yesterday

Theres your problem.

ZebraRampage · 02-01-2010, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Combine 017

Theres your problem.

That's probably the most accurate guess out there.

manasecret · 02-02-2010, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZebraRampage

It went out again, but I checked the router settings and changed the channel from automatic to a number, 6 in this case. That actually fixed it. Maybe other networks were interfering with mine as well. I really think that the router is where the problem is.

Let me know if that continues to work. We have a bunch of Uverse users in the area because the wireless names all have the same prefix, just with a unique number at the end. So maybe I need to switch the channel.