Wifi disconnects frequently at night

[neipasonex]

I have connectivity issues fairly often with my internet, typically after midnight. I am only using it to watch youtube or netflix, so i am pretty sure its not some kind of high CPU usage issue. Sometimes, the connection will drop every couple of minutes, other times it will stay connected for about 10 minutes at a time. Regardless, it is a very annoying problem.

My ISP is Comcast. All I know about my computer's specs is that it is an HP running windows 8.1, intel core I5.

Is this a problem with my machine/ISP or does this happen because people just assume no one is using their internet this late?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Wifi is tough to diagnose because there are a lot of things that can interfere with it.

I would want to hard-wire your computer and see if that resolved it, and I would want to tinker with your router to see if there were any other clients on your wifi network that weren't supposed to be.

It could be a Comcast issue, but I doubt it.

 

[Puffnstuff]

You aren't offering much in the way of information to help us to help you. What router are you using and what band are you connecting on? What card are you connecting with? Do you have the latest drivers?

 

[neipasonex]

@dave I live with 6 other people, and we all use the same router. With the xbox (not mine) and all the smart phones, laptops, tablets, etc. connecting to the same network, could there be an issue there?
Additionally, the Comcast account and router do not belong to me. I'm fairly clueless about hardware and wiring and all that. Beyond pushing a couple buttons I couldn't really do any tinkering because it is not mine and I would probably end up making it completely nonfunctional.

@puffnstuff Again, pretty dense about things that go beyond the bare basics of hardware. All i know about my router is that it comes from Comcast and it says technicolor on it. I don't know anything about bands or cards or drivers, or where I could find that information

 

[Puffnstuff]

Since you have a comcast provided piece of equipment it should be covered under your contract so contact their tech support and get them to come service it.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

@dave I live with 6 other people, and we all use the same router. With the xbox (not mine) and all the smart phones, laptops, tablets, etc. connecting to the same network, could there be an issue there?
Additionally, the Comcast account and router do not belong to me. I'm fairly clueless about hardware and wiring and all that. Beyond pushing a couple buttons I couldn't really do any tinkering because it is not mine and I would probably end up making it completely nonfunctional.

Absolutely - if one of those computers is doing something at midnight that monopolizes the connection, it could certainly cause Netflix or something to get choked out.

But the sad truth is that most people don't know what their computers are doing or when, which is why there are so many spyware-based botnets and stuff.