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Resolved Question

Why do my wifi routers keep dying?

Oct 31, 2011 1:44AM PDT

I moved recently to a rural area and chose to go with midwest-connections Speedwave wireless internet service rather than Hughesnet. Previously had cable ISP. Since moving 5 months ago, we have had 5 different hard failures of our routers. We've used Engenius, Belkin, netgear, all work for a month or so, then die. The ISP says the signal is good to my house, so it must be the router. The obvious question is whats taking them out? I have taken them to work and tried them, and they are truly failed. Any ideas?

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rkdutt has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Maybe it's time to put them on an UPS?
Oct 31, 2011 1:52AM PDT

I find most failures to be either heat stress or bad power. Some areas have high static discharges so we cure that if need be.
Bob

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HDWE failure due to power issues
Oct 31, 2011 1:56AM PDT

A friend of mine called me 2 days ago (rural Idaho) with a VERY similar issue, as of yesterday he went to the BIG CITY and got new hdwe, including a UPC which is very likely the way to go, so I totally agree.

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Thanks. I'll try a UPS.
Oct 31, 2011 5:16AM PDT

Are they pretty much all the same?

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For just a router/cable modem, etc.
Oct 31, 2011 5:22AM PDT
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Update
Dec 1, 2011 7:54AM PST

I bought a UPS and a new router and so far it seems to have solved the issues. It's been over a month now.
Thanks

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Good to read.
Dec 2, 2011 2:07AM PST

It's rare to have to go to such measures but I tend to go with what works.

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Answer
POSSIBLE STATIC ELECTRICITY IN YOU
Nov 4, 2011 3:31PM PDT

Call me crazy for this post... but.. I was blowing computers at work ALL OF THE TIME. For the first couple of years, the tech guy couldn't figure out what was going on, and no blame was ever sent my way. Then one day my boss noticed, due to me hollering, that when I touched a tall metal file cabinet, I got one dandy static shock. Out of the corner of her eye, before I yelled, she saw the white flash. So the next time my computer started acting crazy and then crashed, and the tech guy had to be called again, my boss mention my "shocking" episodes. So the tech guy asked me if my static electricity was something that just happened at work, or did it happen else where, like at home, or when I touched my car, etc. I told him I had had the problem for years.

The next day when I came to work, there was a nice big new MAT on the floor under my desk, where I put my feet. On my desk was a note from the tech guy, telling me that I shouldn't have any more problems with my computer. And I didn't. The new mat was an anti-static mat.

If you have carpet, and get static electric shocks, consider investing in one of those type of mats. It did the trick for me, and now at home, I keep one under my computer desk and I also keep a humidifier going 6 1/2 months out of the year. When I don't have the humidifier going, I wear an anti-static wrist band. I can't afford to blow my home computer, so I make sure I'm now grounded.