So, my equipment is from the ISP. Which is Armstrong. They are rated one star. But, I have little choice in my area. I would like to get a really good router that doesn't randomly loose my internet connection.
It would be great to know if a better router or a better ISP would fix this long standing problem.

I have a Ubuntu / router.

Getting your own router might help, but a majority of the heavy lifting is done through your ISP. I’d recommend looking around for different ones to see if they can offer you a more reliable connection. Starlink may be a decent option if it’s in your area as well

I use this router and haven’t had an issue. Pretty cheap as well https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-AX1500-Wifi-Router/dp/B07ZSDR49S

just build your own and install pfSense on it
https://pfsense.org/download/

It's free and opensource
like, any computer will do, u can add both 10GB/s SFP+ & 10GB/s Ethernet networking cards, can set them up in LAGG for redundancy
Very powerful firewall, can do the whole wireguard & IP whitelisting thing, can do DNS over TLS through port 853 TCP instead of 53 UDP

can even install pfSense in Virtual Machines and do the whole nesting anonymity networks as seen from that 8 parts guide over there:
https://ivpn.net/privacy-guides/advanced-privacy-and-anonymity-part-1/

for a wireless access point, wouldnt recommend what is suggesting as those things are better compartmentalized on their own network

your main router shouldnt be your wireless access point, that's just bad design security-wise
but u could always plug an other pfSense box with a WiFi card on your main pfSense box

redundancy is the key tho, so u could have multiple WAN (like adding starlink & 4G/5G mobile data) and set them up in LAGG with your current WAN through pfSense, that way when one goes down, it automatically moves your traffic to the other

and usually people also already have the hardware laying around to set that up anyways

like, for firewall/router wireless access point, even a laptop can do that
plug Ethernet for WAN (can do USB-Ethernet dongle as well)
And use the WiFi to the LAN
very quick to setup at first boot after installing pfSense to the laptop

Which router model do you have and more importantly, which plan do you pay for?

For simplicity sake, buying a cheap/reliable unit may be better in your situation.

Netgear nighthawk routers work pretty well

+1 for pfSense, I've been using it for a couple of years, no issues
Another alternative, Mikrotik, are great routers

When my Family asks Questions about there slow internet or signal drops ect, This is what I tell them.

Direct Connect Modem to a computer, do a speed test.
If the Results look decent, browse the web, listen to videos or music on youtube, play a game ect.
if results look good, and there is no issue, then your router is the problem.

Now if just the modem to computer results are poor or very bad.
Here is some things you can check, make sure the modem is not near a window of light, and not over-heating.
Check the Rubber pads under the modem to make sure there is at least 1/4th of an inch amount of space .
Unplug modem for 5 minutes to cool off, then plug the power back in.
Test the results again, if still poor, you can login to your account online or call your ISP, and have them ( Refresh the signal ) from there end, and they will basically Reboot the modem from there end.
This process will make sure the firmware/software of that modem is up to date as well.
If still low performance, then I would say let the ISP know, and have them send out a Tech to your home, They have devices that can test the strength of your signal.
Sometimes it can be something simple has an Old Coax Cable to the outside of your home to the pole, or Old Ethernet cable ( as they say, replace cables every 6-7 years ).
The Coax Cable if installed professionally, From Pole to House, will normally have a splitter 2 inputs, 3 outputs. There should be a ground wire that is attached to it, sometimes those get Rusty/corroded over time.
( Never do it yourself ) , always let a certified tech do it just to be safe. The Ground wire they would cut the end of the wire, and just peel back the rubber a little.

If all of that has been checked, and still bad signal, then your ISP truely is just bad.



Now::: If everything is good Modem to Computer ect, but
modem to router, seems to be the issue.

Same thing make sure the router is not over heating, Unplug it 5 minutes, plug it back in if everything is good but , bad after 10 minutes.
Thats an over heating issue, you can try putting extra rubber pads underneath. to give it some height.
Its possible the Ethernet cable is bad.
its also possible the Router is bad.

Good Decent Router : NetGear Nighthawk , and make sure to get one with like Wifi 7, then you know its up to date/new .

As always, test your internet with multiple devices, just to make sure your computer is not the problem ect.

hope this info helps.

It is always going to run better when it is plugged in because it's shielded by most interference and running full-duplex. iPhones have very good wireless cards and antennas. So do most Chromebooks.

If you want your wireless to work. Connect to your routers 5Ghz Band within 50 meters. (6Ghz if you're rich and have a quad band router) or 2.4Ghz Band between 60-100 meters. Crank the signal strength to 100%. Most importantly, remember that Wi-Fi runs at half-duplex. If you run 1gb internet and you want 1gb wireless speed. You need a router that has a 5Ghz band capable of running a minimum of 2ghz. Most Brands of AC1750 advertise 1750mbps. That is false. The AC1750 standard runs 2.4Ghz at 550mbps and 5Ghz at 1200mbps divided by 2. For wired, a simple Cat5e UTP cable is fine. Use STP if you are near an elevator, microwave, ect. Your wireless card also needs to support the same speeds and bands as your router in order for you to use them. Another thing that happens, especially with cable ISPs is cables get old or damaged. If you did everything I said and still get bad speeds. That could be why.

This post was edited by Superman on Oct 3 2025 05:11pm