(2016-01-30) Uverse Wifi Hinky Again

Our UVerse WiFi was seeming a bit better since our last router replacement a couple months ago. But now it's bad again.

• latest router: Pace 5268AC FXN

Hmm, related to upgrading our IMac to ElCapitan? 2016-01-23-MigrateFromIphotoToPhotos

Unplugged WiFi-repeater. No help. (But leave it off.)

UVerse says trying testing wired connection. Not easy, none of the current laptops have an EtherNet jack! And router is in basement with no good place to stick a desktop. Have to use Number Three's 6-yo laptop!

Jan31: hook up Number Three's, use speedtest.net (which they request)

• Laptop wired: ping 471, down 1.9, up 0.9
• Tells Boys sleep, try again: ping 70, down 2.5, up 1.3
• Again immed: ping 34, down 3.1, up 1.3
• Again SpeedOfMe ping 41, down 1.5-3, up 1.3
• Grr Crash Plan was running before. Have Number Two Son start doing homework, but Crash Plan now paused...
• Ping 444, dow 2.6, up 1.02
• Number Two Son sleep again, ping 28, down 6.3, up 1.3
• Number Two Son wake again, ping 469, down 2.0
• so, it appears that not only is the IMac the machine with the worst situation, but having it active makes everyone else's machine slower, even a wired machine!

run WiFi diagnostics stuff on my laptop

• currently channel 9, best 2.4GHz: 1, 11 (but I'm staying on 9 for now)
• SNR ~34, signal -60db

check Number One Son laptop: hard to tell, but pretty sure he's on 801.11n - update=confirmed

go to Number Two Son IMac

• he sees more networks than I do
• run diagnostics there
• those other networks aren't on channel 9
• but actually he's on channel 161 because he's using 802.11ac/5GHz not 802.11n
  • can/should we change that?
  • or opposite - turn off the 5GHz radio on the router!
    • http://192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=C_2_1
    • change "Wi-Fi Interface" to "Disabled" for the 5GHz, hit Save. It hiccups.
    • now we're all on Channel 1!
    • and Number Two Son is on 2.4GHz
• Ping 161, down 6.5, up 1.2
• Again: ping 437 - argh!
• Number Two Son sleep: ping 62, down 5.72
• IMac13,2 late 2012, 8GB
• tried simple things (remove, re-add network, etc.) didn't help http://www.gottabemobile.com/2016/01/18/common-os-x-el-capitan-problems-fixes/
• purge Safari cache, confirm no proxies, etc. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7260515?tstart=0
• ping 26, down 6.8!
• 10min later: ping 260! (down still 5.8)
• install/run EtreCheck: it identifies 1 piece adware, says download malwarebytes app which I do, it find 2 and removes them.
• next: http://osxdaily.com/2015/10/16/fix-wi-fi-problems-mac-os-x-el-capitan/
  • dump the plist files and reboot - no improvement
  • add Network Location, use Google DNS, set MTU - no better
  • router firmware - already running version mentioned in a very recent forum post
  • reset pram - no diff
  • reset SMC - no diff

Feb01 try more

• call Apple, get no real satisfaction, since I've already done everything. No improvement. Tech suggests calling UVerse.
• upgrade UVerse from 6Mbps down to 18Mbps.
• speedtest.net on MacBook Pro/WiFi while IMac asleep: ping 22ms, down 22.8, up 1.98
• wakeup IMac, launch MsWord and quit it immediately. Rerun speedtest on MBP: ping 340ms, 2.7 down!?!?!
• call UVerse: guy on phone says he seems like "line noise" issue, will send tech

Feb02:

• UVerse guy comes
  • no sign of line noise
  • he upgrades a card at the neighborhood box, should give us more "upstream"
  • is there a page on router-UI that shows use-amounts of network
  • house has 32Mbps cap, includes tv! Each nonHD stream uses ~5MBps? So if have 4 channels recording/watching, that eats up a chunk of my pipe (but that's not an issue here)
• schedule Apple Store for tomorrow
  • WiFi
  • uploading of Photos to ICloud - how trigger/control?
  • how auto-split giant IPhoto event?
  • need more memory?
  • need new faster machine for ACS?
    • install ACS while I'm there on faster pipe?

Feb03

• plan to go to Apple Store
• but discover my Back Up IOmega drive is dead. Disk Repair won't work.
• pull out spare IOmega, attach it, realize it will take all day for a fresh backup to run
• so reschedule Apple Store for tomorrow

Feb04

• Back Up ran successfully
• of course WiFi is running fast this morning
• go Apple Store
  • don't need to replace the IMac, more recent models aren't that huge a jump
  • Memory increase should be sufficient
  • But do it elsewhere?
    • They won't install here (except when buying new machine)
    • Apple overcharges for memory. Order online from http://crucial.com then install myself: instructions linked from right in AboutThisMac screen
  • Photos/IPhoto
    • IPhoto definitely not happy with huge libraries, Photos is fine with it. So migrate ASAP.
    • Not aware of problems with migration. Maybe corrupt library, needs repair (hold cmd-opt on launch)?
    • Why is IPhoto library half the size when converted to Photos? Maybe old IPhoto library fat from problems? Do rebuild.
    • Only 1 Photos library can be in ICloud (System), also bad to change! Also beware of iphone merging
    • Photos has pause-upload. )
    • Move router?
    • Rssi - noise should be over 20
• back home
  • leave Back Up drive off
  • order 16GB memory
  • rebuild Family IPhoto library (starting at 123GB): repair permissions (takes 1min), repair library (start 1:55, done by 2:40 (wasn't watching), rebuild (start 2:45... done 3:04) (no size change)
  • rebuild Portfolio2016 IPhoto: permissions (3:05), repair (3:08-3:20), rebuild (start 3:25....
  • at 3:28pm, with all machines active, still getting 22ms ping
  • 9pm, still great
  • remove Steam from startup (grr have to let it do Updates first)
  • turn on Back Up drive, run

Feb06: Number Two Son still having some issues in his game. Ah, it's LeagueOfLegends, and maybe it's the game!

Feb07: install the memory

• realize need different method to keep Steam from auto-launching.