Chromebook

[debstx]

I bought an Acer C710 for my 83 yo Mom and it's been working fine for well over a year.  We recently added an external monitor and keyboard for ease of use.  After a day she suddenly lost the wifi signal.  I have a new Asus router that has been in place for about 6 weeks with no issues.  

When I placed her unit close to the router it connected with no problems but when I return it to it's orignial location it sees the router but states it's out of range.  I brought my iPad to the same location to see if this was indeed a router problem but the iPad connected without problems.

I can move the router with much ado....drilling a hole through a cement wall to move it closer but does anyone have another solution???

[Acer-Cory]

It sounds like interference with the KB/Mouse, the monitor or both. I might try removing them, see how the connection is, if it's normal, then add one component at a time. Hopefully this helps you identify what is causing the interference to the signal and that might be easier to address.

[debstx]

Thanks for your prompt reply.  I disconnected all devices and the unit connected to the wifi with good strength.  I then plugged the keyboard in and watched the strength go down two bars.  Aha!  I then unplugged the keyboard and plugged in the monitor and the same exact thing occurred-down two bars.  So I gather with both devices attached we disconnect.

Does this mean we cannot use any external devices???  As an aside we also have a wireless mouse which has been in place since purchase of the Chromebook.

[debstx · Accepted solution]

I believe I have found the solution.  After investigating causes of wifi disconnect with external monitors it appeared that changing the router channel might remedy the problem.  My Asus was set to Auto and I changed it to Channel 11.  So far, external monitor and keyboard are connected to the Chromebook and the wifi still has a strong signal.  No apparent problems with my other two computers.  I'll keep my fingers crossed!

[Acer-Cory]

Great, thanks for sharing. Sometimes channels can get congested, many routers default to channel 6, so if there are a lot of other network's using this channel, the data wouldn't cross over, but it could cause interference and congestion on that channel.

Hopefully you're situation is resolved, but if others come here for this type of information, here's a helpful article to get started: http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/7-tips-to-increase-wi-fi-performance.html