Skype and Ethernet Cable

[Just Gillian]

Two separate questions but linked so I've put them both in the same thread

1. I only use skype for communicating with one of my children. The video picture I receive is really poor - very pixellated - and we often lose the connection.

Is there a way of telling whether the problem is with my set up or theirs?

2. My isp (Plusnet) recommended using an ethernet cable when skyping so I've plugged one in.

The ethernet light on the router is green - does this mean the ethernet cable is definitely working or should I be doing something to enable it?

Do I need to disable the wireless when I'm using the ethernet cable?

Thank you.

[PeteW1959]

Don't know about Skype as I don't use it.

You don't need to configure your router to use a cable connection, but you MAY need to change settings on your computer. You will need to turn off wireless with a switch on the laptop, a combination of a function key and another key (look for an aerial symbol) or within software.

If you can't connect to the internet after turning off wireless, you will need to set up cabled connection on the computer in the control panel. If you want help with that I will need to know which version of Windows you are using.

It will always be better to use a cable connection if you can; wireless is just more convenient, but slower.

[Just Gillian]

Thanks Pete.

I have a disconnect option if I click on the little signal strength icon in the bottom right of my screen. If you never see me again, you'll know I didn't get a connect option after my experiment!

[Just Gillian]

Yaay! Disconnected and reconnected to wireless successfully!

So, if I stay connected to my wireless network, that connection will automatically take precedence over the ethernet cable connection?

[TrevorFranklin]

Wireless connection speed will be about half of that from Ethernet
Even less if you have a number of Wireless devices running.
The best connection for streaming video, Skype etc would be Ethernet (I.E. connecting to the router via a cable)

Most laptops have a 'close wireless' button on them (not in the Windows desktop, but on the actual laptop)
Either a physical button (mine is a slider switch) or one of the 'F' key buttons, which is normally indicated by a picture of a wifi connection.

You may need to turn off WiFi if you want to use Ethernet, as most laptops will default to WiFi.

If it is a PC with a WiFi card, you should use the method of right-click on the WiFi Icon on the Windows system tray and telling it to disable wifi.

[PeteW1959]

Gillian, I am not sure how the computer decides which connection to use if there are two.

However as you now have a working wired connection, why not just use that all the time? It is going to be much faster, and you can just turn the wireless on when you are using the laptop away from home.

[Just Gillian]

Thanks Trevor. I've looked at my user guide and discovered that F9 is my "close wireless" button (I didn't know what a wifi connection symbol looked like so didn't dare just randomly press the F buttons!)

I had no idea that the wifi speed was so much slower than ethernet! I had a brilliant skype call quality last night by using the ethernet cable connection.

Thanks Pete. I'd love to be able to use the wired connection all the time but, unfortunately, the router is plugged in to the master phone socket, as advised by Plusnet, and it is in a very inconvenient spot for using the laptop. Probably a daft question, but can one buy ethernet cable extensions?

I have been plagued by "dropping out" problems with my wifi since Christmas and have to keep doing the "troubleshoot problems" thing to re-establish the connection. I've just had to do it again to get this message to post in fact.I spent 40 minutes queuing on the isp's phone helpline yesterday to discuss it. At their suggestion, I changed the microfilter and that seemed to rectify the problem for the rest of the day. However, the signal has started dropping out again this morning so I may have to look for other possible solutions.

[PeteW1959]

Yes, you can buy extension cables and the practical limit is 100m. However beware of very cheap cables as the quality of actual cable used can make a noticeable difference.

You are looking for a cable that states it is CAT5e or CAT6.

Is it that your Wi-Fi signal is dropping out, or your internet connection? If you go over to a wired connection then it will eliminate the actual wireless signal as the problem.

[Just Gillian]

Thanks Pete!

Would this one be suitable? -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009WWHYEM/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=computers

(I have to order something else from Amazon today so would be able to get free delivery.)

I've no idea how I tell if it's my wifi signal or my internet connection - when a page won't open I right click on my signal strength icon in the bottom right corner, which is showing one of three symbols - full strength, yellow exclamation mark or spinning circle - and select troubleshoot problems.

[PeteW1959]

Yes, that one should be OK. Seems to be from a reputable manufacturer.

When you start using the ethernet cable all the time, if you still get problems then it is either your router or the actual broadband connection (which is more likely to be a problem with the phone line). If the problem goes away, then there is something interfering with your Wi-Fi signal, your router is faulty or the wireless adapter in your laptop is faulty.

[Just Gillian]

Thanks Pete. I'll order that one then.

When I have connection problems and use Windows Diagnostics it tells me it has reset my wireless network adapter each time. Fingers crossed the problem goes away with the ethernet cable fitted!

[TrevorFranklin]

Wireless will allow transmission speeds of up to 50 Megabits Per Second (Mbps)
Wired connections are 100Mbps or more (depending on the type of connection card)

You also need to consider the bandwidth on your own local network (LAN) that you are running in your house

Consider a road that cars can travel at 70 mph on, adding more cars, mean they share the bandwidth of the road and therefore start moving slower
So, with a much faster connection INSIDE your own network (NOT the external connection that your ISP is giving you), the more devices can use that network at the same time without seriously slowing down the overall speed.

In the context of what I am saying above; your own network is the one from your router to your devices.
If you are getting 'dropoff' when on wireless, it is because of either interference from other electrical devices, or many trying to share the bandwidth.
Your wireless connection should be around 54mps, but could be as low as 20mps if interference is causing the wireless signal to be affected

Only if your actual signal from your provider themselves slows radically could they do anything about it
The only way to check that, is to connect via an Ethernet cable and then run a speed test to get your true connection speed

Ethernet cables are easily purchased, or, if you know someone who can make one, made as long as you need up to a maximum length of around 80 metres (240 feet) (the books say 100, but 80 would be an advisable maximum before signal loss)

Amazon has a 10 meter (30 foot cable) available if that is helpful with regards to your router placement and where you want your connection to be

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ethernet-Network-Straight-Internet-Nintendo/dp/B005GO4BXC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390254387&sr=8-2&keywords=patch+leads+ethernet

[TrevorFranklin]

That's just Windows doing the standard "have you tried to turn it off and on again" that is the joke about IT support

When I have connection problems and use Windows Diagnostics it tells me it has reset my wireless network adapter each time. Fingers crossed the problem goes away with the ethernet cable fitted!

[Just Gillian]

That's just Windows doing the standard "have you tried to turn it off and on again" that is the joke about IT support

I did wonder :D

Thanks for the explanations Trevor.

The only other device which uses my broadband, except on the odd weekend when one of my children is home with their tablet/laptop, is my Kindle which is normally set to Aeroplane Mode. My mobile can access the internet, but I believe that is via Orange rather than my Plusnet account. My phone master socket has a microfilter and the other electrical devices in close proximity to the router are a small TV, a lamp and a power-boosting TV aerial.

My speed tests, via BT and Uswitch, with ethernet cable attached, showed download speed of 14.9Mbps and upload of 1.01Mbps. According to Uswitch, BT would have given me 17.4 and Sky 15.9.

I don't know if it is relevant at all, but when I first switch the laptop on, if I give it a few minutes before typing in my password and letting the desktop come to life, I am much more likely to get an internet connection immediately than if I enter password as soon as the box appears. In the second case, I quite often have to "troubleshoot problems" to get online in the first place. It made me wonder whether one of my other programmes is interfering with, or slowing down, my access to the internet eg Avast antivirus.

Thanks for the link to the ethernet cable. Much cheaper than the one I had found!