What is more likely to go bad? Your cable modem or router?

A few questions first:

1) Does the problem apply both to WiFi and Ethernet connected devices? If you have not tried Ethernet connected devices, can you connect your laptop to the router by Ethernet? If so, disable the WiFi on your laptop while you do the test so that you know that the Ethernet is the interface that is being used. If the Ethernet does not suffer the same problem, then suspect interference on the wireless network. This could be from cordless phones, microwave ovens, or other nearby WiFi networks. Install NetStumbler on your laptop and see what networks exist around you. Log on to the router and try changing the channel the wireless is using.

2) Can you connect the laptop to the modem by Ethernet? If the connection is as bad as you say it is, then other people probably cannot do much with the WiFi. Unless the modem is in the roof space or built into a hole in the wall, it should be fairly easy to get the laptop close to the modem.

3) How many people are using the WiFi, and what are they using it for? If they are all watching Netflix or similar services then there might not be much spare bandwidth.

4) Do the symptoms vary depending upon the weather?

If there has been a nearby lightning strike, then the modem may have been damaged. In this case the degradation would have a definite start time. It would not degrade gradually. Intermittent problems and gradual loss of performance are not normally associated with a router. The modem could cause it, but it is more likely to be a line fault from the symptoms.

The most likely explanation would be problems with the cable feed from the ISP.

I would ask the ISP to prove that the problem is not something wrong with the link between your house and the ISP's centre. Any tests you do should be with an Internet connected computer and with nobody else using the connection to eliminate problems in your private network and the traffic on it.

Good luck.

To completely resolve this you need to try both. In addition, you should contact your ISP as they can also run line tests from their offices to the pole to your modem and router. They probably can even tell you if your modem is bad or not just through their testing.

If you are totally dependent on WiFi and your question stems from a WiFi connection, there can be other factors like interference from the WiFi router to your computer. That is another story and lots of great answers here on how to fix a bad WiFi connection.

Lastly, going back to your ISP, a lot of ISPs require you to register your cable modem with them as they will use the MAC address on the modem. If you swap out a new modem now without telling them, you might not get any internet service at all. They also might have some good suggestions on what other customers are using there.

Good Luck!

If it always works, but slow at times, that suggests someone else is using your Internet (via wifi) or your wifi setup has changed. If using a laptop via wifi, you may be getting interference from nearby routers (change the channel in your router to 1 or 11 in that case), other electronic devices, or something else has changed.

Always test your Internet service while wired, and do speed tests from sites like

www.speedtest.net

Only then can you tell if it is your service or modem vs your router and/or wifi problems.

Do Wireless Routers Go Bad

This Site Might Help You.

RE:

What is more likely to go bad? Your cable modem or router?

I have been having internet trouble for a few weeks now. It's getting progressively worse. I get drops, very slow speed (as low as 1mbps when I previously was getting 60+), and really bad lag spikes in games.

Unfortunately it's not as simple as "the internet isn't working"...

When you get drops of slow speeds, I'd like you to log into your cable modem and check your Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of both your Downstream and Upstream channels (DS/US). Jot them down, it makes me think there is a line issue causing your DS to become degraded. Check for FEC erros both far end and near end -- this should also be provided within the modem's web-ui.

Usually the first thing to go is cabling. Weather causes cabling stress (rain for corrosion/flooding, wind for damaged aerial cables, heat/cold causes them to become brittle).

What I would also do is with a system that is wired into your router (wireless is unreliable), send a constant ping to your router's default gateway and then also send a constant ping to the default gateway of the cable modem. When you're observing slower speeds, check to ensure your upstream device, in this case your router, is still showing <1 MS pings -- your cable modem should be reporting between <1 to 3MS pings in latency. That way, it will give you somewhat of an indication of where the issue lies. You can also send a constant ping to Google's DNS 8.8.8.8 -- to test outside network latency to show the impact of when you're experiencing slowness.

All in all, check physical line specs via the modem (or have the cable provider check when you're slow).

Then check cabling between the modem and router.

Check ping times between the two local LAN devices to your WAN Internet.

You'll find it for sure.

I the last 15 years or so, I have had 3 routers fail, but have never had a modem fail.

First try a pathping command to a few Internet sites and view the results looking for lost packets. Pathping combines ping and tracert.

If you're not dropping packets you can try a continuous ping to another wifi connected device and just monitor.

ping - t {ip_address}

Physical termination points (connectors) in the wiring route can have too much impedance on them if they are loose or rusty so having a tech check the line terminations probably isn't a bad idea.

As far as the equipment being faulty, if it's extremely hot or seems to overheat I'd say yes, if not I'd fathom a guess it's something with the physical line from the provider.

Is My Router Bad

Between the two, the router is more prone to failure than a modem would be. I'd try the router change first.