Sophia Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 I'd like to tap into the archives of the brains of the resident nerds.... I keep having trouble with Skype. I skype to my Dad in the UK every Sunday evening, and the connection keeps dropping out. I'm sure that it's been worse since he started using his iPad instead of the desktop PC - does that sound familiar to anyone? As far as my end goes, I've discovered I'm only 1.4km from the phone exchange, closest I've ever been, though I don't have an ADSL2+ modem, am still using the one I've always used. It's worse if I have my video turned on, sometimes I can keep the call up if I turn my video off and then he can just hear me. any advice or tips? :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Hi Sophia we had quite a bit of trouble similar to what you are describing while we were away. Is it only happening when he uses the ipad or also when he uses the desktop. It may be that he is moving too far away from the modem with the ipad so reception is not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 +1 on the wireless on the ipad what are your resaults to pingtest.net like, and his. there have been a few routing issues with one or two ISPs in the uk in the last few days, he's not with orange or BE (I used to do tech support for BE so still watch their IRC and Status reports - sad I know...) Edit: between 1.5 and 2km is about the limit for adsl2+ anyways, what is your attenuation from the stats page of the modem and the connection speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinox Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 What net provider are you with? it is most likely a issue with the B-Party's CPE ( the person you are speaking with's personal equipment/setup). Do you have slow speeds for browsing? do you ever have frequent disconections? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 We are with Xtra. I will do the speed tests tonight and get my Dad to check his end. My husband used to frequently swear when the youtube thing he's watching drops out but it seems that these incidences have been fewer in the new house. Also when my Dad is skyping, he's sitting in the conservatory against a brick wall, PC in the next room. Do you think the bricks could be blocking the signal somewhat? Usually he goes all pixellated and then freezes, and the sound is moving at a different pace to his face. A bit of a comedy really, it's funny but irritating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Also when my Dad is skyping, he's sitting in the conservatory against a brick wall, PC in the next room. Do you think the bricks could be blocking the signal somewhat? Nope, wifi's 2.4ghz radio waves, which can be blocked by things like wet leaves, are unlikely to see any interference at all from something as immaterial as a huge mass of brick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Also when my Dad is skyping, he's sitting in the conservatory against a brick wall, PC in the next room. Do you think the bricks could be blocking the signal somewhat? Usually he goes all pixellated and then freezes, and the sound is moving at a different pace to his face. A bit of a comedy really, it's funny but irritating. Wireless works best with a direct line of sight between the client and the wireless router. I doubt your father has an internal brick wall, so if it's an external wall it shouldn't make any difference. But check the signal strength where he is sitting, and do a speedtest at different times of the day in case it's a capacity issue. If his router has QOS, he might be able to prioritize video and voice traffic if anyone else is sharing the wireless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 He sits in the conservatory with his back to a brick wall which would otherwise be the exterior wall of the house, and the PC is in the next room, somewhere behind him. So yes I think that the line of sight is broken by the brick wall... which is made of many years worth of rotted wet leaves :sml2: . this bit will be a bit hard but we can do the rest of the testing If his router has QOS, he might be able to prioritize video and voice traffic if anyone else is sharing the wireless. thanks everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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