Steam crashes my internet connection after ~15 minutes of online gaming.

[JaYp146]

Title says it all. This happens with both CS:S and Team Fortress 2. I don't have access to another non-Steam online game right now with which that I can test.

I'm on a wireless connection, the same one we've had at home for ~3 years now. Same 802.11g PCI adapter (Motorola WPCI810G), never had any serious problems with it. Temperatures system-wide are very good, 8800GT never gets above 55C, CPU never above 50C. The ONLY computer affected by this problem is my main gaming rig, all others on the network work fine when this one crashes.

The problem started when I wiped my C drive and started over with a new XP installation.

Things I've tried to help fix the problem:

• Uninstalled ESET SmartSecurity. Didn't make a difference.
• Enabled/disabled Windows Firewall, no change.
• Tried repositioning the PCI adapter's antenna. No change.

One important note - I left Steam's files on my D partition (where all games are installed) so that I wouldn't have to needlessly update all my Steam games.

Also, the connection restores itself after approximately one minute of inactivity.

Input, suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[ilovellamafood]

I would survey your location and make sure there are no strong wifi signals from other neighbors affecting your setup. Walk around with a laptop. If you find others using wifi, consider using another channel or ideally use a wired connection.

 

[JaYp146]

I would survey your location and make sure there are no strong wifi signals from other neighbors affecting your setup. Walk around with a laptop. If you find others using wifi, consider using another channel or ideally use a wired connection.

The connection is fine when doing other heavy downloading. I max out at 1.5 MBps on downloads and am able to get max speeds when downloading Ubuntu and other fun things via uTorrent. The connection remains stable the entire time, it's only gaming that causes problems.

I've surveyed our neighbors, and the only other connection around is a locked WPA2 connection next door. I can't "see" it with the PCI adapter, only my laptop can pick it up.

Wired connection isn't an option, too far away from the router ..

 

[Red Falcon]

Honestly, it sounds like an overheating issue of your wifi card. Those things (depending on the model) can heat up. When it disconnects and will reconnect after only a minute, it may just cool down in that time period.

Is your card right under your video card. If so, put it in a port that is farthest away from your graphics card. The gfx card can heat up other components other than itself if positioned close enough.

If not, your card itself may be overheating. Try putting a fan next to it and see if it lasts longer than 15 min.

 

[JaYp146]

Figured it out - turned off my laptop (also connected via Wifi in the room) and the problem went away.

I'm guessing it had something to do with the wireless connection?