Belkin Router Breaks iChat and Counter-Strike
2006-04-04 18:18:06
I got a Belkin Pre-N (MIMO) wireless router a few months ago. I wanted something that would have better range; my house is old and I guess they used some kind of super-dense lead-infused plaster back then. Because my old router couldn't even reach more than one room away.
Ever since then, I haven't been able to do video iChat with my sister (from my house), or with my kids (when they are at home and I am at work.)
Also, when I would play the on-line computer game Counter-Strike, it would be all stuttering and horrible. I couldn't even play it.
Eventually I figured out that the router has an integrated firewall that prevents flooding and denial-of-service attacks. That was causing both problems. The router saw "too many" UDP packets coming at it, and kept throttling the connection, which is not cool for a video feed or a game. You have to disable this feature on the administration UI, and then you have to power-cycle the router.
Now everything is fine.