[habosa]

I've got a pretty good ($100) TPLink router and a 100Mbps Comcast connection in my 1BR apartment. I can almost never find the 5Ghz channel and get constant drops on my laptop, particularly the Linux one.

I've got a 1st Gen Chromecast, a Google Home Mini, and a Pixel XL.

Sounds like this is my culprit. Finally.

[Pxtl]

I have the same router I bet (Archer c7) and I'm convinced it just hates Android devices in general.

Every time my phone has a connection hiccup it takes several minutes to renegotiate DHCP... But if I turn off WiFi and count to 15 and turn it on, it reconnects in 3 seconds flat.

I'm tempted to throw out my wifi gear but I'm having trouble who in the industry isn't total garbage, because I have an Asus AP that sure isn't helping.

[SyneRyder]

Hmm. I got my parents an Archer C7 based on it being the Wirecutter's pick for Best Wireless Router. It has been having a lot of problems with WiFi dropping out, like you describe. But I now see the Wirecutter have updated their comments [1] on the Archer C7:

"This is the single biggest reason we’re no longer recommending our former pick, the Archer C7. Though the C7 has great range and good single-device performance, it doesn’t have band steering, which means that it stumbles when several devices are connected and there’s a lot going on. The problem is compounded by the router’s relatively weak single-core CPU."

...our former pick, the Archer C7, leap all the way off the top of the chart into “oh, this is horrible” territory shortly past the 75th percentile — which means that roughly one out of every four page loads will leave you wondering if you should hit reload.

[1] https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/

[mgcross]

Well, I'm somewhat relieved to read that, in that I purchased one for the same reason but have been rebooting it at least once a day for a while now. I was initially relieved to see it may have been the Chromecast. Now I suppose it's both!

[cortesoft]

It sounds like it is only on wakeup of the chromecast? how often is that happening? It wouldn't cause 'constant drops'

[dragonwriter]

From the description, I got that it was app wakeup on the Android, Cast-enabled apps, not wakeup on the Chromecast.