Weak wireless

padgett

I see a lot of posts about weak wireless. Must admit my W3 does not seem as strong as other devices but the biggest hit is when I connect an external monitor.

 

The key to good reception is a strong signal but Windows just has bars which may or may not be meaningful. It also does not give the channel in use or whether someone else is waling on your signal.

 

Recently I found a program called INSSIDER ( http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider-for-home/ ) that has a "home" version that can tell you what is happening and display potential problem areas.

 

Can say that from -30 to about -45 db you can hit maximum speeds, from -45 to -65 you can connect at reduced speed. Below -65 connection is chancy.

 

Any signal of a similar strength within 3 channels of you (only "clear" channels are 1, 6, and 11) is liable to be a problem. Are so many in my neighborhood that I went to channel 4. Not ideal but better than the alternative.

 

However you really need to know the signal strength and channel of the device you want to connect to inorder to decide if settings need to be changed or you need a stronger tranceiver (e.g. an enGenius EUB9603H (plug).

MaraJoy

The other day I had wireless although weak on my laptop in my office.  My husband had none on the netbook in the dining room which was actually closer to the modem downstairs than my laptop.  We have fiber optics now, the second highest speed.  I phoned my provider.  They changed some settings remotely.  I restarted the netbook and had all 5 bars active on the wireless connection.  It went from nothing to the best.