Foo - How to make my wireless network connection better?

Well we've moved the router with the puiny D-Link antenna on it to a higher spot to try and get a better connection, but its running on the computer (about 2 -3 walls and through the computer away) and its on 36mbps - 24mbps constitely. Sometimes it will loose connection and re-gain it, so basically my aim is to get the signal to 'Very Good' (stay between 36 - 48mbps) so it wont cut out.

Basically the problem is that the computer box is blocking the signal. I dont really have the space to move the computer around and the arrangment around, and it would look pretty ugly with all the wires, so i really like the spot its in now.

Can i buy a better transmitting antenna for the router? A more powerfull one? Should this help? How much are they?

Thanks :)

Well we've moved the router with the puiny D-Link antenna on it to a higher spot to try and get a better connection, but its running on the computer (about 2 -3 walls and through the computer away) and its on 36mbps - 24mbps constitely. Sometimes it will loose connection and re-gain it, so basically my aim is to get the signal to 'Very Good' (stay between 36 - 48mbps) so it wont cut out.

Basically the problem is that the computer box is blocking the signal. I dont really have the space to move the computer around and the arrangment around, and it would look pretty ugly with all the wires, so i really like the spot its in now.

Can i buy a better transmitting antenna for the router? A more powerfull one? Should this help? How much are they?

Thanks :)

- wireless signals can depend on antenna placement of transmitter and receiver, physical obstructions, and protocols...

- if your lan is on 802.11b and the signal goes straight through one or two walls, you should be OK... but if your transmitter/receiver has to deal with a signal traveling obliquely, the result is that instead of 16 inches of obstruction, the signal has to travel through obstructions eight feet thick!

- i have built several 2.4GHz vertical collinear omnidirectional antennas (based on others' plans) for my D-Link DWL-650 cards - description here. (http://www.tux.org/~bball/antenna/)

- however, nowadays you can get cheap commercially made versions... do NOT use a 'cantenna' or yagi type, as these are for point-to-point (line-of-sight) data communication links....

- note that 802.11a and 802.11g protocols are not as robust as 802.11b... also, if your router's firmware is hackable, it may also be possible to boost the signal output via software (a big 'No-no' here in the states, according to the Federal Communications Commission - dunno 'bout our brothers Down Under)...

I posted a similar question on here awhile back. I was even thinking about buying a repeater. Then i got smart and decided to unplug my 2.4 ghz phone. Ever since that moment it has worked flawless and my signal is always around 70-80 % all throughout the house instead of like 15% like before.

Make sure you don't have any 2.4 ghz devices plugged in if you are using 802.11 b. I dunno why i left that phone plugged in so long. I guess the network worked well enough before that i never thought to unplug it.

Heh. yep 2.4ghz phones, microwaves, and wireless cameras are notorious for interferring with wireless internet systems. One of these days I'm going to stick an antenna on the porch so that I can access wireless internet when i'm out by teh pool. For indoors i stick to wireed

Then i got smart and decided to unplug my 2.4 ghz phone.

If you are getting interference from other 2.4 ghz devices, you should be able to change to a different channel on either your wireless or the other devices. Try to have at least 5 channels of seperation to prevent carryover. So if the phone is running on channel 1, set the wireless for channel 6. I had wireless at one of my previous houses. It was pretty obvious the phone was the problem because everytime it rang, I'd lose my connection.

Wow you your saying i could just try changing the channel on my wireless? We do have a portable phone that the wiress runs past!

How do i know if my phone is 2.4ghz?

Some phones are 900mhz. Check the manual for the specs. I try to use wired as much as possible, wireless can't keep up with megabit ethernet. :)

If you are getting interference from other 2.4 ghz devices, you should be able to change to a different channel on either your wireless or the other devices. Try to have at least 5 channels of seperation to prevent carryover. So if the phone is running on channel 1, set the wireless for channel 6. I had wireless at one of my previous houses. It was pretty obvious the phone was the problem because everytime it rang, I'd lose my connection.

It worked ok most of the time, just got a lot of hangs, etc. I changed channels frequently, but there was still marginal performance. Then since i unhooked my phone a month or two ago, i haven't had it hang one single time. Used to do it every 3-5 minutes.

Weird. Do you keep the phone out of its charger much? It might be designed to check in with the base station every now and then...or there could've been some completely unrelated factor that got resolved at about the same time.



Some phones are 900mhz. Check the manual for the specs. I try to use wired as much as possible, wireless can't keep up with megabit ethernet.
Isn't it funny how people make a big deal about getting 802.11G because it runs 54 Mbps, or even dual channel setups to push 108 Mbps, yet they're usually hooked up to a 768 kbps DSL connection? The other one I love is how Comcast is raving about how much fast cable is compared to DSL. I bet 80% of users would never notice the difference, and for 80% of the rest, the benefits would be marginal.

Nope, there is no other electrical piece of equipment interfering. I've tried turning the 'power saving' lights off, fridges and cordless phone off etc and its still made no differnce. I've spun the receiving computer around so the 'antenna' is not obscured in any way, but still no luck.

I'm really getting fed up with this now. The Router is up high and isn't too far away, yet the signal strength is <36mBps to disconnect every now and then.

To my orignal question please, can i buy a better distributing antenna? I've seen big ones for outside use... , can I get a better one for inside? How much will it cost? What do i need to look for...is there a measurement that tells me how more powerfull each one is etc? Can anyone recommend one to me?

Any help appreciated... before i destroy the computer with an axe. :)

Try mapping out your signal quality to see if you're getting swamped in a certain area. RF is a funny beast and things that may seem inocuous may in fact be acting as a ground plane that can redirect a relatively week interference and whitewash your 802.11 signal. Most client adapter software will allow to look at signal and noise quality. To achieve full bandwidth, you'll want to shoot for -50dBm or higher signal and -95dBm or better noise. One thing you might want to consider doing is creating a ground plane for your access point. A sheet of metal placed underneath it might do the trick. Note that this is itself an iffy proposal so it may do nothing at all.

I'm really getting fed up with this now. The Router is up high and isn't too far away, yet the signal strength is <36mBps to disconnect every now and then.

To my orignal question please, can i buy a better distributing antenna? I've seen big ones for outside use... , can I get a better one for inside? How much will it cost? What do i need to look for...is there a measurement that tells me how more powerfull each one is etc? Can anyone recommend one to me?Is your computer located in a fixed location that rarely moves? You might want to try a directional antennae.

OK we bought a directional antenna. The computer is PC, (dosn't move at all). We'll try this out, at least there is a cord long enought to move it around and it can be mounted in differece positions aswell.

You might be in a building with a lot of metal mesh in the construction. Otherwise, the signal coming out of the antenna should look like this:
http://www.magnetic-shield.com/images/dynamics/flux-images.jpg
With the antenna being along the direction of the magnet so if you're say above or below it, you might want to aim the antenna horizontally.

Thanks Slvoid!

Basically its running good now (54mbps v.good to exellent). However it changes when people walk past the computer and there is movement going on. So, what i've done is taken the 5dbi antenna off the mount, and mounted it directly onto the ap/router, so there is now a very strong signal going out through that.

I've mounted the little d-link antenna on the 'mount' that had the 5dbi antenna on, and that has a 1.5m extension cable so i have positioned that up high.

Basically the router antenna is about 20cm from the roof, and i want to move the receiving antenna mount up high so there is no interference with people walking about! (it also has mountain brackets and a magnet :o)!

:)