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Thread: Wifi range and Interferrence sources

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    Default Wifi range and Interferrence sources

    Over the last months I am sure I am losing range with a Netcomm 3G18WV Wifi router but a recent use of another (Telstra Elite pocket Wifi) appears to be experiencing the same poor range, leave the room and the signal drops out.
    I have the Netcomm in one room and if I go into the next room, it can show an 'Excellent' reception with all bars but then it can drop out.
    It can still show 'Excellent' but it wont 'connect' to a webpage etc.
    The walls are timber framed and now quite old asbestos Fibro sheets above the dado line and a 3 ply wood veneer below.
    I changed channels from 11 to 1 on the Netcomm but that doesnt seemed to have helped much.
    None of the walls are lined with any foil or insulation nor have they been painted or changed in any way.
    The only thing I know of on 2.4ghz is a TV 'Room Extender' and I have had that in use for more than 3 years.
    The cordless phones are on 1.8Mhz, only bought last November after the last set got 'Zapped'.
    The WiFi 'Radar' shows no other 'Users' close by, closest house is 50 metres away so I am a loss to work it out.
    I only ever expected the Wifi to cover about 5 metres at best but presently I am barely getting half that.
    I was thinking of those WiFi 'extenders which I know nothing about but I was thinking that I need to be sure that if there is a signal loss, what is causing it.
    At my Daughters house, she is on ADSL with a Telstra WiFi modem and in the house of typical brick veneer and timber framed Gyprock walls, her working WiFi range is at least 10 metres which is what you would expect.
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    Do you have any Bluetooth devices? eg: phones, computers, tablets, TV's, audio, etc

    Bluetooth operates in the 2.4GHz range and can create some interference issues.

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    Do you have an Android mobile, if so down load "wifi Analyser", this will allow you to track and determine signal strengths of various wifi signals,
    There is a fine line between "Hobby" and "Madness"

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    There are many "wireless" devices in use these days, e.g. doorbells, AV extenders, cordless telephones, various alarms, wireless thermometers/barometers/weather stations etc., that interference is becoming more of a problem than ever before. I have found that cordless telephones (bases and handsets) are a particular menace.

    My normal method for tracing such interference is to shut down ALL such units and then switch them back on, one-by-one, until the culprit is found.

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    Yep... process of elimination.

    Interference/signal degradation issues are not always caused by the obvious culprits either.

    It can be harmonics, IF's, intermodulation and just radiated 'noise'.

    I agree some of the biggest 'offenders' are cordless phones, AV senders and wi-fi modems/routers, but I have come across numerous unsuspecting Bluetooth devices that have caused issues.

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    Quote Originally Posted by allover View Post
    Do you have an Android mobile, if so down load "wifi Analyser", this will allow you to track and determine signal strengths of various wifi signals,
    I had trouble locating a valid link to this software, but eventually found two active download links via the page at .

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    I had the WiFi analyzer on the Tablet but lost it when I did a 'reset' but the tablet was the worst devise regarding the WiFi.
    WHEN the tablet did connect, it showed a high signal almost Full scale but if I moved out of the door, the needle dropped like a stone back to Zero, no gradual loss, instant Zero !!
    Standing just away from the door, if I tilted or turned the Tablet, the signal was GONE and the Laptop seems to be reacting the same but no where as sensitive as the Tablet is.
    The Tablet has got so bad I cant connect sitting beside the router so its going for a 'Fix' I hope.
    I got the App through the Google Play shop or store online.
    I have been through the list and I have no Bluetooth in use,no mobiles turned on inside due to reception problems, a 5.8 Mhz TV extender, a 2.4 ghz TV room extender, cordless phones on 1.8 Mhz and of course a plethora of remote controls.
    The only 'New' items are a Canon scanner/printer and this computer but this problem predates both of them and I am not sure if either are Bluetooth capable.

    If I turned the Telstra poket Wifi ON now in the lounge some 3 metres away, the desktop would show it there with 4 bars and say it was a Good or Excellent signal but most likely wont connect or it will 'Drop Out' after a few minutes which is what is happening to the Laptop in the lounge room where I am sure I had no trouble before.
    I just cant see that old 3/8th (5mm) inch Fibro can be so RF absorbent...................and if it worked before, why the hell isnt it now?
    The worst is it could be something so simple but when you know stuff all like me of what can be a problem,all I do is go around like the 'Kafooofle Bird' until I disappear into cyber space.
    I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!

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    These articles may be read:



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    Those WiFi apps will only detect other WiFi networks. They won't detect any non-802.11 sources of interference. But here's a list of interference sources I found:
    Microwave ovens, usually affecting ch 4 to 7, and only when in operation.
    Xbox 360 - even when off, they're blasting out a wideband 2.4 GHz signal that extends all the way from ch1 to ch12. Nasty!
    Cordless phones - again, always sending something out, but usually they limit themselves to just one channel. You've got a DECT 1.8 GHz type, so no problem there.
    Any Bluetooth devices.
    Wireless security cameras, wireless security alarms.
    Baby monitors, especially the newer ones, and ones with a camera in them.

    There's precious few accidental interference sources in the 2.4 GHz band, most of them intentionally radiate at 2.4 GHz. One exception is faulty mercury vapour (or other gas discharge) lamps - when faulty, they emit hash across a HUGE bandwidth.

    Techniques to overcome interference:
    Unplug / remove battery from any wireless thing in your house, one by one, until you find the culprit(s)
    Use directional antennae - one on your PC facing the wireless access point, and if you can locate the AP in such a position so it can also use a directional antenna facing toward all your devices, that will not only make the signal stronger, but also reduce the pickup of interference, so long as it isn't located in between the AP and devices that is!
    Change to 802.11b standard, and hard-set your rate to the lowest acceptable speed. 802.11g and n standards use a wider bandwidth. Wider bandwidth means more noise at the receivers, and means a stronger signal is required to get the same C/I ratio. Setting the speed to as low as you can accept also helps: lower speeds tend to use more robust modulation techniques / even less bandwidth, and makes your network more resistant to interference. For example, my internet only runs at 3.5Mbit max. To realise full speed over a wireless network, you only need about double the highest speed, in my case that's 6Mbit. Any more speed than that is wasted, and causes the AP to use more bandwidth / more susceptible modulation methods.

    Oh, a quick word on wireless channel numbers: even though you might set your channel to say 1, if you're running your network at a higher speed than 10Mbit, then to get the higher speed, your AP spreads out the signal over multiple channels. So if you're running 100Mbit, then your 'channel 1' setting might actually be occupying chs 1-4. At least that's what I found. Things might be different with the 802.11n standard, but I doubt it.

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    I have learnt at my expense the cause of the interference was a pair of 2.4GHZ AV room senders I was using to only transmit the IR signal from a remote to a STB.
    The reason I had it set up like this was because of a set of cordless phones that were also on 2.4GHZ and there was a 'blip' on the TV screen every few seconds but when the phone rang, it really tore up the signal to the TV so I bought a set of 3 X 5.8GHZ units but I encounted a problem with the IR signal through them so I used the 2.4 GHZ on the IR and the 5.8 on the Audio/Video part.
    These 2.4 GHZ phones died ages ago and were replaced with the 1.8 GHZ but I didnt change the AV set up as it was seemingly working and I was too lazy.
    This has worked satisfactorily for over a year but during the last few months I began getting the WiFi interference.
    At a guess without proof I am wondering if either the base or receiver or both have developed a fault and begun to 'broadcast' a signal that has caused the interference.
    I have both heard and seen TV MHA's causing interference either through a defect or a bad installation so why not this sender?
    Late last year I copped a surge from a nearby lightning strike and lost the TV, a set of cordless phones etc so could that have been the start of them causing problems?
    ahhh well, we live and we learn all the time.
    Last edited by gordon_s1942; 26-06-13 at 07:46 PM.
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    I have learnt at my expense the cause of the interference was a pair of 2.4GHZ AV room senders I was using to only transmit the IR signal from a remote to a STB.
    The reason I had it set up like this was because of a set of cordless phones that were also on 2.4GHZ and there was a 'blip' on the TV screen every few seconds but when the phone rang, it really tore up the signal to the TV so I bought a set of 3 X 5.8GHZ units but I encounted a problem with the IR signal through them so I used the 2.4 GHZ on the IR and the 5.8 on the Audio/Video part.
    This has worked satisfactorily for over a year but during the last few months I began getting the WiFi interference.
    At a guess without proof I am wondering if either the base or receiver or both have developed a fault and begun to 'broadcast' a signal that has caused the interference.
    I have both heard and seen TV MHA's causing interference either through a defect or a bad installation so why not this sender?
    Late last year I copped a surge from a nearby lightning strike and lost the TV, a set of cordless phones etc so could that have been the start of them causing problems?
    ahhh well, we live and we learn all the time.
    I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!

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