Testing For Interference??

[DeathKnight]

Hey Guys,

I was just wondering Is there a way to test for network interference? Because alot of my devices are well within range of my router however they can lag a lot and i believe this is due to the amount of other 2.4Ghz devices ran around them..eg cordless phone, microwave.

I just want to check if it is the interference before i purchase a 5Ghz Router Dual Band??

Regards,
DeathKnight

[rob916]

Process of elimination always works, turn off the other devices one by one and see what happens.
The only proper way is with a spectrum analyzer.

[crypto7]

The best way is with a spectrum anaylzer. A cheap one is the WiFi 2.4x from metageek. they also have one that does 2.4 and 5.8 gig bands, but a few more dollars.

Of course you can spend more money on things like airmagenet.

If you dont want to buy one of those, you could use a network card that allows raw mode (most drivers under windows dont, but some under linux do) then check the amount of re-transmissions. High numbers here means lost packets. A low number but still low speeds would hint other wifi gear ie: delays tx.

I've been using the MetaGeek 2.4x for 6months or so now and have found things like cordless phones and av senders.