problem with wireless home network

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fatryan

[H]ard|Gawd
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Feb 19, 2004
Messages
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i think this is the right forum for this.

My friends brother got a dell with comcast HSI and a linksys wireless G router. He gets a constant 100Mbps connection speed. This computer is upstairs. There also a dell in the basement with a linksys wireless G adapter. And my friend just bought a new HP and got the same linksys wireless G adapter. Well both his comp and the 1 in the basement get crap for connection speed. its usually 1Mbps-12Mbps. and its constantly disconnecting. its such a pain in the ass, and it so slow its worse than dial-up. whats wrong? could it just be his house? could the router be bad? should he return the wireless adapter thing and just get a cable modem?
 
The poor speeds you are seeing could be a result of a combination of the factors you listed. If you provided more details (models, construction of the house, details about the constructions of said house, etc.) about the setup then we here might be able to suggest some imrpovements.
 
alot of things can interfere with wireless. phones, microwaves, types of walls, floors.

with better antennas on the computers will help. :)
 
PanzerBoxb said:
The poor speeds you are seeing could be a result of a combination of the factors you listed. If you provided more details (models, construction of the house, details about the constructions of said house, etc.) about the setup then we here might be able to suggest some imrpovements.
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well like i said its a linksys wireless G router and adapter. the computer with the adapter is an HP 1230. and i dont know what the host computer is (its a dell though), nor do i know what the one in the basement is (but its a dell). i can find out if you need. i dont know how to explain the house construction, lol. but just yesterday my friends brother said his connection (host computer) starting getting interrupted for short periods of time. any ideas?
 
fatryan said:
any ideas?
Click to expand...

Many, but they are just guesses. 802.11b/g operate in the same freq range that most household cordless phones and microwave ovens use. So as a result any interfrence and your connection might drop.

Happens to me all the time in the kitchen when I'm not thinking about it and decide I want to nuke some leftovers while surfing online... *shrug*
 
By describing the construction, I meant can you provide details as to what kind of material the floor between levels is made of? Is it a wood house? Brick? Is the direct line between the antenna and the device blocked by anything of substance? (e.g. appliance, big furniture, electronics) KoZLop and Malk-a-mite are right on about the interference. Do you have wireless phones (not cellular) in the house? Have you tried changing the channel the wireless is operating on?
 
Malk-a-mite said:
Many, but they are just guesses. 802.11b/g operate in the same freq range that most household cordless phones and microwave ovens use. So as a result any interfrence and your connection might drop.

Happens to me all the time in the kitchen when I'm not thinking about it and decide I want to nuke some leftovers while surfing online... *shrug*
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how do you fix that? and why doesnt it happen at my house with the same router and adapters?
 
PanzerBoxb said:
By describing the construction, I meant can you provide details as to what kind of material the floor between levels is made of? Is it a wood house? Brick? Is the direct line between the antenna and the device blocked by anything of substance? (e.g. appliance, big furniture, electronics) KoZLop and Malk-a-mite are right on about the interference. Do you have wireless phones (not cellular) in the house? Have you tried changing the channel the wireless is operating on?
Click to expand...
god thats alot of stuff to find out. lol. ill try to get as much info as possible then ill get back to you
 
ok, my memory sux, so i completely forgot to ask my friend that stuff. BUT, he tried switching his linksys adapter for the one in his basement, and now he gets decent connection speed, and the connection rarely cuts out. i guess maybe he had a bad adapter. and i guess that also means that the 1 that was in the basement works, but since the computer is so far away from the host computer, it never worked down there. oh well
 
If a microwave affects your WLAN then you should consider replacing your microwave. Out of the hundreds of AP's I've installed over the years, many in schools near teachers lounges, businesses with kitchens, or homes for side jobs I've never had first hand experience with microwaves affecting the radios in WLAN gear. Ever. EMR should not be getting clear of the enclosure a microwave oven provides. Not saying it isn't happening to you but if the microwaves are escaping devices that are pushing the electromagnetic waves at 1000Watts are getting to your airspace then logically they would be getting to you. I suppose it could be harmless. I know personally I wouldn't keep the thing in my kitchen if it started banging my AP to client association.


"should he return the wireless adapter thing and just get a cable modem?"

A wireless router/AP or client device would not be replaced by a cable modem. A modem of any kind. Now perhaps he has an all in one but if you bought a modem only device it would not replace a wireless router. It may very well replace the modem connectivity to a particular node or switch or whatever. So the statement above doesn't really compute.

Every wireless environment is different. You can get some general anecdotal suggestions about various obstruction issues. Rebar in your walls are a killer. Water, like a large aquarium will kill a 2.4 Ghz signal being pushed by a 30-50mW radio, which is what most budget AP's will provide. However, two identical houses may result in significantly different results. Use a laptop and figure out what is causing the problem, if it is obstructions. If it is other 2.4 Ghz devices then that can be more difficult to figure out. 2.4 phones are a given. If you have them then the easiest thing to do is replace them. Typically they would cause problems when there is activity. Phone calls, people on phone calls etc.. But generally they are frequency hopping devices so changing the channel on the AP will do little if anything at all.
 
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