Wireless B/G and cordless phone problem

[jrbryner]

I got my Dell 9300 laptop last week and got it with an Intel 2200 B/G card and I've had a Netgear MR814 4port wireless B router for a while. The router is the older version, a bit bigger than the current model.

I've never used the wireless on the router before, until I got the laptop. We have an AT&T cordless phone in the kitchen, and I usually use the computer in the adjacent living room watching TV. Everytime someone calls, as soon as the phone rings or we pick it up, my wireless connection drops on my laptop.

What's causing that and is there a way around it?

 

[Mr_Evil]

The cordless phone runs in the same frequency range as Wi-Fi....2.4Ghz, that's kinda why 802.11a came into existence. a uses the 5Ghz spectrum which isn't used by Cell phones, cordless phones and a whole lotta other stuff. Your only choice would be to live with it, or buy a phone in a different frequency range.

 

[nonsequitur]

you could try forcing the router to use a different channel. i think there are a dozen or so channels in the 2.4GHz range.

 

[brom42]

You'll probably have to buy a different phone. 2.4ghz phones are horrible for wireless. They bounce all around the frequency leaving a trail of distruction in their path. Try using channel 11, it is the "furthest" away from what your phone is using. But more that likely you'll either have to go get a 5.8ghz phone or go back to one of the older 900mhz phones. 5.8ghz phones are still rather expensive, so 900mhz might be the way to go.

 

[klowngoblin]

cordless phones usually operate on a lower hop (like ch 1-6) so set your Wireless router to a high freq like ch 8-12 and you will have NO problems. also if you have bluetooth 1.1 devices around they tend to kill your wireless range. 1.2 kind of fixed this problem