| If you're downloading a large files and it's | | | | you are from your wireless router, the |
| coming to it's end, you're receiving a Skype | | | | greater the potential for interference to |
| call from a client in London, without | | | | block or to slow your connection. For |
| warning, your Wi-Fi connection drops, leaving | | | | example, you may be able to connect just fine |
| your download and VoIP call in havock. You'll | | | | in your house, but on your patio, you may |
| retry the wireless connection, but your | | | | have an intermittent connection that |
| router, though blinking contentedly in your | | | | disappears whenever your neighbor is using |
| tense, seems to be off. After three hour, for | | | | her cordless phone. The signal on your patio |
| no reason, your Wi-Fi connection miraculously | | | | may be too weak to cope with the interference |
| resurfaces. | | | | coming from the house next door. You can |
| | | | strengthen the connection with antennas or |
| Wireless networking can be a easy and yet | | | | repeaters or you can use a power-line bridge |
| gives you a headache, It'sgreat when it works | | | | to import the connection from your router to |
| and a mind-numbing frustration when it | | | | your patio and feed it into a power-line |
| doesn't. A common complaint among many who | | | | access point. Instead of the weak signal from |
| have moved to Wi-Fi is that their wireless | | | | your distant router, you now have a strong |
| connection mysteriously fades in and out the | | | | signal from an access point placed right |
| frequency. | | | | where you want to buttress your coverage |
| | | | area. |
| These steps will help you to create a stable, | | | | |
| Always-on the wireless connections. | | | | 3. Change channels. Interference is a likely |
| | | | cause of intermittent connections, such as |
| 1. Replace your cordless phone. Cordless | | | | the one described above. All 802.11b and |
| phones are among the worst sources of | | | | 802.11g networks operate at 2.4GHz, in a |
| interference for wireless networks. They | | | | small swath of spectrum once used primarily |
| intend to transmit at a higher power output | | | | by ham-radio hobbyists. Today, these radios, |
| than Wi-Fi gear, making them louder and | | | | plus other Wi-Fi gear, Bluetooth devices, |
| therefore harder to talk over, and they tend | | | | cordless phones, microwave ovens, baby |
| to transmit frequently, especially when the | | | | monitors, and wireless surveillance |
| handset and base station are separated. Some | | | | equipment, all crowd the spectrum. When these |
| 2.4GHz cordless phones let you select a | | | | devices compete for the same airspace, they |
| channel, in which case you can try separating | | | | interfere with each other, potentially |
| the phone's frequency from the frequency of | | | | blocking each other's signals. Luckily, there |
| your wireless network. For example, set your | | | | are ways to sidestep and minimize |
| phone to channel 1 and your wireless router | | | | interference in many situations. In the |
| to channel 11. If your phone doesn't let you | | | | United States, 802.11b and 802.11g devices |
| select a channel, try putting some distance | | | | can be configured to operate at any one of 11 |
| between your phone and your router. | | | | channels. Unfortunately, these channels |
| Generally, it's not a good idea to place a | | | | overlap with adjacent channels, so you have |
| cordless phone next to a Wi-Fi router. If | | | | only 3 nonoverlapping channels at your |
| this doesn't help, consider replacing your | | | | disposal: channels 1, 6, and 11. If you and |
| 2.4GHz phone with a 5GHz phone. This way, | | | | your neighbor both have a wireless network, |
| your phone and network won't be sharing the | | | | both of which are set to channel 6, you may |
| same airspace and won't interfere with each | | | | experience interference. You can remedy the |
| other. | | | | problem by resetting your wireless router to |
| | | | a different, preferably nonoverlapping, |
| 2. Expand your wireless network. The farther | | | | channel, in this case, either 1 or 11. |