It seems that many people are having problems with 802.11b coverage. What kind of equipment are you all running for your access points? Many consumers don't realize that there are major and significant differences in the range performance between various access point manufacturers. One key rule in wireless - you get what you pay for. Keep in mind that most Linksys, Netgear, Belkin, etc. consumer-grade units have transmit power levels of about 30 milliwatts, and need a signal at their receiver of about -82 dBm in the reverse direction for adequate performance. But you can purchase AP's for about $120 that provide 200 milliwatts and only need -91 dBm of received signal levels. These can provide four-times the range, or much higher reliability on short paths. The high transmit power can also help overcome interference (i.e., Microwwave ovens).
I don't know about the specs, but I can throw in some anecdotal evidence on the behavior of different APs. I used to run a Netgear AP that suffered tremendously from noise. It couldn't deal with the microwave at all, and the 2.4Ghz phone was just as bad. When I replaced the Netgear with an SMC Barricade I found the interference problems just went away. To be fair, we use a 5.8 Ghz phone most of the time now, but we have the same microwave and it's no problem.
So in my particular environment there was a definite difference in behavior with different AP's. I still get the occasional dropout on the SB, but I'm not so sure that's a network problem.
- Jeff
If you are interested in reliable service and range, consider some of the high-power Senao and Cisco products. I have no financial interest in this recommendation - I just own a few.
Greg
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