WiFi basics
Some very basic WiFi tweaks to possibly improve signal strength and reliability ___Router Administration Basics (1-5 require admin access to your router): 1. use a unique SSID name (name of your network/router) 2a. if using a G WiFi: set WiFi to G only (turns off a & b modes) 2b. if using an N WiFi: set to G Compatibility mode (if using G devices) 3. change the broadcast channel to the least used channel near you (see *) 4. select a FIXED ch, do not use the auto ch switching on the router 5. choose only channels 1 or 6 or 11 ___Physical (location) 6. router and WiFi antenna orientation adjustments can help signal strength 7. try to locate the router as central to the home as possible, keeping in mind length & width & height 8. keep router away from other electronic devices (cordless phones, ISP modem, computers) ___Simple Maintenance 9. reboot WiFi router every once in a while (once a month is usually sufficient) * If your WiFi network card software already gives the ch numbers and the signal strength of all nearby networks, that's all you need. But there are free programs like NetStumbler if needed. Why? 1. This prevents accidental connections. WiFi devices can only differentiate between different WiFis by that WiFis name (SSID). So if both you and your neighbors WiFi are both named Linksys your devices may accidentally connect to your neighbors WiFi. And your neighbor may accidentally connect to your WiFi. 2. The old a & b WiFi protocols are very slow, if any a or b device connects to your network all devices on your WiFi will slow down to the a or b speed. Also broadcasting in a and b can cause the G signal to be weaker. Turning off a & b broadcasting on your WiFi can give as much as a 20% signal boost to your G signal. 3. Rather obvious, G devices need to communicate with a G signal 4. To see what WiFi channels are in use near you a free program like NetStumbler can be used if your computers WiFi program does not show channel numbers. Ex: If the strongest competing signals around you are ch's 6 and 11, then choose ch 1 for your WiFi. 5. Ex: chs 2, 3, 4, 5 will overlap with chs 1 and 6 6. Just moving the router a few feet up/down or in a different part of the room can make a big difference. Ex: mine is on the shelf of a first floor closet in the center of the house, so the WiFi is basically centered for all points in the house. Ethernet cables are CHEAP so cost wise it is not expensive to move the WiFi router to most anywhere in the home. Cost aside, it needs access to power and how Ethernet cables are run to the router is another issue (might be visible) 7. reduces likelihood of RF interference 8. routers are basically a mini linux computer and they can have issues (memory leaks, DHCP confusion, DNS resolution problems, etc..) like any other computer where a simple reboot can improve performance. Reboot is simply unplugging it for 30 seconds, plugging it back in. SqueezeBox players are only G compatible, the router must utilize the G spectrum for your player to work on an N router. G speeds are more than sufficient to handle any audio transmissions over WiFi (i.e. N is not needed for audio). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ toby10's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=12553 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=110161
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