Step-by-Step: Creating a Wireless Network - Part 3 (Troubleshooting) Interference and Dropped Connections Aaron Weiss
Interference
As our electronic universe becomes increasingly crowded, opportunities for one piece of gear to interfere with another increase. Today's wireless network hardware uses the 2.4Ghz frequency range. Two of the most notorious culprits that also emit radiation at 2.4Ghz are microwave ovens and many cordless telephones.
The mere presence of two operating devices at 2.4Ghz does not automatically guarantee conflict. Wireless network gear slices up its frequency range into 11 smaller channels, and by default tries to find the clearest channel whenever a connection is made. Similarly, newer cordless phones are designed to be friendlier in co-existing with wireless networks. That said, proximity to microwave ovens (in use) and cordless telephones still account for the most common forms of intereference with wireless networks.
Another common source of interference is other wireless networks. Again, the hardware tries to avoid conflict, but some handle this better than others, and densely populated areas may simply have crowded airwaves. If your home or office is located in an urban environment and your signal strength seems weaker than it should be, try moving your wireless gear to the center of your space. Staying away from walls or windows where neighboring networks might bleed through could help.
Dropped Connections?
Losing the connection between your wireless computer and your wireless router is the most common failure that can plague your wireless network experience. Sometimes you lose your connection and can't get it back for a random length of time. Other times, you lose your connection for a split second, but it's almost immediately re-established. Even this can cause problems during certain activities, like file transfers.
Dropped connections can be tricky to diagnose because they are really a symptom of another problem. Quite a few problems can express themselves as a lost connection. Let's consider some of the most common causes.
Interference
We talked about how interference can affect your wireless performance. If severe enough, interference could certainly result in dropped connections. I remember a case where an individual sat with his cordless phone right beside his portable computer. He'd be surfing the Web without difficulty and then the phone would ring. After their conversation, their wireless connection was lost. It would spontaneously return 30 seconds or so later. Indeed, the culprit was the cordless phone, an older model, which was blasting interference on the 2.4Ghz frequency shared by the wireless network.
Switching to a 900Mhz or 5.8Ghz cordless phone will often the resolve the conflict. Newer 2.4Ghz cordless phones that advertise themselves as "wi-fi friendly" will also resolve the problem .
