Wireless Connection

[twidget658]

I just shifted to a wireless connection. Sometimes the speed is down to a minimum even with an excellent signal strength. The thought of using the wireless modem for target practice has continuously cross my mind, but will pose this question to the computer gurus that are here, first.

This is the modem's last chance. Can someone save it?

[Vyris]

Is it a wireless network, or is your ISP a wireless connection? I am on wireless DSL... for another 11 days, then I dump it and I'm off to Cable land. wireless DSL is alright if thats ALL you can get, but if it's networking, I have no problems playing on my wifes laptop *shrugs* At least not with her wireless card, the DSL still stinks.


Vyris

[Talan Va'lash]

I used to play all the time on a wireless network.  But thats cable internet and then a wireless network between just a couple PCs.

If it is a wireless network that you're talking about as opposed to what Vy said, there are a couple different standards that vary greatly in speed.

802.11g is the best/newest/fastest/most expensive

802.11b is the most common other one, and its older and a lot slower, something like 8kbps while g is 54kbps or something

-TV

[twidget658]

Mine varies from 54.0 Mbps down to 1.0 Mbps all in the same sitting. It is cable internet to the desktop and wireless modem. Then the laptops are both wireless. The laptops are the ones experiencing the problem.

[Zen]

You running PC's or Mac's?

[regnus]

Talan Va'lash - 10/8/2005  8:07 PM

I used to play all the time on a wireless network.  But thats cable internet and then a wireless network between just a couple PCs.

If it is a wireless network that you're talking about as opposed to what Vy said, there are a couple different standards that vary greatly in speed.

802.11g is the best/newest/fastest/most expensive

802.11b is the most common other one, and its older and a lot slower, something like 8kbps while g is 54kbps or something

-TV

Actually, and dont quote these numbers because they get disputed all over the place but, 802.11b is 11Mb but throughput is like 6 - 7 or so at best.  Plus depending on if you connect to an access point than in turn connects to another access point before hitting the wired network, you could potentially cut your bandwidth in half.  A lot of older access points had a deal where every access point you had between you and the actual wired network cut your BW in half each time.

Then there is 802.11g which is still the same frequency as 802.11b but you get 54Mb.  Actual throughput is only around 35 though.  But you still run into the same interference issues as 802.11b since it runs on the 2.4Ghz frequency spectrum.  

How much equipment runs on 2.4Ghz?  A lot.  I have 4 phones in my house that connect to the base unit so I only need one actual phone jack but phones in 4 different rooms.  It works great, but it uses one channel in the spectrum.  I have 2.4Ghz IR to RF convertors for my remote controls in the house since all of my home theater equipment is hidden.  

Plus, what most people over look is the microwave.  Yup, that's right.  The microwave can wreak absolute havoc on your wireless network.  With my limited knowledge of how the microwave works, let me explain.  The microwave blasts whatever you put in it at a certain frequency.  That frequency is the 2.4Ghz spectrum.  Why is this?  It does this to excite the water molecules in whatever you put in the oven.  The exciting point for water molecules is 2.4Ghz.  This makes the molecules go berserk and generate massive amounts of heat and in turn heat your food.  It also drives your wireless network insane.

Now 802.11a runs in the 5.8Ghz range.  It is not so widely used since it was an in between before 802.11g was standardized.  It runs at 54Mb but throughput is the same as 802.11g.  I use this on my network since interference is pretty minimal but you sacrifice some distance.  Not much though.

Once I upgrade my wireless NIC I am going to use the new TurboG.  It runs at 108Mb by using 2 channels of the spectrum simultaneously.  

Um...I just realized that I rambled on and on and really dont think I answered your question.  It does show you though that wireless problems are tough to troubleshoot though.  

Here are some suggestions on troubleshooting though.

1. Move around and see if the signal improves or drops.  Believe it or not, I have moved PCs to the left or right only an inch or two and the signal went from poor to excellent.
2. Move the access point(AP).  Same reasoning as above.  You would be surprised how many customers I see that try to install their APs in a box in a place that RF reception is so bad it is pitiful.
3. I am not sure what type of AP you have but see if there is an options to change the channel used.  Go systematically through each channel until you can see an improvement in performance.  
4. Buy a different manufacturer's wireless NIC that you can return.  Test it out and see if it performs better.  I know Dell had a batch of notebooks go out and the built in wireless card was horrible.  The Centrino chip also had issues with connectivity issues a while back that a driver update fixed.  We rolled out 50 tablet PCs and none of them would stay connected.  Talk about sweating bullets.  hehe

Sorry for writing forever.  I tend to ramble. hehe  Anyway, hope some of those help.  I can tell you that it does work.  I play on my notebook 99% of the time and I used to have wireless internet until my boss told me that he would pay for my cable.

[twidget658]

Thanks for the help and suggestions. I will try these out, regnus. I think that you all just spared the card. And I was actually looking forward to the target practice.

[Talan Va'lash]

@ regnus - Recent microwaves are fairly well sealed, because well... microwaves are bad for your head.  In conclusion, dont stick your head in the microwave, then turn it on.  no no, wait, thats not supposed to be my conclusion... erm...

Right, so, your microwave really shouldn't be leaking microwaves.  It may be leaking ultrahigh fequency EM radiation.. but thats just speculation as I've never tested it... though I should see if I can steal, erm, borrow some equiptment from the lab because now I'm curious... and I dont really wanna haul my microware there.

Though, of course the power supply and stuff emits EM radiation.  Acctually ALL wires that you run current through do.  The worst are the relatively high voltages run through power cables (between the outlet and the transformer, ie wall wart.)  This is why Wall Warts exist, because if they were in the device itself that means that theres a ton of noise (intereference) really close to the device itself.

Wall sockets (In the US) send AC (alternating current) that alternates at at 60hz (60 cycles per second.)  Thats why you hear a low hum coming from a stereo (or guitar amp) thats not grounded properly.  You can test this (if you are so inclined or dont believe me for some reason) by hooking up a sound source (tape player, microphone, cd player, iPod, guitar) and setting it at VERY low volume, and sending that low level signal along a length of cable (unshielded or poorly shielded cable works even better) into an amplifier, then boosting the volume substantually.  Listening at this point you will notice that it sounds a bit crappier than it normally would due to the fact that very low level signals arent reproduced and transmited very well, and amps dont increse volume perfectly, and you will pick up ambient EM radiation.  Next, run a power cable over the first section of cable (the low level signal.  You can even keep the device and the outlet in another room, just have something draw current from an outlet and run the cable physically over the one transmiting the low level signal.  Now listen, and you'll hear a 60 hz pitch coming out of your speakers.  In conclusion, keep power supply cables from crossing, and as far as possible from anything that you care about the signal quality of.

Now... I no longer have any idea why i'm writing this, or what I'm supposed to be getting at, but its ok because regnus did it first.

Oh!  Something called a farraday cage is built into your microwave and your computer frame.  Basically a farrady cage is chickenwire, and blocks all EM radiation who's wavelength is longer than the spaces between the holes in the chicken wire.  If you dont believe this, make a cylinder out of chickenwire, turn on a radio, then put the radio in the cylinder.  No more radio signal inside the cage.

So, the logical conclusion... Your PC tower blocks electro magnetic radiation.  Your microwave blocks electromagnetic radiation.  External hard drives block EM radiation.  Anything metal blocks EM radiation... like.. a fridge, or a filing cabinet.  Wireless networks work via radio waves, which are EM radiation.

Soooo, for my final (I hope final) conclusion.  Dont put your base stations or cards or hubs or whate'er in, on, or next to any of these things.  One of my friends bought a wireless card once, and couldnt for the life of him figure out why it wouldnt work.  So... I had to come over, and I decided that whoever designed the card was a moron (it was an apple card) since it was an internal card for a tower.  The slot for it was completely inside the tower... and, completely inside the farraday cage.  Soo... there was no way this thing was going to pick up any signal (and this hypothesis was back up by the fact that it wasnt picking up any signal, even if i set the base station on top of the tower.)  I was sceptical because I couldn't believe anyone would be that dumb, so we called tech support and it turned out there was a tiny thing you had to pull out of the card and attach to something which was the antenna.  Once again... I have no idea why I'm telling tthis anecdote, except that its mildly related to what I was saying earlier, which was mildly related to the topic.

Oh yeah, I dont think its the microwave radiation that buggers up the wireless, I think its the microwave's shielding against letting the radiation out.  Though I could be wrong because I haven't tested it.

-WildTangent