Something in wall/room causing massive Wireless signal interference

[D33PJackal]

First some information:

Provider: Comcast
Connection: 22Mbps
Router: DGND3300 - RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N DSL Gateway

Now onto my problem. Something, somehow in one of the rooms of my home is causing massive interference with my wireless signal. I am not talking solely about speeds, I am talking about signal strength which is interfering with my speeds. I have tried multiple wireless devices in that area of my home (iPod Touches, console wireless-N and G adapters, laptops with N and G adapters, etc.) and for whatever reason I can never maintain a signal strength above two bars and drops out altogether at times. This room is well within the radius of the router, and is by far closer than some of the others. If I bring all of the aforementioned devices into the same room as the adapter the strength shoots back up to full, same goes for anywhere else in my house. Right now I am clawing my hair out in an attempt to figure out why this is happening.

Additionally, I cannot move the router or the box it is hooked up to. They must stay in the room that they are currently hooked up to unfortunately so that tosses out the whole idea of simply moving the box into the problematic area.

If you guys have any tips or suggestions I would greatly appreciate them.

[I.M.O.G.]

What room is the problem? Drywall/plaster/wiremesh walls in there? What other electronic devices are in that room? Any possible concentrations of wiring or plumbing within the walls? Is it an external wall that is close to a neighbor, who may be running a network on the same channel as yours? (change the channel of your wireless - 1, 6, and 11 are good options in the US. To ensure you don't get overlap/interference, you won't want to use the channels inbetween those values)

[EarthDog]

I will have to dig up an article I read recently to confirm the following statement...

I recall it saying that to get a better wireless signal, you should use those inbetween channels as I believe most are actually concentrated on the ones you listed, especially 6 which is a common default channel. When I did this with my wife's lappy, most were on 6 in my neck of the woods. Quite possibly a coincidence however. I moved it to 3 IIRC and things did improve in packet loss and overall speed.

Again, I have to confirm what they (CPU Magazine for the record) listed for common channels, but they suggested to find out and use a different one.

EDIT: Found it... First, download and install inSSIDer on a machine that’s equipped with a wireless network controller. Then, fire up the app and scan for networks in the area. Almost immediately, you’ll see a comprehensive list of wireless networks that inSSIDer has detected, complete with the router/access point vendor, each unit’s MAC address, SSID, channel, security type, and other miscellaneous tidbits of info. For our purposes, it’s the Channel column that’s most important.

If a number of wireless routers or access points are operating within range of one another, the likelihood of interference increases as more units use the same channel. And interference can wreak havoc on a network signal. Interference can cause anything from minor packet loss to a dropped connection, either of which results in degraded network performance.

In our scan using inSSIDer, we found a total of six networks within range, all using the same channel—coincidentally, channel 6.

Change The Channel

Virtually all wireless routers or access points let users change the wireless channel, or frequency, they’re operating on. For optimal wireless network performance, it’s best to use the least-trafficked channel in the area to minimize the chance of interference. Looking at the list of channels in use in our area and glancing at the visual representation presented in the inSSIDer interface, channel 3 was the best choice for our setup.

http://www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2Farchive%2Fc1003%2F2 4c03%2F24c03.asp

[D33PJackal]

Sorry I left out that other information.

Yes I changed the channel, it was originally on 1 and so I swapped it to 6, the problem didn't change. Additionally the wall I am speaking off is not an exterior one. If it was, then I could understand the problem entirely due to my home needing to conform to the most current hurricane protection requirements. The interior walls are reinforced drywall. There isn't anything in the wall between the router and the problem room either that could cause the problem, no pipes, nothing. The closest thing that could be considered in the wall is the A/C unit built into the ceiling and attic. To my knowledge there isn't any nearby networks either - I live in a community that is populated by a lot of snowbirds (I'm a Floridian) without internet for most of the year. Basically neither of my neighbors are home for eight out of the twelve months. As for electronic interference besides that? I am pretty sure there isn't any. I have one adapter in that room at all times, and it always suffers from the signal strength issue. If I bring in anything else wireless, they immediately drop down two or less bars. And yes, I have taken and replaced that adapter just to be sure.

[EarthDog]

Try running that program mentioned in the article, inSSIDer, and find a less populated channel to see if that works. That article linked also shows how to boost signal power if your unit can do that.

[I.M.O.G.]

Earthdog, that information you quoted and referenced is dead wrong. 1, 6, and 11 are recommended for a reason. If everyone around you is using 6, and you select 7 or 8 you will get a bunch of noise because the channels are not completely exclusive - they bleed. Due to the waveforms or whatever the technical name is for them, ensuring you use a channel 5 channels away from another ensures you avoid those problems.

The person who wrote what you quoted is misinformed. It's a matter of understanding the wireless technology, and interpreting the way it works correctly. I am not an expert, but I know enough to recognize the advice there is bad.

Better technical explanation:

You need to understand that the wireless channels translate to a radio frequency. Channel 6, for example, is 2.437 GHz (or 2437 MHz). Each channel up or down is 5 MHz away. However, and this is key, Wi-Fi signals are 20 MHz wide! So when you set your Wi-Fi device to channel 6, you actually are using the frequencies of channels 5, 6, 7, and half of 4 and 8.

Source: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/14250

[EarthDog]

Thanks for the heads up. Im a n00b when it comes to this stuff and it made sense to me as written, and WORKED for me in my singular situation...so I figured I would share it.

If you use a channel '5 channels away from where you are at' what if that channel is just as populated? Dont you run into the same issues as you would have with the original channel? So logically speaking, wouldnt the least populated channel offer the least amount of interference?

You are correct in that waveform statement you made. That applciaiton shows a 'wave' say at six (selected channel) and that wav ends at 3 and 9 or so... I picked the channel with the least amount on it and that advice worked...improved my signal strength and connected speeds and also improved my "butt dyno" experience when on the lappy.

EDIT: Caught your link, thanks! That helps, but Im not certain it debunks CPU's theory.... I will reread for a better understanding in the meantime..

[I.M.O.G.]

Cool, the point of what you said is a good one anyways, especially with what you said in pour example - your specific situation may not abide by the rules/standards of what is right/wrong.

Jackal, have you tried the wireless when the AC unit isn't running? I could imagine heavy compressors and home appliances have the potential to put out a lot of interference... As a test, I'd go to the breaker box and turn off the power to as much of the house as possible, like everything except the stuff your wireless unit is plugged into. Then take a laptop into the problem room and see if the issue still exists.

That will tell you if its an interference problem in your home, or if its a structural issue.

[TollhouseFrank]

check your lighting. Flourescent lighting and oftentimes halogen lighting interferes with WiFi internet.

If it is just the one room, and an interior room, and not any other room of the house, compare and contrast what all the rooms in the rest of the house have in common/different than the room you have the issue in. Certains pieces of furniture? An electrical powered device of any sort (TV, Radio, Home Theatre, Microwave, Fridge, Stove, breaker box, Plant growth lights, Warming lights for lizards/fish, etc).

Figuring out what is different can help. Is it any part of the room that has the issue? Certain parts?

[EarthDog]

Check my edit, more specifically the questions I shoehorned in (2nd para)...thanks!

Ok, I reread it and clicked on the link at the bottom of the page... Im going to do some more reading on it b/c even after reading it, I still support CPU Magazines method. But its likely b/c I still dont know a lot about the subject...(If this is best posted in a new thread, LMK, but I think it should be all relevent to the topic).

Let me see if I understand this. Its like a radio station. Signal strength (SS) is the strongest on that specific channel with a decline as you move farther away (though in this case it spans 20Mhz) with a decline in SS as you move away from the selected channel giving you that wave like appearence across a couple of channels. In my case, they were spread across the spectrum of CH 1-11 with peaks on CH 1,6, and 11 (IIRC). The LOWEST points on these 'waves' were the inbetween channels and thats what I selected and it worked for me.

Even if there is a degraded/ing signal on the channel one selects inbetween the most populated ones, since thats the channel we selected its signal strength peak is the highes out of all of them on that channel and therefore not competing with the other signals that have selected that channel therefore giving you less interference and cross talk. Kind of like a higher wattage output radio station drowning out the lower power one on the same channel.

[D33PJackal]

IMOG, I will try that when I get home. I am at work at the moment so can't do it from here lol.

Tollhouse, the room is just a bedroom. Nothing in it that is very different from the rest of home except for the furniture. As for electronics, the room with the router and cable box have mountains more than this one does. And yes, it is just this room. Where the interference begins I can't quite pinpoint but it is definitely inside the entire room and possibly a few feet beyond it in all directions. It might be the electricity though - the overhead fan in that room has had some issues with wiring since the old one was replaced but this problem has been around since the home was built.

[TollhouseFrank]

might wanna get an electrician to look at that ceiling fan. I know how strict the wiring codes are in florida (had to deal with them working at verizon, even though it was over the phone, had to know the codes in the states we did tech support for to make sure installers did things right).... if the fan isn't grounded properly, it could be throwing out massive amounts of interference.... and improper grounding in Florida can be enough to get an electrician's license yanked, much less the massive fines he has to pay in addition to fixing it.... (there were enough verizon techs that got fined thanks to improper grounding).

[D33PJackal]

Thanks for that Toll, I will have the electrician that put the new fan in come back out and take a look at the mess he made.

[TollhouseFrank]

just make sure to be nice about it. If he won't come out willingly, then just let him know (in a nice manner, don't be angry or loud) that you aren't happy he won't come back out, but that you will find another solution, then go to the local PSC/PUC. They are there to help you out and to ensure that the utilities codes are followed when work is done. One of those codes in Florida deals with proper grounding of electrical equipment/appliances because of the massive amount of lightning strikes there each year.

**edit**

If he is like most professionals in a field, his work-base comes from his reputation. He doesn't want his reputation soiled and he probably will come out to look at it. Don't be surprised if there is a small charge (for replacement parts or the hour or 2 of labor), but if he takes true pride in his work, he won't let you be unsatisfied and will likely cut you a deal/let it be a freebie because that means you will tell others he does great work and stands behind his work and is willing to make it right... which will help his reputation greatly.