One thing I'd look at - what happens if you take your laptop to a restaurant or something that has wireless? How does your connection rate change?
Are there other computers at the house(s) that are on the same network? how is their connectivity?
That'll help narrow down if it's the network card in your laptop or the router (or both)... or maybe your ISP's service in your region is less than stellar. But.. one step at a time :)
as a follow up ... after whopping kevbo about the head with a rubber chicken... ;)
My laptop was new-ish and had an 802.11g card. My wireless router was oldish and was 802.11b. I'd have horrible connections just one floor up (router in the basement, me right above it on the main floor). Replacing the router with a newer 802.11g tripled my speeds and I rarely drop offline now.
Yeah. I guess I'd wanna try it with some other sources and see what happens. I've had NICs in laptops before that weren't very sensitive. I got what I paid for. My new laptop however works quite well around most of the house with its built in wi-fi which therefore restored my faith in my wifi router. At the far end and upstairs I can maintain a steady connection from 20% to 40% now. Couldn't stay connected there with previous laptop and cheap PC card NIC.
I'd thought of looking for reviews of my router to see what others experienced but it obviously became a moot point.
Now the Sarcastic answer: Try wearing tin foil on your head and nothing else to see if that helps.
One thing that can affect the signal is what is inside the floor - wires, conduit, metal water pipes, ductwork, etc. Also if there is a lot of moisture in whatever the signal is passing through, that can have a big effect on the signal levels. Sometimes it is really as silly as moving the router a foot or six inches, or pointing the antenna a few degrees one way or the other (or buy a cheap external antenna if your laptop has an external jack). Also, to echo what the others have said - the newer cards are much better than they were even a year ago. Don't know how old the laptop or NIC is, but an upgrade might change things. I'd see if somebody had one you could try before you bought one, though.
Antenna orientation can make a difference, too. The usual standard is to have the antennas oriented vertically. Not tilted, not pointing to the side... straight up-and-down.
It really makes a difference! Cross polarization can cause 99% signal loss (20 dB down).
You can play games with better antennas for both the laptop and the WAP. Give me an email if either your laptop or the WAP have removable antennas and you want to try this.
Mark your calenders folks! I understood about 90% of what was told.
So I guess I need to check the router and laptop for what card was used. Then take my laptop out to dinner, hit Kevbo with a chicken, rip out all utilities in the house, put on a hat and adjust the antennas.
Got it. One question though. I know my laptop is as old as dirt, but it was free, so that makes it the best laptop ever! Where the wireless card sticks in, only maybe an inch stays out with the lights. Is that where the antenna is?
Comments 6
One thing I'd look at - what happens if you take your laptop to a restaurant or something that has wireless? How does your connection rate change?
Are there other computers at the house(s) that are on the same network? how is their connectivity?
That'll help narrow down if it's the network card in your laptop or the router (or both)... or maybe your ISP's service in your region is less than stellar. But.. one step at a time :)
Reply
My laptop was new-ish and had an 802.11g card. My wireless router was oldish and was 802.11b. I'd have horrible connections just one floor up (router in the basement, me right above it on the main floor). Replacing the router with a newer 802.11g tripled my speeds and I rarely drop offline now.
Reply
I'd thought of looking for reviews of my router to see what others experienced but it obviously became a moot point.
Now the Sarcastic answer: Try wearing tin foil on your head and nothing else to see if that helps.
Reply
Reply
It really makes a difference! Cross polarization can cause 99% signal loss (20 dB down).
You can play games with better antennas for both the laptop and the WAP. Give me an email if either your laptop or the WAP have removable antennas and you want to try this.
Reply
So I guess I need to check the router and laptop for what card was used.
Then take my laptop out to dinner, hit Kevbo with a chicken, rip out all utilities in the house, put on a hat and adjust the antennas.
Got it. One question though. I know my laptop is as old as dirt, but it was free, so that makes it the best laptop ever! Where the wireless card sticks in, only maybe an inch stays out with the lights. Is that where the antenna is?
Reply
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