If your surfing is like a snail crawling, and your network suffers from permanent loss of signals, or you have dead zones in which you do not receive a signal at all. Our advice will help you.
Troubleshooting wireless network performance may seem like an incomprehensible and complicated procedure to a beginner. While you think so, let's open the secret: there are, in fact, only two main factors that are responsible for the performance of a Wi-Fi network - this coating and speed. And you can have one, but not the other.
The key to any good wireless deployment is proper planning, which requires a set of goals and requirements to achieve. Definition minimum requirements signal strength in the service area is almost always part of the list of network requirements.
The desired signal strength for optimal performance depends on many factors, such as background noise in the environment, the number of clients in the network, what data transfer rates are required and which applications will be used. Some adapters use a scale of 0-60, while others use 0.
For example, it's great, of course, that you have fast wifi internet, but only the laptop is in close proximity to the router. Fast internet within a meter from the router is not the best option. It is necessary to increase the range of the signal. If you can barely open a photo of your friends on Facebook when you are in the same room with a router, then there are problems with the speed of the Internet.
Ultimately, the simplest and most consistent way to express a signal level is dBm, which means decibels relative to milliwatts. This means that signal level changes are not smooth and gradual. Rules 3 and 10 emphasize the logarithmic nature of dBm. So, what signal strength do you need to shoot? For simple low bandwidth tasks like sending emails, browsing the web or scanning bar codes, –70 dBm is a good signal strength.
Download study range map
The numbers in this diagram are sentences only. The desired signal levels will vary depending on network requirements. Adjust the signal level threshold to any desired signal strength, select your network and go through the desired coverage area.
In general, all questions are combined as a performance problem. Probably any user wishes increase speed and coverage, as much as possible. There are several factors that can affect both aspects.
Distance can certainly reduce performance. You may have a room in your home or office that is too far from your wireless router. Signals can disappear because of the large number of angles and walls that can cause problems, although there are technologies in new routers called “beamforming” that can help direct the signal to the router’s wireless clients.
If the blue line falls below the dotted line, you know that you have a dead place. Although the application contains many useful informationIt is not intuitive what you should do with it. It can be very difficult to see so many statistics at once, but in fact you are only interested in a couple of numbers.
We will explain what is important. The first screen is an assistant, an automatic step-by-step application diagnostics wizard for detecting common network problems. However, as an independent tool of self-help, the assistant is not very useful, in my opinion. Access these other views from the Window menu item. The “Information” tab is a simple panel that displays information related to a wireless connection.
Interfering with another wifi signal can also greatly affect performance. If you live in a block of flats, your apartment may simply be inundated with signals from all other routers. Also, the availability of other equipment near the router will not help you: the microwave oven, washer, and dryer, etc.
Performance also softwareyou are using. Routers need periodically update firmwareas drivers on a computer or laptop.
This screen is useful for quickly diagnosing the most obvious problems. However, these logs are not easy to decipher for people, and they are very noisy. Then export the log and extract the best and worst data. A more accessible version of the same information can be found in other views. However, you can drag the dividers between the elements to increase or decrease the graphics. It is probably time to explain these concepts.
The speed of reading noise near interference from another wireless equipment using the same spectrum; most of them come from other wireless access points. Below is better. As a rule, high interference is -70 and -100 - this is the best that you can achieve almost. The Performance tab also shows the signal-to-noise ratio on a separate red graph - this ratio ultimately determines the quality of the channel.
These are just some of possible reasons low speed connection, and sometimes its complete absence. Fortunately, there are many ways that increase the wireless signal, and most of them are associated only with a small setting of the router or laptop. Some of these methods involve the purchase of low-cost components, depending on the specific performance problem you are facing. We will go through the list of ten most useful improvements that will help save you from the slow Internet over Wi-Fi.
Non-broadcast SSID
The tool captures packets from the specified channel and saves them to a file. Oddly enough, the application cannot open the log files it creates, so you have to use a third-party tool. The Monitor tab is a toolbar window that summarizes important information from each of the other tabs. With a dark black appearance, you can even leave this panel open on your desktop - almost like a widget. It intelligently resizes to show data subsets if you prefer a more compact form.
Change channel (Free)
I think it's no secret that Wi-Fi routerwe work on certain channels. When setting up a typical router, as a rule, the user selects a certain channel by default. Some routers are able to choose the least crowded channel, but not everyone can boast of this technology. Check on your own which Wi-Fi channels are less crowded, by changing the channel you can improve the performance of the router and increase the range of the signal. For example, you can use the free tool. inSSIDer. Do not be intimidated by schedules and redundant information. You need to focus your attention on the “Channel” column. See how many routers work on channel 6?
If these numbers are worse than you expect, it's time to buy new routers, add wireless repeaters, or get close to the router itself. Although moving antennas or hardware can help, if you need higher speed, you often have to resort to buying new equipment.
Study of heatmaps
If you live near many other houses with your access points and experience a weak connection, check the channel in which your router is working in the Scan window and change it to one of the suggested channels.
- You forgot to specify the address email.
- This email address is not displayed.
- You have exceeded the maximum character limit.
- Enter your corporate email address.
If your router is working on the same channel, you may already feel a drop in performance. can be in its administrative panel.
Firmware update firmware router (free)
Updating the firmware of the router is often ignored by users. Industrial network devices usually show some notifications when a new device software is available for download. Home wireless routers, especially older models, do not always know how to display such messages. We recommend periodically checking availability new version firmware for the router. Each router has a special menu in the management interface for updating the firmware. However, you will have to open the router manufacturer’s website and look for the firmware, and then download it through the router's interface.
Go to the same manufacturer
This output power can be reduced by cables and connectors or increased by using amplifiers and high gain antennas. When energy is radiated from a transmitter antenna, the wavefront propagates through the air and obstacles encountered along the way. The loss of the free space path is related to the lost power, since the energy is dissipated in the air and is a function of both frequency and distance. in other words, the farther away from the receiver, the greater the loss and, therefore, the lower the indicator of the level of the received signal.
In addition, on the manufacturer's website, you can read the release notes, which you will find out what fixes this version firmware. Often, such fixes help solve connection problems.
Network Card Driver Update (Free)
As well as the router, network cards on computers and laptops are subject to upgrade software. In this case, it will be about installing a new version of drivers. Remember that a good range of a wireless network and its performance depends not only on the router, but also on the network card on the client PC. Most laptops already have built-in network cards. Open the network settings in the Control Panel and find the name of your network card. Then open the website of your manufacturer. motherboard or a laptop to make sure you have the latest drivers.
Loss of free path is quite predictable and can be easily calculated. However, air is not the only obstacle faced by 11 gears. Radio waves are reflected, refracted or attenuated by windows, doors, walls and even people. The loss due to attenuation of the obstacles is more difficult to predict, but can be estimated using published metrics.
In the end, the transmission reaches the receiver. There, the results depend on the reception sensitivity of this device, i.e. minimum power required to process incoming frames at a given data rate. For higher data rates, a stronger signal is required. Due to protocol overhead, application bandwidth is typically about half the data transfer rate. Your network design should take them into account by calculating a “communication budget,” which estimates the power and components needed to meet user needs.
Changing the location of the router (free)
Have you wireless router, located in the basement or in the attic, try to move it if you have a low signal level. Ideally, the Wi-Fi router should be in the center of the apartment or house.
However, predictions with pencil and paper can only bring you to this day. Ultimately, the receiver must be able to clearly and reliably distinguish between the transmitted signal and noise. On the other hand, keep in mind that many other factors affect application performance, including competition with other users, the speed and usage of clients and servers, and the upstream network latency. The signal-to-noise ratio compares the peak signal level with the noise. . Signal counters are convenient for high-quality spot checking — for example, for checking suspicious blind spots — but you will need something more for discrete quantitative measurements.
Alternative DD-WRT Firmware (Free)
In a pinch, you can try open source. Not every router supports DDWRT, but the number of supported routers continues to grow rapidly.
Some of these tools are raw data; others analyze this data to isolate potential performance problems and offer remedies. Therefore, we are going to show some applications with which we can combine each of the networks around us with the greatest force. You can follow this link. You can also watch the video we created.
Signal strength can be predicted and planned based on transmit power, antenna gain, distance, and bandwidth. However, a common problem with unlicensed wireless bands is that noise cannot be predicted and pure spectrum is not guaranteed at certain frequencies. Previously, a spectrum analyzer was needed to conduct a survey or analysis of the spectrum of a site at the site where the wireless equipment was installed.
Attention! Installation not official firmware may void the warranty on the router. Many manufacturers will not help you eliminate breakdowns with your router if you have dD-WRT installed. Thus, it is not very preferable for routers during the warranty period or in the corporate network. There is also no guarantee that the update of DD-WRT will not adversely affect the router.
The color of the energy signals its amplitude: cold colors maintain lower energy levels in this frequency compartment, while warmer colors mean higher energy levels in this frequency compartment. The legend of a cascade gives a numerical guide, associating colors with various power levels. The lower end of this legend is set each time the calculated noise level, and the upper end is set to the highest energy level detected from the beginning of the session.
Waveform graph. Real-time graph: this graph shows a traditional spectrum analyzer, in which energy is displayed in real time versus frequency. Average value - shows the average current of energy through the frequency. Allow at least a few minutes; 5 minutes is a good time for normal situations to recover data before performing the analysis. In my personal opinion, for the basic analysis the most important graphs of information are cascade tables and signal tables. The key parameter of the cascade frame is the power in the frequency spectrum; on the waveform graph, the key is the ratio between the power level and the number of beats. Now you need to analyze the information shown in the charts. . In fact, this group is not very crowded; it simply means that you can use any of these frequencies, limited only by the limitations of local authorities.
However, many users use it as firmware to improve the performance of their router. If you have an old router, or if you decide on a crucial step in upgrading to an alternative firmware version, check if the model is supported on the DD-WRT website. Also note dD-WRT firmware not easy to remove from some routers, and rollback to the factory version may require quite a lot of work and time.
However, you should check the regulatory information for your country. If you want to use this band, try selecting a frequency with a lower energy level. He should have frequencies with almost the same power level, then he prefers those that have fewer strokes.
Click the wireless tab to specify the channel width to use. They allow you to change channels only if necessary and choose the frequency of use. Finally, click the “Apply” button to apply the changes.
- Then click the change button.
- After a few seconds, a warning will appear at the top of the page.
Configuring a second router as an access point or repeater
Almost any router can be configured as a wireless access point. To do this, you must connect the second router's LAN port to the primary LAN port. If your main router is 192.168.2.1 and its subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, you need to set the IP 192.168.2.2 of the second router and use the same mask. It is also important to assign a different ID and security on the second router and turn it on. New routers greatly simplify this process. If you have a second router, and it is not too old, you can probably configure it to work in the “access point” or repeater mode.
The setup is so simple that sometimes you just need to click on a couple of buttons in the administrative interface. You can also just buy a special access point. This is a more expensive option, but, most likely, it will relieve you completely of headaches due to the low signal level and small coverage area. If you choose this option, it will be better when you use an access point and a router from the same manufacturer. This will help avoid possible hardware conflicts.
Antennas
Newer 802.11n Wi-Fi routers are more often equipped with internal antennas.
But if your router supports connecting an external antenna, then with the help of its upgrade you can significantly improve the quality of communication.
Installing repeaters (repeaters) and extenders
Most major manufacturers wireless networks offer devices that act as repeaters or wireless extenders for wireless network coverage. Although they can increase the coverage of the WiFi signal, but sometimes they are difficult to install, they can also interfere with the signal, and good models are quite expensive. Let's immediately define the concepts in order not to confuse them, since they are different devices. Repeater repeats existing wireless network. This means that it duplicates encryption and SSID, and therefore you do not need to connect to another Wi-Fi network.
The extender increases the existing network using a different SSID, which will require its own security settings. Nowadays, extenders are more common options for increasing coverage.
New router
How about buying a new router? Today's standard for 802.11n or dual band routers is ideal because 5 GHz should give you a noticeable performance improvement. In fact, 2.4 has a wider range than 5 GHz, but it is more cramped and can reduce performance at 2.4 GHz. Increasingly, new routers are entering the market right from latest version 802.11.ac wireless network. These routers can increase throughput up to 1 Gbps. However, to use this speed, you need to have a network card that will also support the standard 802.11ac.
The latest generation of routers is usually one of the most expensive today. If you do not mind paying for the router more and can afford a new model, and you have devices with 802.11ac support, feel free to buy and you will not lose. Because 802.11ac routers are compatible with old Wi-Fi equipment, including 802.11n / b / g.
Go to the same manufacturer
Network equipment manufacturers have long been quick to say that their products will work with products from other manufacturers. However, this statement is not always true, the fact is that the manufacturer’s own products are most compatible with other equipment produced by the same manufacturer. If possible, try to buy network devices from one supplier: a router, lAN card, antennas, repeaters and access points.
Wi-Fi signal booster tips:
In today's world, man is surrounded by wireless devices ... from laptops and netbooks to smartphones, tablet PCs and e-book readers. Even printers and hard drives can be connected to a WiFi network. Therefore, it is important to get the most powerful signal from the wireless router. The WiFi signal is a type of radio signal, therefore, with weak reception, it is enough to simply raise its power to such a level that the receiver still receives the same power as before. There are the most different ways extending the range of a WiFi signal, most of them do not require additional costs. Here are ten ways to increase the level of the WiFi signal.
Choosing the location of the router - of course, the choice of its installation location is important. If the laptop or tablet PC with a wireless connection is in another room, the signal to get to such a device, you need to pass through walls and other obstacles. Try to rearrange the router so that the signal flow conditions to different devices are approximately the same. For example, in the case of an open office space, do not place the router in a corner, but try to install it in the center, from where the signal will spread more evenly, better covering the entire served area.
1.
If optimal wireless coverage of different parts of the house is required, it is recommendedplace the router in the center of the house. The overall signal level is likely to increase if the router instead of the floor is placed on a shelf or bookshelf. If there is only one computer and it is always located in the same place (for example, in the office, in the kitchen or near the hammock), it is advisable to place the router near the computer, and not in the center of the house. but the best way finding the best option is an experiment. There are cases when very weak signal was because the router was placed TOO CLOSE to the computer.
2. Avoid unwanted neighborhoods.. Remember that the wifi signal is a radio signal, so radiation from microwave ovens, cordless phones and even fluorescent lamps can interfere with and cause poor reception. Other objects that can disrupt wireless networks are bluetooth devices, wireless game console controls, neighbor wireless routers, and powerful WiMAX signal sources operating in this area. Even poor electrical connections in the home can interfere with wireless signals due to the generation of broadband radio emissions. Eliminating as many of these problems as possible will improve reception quality. wifi signal.
3. Lengthen the antenna. Sold good amplifiers for wireless antennas, which can be installed as a prefix to the wifi router, which will further increase the range of the signal. Simply connect the amplifier to a router (often called a wireless access point) - and the required signal gain will be provided. Several types of antenna amplifiers for wireless communications company produces Hawking. One of the most powerful indoor models is the Hawking Technologies HAI15SC, which can boost the power of a wireless signal from typical 2 dBi to 15 dBi! The HAI15SC high-gain antenna replaces the external wireless access point antenna, greatly enhances signal strength, as well as effective distance and wireless performance. This device is priced at about $ 45. It can be found in Amazon and in many other online stores.
4. Repeaters and range extenders. Small devices of this kind receive a radio signal, amplify in a certain way and emit it. Locate the repeater within range of the router, close to the computer that needs the wireless signal. Linksys and D-Link offer customers repeaters, also called range extenders. For apple computers offer a repeater Airport Express.
5. Try to make your own auxiliary devices and devices.. - It offers interesting ways for self-repetition, allowing to expand the area of coverage or increase power wi-Fi signal. One example is the use of an antenna in the form of a tin can without a bottom. This may sound like quackery, but this is exactly the way described in the Building Wireless Community Networks book by O Reilly, November 2001. Another proven method is to connect a home-made parabolic set-top box to the router antenna. The use of a satellite dish and cell phone is a carefully crafted hoax.
6. Buy a new router. If your router has been around for several years, it may be advisable to buy a new device with best performance. Some of the newest models provide a much higher power radio signal. New “N-class” routers, as a rule, emit a more powerful radio signal and are able to work with old 02.11B or G adapters connected to the computer.
7. Experiment with the settings. The router has additional features. Some of them can be quite useful, others - not. Read the instructions for the router and configure it to suit your needs. Most modern devices are sold ready for use, you just need to connect the necessary wires, but they may have the means to increase the signal power and adjust it to the parameters of the computer adapter. For example, most routers are configured to operate on channel 6, but there may be less interference and noise on another channel. Try switching to another channel, from 1 to 11, and see if there is a difference.
8. Is your wireless router secure?Check if your neighbor uses traffic from your router and downloads materials that may cause problems for you. Protect your network so that no one else can use this signal. Connect the security features of the router and use secure passwords. Find online wireless security security materials and follow the recommendations there. If you have not yet seen the need to secure your wifi network, read the article on user errors from a security point of view that should NOT be allowed.
9. Update the router software.. Another necessary thing that can be done at no additional cost is the router software update. To do this, visit the router manufacturer's website: Linksys, D-Link, or another. Using the model number, make all the necessary updates.
10. Find alternative firmware. The original firmware of the routers would have to meet all your needs, but in some such devices the possibility of emitting the output signal with the maximum possible power is limited. You can search for alternative firmware, such as OpenWRT's BackFire, whose manufacturers promise to increase the power of the radio signal. However, be careful with the flashing - if you load the wrong program into the router, it can fail without repair. This option can be recommended only to users with a sufficient level of knowledge and qualifications.
