Help in how to improve my wifi signal

gino_76ph

Hi there!

I have a brand-new HP Pavilion DV7 laptop and currently on TalkTalk 8MB broadband. but i'm experiencing a problem with the wifi signal. we live in a 1-bedroom flat and the router is located in our living/dining area. our room is situated around 4 metres away from where the router is and is being "blocked" by the door and the side where the toilet is.

the signal degrades quite significantly in our room all the while the wifi in the living/dining area stays in the maximum; my router is the latest "N" standard one sent by TT.

i know i might be in the wrongs forums website but can you guys sugest anything on how to improve my wifi signal in my room? is there a device or gadget or perhaps a moneysaving or cheap way to say "mirror" and extend the signal to our room?

Please help....

much appreciate.


Thanks.

alanwsg

Well, you could try this ...

http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/default.htm

(I promise, this is NOT a joke, it really does make an improvement)

PC.

I posted a bit of info that may help (wireless repeater etc.) in message 2 of 2 of this thread.-

community.bt.com/t5/BT-Infinity/Bt-infinity-wifi-problems/td-p/265059

community.bt.com/t5/BT-Infinity/Infinity-Home-Hub-3-0-amp-Edimax-EW-7416APn-V2-Universal/m-p/244279#M11005

"We live in a concrete-framed house with the main wireless router upstairs. The steel mesh in the floors severely attenuates the signal and getting a connection downstairs used to be very unreliable. I installed this EdiMax access point in its universal repeater mode and put it downstairs on top of a cupboard....."

I was really disappointed when I realised my dv7 only had wireless b/g

h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c01882152

I had to use an Edimax USB wireless n adapter.... now I am getting download speeds of ~ 35Mb over wireless.

This bloomin' "I'm a new user and can't post links" is damn annoying. (Anyone know how long this control lasts?)

So please copy and paste the link and add http:// if required.

PC

kwikbreaks

A wireless repeater in a 1 room flat is a tad overkill IMO. The tinfoil reflector may look a bit daft but as alanwsg said they do work and cost as close to nothing as make no difference. There is an alternative design on the same site - http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/Ez-10/

The "no links" thing lasts quite a while to counter multiple automatic postings by bots but I'm not sure just how long or how many posts or even if that info is published here - probably not as it would assist the spammers.

PC.

Repeater in a one room situation I agree would be overkill.... however as I read it the OP has one bedroom, living room and toilet which they have problem receiving a signal through.
Mind you the router is a bit on the poor side if it can't push a usable signal through a bit of wall and door over a distance of 12 feet or so.... might even be worth trying another router.... Also I believe if you set the router to emit only wireless n signal (ie turning off the b/g) then this may boost the routers signal, and positioning it a bit higher may help.
Also worth checking to see if your router is transmitting on the clearest channel.
If there are no clear channels, choose one which has the weakest neighbours signal, to share with.

Anyhow just giving an alternative "possible solution" if the home made fix isn't satisfactory or even appropriate for the rooms decoration/setup.

On another point...
I wonder if the forum mods have any control over removing the "links not allowed" problem"?..... If so I promise I am not a spammer and could they help in removing this control for me.

Thank you.

PC

macman

Start by changing the wireless channel.

gino_76ph

But, how do i change the wireless channel?

I have upgraded my TT broadband to a fibre optic one. the engineer will be visiting my flat in a week's time. what or how shall i tell him on how can i get the maximum wifi signal around my small 1-bedroom flat?

kwikbreaks

There will be an option in the setup pages to alter the channel used - you need to check the documentation. Use http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider to find the clearest channel although I doubt it will make a huge difference judging by the description which spcifically metions the signal strength - other APs on the same channel impact the quality rather than the strength of the signal.

macman

Log into the router's web interface and look for the wireless settings, within that section there will be an option to choose the wireless channel.
Use InSSIDer to pick a relatively uncongested channel.

Naf

If you don't use the laptop on other networks (and even if you do, it shouldn't cause problems) you can make sure your laptop's hardware settings are on the right channel (through device manager). It does make some difference when you're having problems. As above, changing to solely 'N' or 'B/G' will improve the signal generated, and inSSIDer is very very good to see just how cluttered your local area is.
A repeater would either be in the same room as the router and so have the same issue with transmitting (or you might as well get a new, better router anyway); or it could be on the other side of the wall, and have the same issue receiving the signal as your laptop currently does.

Have you tried other devices in the same place, and the laptop on other wifi networks?

gino_76ph

I got the instructions from TT forums. but was wondering which channel is better? why are there different channels and how can you determine which one is strong or better?