August 24, 20187 yr Any thoughts on what keep changing my wireless connection. Older Thinkpad with Intel single band card. At times it connects at 144 mbps and the next day at 65 from the exact same location in the house - which is only 20 feet from the router. Not a huge deal and I'm going to go to dual band just for experimental stuff but wondering why I get huge speed differences.
August 27, 20187 yr Possibly channel interference. Do a site survey and see what other signals are in your area. Also, when you check the speed, check what channel you're connecting on. If you and everyone around you are all using Auto channel selection, it's possible everyone keeps hopping to avoid everyone else, resulting in a hot mess. Counterintuitive, but it sometimes is better to pick a fixed channel and let everyone else hop away from you.
August 27, 20187 yr Author I am the only one using wireless on my router. Will see what happens with a dual band card this week
August 28, 20187 yr Are you the only house in 1/8 mile? It isn't how many devices you have, it's others' wireless networks around you causing your site airwaves to be a multichannel nightmare.
August 28, 20187 yr I used to have an Android app that would show you all the nearby WiFi networks and what channels they were on so you could pick a free one. Not sure if those thing still exist. A friend keeps telling me about mesh WiFi systems but I haven’t looked into them. He also says your router plays a huge part.
August 29, 20187 yr Author On 8/28/2018 at 4:00 AM, Sam Lin said: Are you the only house in 1/8 mile? It isn't how many devices you have, it's others' wireless networks around you causing your site airwaves to be a multichannel nightmare. About 5 in 20% band at 5am. Dual band upgraded card is a little better but right now I'm back to 58mbps
August 30, 20187 yr Take a screenshot of your site survey, from what you typed I'm not sure what you're referencing. Try one of the free site survey apps on your phone; what you need to see is the info on screenshot 3 here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fullsunning.wifimapperfree It tells you how many devices are on what channel in your area. Be aware that certain cordless phones as well as microwaves (yes, the kitchen cooking microwave) can interfere badly with 2.4ghz signals. Do a survey with microwave running if you have one. Also be aware a dual band wifi card is only useful if your router also has 5ghz capability, and is actually broadcasting a 5ghz SSID. Unless you forcibly connect to a specific 5ghz SSID or turn off the 2.4ghz band in the router, many devices aren't smart enough to recognize both on the same SSID and will usually default to the 2.4ghz band.
August 30, 20187 yr Author I know I need a 5G router for dual and have one. Have to check and see if I can disable 2.4 side - thta may be what is happening
October 13, 20187 yr Try with another device also to see if it has any issues. Also upgrade the firmware on your router.
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