Wireless Network signal?

Johnny

I recently installed a wireless network in my house i have had alot of trouble with my pc getting signal i have now moved the pc onto the desk and it is better signal.I was wondering if i moved the router into the attic would it increase the signal range of the router.Many thanks
And also is there any way in incresing the ariel reception on the pci card on my pc?
id also like to add that i live in an old irish cottage and the wall's the router has to travel through is about 1 foot thick and then 2 more walls

Answer
If you have a wireless network installed in your home, you know that getting perfect reception can be tricky. Things like the simplest electrical devices can cause enough interference to reduce your wireless network range by a good 30 percent. If that is the case, don't despair. Here are some things you can do to improve your wireless network range.

First of all, make sure your wireless router is installed in a central location, preferably mounted on a wall, and as far away as possible from other devices also running on 2.4 GHz, such as microwave ovens, baby monitors, and cordless phones. Even Bluetooth gadgets can cause trouble and affect your wireless network range. Anything from closed doors to odd corners can cause interference, so try to install your wireless router as close as possible to the source. Metal objects in general can also cause interference and affect your wireless network range, as do windows and electronics.

Once you have found the perfect place for your wireless router, try switching the channels until you find a frequency that works. Most routers come pre-programmed to run on channel 1 or 11, but they can also run without problems on other channels 6 and 11. If you suspect that your neighbors may also have wireless routers in their homes, it is possible that the interference is coming from them. Test different channels before settling on one.

If all fails, consider replacing the original antenna that came with the router. A wireless network range can benefit greatly from a hi-gain antenna, which directs all signals in one particular direction rather than a standard antenna, which is omni-directional. An omni-directional antenna can often misdirect signals towards walls, which diminishes the capacity of the router. You can also consider adding a wireless repeater, which simply amplifies the signal when positioned between the router and the computer, ensuring a better reception.

Sometimes you have no choice but to upgrade your router if you want to noticeably improve your wireless network range. Old Wi-Fi routers have an output of 11-megabits-per-second, while the latest models can reach 280 mbps.

Best Home Network Router?

Isaac Skor

Most everything is done wirelessly and up to 7 devices will be connected at once so its got to be able to handle some traffic. We will search the web, stream video, download content, and game on it. So what is the best?

Answer
No matter what router you choose, it will only be as fast as your Internet connection.

Let me explain,

A fast router or WiFi connection can not make your Internet faster.

A router connects two separate networks and manages the traffic between them.

In most home network applications the router connects your local group of computers and devices known as the LAN with the Internet, commonly called the WAN or Wide Area Network.

Your WAN speed is determined by your ISP and is measured in Mbps (Millions of bits per second).

For example, If you pay for a 3 Mbps Internet connection, you will get 3 Mbps.

No router or connection type will change your 3 Mbps Internet speed. This connection bandwidth is shared by your entire LAN via your router.

If you have a 3 Mbps Internet plan and one user is utilizing 2.5 Mbps of the bandwidth to stream a Netflix movie that only leaves 0.5 Mbps for all of the rest of the users on the LAN.

Fast wireless routers and connections such as Gigabit Ethernet are designed to stream large files on your LAN quickly. The high speed routers permit fast transfer of files between devices connected to your LAN, however WAN speed is still limited by your ISP.

Only way to speed up Internet connection is to get a faster plan or ISP.

ROUTERS:
Wireless signals are affected by many factors including distance, wall density, electrical interference, directional antenna range, etc.

Just because a particular wireless router works good at one location does not guarantee that it will have similar performance in a different location due to variance in the factors listed above.

You should try to centrally locate your wireless router or gateway up high and away from dense walls and electrical and 2.4 GHz wireless interference such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, etc.

Wireless routers are fairly inexpensive. http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=wireless%20router&url=search-alias%3Daps&sprefix=wireless%20ro%2Caps%2C490&tag=excharge-20

As far as the brand goes, the brand is not as important as the model. Some manufacturers release a good model but the next is crap. I would look at the Amazon reviews of models that interest you. Even if you don't buy from Amazon the reviews will tell you a lot about which models to avoid. Look for at least 15 or more reviews with a 4 star or better rating. Read a few and see if they sound like the particular model will work for your application.

Good Luck...

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Baby monitor with camera?

Love

I'm having my first child in December and my mom and I are looking at baby monitors and we found on that had a camera and shows you a live image of the baby. My mom was pretty impressed by this as they weren't around when I was a baby. But they are outrageously priced! I think she wants to get one for me anyway, as this is her first grandchild and my mom's the type to spend way too much. So I was wondering does anyone else have these? Worth the price? Are they any good?

Answer
I actually did this, but I used a wireless ip camera. When my son was 9 months old we had to move from a condo to an apartment with no washer/dryer hookup. So I had to leave the apartment to do the laundry a couple doors down and needed a way to see what my son was up to in between loads. I agree that the video monitor setups are very steep. And something worth noting is that every single one I've seen on shelves is not a secured network. So that video signal is open for others to view nearby. I use(d) a dlink IP cam that is networked securely to my home wireless network and accessible via smartphone. It cost about 30 bucks and 15 minutes of setup and I was up and going. I've had this setup for almost 3 years now and it's been helpful. I don't think I've had any memorable absences, but it's a nice piece of mind to make sure my son was sleeping safely when I had to leave the apartment for a moment.

Looking for baby monitor that does not have interference from wifi network and blackberry. Recommendations?

bahiadave

Aware of Phillips model. Wondering if there is one that is not so expensive.

Answer
I have a Fisher Price 900 MHZ and we have a wifi network and have zero interference.

What we have is very similar to this, but it's a couple of years old: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/601-6545658-9279309?ASIN=B000I5RF8C&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B000I5RF8C|Long_Distance_900MHz_Baby_Monitor&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B000I5RF8C&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001

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How long a lead can i use with a network adapter?

best baby monitor network image

Paul

I can not get signal from my router in the back room but can about 20 meters/65 feet up the house so would i be able to run a 20 meter/65 feet usb cable with a network adapter attached to it and get signal that way. I am aware that high speed usb connections are limited to 5 meters/16 feet but i dont know if a network adapter is included in those limitations. If it could even give me half strength i would be happy at that or if you have any other solutions please feel free to voice them.....Thanks in advance

Answer
USB won't go that far.

Wireless signals are affected by many factors including wall density, electrical interference, directional antenna range, etc.

All of these factors will affect your actual wireless range. As wireless connection quality varies the connection speeds are renegotiated. The connection may start at 54 Mbps and end up at less than 20 Mbps.

Just because a particular wireless router works good at one location does not guarantee that it will have similar performance in a different location due to variance in the factors listed above.

You should try to centrally locate your wireless router or gateway up high and away from dense walls and electrical and 2.4 GHz wireless interference such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, etc.

There are solutions,

The best solution is to run a Ethernet cable to your router. Pre-assembled CAT5 Ethernet cables are relatively inexpensive. Ethernet can be run up to a maximum of 100 meters.

A good quality 50' CAT5e is about $9.50 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001W26TIW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001W26TIW&linkCode=as2&tag=excharge-20

If it is not feasible to run cables you have other options such as powerline network adapters You plug one in by the router and one in the room where you need access and connect them to the devices with standard Ethernet patch cables. http://isp1.us/reviews/netgear-xavb2101-powerline-adapter/

The network signals are transmitted over your existing home electrical wiring which will not be affected by wireless interference.

However, if you need the wireless mobility there are various other ways to extend a Internet connection to areas with a weak wireless signal.

Devices such as wireless extenders that can expand your wireless range if need be. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YAYM06/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=excharge-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004YAYM06

The wireless range extender receives weak wireless signals and repeats them to extend the signal range to greater distances. Some models include 4 Ethernet ports in addition to the wireless radio.

Good Luck...

How do you connect a sensor to a radio transmitter and programming it to transmit one task only?

Q. I badly need advice on how to do this for our science project. Our project is to monitor garbage through radio waves and sensors... the problem is that how do we connect the sensor to the transmitter and how do we get to program it to transmit the garbage levels... and one more thing... What Type of sensor do we use?

Answer
Sounds like a cool project that's best if broken down by section.

The key to a successful science project is to keep it as simple as possible while demonstrating one or more concepts. Cost will also be a concern. The trickiest part will be your radio link since there are all kinds of government regulations about what you can and cannot do especially at the unlicensed level. Instead you want to find a transmitter and receiver that already work well together over short distances. Garage door or car alarm remotes can be difficult to work with on the receiver end. A pair of cell phones might work if you have unlimited minutes to burn. Low power toy walkie talkies might work if you had a way to push the transmit button for short intervals. An iPod type transmitter and FM radio might work together. So would a couple of WiFi enabled laptops networked together through a wireless router, but now we're getting complicated again. A battery powered wireless baby monitor just might be the ideal solution.

Note that most of the transmit/receive link possibilities mentioned above involve audio. You'll want to use your garbage level to control either the frequency or volume of the audio you transmit. Volume is probably the easiest since you can use a relatively simple meter circuit at the receiving end to measure it.

One of the nice things about a science project is you can control many of the parameters. Use a small waste basket as your garbage can and use something that packs relatively uniformly like tennis balls or crushed aluminum cans as your garbage. Now all you need to do is weigh them to know how full the can is.

Place your garbage can on a plywood platform hinged at one edge and held up by springs. Get one of those slide style volume controls and rig it so that the slide moves as the platform edge moves under the weight of the garbage. Adjust the tension and number of springs as needed.

You'll need an audio source such as a simple oscillator or a steady tone saved on an MP3 player. This feeds the volume control on you platform scale which in turn feeds your garbage monitor transmitter (in place of the microphone).

The volume at the receiver (after substituting a meter for the speaker) will track the weight of the garbage. Lookup LM3914 for circuits that use LED's that you can label from empty to full.

I'm assuming that someone in your group can handle the basic electronic connections.

Now go get that A.

Don

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Do you think corded phones are better than cordless phones?

Q. Silly question but I was just wondering what you thought. Cordless phones are annoying. They have horrible quality, receive interference from just about any other device sharing the same network. Plus they need power to operate, so they are useless in a power outage. And there also in some ways a security breach. You can easily listen into a conversation with a baby monitor. And to top it off they lack most features that corded phones offer. So what's your opinion?

A. You clearly haven't used a modern cordless phone. A good digital cordless phone is unlikely to see any interference with much of anything, the link quality is indistinguishable from wired, and no, you cannot hear the call with a baby monitor. That's not to say that those things have not historically been problems, just that they're problems largely solved in pretty much all modern gear.

One good idea is to get a cordless phone system that does not collide with a home network or your microwave. Look for a 5.8GHz digital phone or a DECT (runs around 1.9MHz), rather than a 2.4GHz phone, which uses the same ISM radio band as your microwave, 802.11 network, X-Box 360, Sony PS3, Bluetooth phone, etc.

With that all said, yeah, I have a few wired phones as well as the cordless. Of course, this may also depend on how you get your phone service... if you're using POTS (plain old telephone system) phones, a corded phone is useful in a blackout. If you're on VoIP, FiOS, DSL, or Cable, there's a strong likelihood your network gear in the house goes down anyway, so the cordless phone is unlikely to be an issue.

I'm very happy with my digital 5.8GHz phones... one wired connection for a base station that supports up to eight handsets (I have four), phone to phone intercom system built-in, great range, enough to cover my house (4200ft^2) and the immediate areas outside (if I want to go for a walk in the woods AND talk on the phone, I'll use my cell).

Original Question

Based on your actual experience, what is the best baby video monitor for sale?

Q. I've heard so many different, mixed reviews. I'm mostly concerned about them not working with our wireless network (which I don't know how to tweak). If anyone has a good one that works well with a wireless network that doesn't cost TONS of money, please pass on the info. Thanks!

A. What do you mean working with wireless network? Most baby monitors are wireless, but they don’t connect to a modem. Do you just mean without a cord or actually hooked up to a computer? I have been using Summer Infant Hand Held Video baby monitor for 6 month now and can’t complain. It sees at night and has color. The monitor is hand held so you can carry it with you where you want to. At first the battery would last 3-4 days now it lasts 2 days, then you have to recharge, but it can be on when charging. I got mine on eBay at half the cost. If you still don’t have your baby and don’t need one ASAP. Start looking for deals. I got ours 2 month before the baby was born but it took me 4 weeks to get the deal I wanted.
I’m also using a wireless connection on my laptop and there is no interference with the monitor, it’s working perfectly fine. Also it does NOT pick up cell phones, radios or other babies.

Original Question

How do speed up my file transfer speeds across my home network?

Q. I have a D-Link rangebooster G gold series router which is apparently supposed to have network speeds up to 108mbps or something like that right? I'm trying to transfer some files across but its going at an embarrassing 1.5mbps. I would almost make sense I had just put them on my external hdd first..

is there a way to speed this up?

A. I think there are two problems here that are leading to confusion. I suspect (but I could be wrong) that you're confusing megabits with megabytes. The 108mbps you should be able to get is megabits per second. It's possible that the 1.5mbps you're getting is megaBYTES per second. If you do a file transfer, chances are it will give you a speed in megabytes, rather than megabits. A megabyte is 8 megabits, so you might actually be getting 12megabits per second of your promised 108, rather than the 1.5 you thought you were getting.

Also, that 108Mbit promise has a couple unspoken conditions (probably listed out in fine print as a footnote of a footnote in the Chinese language section of your manual). For instance, since 802.11g only supports speeds up to 54Mbits, you need to have special D-Link wireless cards in order to support that full 108Mbits. Without it, you're only going to get up to 54Mbits.

Also, that 54Mbits is total throughput, not the speed of each connection. So if you're transferring from one wireless computer to another, then you're only going to get (at best) half of that speed (about 27Mbits), since it needs half the bandwidth for the transmission to the router, and the other half for the transmission to the other computer.

Finally, if you take into account this is consumer hardware and you probably don't have ideal conditions at your house, there's no reason why that won't cut the speed in half again, leaving you with about 13Mbits expected speed and 12Mbits actual speed.

All that being said, let me address your question of how to speed this up:

The first thing you should do is eliminate the second wireless leg (if it exists). Put one of your computers close to the router (or the router close to one of the computers) and connect the router to the computer via a wired Ethernet connection. That should provide a hefty boost of speed (it should nearly double).

Next, make sure you have an 802.11G card in your wireless computer. If it's 802.11B, then it will max out at 11Mbits. So getting an 802.11G network card for it will increase your speed dramatically.

Also, upgrade your firmware on your router. If there's a new firmware available, you should be able to get it from DLink's website. This might give a minor speed increase.

If you have any baby monitors, home phones, etc that are "2.4Ghz," turn them off, they can interfere with your wireless signal and slow your transfer speeds.

If you can get your speed up to 40Mbits (5 megabytes per second), then you are doing about as well as can be expected from consumer networking hardware. I doubt you'll get over about 25-30Mbits (3-4 megabytes per second), though.

On a side note, back in college we used to be able to get about 5-10 megabytes per second transfer speed by loading files on an iPod (via 400Mbit Firewire), walking down the hall, and loading them on another computer. You could probably achieve similar results with your external hard drive, as you suggested. So I'd go that route for large transfers such as this.

Good luck!

Original Question

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