Advanced WiFi Tip
Jul 10, 2014, 12:00 PM | Updated: 12:00 pm
Is staying connected to your home wireless network a constant challenge?
If so, there’s a possibility that there is a simple fix for a constantly dropping connection.
Change the channel!
For the very common 2.4 Ghz frequency networks there are 11 channels available, but how do you know which one to use?
In general, the best choices are 1, 6 or 11 because they don’t overlap with each other but it’s still a guessing game.
2.4 Ghz is an open radio band that is shared by just about everything wireless in your home: cordless phones, baby monitors, garage door openers and Bluetooth earpieces are just the beginning of the list of devices that can interfere with your wifi connection.
If you live near others, their wifi network could also cause some interference in your house.
To help you pick the best channel, Windows users can download the free NetSurveyor app which will give you a graphical report on the least used channels.
Mac users can run the built-in Wifi Scan utility from the Wireless Diagnostics menu to achieve the same thing.