WLAN with neighbours

[sparhawk]

I have am chine setup in my living room which uses WLAN to connect it to my network. Otherwise I would have to pass a cable there (which in the long run might be better probably).

The issue now is, that my neighbour also has a WLAN and our houses are back to back. I think this is the reason why sometimes my connection is extremly bad to my machine (as right now while typing).

 

So I wonder if there are ways to improve this situation. Either by changing the frequency, shielding or maybe disrupt my neighbours waves without disrupting mine or similar. Actually I don't care that much if my neighbour is pissed off, because we are not really on good terms anyway.

[Ishtvan]

I would have thought they would have designed the hardware with that in mind. Not sure what you can do if they didn't, other than cover your entier wall facing the neighbors with aluminum foil or something.

[sparhawk]

Yeah. I have to check the router to see if the frequency can be changed. I guess I should also ask my neighbour, which one he is using. I also downloaded some tools, so maybe I can test it and see if I can improve teh situation. It's quite annyoing when this happens.

[Baddcog]

Tinfoil! Put it all over the outside wall of his house.

[Crispy]

Yes, and tell him you're doing him a favour, since you've received "inside information" that the government is trying to spy on him.

[MadhatteR]

Hi sparhawk,

 

I wouldnt suggest changing the frequency, but rather the channel on which your wireless router / modem is running. Via www.portforward.com you can find almost any make of router / modem and how to get into the administrator pages, which comes in handy when you have a "speedtouch wireless modem".

 

If you go the command line and type: ipconfig /all you will find the gateway ip (that being your router / modem) type in the ip in your browser and you will get into the administrator pages.

 

If you have an linksys router or wireless network card, you will be able to find out on which channel(s) the neighbouring wireless networks are running by looking them up with the accompanying software.

 

If you have a common brand like sitecom / EMC you will find that their wireless signal is less strong and transmitting short pulses whereas a linksys router has a stronger signal with longer pulses. Also make sure that there are no door blocking the signal or floors of reinforced concrete. One other thing is that you buy a omni signal enhancer / booster for your router/modem and wireless card in your pc.

An example is this one for the wireless N-series by linksys http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c...d=8787039789B05

 

Always get an omni directional version and make sure that your modem / router or pc card supports replacing the antenna (screw off antenna).

 

Hope this has been to any help.

 

Greetzzz

 

|M|adhatte|R|

[sparhawk]

Thanks! I was thinking about a signal booster, but I didn't know if such things exist for WLAN. I can screw off my antenna, so if this is a requirement it's ok.

[Unstoppable]

If you were to connect a cable directly to the router and to the computer you wanna use I don't think you would be slowed down. Are you using wireless?

[Komag]

WLAN means wireless

[Lazarus]

I was going to say Channels also. But even if you pick up your neighbors profile, you're not connected, and therefore not wasting any bandwidth. as long as you're not connected to his router and you have a WEP key enabled on your WLAN you will not share bandwidth with your neighbor. As for boosting your signal... I wouls say try different channels. I'm not sure about signal boosters.

[sparhawk]

Yeah, I know. The problem is not that I'm afraid of sharing bandwidth with him (which I don't), rather that the signals disturb each other, which results in a lower bandwidth when I want to connect. In my company two collegues had simialr issues with their mice. They used wireless mice, and they had to put a foil between their workingplace, because it happened quite often, that they disturbed each other.