WIFI not up to strength 1

[Keyboy]

Hi,

I am running a Dell Studio 1550 with W7. Two months ago, my WIFI card died. I bought a replacement which duplicated the original one from Dell. After I installed the new card, I didn't have to do anything like replace drivers for example and everything worked perfectly. I connect to a 26 GHZ router in my home. The new card topped out. Then about a week ago, I noticed that the little row of bars WIFI signal strength indicator was not all white and had only two of the 4 bars white indicating a low/fair signal. If I carry the laptop closer to the router (it is typically 30 feet away) the number of white bars increases but never maxes out like it used to.

I have opened the laptop and removed and reseated the card and the two wires attached to it. No change was observed.

Before I search the internet and turn up hundreds of things to try, I thought I would ask what you suggest.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[ClayTaco]

Could be an issue with the router itself. What's the age and model of the router? Have you tried connecting to any other networks?
As long as the card is seated properly you should be good. It's best to go ahead and download any drivers from the manufactures site just to make sure your bases are covered.

 

[goombawaho]

If the antenna wires are firmly attached, I would look elsewhere if after updating the driver there is no change. Sometimes two things break at nearly the same time making you scratch your head and say to yourself "this CAN'T be the problem" or "this HAS to be the problem". But you should always keep an open mind. In other words - the router???

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[xwb]

Try running

http://www.metageek.com/products/inssider/

Check if there are any 5GHz signals interfering with your signal. You could try changing channels on your router.

 

[SamBones]

I have a little app on my phone called "Wifi Analyzer". It shows a little real-time graph of every wifi signal it can see, the channel it's on, and the strength. It is invaluable in finding wifi issues. It looks like this...

The problem could be that your neighbor has set up a brand new wifi router with a stronger signal on the same channel you're on. Being able to see it lets you find a channel that isn't used and that can often get you MUCH higher throughput.

Based on the example screen, if you were on channel 1, you're sharing it with several access points, some may be stronger than yours. If you were to move your router to channel 8 or 9, or even 14 if it can, then you wouldn't be competing with your neighbors and would get a much stronger dedicated signal.

BUT, that's just the example screen. You need to get the app and see what your environment really is. I've done this several times for friends and family and they think I'm some kind of miracle worker.

 

[SamBones]

Also keep in mind that wifi is a radio signal, and things that interfere with radio can interfere with it. Things like a call with plumbing in it, if it's between you and the router, can hurt the signal.

Also, the signal propagates from the antennas in the shape of a donut. If your antenna has moved and is pointing in a different direction, it can cut down on the strength of the signal you see. If your wifi router has more than one antenna, they should NOT be parallel. They should be pointed in different directions to maximize the coverage they have. Or, line them all up so the fat part of the "donut" is aimed right where you sit when online.

You can also look for settings on your wifi router. Go to its admin page and look through the options. Most have a setting where you can make it run at a lower power setting. This is for situations where you want to intentionally limit its range. Obviously you don't want that, so you have to confirm it's set for full power. Who knows, you might even be able to bump its power up from what it was before.

From my experience, it's never a driver issue. Especially if it was strong and is now not strong. The radio circuitry is controlled by the OS, but separate from it. Usually a radio going bad is very low probability. And usually all or nothing.

 

[Keyboy]

Hello all,

I am glad I asked here first! I did find that there was an updated WiFi card driver. I downloaded and installed it and as you surmised, it didn't help. But at least I am up to date. Then I tackled the router settings, by the way it is a Netgear N600, I looked at the suggested software and decided to try changing channels vs the big outlay of $ for the software. I picked a channel that was about 70% through the list. Then let the router do its thing and bang the laptop has Excellent signal strength no matter where it is in the house.

I appreciate your help and suggestions!

 

[goombawaho]

SamBones - be aware that the wifi reception on most phones is much worse than laptops. I was attending a custom systems installer presentation and they said that wifi signals need to be quite a bit stronger for phones to use them. Therefore, measuring wifi on your phone will give you a bleaker picture of the actual wifi strength in a given area. In other words, it's a very conservative measure of the strength that a laptop might see.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[strongm]

The fact that a mobile phone may need a stronger wifi signal to establish a reliable connection signal should not affect it's ability to detect weak signals.

 

[xwb]

I just use iinsider - it works from a PC. Helps if you don't have a smartphone: not all mobilephones are smartphones.

 

[goombawaho]

The fact that a mobile phone may need a stronger wifi signal to establish a reliable connection signal should not affect it's ability to detect weak signals.

Not to hijack this thread, but NO - I think it DOES mean that. A phone would see a signal of let's say 80dBm and be marginally functional at that location whereas a laptop might see a signal of 72dBm and be perfectly functional.

Well OK, maybe a phone DOES measure properly but won't function. So, a phone is a better indicator of a good wifi signal!!!

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[ClayTaco]

@goombawaho This is why I always test wifi connections with my phone. Just because my laptop with a ba card can connect doesn't mean my clients will be able to connect on their free from the carrier androids.

 

[goombawaho]

Right - if a phone works, a laptop or desktop should certainly have good reception.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[xwb]

Alternatively, if you don't own a smartphone, use iinsider from your laptop.

 

[cdogg]

Wanted to clarify a couple things about the recommendation above...

First, "Wifi Analyzer" is definitely a good recommendation. I've been using it for years, and it is a rock solid way of detecting nearby interference. However, I disagree that you should be selecting channels other than 1, 6, or 11. These are the only three channels that do not overlap with each other. Most routers default to 1 or 11. If you pick a channel other than these three, you will likely cause (and receive) more interference than you would have had otherwise, not to mention a bigger hit to your overall throughput depending on the number of nearby networks. For example, if you pick 8 or 9 in the scenario above, you will interfere with (and be interfered with) by everyone on channels 6 and 11. You'll be fighting with twice as many networks than you would have been had you just chosen 6.

This article helps explain that:

http://www.extremetech.com/computin...your-wifi-speed-by-choosing-the-right-channel

Good luck!

-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

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