Hello everyone,

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about poor wireless reception, so I’ve decided to share my thoughts:

Poor wireless reception can be caused by a multitude of things. Here are some of the things that I check for when I do my service calls:

1) Set the router to another channel. I try channel 11 first, then channel 6, then channel 1.

2) Try the 5GHz band if the router has this option.

3) Change the position of the router. There may be signal interference due to certain obstructions.

4) Check to see if the router needs a firmware update.

5) The receiving device may have a bad wireless adapter. Try an external dongle.

6) Are the router and the receiving device both wireless “N” protocols? If the router is “N” capable but the receiving device is only b/g then you won’t get “N” speeds. If both devices are “N” capable then don’t use any mixed b/g/n settings in the router. Use “N” only.

7) When setting the security in the router, use WPA2-PSK with AES.

8) Check all Network settings in the computer. I usually disable all wireless network adapter protocols except for Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Don’t disable the ones that your client needs!

9) I flush the DNS cache (ipconfig  /flushdns in “command prompt” window), and then change the routers settings to point to OpenDNS.

10) When possible I always try to use the same brand of router and wireless adapter. For example, if using a D-Link router, also use a D-Link wireless USB adapter.

11) And finally, you may very well have a bad router! Try another one or get a new one!!

Professor Randy says: There is nothing like going wireless, but at times it can be a real hassle! You can enjoy your wireless connection more by becoming aware of the suggestions in this post. Happy wireless!