{"id":239,"date":"2021-08-30T13:56:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T13:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/?page_id=239"},"modified":"2022-04-26T16:27:53","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T16:27:53","slug":"solving-wireless-range-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/solving-wireless-range-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving Wireless Range Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you’re not getting the 11Mbps speed that you thought your card’s manufacturer promised?\u00a0 If you read your card or Access Point’s<\/a> spec carefully, you’ll probably see that data rates are specified as a function of distance.\u00a0 Data rate drops off very quickly with distance for 802.11b products,\u00a0 and the change is somewhat abrupt or “stepped”.\u00a0 HomeRF products are slower to start with (1.6Mbps), but their speed degrades more slowly with distance.<\/p>\n

This chart from\u00a0Compaq’s WL series reviewer’s guide<\/a><\/b>\u00a0gives you some idea of what to expect for 802.11b products, but like all manufacturer specs, is\u00a0optimistic in terms of the actual effective data rate you’ll see:<\/b><\/p>\n

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As a rule of thumb, take whatever distance numbers you see and cut them in half to get an estimate of what real-world performance may be like.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0Intel page on Antenna Selection<\/a><\/b>\u00a0and placement also has some useful tips.<\/p>\n

Now that your expectations are properly calibrated, here are some tips to help you get the best performance:<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/b>\u00a0Although many of the tips refer to an Access Point or “AP”, they all apply equally to a Wireless Router or Gateway!<\/p>\n