Cleaning Up Your Wireless Signal: Switching Channels

Hey there! So, I’ve got a little trick up my sleeve that might just help with your wireless signal. Now, I can’t guarantee it’ll work for everyone, but hey, it’s worth a shot, right? Best part is, it won’t cost you a penny.

Before we get started, though, lemme just say this: if your wireless router is working fine, then you don’t need to do anything. This is only for those times when things aren’t going so smoothly.

Alright, here’s the deal. Most wireless routers come with a default channel. You know, like a radio station. And guess what? There are actually 11 of these channels to choose from.

Now, picture this: you’re sitting there, minding your own business, when all of a sudden, your internet connection decides to take a nosedive. No reason, nothing. Just pure frustration. Well, my friend, it’s possible that the channel your wireless router is using could be the culprit. It could be that there are other routers around you using the same channel, causing some serious interference.

But fear not! Switching channels is easier than you think, and you don’t have to mess around with your computer or anything. Your wireless card will take care of all the dirty work.

Here’s what you can do: grab a nifty little tool called NetStumbler. This baby will show you if there are any other routers sharing your channel. Just take a look at this sweet report it generates:

The channel list is on the right. Mine is the first one on the list. I noticed that other wireless routers near me were using channels 6, 9, and 11 – so I changed mine to channel 3. And guess what? I immediately noticed that the signal quality improved!

To change my channel, all I had to do was go into my router configuration program through my web browser. I use a Belkin router and it looked like this:

[insert image]

I simply picked a new channel from the drop-down menu and applied it. The router restarted using wireless channel 3 and I’ve been using it ever since.

Changing the channel won’t make your data transfer any faster, but it will make your connection more stable. Even though the range of your wireless signal won’t increase, a cleaner signal should allow you to connect from 75 feet away with no problems (as long as there aren’t too many obstructions). If range is what you’re concerned about, you might want to consider buying a low-cost second wireless router and using it as a WAP (Wireless Access Point) to extend the range.

Now, let’s talk about keeping your email synced on multiple computers.

[heading] Keeping Email Synced On Multiple Computers [/heading]

[heading] 27 thoughts on “Clean Up a Wireless Signal By Changing The Channel”] [/heading]

Once there are more than 3 stations, especially if there are 20 wifi networks in your neighborhood, following the advice to only use channels 1, 6, and 11 might not make sense anymore. It’s actually better for everyone if you choose channel 3 when your neighbors are using channels 1, 6, and 11. If there are too many stations, make sure to avoid being too close to the ones with the strongest signals.

Hector Huyo says:

Channel 11 can sometimes be difficult because it borders with other RF equipment that might be near your building or room. In those cases, I try different combinations of 1, 6, and 11 until I find a good balance.

Hector Huyo says:

Based on my own experience, I suggest surveying your site using smartphone apps like Wifi Analyzer. This will give you a better understanding of your specific situation. Once you know which channels are available, you can freely configure your AP’s (Access Points) while still sticking to the 1, 6, 11 rule to prevent overlapping.

Jay Dogg says:

When I first got my HP DV7 in December, I had full bars in my basement and it was great. But when I came back from vacation, nothing changed in my laptop or the computer with the wireless router, and I suddenly only had 2 bars. We tried everything, from changing the channel to building a small antenna to amplify the signal. I don’t get it – I can pick up my neighbor’s internet in the basement and get more bars from their network. How is it possible that I used to have full bars and now I only have 2? I would really appreciate any ideas or feedback.

Shaun says:

Let me clarify a few things. Signals have five things going against them, technically two. First, there’s interference from other wireless adapters that you can see on programs like inSSIDer. Then, there’s interference from other devices in your house or neighborhood that you cannot see. Distance from your router/access point and distance from others also affect the signal. Lastly, there’s channel overlap. This is where things get confusing. Technically, if people didn’t use channel 6 and instead used 4 or 8, you would have four channels that do not overlap – 1, 4, 8, and 11. The problem with overlap is that it’s similar to distance, and it works with or against distance. The closer two channels are, the more overlap there is. So, if someone is using channel 6 and you use channel 5, the overlap and distance are so close that it’s almost like you’re both using channel 6. But if the two points are more than 100 feet away using channels 5 and 6, it’s similar to using two routers on channel 1 and 6 that are only 10 feet apart in range. There would be little to no interference. That’s why some people see big improvements when they drop down to 1 channel. However, if there was no overlap at all, you could have two routers on channel 1 and 6 with antennas an inch apart and not see drops in signal quality, but that’s not the case. The minor distance between channels overcomes the overlap interference of the traditional 1, 6, and 11 channels. That’s why they’re called non-overlapping channels. The non-overlapping channels, 1, 4, 8, and 11, require more distance than the overlapping channels, 1, 6, and 11, but not by much.

The reason people advise using 1, 6, or 11 is to avoid interference with others – call it wireless manners. If you’re close to someone using channel 3 and they’re close to someone using channel 9, neither of you may have a clear channel to use without some form of interference. Of course, this won’t always work in residential setups as well as it does in offices where you control the entire wireless network.

In residential areas, you often see routers set to channels 1, 6, and 11. However, using these channels can still result in dropped signals. So, I look for the two channels that have the weakest interference. If channels 1 and 6 have weaker signals compared to 11, I can choose a channel like 4 to minimize interference and get the best performance. This is probably why some people experience better performance on an odd channel. But the interference from the number of users in the area can sometimes be worse than using 1, 6, or 11. Typically, this isn’t the case, and finding the sweet spot where your signal is strongest is all you need to do.

In the following pictures, you can see how the signals fade on the channel spectrum. As you can see, channel 6 barely overlaps with 1 and 11.

[pictures]

Instead of using NetStumbler, you might want to try inSSIDer. This program has a graph that shows the signal strength against channel and a chart showing the strength over time. It comes from metageek.net and it’s free. The graphs make it clear how much interference and overlapping are likely.

If you use a non-overlapping channel, that’s arguably the best solution. However, if you don’t, you might be causing problems for others on the overlapped channels. But it might still be the best solution for you. Of course, proximity plays a big role in this.

In my case, NetStumbler worked for me and gave me the information I needed to choose an “unoccupied” channel. It’s been working well for me.

Speaking of interference, using 2.4GHz phones can also cause noise in the same range as WiFi. Switching to 5.8GHz phones can help with this issue.

But let me tell you, there’s a lot of conflicting advice out there. Some say you should stick to channels 1, 6, and 11. Despite what the author says (who changed to channel 3 and immediately noticed an improvement), and despite what any user might experience. Yes, let’s all follow the same advice and ignore actual results. I changed my channel to 3 and immediately noticed fewer wireless problems. My connection is much more stable. Should I stick to 1, 6, or 11 and suffer from terrible reliability?

Sometimes, a little knowledge is worse than no knowledge at all. People like the ones mentioned above prove this every day.

By the way, according to Tyler Adkisson, the reason why people recommend using channels 1, 6, or 11 is because those are the only non-overlapping WiFi channels.

Thank you very much for the helpful information. It really made a difference for me. I used NetStumbler and found that many routers in my apartment building were on channels 1, 6, and 11. To minimize interference, I changed my channel to 9, which partially overlaps with channel 11 but hopefully doesn’t interfere with the majority of routers on channels 1 and 6. It’s been working much better – no drops in 3 days!

So, to all the RF experts out there, does my approach make more sense? It minimizes overlap and interference. Wouldn’t setting my channel to 1, 6, or 11 result in total overlap?

If you’re having trouble with your Toshiba laptop’s built-in wireless modem, you might want to check if you can clear the IP address in the wireless properties.

I understand that changing the channel might not be so easy for everyone. Sometimes, the page to change the channel doesn’t work even when you type in your router’s IP address.

I love these self-appointed networking experts who insist on using only channels 1, 6, and 11. Despite what the author says and despite what anyone else experiences. Let’s all just follow the same advice and ignore our own results. I changed to channel 3 and immediately noticed improved stability in my wireless connection. Should I stick to 1, 6, or 11 and suffer from unreliable signal?

Let me tell you something. I manage 140 WAP’s (Wireless Access Points) in an environment with many close proximities. From my experience and the recommendation of an RF consultant, changing to the standard 1, 6, and 11 channels significantly improved user connectivity. These are actual results.

I hope this clarifies things for you and helps you make a more informed decision.