(E-Mail Removed) hath wroth:
>I have a new DELL inspiron e1505 with an 802.11b/802.11g wireless NIC
>along with a 2Wire 802.11g router.
>
>My inspiron was having issues connecting consistently with my wireless
>gateway. Slow connection, varying speeds, eventual disconnects.
>
>After changing the channel on my Router to 1, i've noticed great
>performance and reliability. My concern is that I don't want to bring
>my laptop to another location and not be able to connect because they
>router is setup for channel 11, which is very common.
>
>Has anyone else experienced this?? If so, what did you do? why does
>this happen on such a new laptop?
Yes, I've seen something like this.
The problem showed up in about 2001(?) with a laptop and a PCMCIA
card. (Names and models intentionally withheld). The FCC type
certification tests require that emission be measured on all channels.
During the dry run, someone discovered that the PCMCIA card would not
talk reliably to the access point on one channel. Same symptoms as
what you describe. They could get a connection, but it would be slow
and eventually disconnect. All the other channels worked just fine.
The problem was that it wasn't always the same channel. Depending on
what the laptop was doing, the affected channel would vary. One
channel would magically be cured, only to have another adjacent
channel become un-useable.
I got involved in the troubleshooting and eventually traced the
problem to RFI (radio interference) generated by the laptop. The type
certification was for the combined laptop and PCMCIA card, so I had to
use this particular laptop. I deteremined that most of the crud was
being radiated by un-bypassed power leads around the CPU power
regulator. Some ferrite beads, bypass caps, and a ground or two,
eliminated the problem.
I'm not sure if this is the same problem you're experiencing. From
your description, methinks it's highly likely. You will probably see
the same effect with other access points using channel 11. I can't
offer a fix, but possibly a workaround. Many laptops have power
saving features which slow down the CPU clock. Put your laptop in one
of these modes, and if the RFI is coming from the CPU, it should
temporarily eliminate the problem.
Another experiment you can try (that I couldn't) is to play with the
antennas going to the MiniPCI card. If the antennas are picking up
the crud they might be moved or adjusted to minimize the effect. Try
disconnecting BOTH antennas from the MiniPCI card. Move close to the
access point and see if channel 11 works. If it does, reconnect only
the AUX antenna, and try again. Then, disconnect it, and try the MAIN
antenna. The idea is to see which antenna picks up the least amount
of RFI (if it's coming in via the antenna). Also try reversing the
antenna connections. I'm not sure this will solve the problem, but
it's easy enough to try. Oh, be careful with the tiny u-FL
connectors. They break very easily and will not survive many
insertion/removal cycles.
--
Jeff Liebermann
(E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
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