Netgear dg843g v.2 channel clash and Squeezebx 3

Hi,
ave just purchased a wireless media player (squeezebox3). Tis a clever piece
of kit and is experiences popping and dropouts. After asking it why? it
tells me i have a low signal strength. But i have never had real problems
until streaming media. A neighbour also has WAP on the same channel.(11) we
are both unsecured.
Firstly, should i invest in a new more powerful router, install a
booster?..or even consider hard wiring squeezebox?
Secondly, is there any mileage in changing channels. I did install network
stumbler to help.

P.S
Have upgraded firmware and am with BT Broadband

Thanks

Simon

Simon Stonehouse wrote in
dopv9v$lq4$(E-Mail Removed):

> Hi,
> ave just purchased a wireless media player (squeezebox3). Tis a
> clever piece of kit and is experiences popping and dropouts. After
> asking it why? it tells me i have a low signal strength. But i have
> never had real problems until streaming media. A neighbour also has
> WAP on the same channel.(11) we are both unsecured.
> Firstly, should i invest in a new more powerful router, install a
> booster?..or even consider hard wiring squeezebox?
> Secondly, is there any mileage in changing channels. I did install
> network stumbler to help.

I'd suggest that the first thing you should do when installing a wireless
adaptor (or a wireless router) is a channel scan with NetStumbler. Then
choose a channel which is not alread being used. If possible, use one of
channels 1, 6 or 11 (in Europe) so as to use a channel which is reasonably
well spaced from any others that people may already be using.

"Low signal strength" may mean exactly what it says (in which case check for
metal obstructions or water tanks etc between router and wireless devices)
but it may also indicate interference from your neigbour's equipment that is
also using the same channel.

Also, NEVER run an unsecured wireless adaptor which is connected to a
private LAN, otherwise you will make that LAN accessible to anyone in
wireless range, which is probably not what you are intending. I *think* the
DG834's "Wireless Isolation" mode may be safe, so as to provide access only
to the internet (and not other PCs on the LAN) in unsecured mode, but I'm
not certain on that. I'd recommend turning on WPA (or at least WEP)
encryption as soon as possible; you'll need to configure the same encryption
key on each PC which will be connecting wirelessly. To do this, you'll need
a PC that's connected by Ethernet cable, because as soon as you enable
encryption at the router, you shoot yourself in the foot by not being able
to access the router wirelessly any more until you've enabled encryption on
the wireless PC.

"Simon Stonehouse" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:dopv9v$lq4$(E-Mail Removed)...
> ave just purchased a wireless media player (squeezebox3). Tis a clever
> piece of kit and is experiences popping and dropouts. After asking it
> why? it tells me i have a low signal strength.

In general, a signal strength report is derived from the gain used in part
of the receiver, in which case interference would *not* cause the signal
strength to be reported as low.

IMO, wireless should only be used if wires are not practical. Put another
way, if it's practical to wire it, do so.

Alex

Thanks for advice chaps!

Any mileage in boosting signal at all?..or upgrading to one of the new
netgear 108mps modem/routers?

Simon
"Martin Underwood" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:43b099e5$0$63093$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Simon Stonehouse wrote in
> dopv9v$lq4$(E-Mail Removed):
>
>> Hi,
>> ave just purchased a wireless media player (squeezebox3). Tis a
>> clever piece of kit and is experiences popping and dropouts. After
>> asking it why? it tells me i have a low signal strength. But i have
>> never had real problems until streaming media. A neighbour also has
>> WAP on the same channel.(11) we are both unsecured.
>> Firstly, should i invest in a new more powerful router, install a
>> booster?..or even consider hard wiring squeezebox?
>> Secondly, is there any mileage in changing channels. I did install
>> network stumbler to help.
>
> I'd suggest that the first thing you should do when installing a wireless
> adaptor (or a wireless router) is a channel scan with NetStumbler. Then
> choose a channel which is not alread being used. If possible, use one of
> channels 1, 6 or 11 (in Europe) so as to use a channel which is reasonably
> well spaced from any others that people may already be using.
>
> "Low signal strength" may mean exactly what it says (in which case check
> for metal obstructions or water tanks etc between router and wireless
> devices) but it may also indicate interference from your neigbour's
> equipment that is also using the same channel.
>
> Also, NEVER run an unsecured wireless adaptor which is connected to a
> private LAN, otherwise you will make that LAN accessible to anyone in
> wireless range, which is probably not what you are intending. I *think*
> the DG834's "Wireless Isolation" mode may be safe, so as to provide access
> only to the internet (and not other PCs on the LAN) in unsecured mode, but
> I'm not certain on that. I'd recommend turning on WPA (or at least WEP)
> encryption as soon as possible; you'll need to configure the same
> encryption key on each PC which will be connecting wirelessly. To do this,
> you'll need a PC that's connected by Ethernet cable, because as soon as
> you enable encryption at the router, you shoot yourself in the foot by not
> being able to access the router wirelessly any more until you've enabled
> encryption on the wireless PC.
>

On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 01:33:19 -0000, "Martin Underwood" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

> Also, NEVER run an unsecured wireless adaptor which is connected to a
> private LAN, otherwise you will make that LAN accessible to anyone in
> wireless range, which is probably not what you are intending. I *think* the
> DG834's "Wireless Isolation" mode may be safe

I don't know of any such feature in Netgear DG834 routers.

Tony

Anthony R. Gold wrote in
(E-Mail Removed):

> On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 01:33:19 -0000, "Martin Underwood" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>> Also, NEVER run an unsecured wireless adaptor which is connected to a
>> private LAN, otherwise you will make that LAN accessible to anyone in
>> wireless range, which is probably not what you are intending. I
>> *think* the DG834's "Wireless Isolation" mode may be safe
>
> I don't know of any such feature in Netgear DG834 routers.

Ah. Is it not in the 54 Mbps DG834? Certainly my DG834GT (the 108 Mbps
version of the 834) has this feature.

In which case you can't even isolate wireless devices from each other and
from the wired parts of the LAN. Even more reason not to run an unsecured
LAN.

"Anthony R. Gold" <not-for-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 01:33:19 -0000, "Martin Underwood" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>> Also, NEVER run an unsecured wireless adaptor which is connected to a
>> private LAN, otherwise you will make that LAN accessible to anyone in
>> wireless range, which is probably not what you are intending. I *think*
>> the
>> DG834's "Wireless Isolation" mode may be safe
>
> I don't know of any such feature in Netgear DG834 routers.

On the DG834G its under Wireless Settings/Wireless Access Point and is
described as:

------
Wireless Isolation

If Enabled, the Wireless Stations will be hidden from each other, and will
not be able to communicate with each other. For normal situations, this
setting should be left at the default value of Disabled.
-------

Regards
Sunil

On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 18:50:26 -0000, "Sunil Sood"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
> "Anthony R. Gold" <not-for-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>> I don't know of any such feature in Netgear DG834 routers.
>
> On the DG834G its under Wireless Settings/Wireless Access Point

Thanks Sunil.

Tony