Wireless channel setting

Does it matter which channel you set a router to in the UK? e.g 1-13?

Most default to 6 but if you set them 1 / 11 they are allegedly quicker - I
didn't find any difference, if anything it was more hit and miss re getting
a connection and the speed was down. Basically it gives you the option of
having a number of wi-fi networks in the same property all running on
different channels.

--
Martyn
"Nunquam Rutilus" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:UC5fg.9330$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Does it matter which channel you set a router to in the UK? e.g 1-13?

On 31 May 2006, Nunquam Rutilus <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Does it matter which channel you set a router to in the UK? e.g 1-13?

Only if there's someone else on the same channel ! Worth checking to
see if you can detect any other networks before switching yours on.

Peter M wrote in message
(E-Mail Removed):

> On 31 May 2006, Nunquam Rutilus <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Does it matter which channel you set a router to in the UK? e.g 1-13?
>
> Only if there's someone else on the same channel ! Worth checking to
> see if you can detect any other networks before switching yours on.

I always do this when I'm setting up a wireless network or reviewing one
that someone else has set up: turn the router off and do a NetStumbler scan
with my laptop. If I find any networks, I assign a differnt channel for my
network to any that I can detect.

The other day I was investigating poor coverage and intermittent loss of
connectivity to other computers on the LAN. It turned out that there were
three routers (including the customer's) all using Channel 11 and all using
a default value LINKSYS for the SSID. Consequently their signals were
interfering with each other (leading to poor range and dropouts) and the PC
was sometimes connecting to a neighbour's network depending on which was the
strongest signal.

I changed the customer's channel to 6 and set a unique SSID, and things
improved dramatically.

Martin Underwood wrote:

>
> I changed the customer's channel to 6 and set a unique SSID, and things
> improved dramatically.
>
>

I think I am right in saying that most routers on sale on the UK default
to channel 11 as this is the one with the biggest 'guard band' to the
next channel (the channel spacing varies over the 13 channels).

As Martin says, if you have problems, it may be because of others in the
area also using channel 11. In this case a change usually helps.

Mike

"m" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> I think I am right in saying that most routers on sale on the UK default
> to channel 11 as this is the one with the biggest 'guard band' to the next
> channel (the channel spacing varies over the 13 channels).

To the best of my knowledge, the channel spacing does not vary. Further,
there is significant power over a frequency range several times the channel
spacing (so transmitters on different channels interfere with each other, to
a greater or lesser extent).

Alex

Alex Fraser wrote:
> "m" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>I think I am right in saying that most routers on sale on the UK default
>>to channel 11 as this is the one with the biggest 'guard band' to the next
>>channel (the channel spacing varies over the 13 channels).
>
>
> To the best of my knowledge, the channel spacing does not vary. Further,
> there is significant power over a frequency range several times the channel
> spacing (so transmitters on different channels interfere with each other, to
> a greater or lesser extent).
>
> Alex
>
>
Yes you are quite correct Alex. The channel spacing doesn't change
but there are different overlaps bewteen channels.

This page at http://www.unixwiz.net/techtips/wireless-guide.html
has a good block schematic of the channels and advice on choosing channels.

It should be noted that this is a US site where there are only 11
channels wheras we have 13 available in the UK.

The other thing to remember is that different combinations can also
interfere differently. This is similar to why combinations of TV
channels are differently chosen in different areas and why mobile radios
have different combinations of channels to avoid interference between
the harmonics of channels.

Mike

<snip>

Hi,

Depending on which country you are in, it can be a legal requirement to use
a certain channel.

I am an ex-pat living in France and I think we are supposed to use 13.
However, nobody here does.

Also, avoid using channels two up or two down from a used channel in your
area. I.E. if you use channel 6, then for a second network, do not use 4, 5
or 7, 8 (or 6!). You will have loads of interference.

Therefore the best use of airspace is 1, 4, 7, 10, 13.

In the US, the tiny bit of frequency used for 12 and 13 are reserved.

Mike.

MED wrote in message
44903199$0$12367$(E-Mail Removed):

> <snip>
>
> Hi,
>
> Depending on which country you are in, it can be a legal requirement
> to use a certain channel.
>
> I am an ex-pat living in France and I think we are supposed to use 13.
> However, nobody here does.

I thought that anywhere in the world you could use any of the channels that
are available to you in that country - where the range of available channels
varies from country to country.

If only one channel is available in France, how on earth do next door
neighbours ever manage to set up separate networks that don't interfere with
each other?

"Martin Underwood" <a@b> wrote in message
news:44907515$0$3546$(E-Mail Removed)...
> MED wrote in message
> 44903199$0$12367$(E-Mail Removed):
>
> > <snip>
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > Depending on which country you are in, it can be a legal requirement
> > to use a certain channel.
> >
> > I am an ex-pat living in France and I think we are supposed to use 13.
> > However, nobody here does.
>
> I thought that anywhere in the world you could use any of the channels
that
> are available to you in that country - where the range of available
channels
> varies from country to country.
>
> If only one channel is available in France, how on earth do next door
> neighbours ever manage to set up separate networks that don't interfere
with
> each other?
>
Knowning the French red tape, thats probably the whole idea. Not sure they
like the idea of the internet, especially as there are small areas of it
written in English...