Have I done this wrong, on for the computer experts please

[leon]

Hi Guys, this is just a simple question, have i done it wrong and therefore have a weak signal at times, mainly at night.

We have the router inside the rig and it have fitted the antenna to the outside wall above the roof line.

I have read that the antenna should be inside, is this right, is the signal being lost because i have positioned it wrongly. :shrug:

We lose most of our signal at night when traffic is obviously high, some help and suggestions would be much appreciated.

Leon :thumbsup:

[mswhin63]

Hi Leon, This is a normal issue higher data use limit bandwidth consequently you loose signal strength. If you require access to WiFi outside then you will still be better off with it outside. Otherwise a different router with better data handling capability is required.

You may also want to check if your router has power level adjustment set to Auto, Min or Max. If you are not worrying about power consumption or the risk of frying your brain then stick it to maximum.

I have both power adjustments in the router and the WIFI hardware on the computer. Some just have auto only configuration.

[BlackWidow]

Hi Leon. I had the same problem at my place as I have an old villa and had trouble getting signal from inside to the back of my yard. My solution was to purchse a Belkin WiFi extender. They are cheap and work great. I put it in my back loby and now I have great signal all the way to my back fence and even inside my metal shed. My router is in my office at the front of my house. I purchsed mine at Harvey Norm. Oh by the way I an not sure I would rate myself an expert, but I do work in a computer workshop as an Electronics Comp Tech. If you asked my workmates they would use the moment to bring me down LOL.


Hope this helps

Mardy

[leon]

It dose help guys thank you indeed.

Leon

[mswhin63]

Hi Leon,

Kind of thing to look for in the Router pictured here. Strange I have 2 routers, and the one I used for wireless connection does not have power control. May explain why I have problems when I am outside.

Maybe I need to look into this as well.

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi Leon
This is not really a problem for computer experts. It is one for the RF propogation experts.

The wireless internet is a shared media that propagates differently as the carrier frequencies rise tending to travel more and more in a straight line and suffers from absorbtion from weather and intervening objects between you and the source.

The first problem that causes poor results is bandwidth limitations. Individual bandwidth is inversly proportional to the users at a given time. The next problem is multi-path reception that causes signals to suffer phase cancellation necessitating packets to be re-sent.

So what you are looking for is a way to get the most out of what you have. The first thing to find out is what tower is your best server. Then place your wireless modem where it has a direct line to the tower avoiding buildings and folliage. Get it up in the air! Next you can try putting it into a foil lined box with the open end facing your tower. A directional aerial could even be added like a yagi cut for the frequency of operation.

Next there are some TCP tricks you can use. I use a program called TCPOptimiser.exe that can alter MTU size (normally 1500) but reducing this to 1400 in some instances has trippled transfer speed.

Barry

[leon]

Thanks Barry. I seems to be coming together, I have spoken to a couple of people who seem to know their stuff and have come up with a few suggestions which I am presently addressing and it seems to have made a difference, either that or i have just got lucky today, so to speak.:shrug:

I have also checked out those antenna you mentioned and although they would serve me well they really are not much good if one travels all the time, as i would have to know where the towers are each time and do some turning.

Anyway thank you for your comments, it is all helping.;)

Leon:thumbsup:

[alistairsam]

Hi Leon,

what type of wireless device were you referring to? is this just a normal home wireless router or one with an high gain antenna or a different type?
if there is more than one antenna socket like the Cisco ones, you could use one for transmit and one for receive or balance both.

As for adjusting TCP size, reducing the segment size too low can cause excessive fragmentation.

have a look at the wireless statistics on your router admin page. that'll give you RF stats. you can get an idea of where your problem is with that.
if its an 802.11n router, that uses reflections to improve throughput and coverage, whereas the 802.11a/b/g, not so much.

edit: if wireless AP's or routers are placed near the ceiling, its common practice to invert them, so the antenna faces downward as you'd see in supermarkets or malls. they radiate in all directions, but above the plane of the connector.
a pic of the router and antenna would be helpful.

[Barrykgerdes]

I think Leon is referring to the signal he gets from the telstra next G as he does not have a landline. The way to go if you travel because it has a very wide coverage area.

He also uses a secondry Wifi system from the inbuilt router of the modem like I do. My back up system uses uses the Telstra next G with the built in WiFi router and I use it mainly for suppying internet to our group at Wiruna where it is quite effective.

Before telstra was big in the wireless internet we used to have "Unwired" based on the Navini system. It is still availble but is now being superceded by Vivid Wireless. These wireless systems look good on paper but run into trouble with adverse propogation conditions, overload, multiple tower swapping etc and work great for some people but very poor for others.

I had the unwired system from its earliest days, when ADSL was not available in many new areas and we found lots of ways to overcome problems. I am still a moderator on the Unwired forum.

Barry

[leon]

Yes Barry that is correct no line in so to speak,

We are presently stationary, and staying with a friend until we hit the road again, one problem i expect may hinder the signal is a very high row of trees very close to the rig, only about a meter or so away from the side of the van, and the external antenna is on that same side as well, so I expect the signal is having trouble getting through.

The antenna is only 5 dBi and Omni directional, we are consider getting another (9dBi Omni Antenna and placing it in a different spot high on top of the rig, and then just disconnecting the other one and replacing the patch lead with the new one.

It hopefully will make a difference.

Leon

[mswhin63]

Thanks for the clarification, RF communication with data modulation are affected in the same way as WiFi and any other wireless data transmission signal. The more the bandwidth consumes the less the signal strength becomes. The antenna design is definitely the way to go but increasing from 5 to 9 db may not be enough. May I consider if you are stationary to look at directional antennas and just locate it toward the network base.
If you are mobile then it will need to be omnidirectional though but look at a more increase of antenna spec to get good consistent signal.

Personally from all my suppliers so far I can only find a 24dbi parabolic dish antenna for WiFi but maybe some computer shops have something. I haven't thought about what frequency the 3G network is on, never really thought about it.

[mswhin63]

Try this site for ideas - http://www.rfconnect.com.au/antennas.html?gclid=CMva3cOmga4CFWZ KpgodeUu_3Q

[mswhin63]

And another place for antennas - http://www.antennashop.com.au/index.php looks good this one as they match based on your device, giving all you options available.

[leon]

Thank you Malcolm, I'll do a bit more research on the suggestions you put forward.

Leon