I’m sure all of you who have tried Wi-Fi networking have experienced the ups and downs associated with it. It can feel like a great gift when it works, but it can also be so frustrating when it doesn’t. There’s nothing more irritating than a wireless connection that fades in and out. There are ways, however, to create a more stable, wireless connection. Here are some of them:

• First, try changing channels. Interference is a likely cause of intermittent connections. Wi-Fi gear, radios, Bluetooth devices, cordless phones, microwave ovens, baby monitors, and wireless surveillance equipment, all share the same spectrum, which is 802.11b and 802.11g networks operating at 2.4GHz. When these devices compete for the same airspace, they interfere with each other, potentially blocking each other’s signals. Luckily, there are ways to sidestep and minimize interference in many situations. In the United States, 802.11b and 802.11g devices can be configured to operate at any one of 11 channels. The best way to sidestep and minimize interference is to reset your wireless router to a different channel. The only 3 non-overlapping channels, and your best options would be channels 1, 6 and 11.
• If you’re using a cordless phone, replace it. Cordless phones are among the worst sources of interference for wireless networks. They tend to transmit at a higher power output than Wi-Fi gear, making them louder and therefore harder to talk over, and they tend to transmit frequently, especially when the handset and base station are separated. It’s also not a good idea to place a cordless phone next to a Wi-Fi router. Try to make sure your phone and network won’t be sharing the same airspace and won’t interfere with each other. If you’re using a 2.4GHz cordless phone, select a channel which is different from the frequency of your wireless router. You may also want to consider replacing your 2.4GHz phone with a 5GHz phone.
• Expand your wireless network. The farther you are from your wireless router, the greater the potential for interference to block or to slow your connection. You can strengthen the connection with antennas or repeaters. Or, try using a power-line bridge to import the connection from your router, and feed it into a power-line access point. Instead of the weak signal from your distant router, you now have a strong signal from an access point placed right where you want to buttress your coverage area.

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