5GHz just not happening for me

[daneoni]

I just tried to use the 5GHz mode (Wide Channel) on my AEBS and i have to be in the same room to enjoy it. If i move 20 - 30 feet away, things start getting ugly and the signal fluctuates between 1 and 3 bars. Mostly settling at one bar....sometimes even cutting off completely!! with the the MBP failing to see the network after that and i therefore have to reset the router. Upside is when it works i get 300mb/s link speeds.

However if i stay in 2.4 GHz the signal is consistent even if i move 60 feet away. This however is limited to 144mb/s

Do i have a defective router?

 

[superbovine]

I just tried to use the 5GHz mode (Wide Channel) on my AEBS and i have to be in the same room to enjoy it. If i move 20 - 30 feet away, things start getting ugly and the signal fluctuates between 1 and 3 bars. Mostly settling at one bar....sometimes even cutting off completely!! with the the MBP failing to see the network after that and i therefore have to reset the router. Upside is when it works i get 300mb/s link speeds.

However if i stay in 2.4 GHz the signal is consistent even if i move 60 feet away. This however is limited to 144mb/s

Do i have a defective router?

does you or you neighbor have a 5 ghz phone?
if yes, then no.

have you tried changing the channels in advanced mode? some of the channels of reduced range for low power comsumptions. My guess you are getting inteference on the phone 5 ghz band with from another 802.11n device or a 5 ghz phone.

 

[aristobrat]

Wow, that's pretty crazy.

I was using the AirPort Utility monitor the other day to watch how fast the router thought the connection between it any my MacBook Pro was. I've got mine set to 5ghz as well.

In the same room (0-15 feet), it stayed solid at 300.

If I walked into the next room (about 20 feet and one wall away from the router), the Extreme showed the connection at 243.

If I walked into the room past that (about 35 feet and two walls from the router), the connection dropped to 108.

I was pretty impressed.

But, if I walked from the room where I got 108 to a room right across the hall from it, I got a connection speed of 13, and the connection was very flakey. But line-of-sight, the signal has to go through 5 walls to hit that room.

I went outside in the backyard and if I stayed behind the room where I got 108, I got 54. if I walked behind the room where I got 13, it dropped.

With my old Extreme, I couldn't get a usable signal anywhere in the backyard.

I've never had to reboot my new Extreme because of losing the signal or anything.

I wonder if someone else has a 5ghz network near you? You'd think that'd be rare. Or maybe your walls are more heavy duty than mine?

 

[daneoni]

does you or you neighbor have a 5 ghz phone?
if yes, then no.

have you tried changing the channels in advanced mode? some of the channels of reduced range for low power comsumptions. My guess you are getting inteference on the phone 5 ghz band with from another 802.11n device or a 5 ghz phone.

Possible another 5GHz. However, AEBS won't let me change the channel as Automatic is the only option. Same thing goes for 802.11n (802.11a) compatible.

 

[superbovine]

Possible another 5GHz. However, AEBS won't let me change the channel as Automatic is the only option. Same thing goes for 802.11n (802.11a) compatible.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Airport/5.0/en/ap2085.html

I stand corrected, I read an article the other day that said you could.

Anyway, in generally terms though if you are reseting your router then you have signal it sounds like you have outside influences on your signal. wifi can be weird. you tried simply moving your airport express to another location. there is a lot variables troubleshooting wifi and isn't all that apparent when you do.

 

[daneoni]

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Airport/5.0/en/ap2085.html

I stand corrected, I read an article the other day that said you could.

Anyway, in generally terms though if you are reseting your router then you have signal it sounds like you have outside influences on your signal. wifi can be weird. you tried simply moving your airport express to another location. there is a lot variables troubleshooting wifi and isn't all that apparent when you do.

I'll play around some more with it tmr but for now its back to the 2.4GHz mode. Which is weird, considering i have a Microwave (2.4) less than 4 feet away and a cordless phone (2.4) less than 4 inches away...yet i get full bar signals regardless in that mode. Oh well.

 

[Radioman]

Bear in mind that you are dealing with RF (Radio Frequency) signals, the propagation of 5GHz is different to 2.4GHz. Although the higher band can penetrate through much smaller apertures it is attenuated more by opbstructions such walls and floors. I have ended up dropping my Airport Extreme back to 2.4GHz to allow adequate coverage in my house which is over 3 floors and the attenuation at 5GHz was just too much. I do get pretty reliable coverge at 144 though throughout now.