Extreme wifi interference on 2.4Ghz band, what to do?

[nickn]

Is there anything I am not thinking of that would help wifi devices work in an extremely crowed band? I have an AP set up with 2.4Ghz wireless-G, but a site survey reveals that about 65 other AP's are transmitting in range. Speedtests taken from a connected device on my AP are extremely poor, and ping times are terrible. I have moved everything possible over to 5Ghz, which works fine, but some devices such as the iPhone are stuck on 2.4Ghz.

 

[Blaine]

I think the only thing to do us get a dual band router like the latest time capsules.

 

[gsahli]

You didn't say if you tried changing to other channels?
Look for one with the weakest interfering signals.

 

[BreakGuy]

Download a WiFi scanner (AirRadar or iStumbler) and have a look at what channel the other networks are operating on. Then switch your channel to one not being used, or the one that's least used.

 

[nickn]

I think the only thing to do us get a dual band router like the latest time capsules.

I already have a 5ghz router set up. Some devices like the iPhone only have a 2.4Ghz radio though. That is where my problems are.

Download a WiFi scanner (AirRadar or iStumbler) and have a look at what channel the other networks are operating on. Then switch your channel to one not being used, or the one that's least used.

There isn't an open channel. I used an app to determine that there were about 65 other AP's in the vicinity as previously stated. The least used channel has about 15 other AP's transmitting on it.

 

[BreakGuy]

I already have a 5ghz router set up. Some devices like the iPhone only have a 2.4Ghz radio though. That is where my problems are.



There isn't an open channel. I used an app to determine that there were about 65 other AP's in the vicinity as previously stated. The least used channel has about 15 other AP's transmitting on it.

There isn't a lot you can do about the 2.4GHz band. The environmental factors are beyond anyones control.

 

[squeakr]

There isn't an open channel. I used an app to determine that there were about 65 other AP's in the vicinity as previously stated. The least used channel has about 15 other AP's transmitting on it.

Then choose either the least crowded channel or the one that the RSSI values of the other APs are the lowest for the least possible chances of interference. As a rule in these situations, also try to stick to the true base channels 1, 6, or 11, as they are the only channels that offer true separation, the other channels using a mixing of the two closest base channels overlap to create their (i.e. channel 9 uses 6 and 11). Have you also tried to boost your output power on your wifi router, or tried a different antenna if possible?

 

[nickn]

Then choose either the least crowded channel or the one that the RSSI values of the other APs are the lowest for the least possible chances of interference. As a rule in these situations, also try to stick to the true base channels 1, 6, or 11, as they are the only channels that offer true separation, the other channels using a mixing of the two closest base channels overlap to create their (i.e. channel 9 uses 6 and 11). Have you also tried to boost your output power on your wifi router, or tried a different antenna if possible?

Ok, I guess there isn't much that can be done then. I tried most of your ideas already to no avail. Thanks for the suggestions though! I really have to wonder why Apple has still neglected to include a 5Ghz chipset in the iPhone and iPod Touch devices... The iPad has a combo A/B/G/N radio, and so do several other Android phones.

 

[squeakr]

You could go with a 2.4 N access point as the iPhones will do n and set the AP as n only.

 

[miles01110]

Ok, I guess there isn't much that can be done then. I tried most of your ideas already to no avail. Thanks for the suggestions though! I really have to wonder why Apple has still neglected to include a 5Ghz chipset in the iPhone and iPod Touch devices... The iPad has a combo A/B/G/N radio, and so do several other Android phones.

It's probably a combination of designing the antenna to receive both 2.4 and 5 GHz signals to an acceptable level of quality, and that 2.4 GHz has a longer range which is more desirable for a phone anyways. They decided to go for the 2.4 GHz band instead of making tradeoffs for both bands.