Last week we blogged about how Christmas lights could possibly affect your Wi-Fi, and how other household appliances may also negatively impact your internet speed.

We touched briefly on one potential reason why your wireless network may have poor Wi-Fi signal – Because of interference caused by other devices. Our homes are full of things that also use radio frequency, and as most home wireless networks transmit their signals in a narrow radio frequency range around 2.4 GHz), it’s not uncommon for devices on the same frequency to affect the wireless signal.

Electronics commonly found in the home, for example cordless phones, garage door openers, baby monitors, and microwave ovens, may also use this same frequency range.

Thus, any such device could easily slow down Wi-Fi performance and break network connections by interfering with a wireless home network.
Similarly, most of us live in close communities where neighbours are closeby, i.e. within Wi-Fi signal range. The wireless networks of our neighbours will generally all use the same form of radio signaling. Apartments, terraced housing and semi detached homes where residences share walls with each other are particularly prone to interference between different home networks.

Fortunately, there is a way to limit this from happening. Most routers can communicate on a different frequency through the option of changing the wireless channel which will avoid any interference from occurring.

The Geeky Bit – How Do Wi-Fi Channels Work?

The 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signal range is divided into a number of smaller bands or channels, similar to television channels. Wi-Fi network equipment provide a set of available channels to choose from in most countries.

Which 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Channel is Best?

The default channel on Wi-Fi equipment in the UK is often set to 11 or 6. If you are encountering interference from other devices within your home, you could consider changing the channel up or down a couple of channels to avoid it. However, it is worth bearing in mind that all Wi-Fi devices on one network must all use the same channel.

Unlike with the channels on a TV, some Wi-Fi channel numbers overlap with each other. Channel 1 uses They begin with the lowest frequency band at Channel 1 and then increase in frequency slightly for each subsequent channel. Thus, the further apart two channel numbers are, the lower the likelihood of interference due to a lesser degree of overlap. So if you were encountering interference with a neighbour’s WLAN, you could try changing to a more distant channel to reduce overlap and interference.

The three Wi-Fi channels 1, 6 and 11 have no frequency overlap with each other, hence why they tend to be the default settings. You can likely use one of these three channels for the best results.

Which 5 GHz Wi-Fi Channel is Best?

5 GHz wireless connections are supported by newer 802.11n and 802.11ac Wi-Fi networks. Unlike the way 2.4 GHz suffers, these frequencies are much less likely to suffer from wireless interference issues in homes. In addition, the 5 GHz Wi-Fi channel choices available in most home network equipment have been pre-selected to choose only the non-overlapping ones.

A Wi-Fi transmitter is required for some usable non-overlapping 5 GHz channels that fall into a specially regulated category, in order to detect whether other devices are already transmitting on the same channel. It then automatically changes its channel to avoid any potential conflict.

Although interference issues are avoided with this Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) feature, many network administrators just avoid using these channels altogether in order to minimise any complications.

How to Find or Change the Wi-Fi Channel You’re Using

To find out which channel your wireless router is using, you should access the router’s administrative pages and look under the Wireless related section. This would also be the way in which to change the Wi-Fi channel.

Once you have found the correct page in settings, It’s extremely simple. Most routers will have the option under a menu along the lines of Advanced Set Up > Wireless > Advanced, or maybe one called WLAN.

There are also some mobile or desktop wireless apps which would enable you to easily see what the wireless channel is set as. Some of these free Wi-Fi apps not only show you the channel of your own network but also the other WLANs that your device can see in range.
This ability to view nearby wireless networks and their channels is crucial if you are to understand which channel to change yours to.

Changed Your Wi-Fi Channel But Internet Is Still Slow?

There are several possible causes as to why your Wi-Fi is slow, and Wireless interference is only one of them. If you still have a slow connection after altering the wireless channel then you could also try one or more of the following:

• Make sure your wireless router is positioned in the best place, i.e. Not too high, not too low, not directly behind a wall, and not near water.
• Test your internet speed and compare it with what you are paying. Perhaps you will find that what you are paying is for a slower speed, in which case you may be able to pay a bit more and get a higher speed connection. If you are already paying for high speed but not achieving it, you can contact your Internet Service Provider or possibly purchase a new router.
• It may not actually be your internet at all, it may be your computer or device itself that is running slow. Check that your web browser, email client and software are regularly updated and running at their optimum, as if they are running slow it will make it appear that it is your Wi-Fi connection even though it’s not.

Head to our website to find out more about our Wi-Fi : https://geekabit.co.uk/ or contact us via any of the below. We are the UK’s specialist Wi-Fi consultants and can help your business with Wi-Fi Site Surveys, Planning and Design, Installation and much more.

Contact us: London 0203 322 2443 | Cardiff: 02920 676 712 | Winchester: 01962 657 390 |  info@geekabit.co.uk

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