WiFi Interference Problems in Urban Environments?

EagleEyez asks: "We're running a wireless network (802.11g) in our apartment: four computers connecting to a Linksys wireless router. But living in a high-rise building in a major city (NYC) there are at least 3 other wireless networks nearby, plus numerous microwaves and cordless phones in the apartments around us -- all of which make the wireless network less than stable. We've pumped up the signal strength on our router, but we lose the connection from time to time disrupting our internet connection and LAN games. What other options are there to help ensure a consistent and reliable network connection? We've tracked the channels the other networks use and chosen one that doesn't conflict, but there's little we can do to prevent the interference from cordless phones, in other people's apartments. As more and more people go wireless, especially in denser urban areas, there has to be some sort of solution..." If you've run into this problem before, did you find any way to solve (or at least mitigate) the outside interference?

Comments

Use 802.11a

[Elik]

I use 802.11a for my wireless network and never had any problems with it since it don't get interface from other wireless or raditiation crap like telephone, microwaves and such.

Re:Use 802.11a

[Anonymous Coward]

802.11a uses 5 GHz... your new 5.8ghz phone shouldn't interfere unless you've got some weird harmonics...

Channel 11

[Rheingold]

This might be relevant only for b, but using channel 11 will considerably reduce interference from cordless phones. I'm assuming it applies to g also.

Walk around the apartment with your router

[ChaseTec]

I have an apartment in Houston and I pick up at least two other wireless networks. I'm using 802.11b and what helped me was plugging my wap (linksys wap11) into a long cat5 cable and an extension cord. It turns out that I get better coverage with my wap off to one side of the apartment then in the middle. The signals bounce thru walls in ways you don't always forsee. Don't forget to try out each location with your microwave and cordless phones in use. I see a much more noticable difference with placement then I do with channel changing or even hacking the signal stregth.

directional

[Cyberop5]

Try using directional antennas on your AP. I don't know how your appartment is oriented, but you could try putting it into a corner and using something like a parabolic or yagi antenna directing it into the rest of the appartment.

If interference is still a problem, try a 802.11a AP. It opperates on the 5.8ghz spectrume and is less likely to have consumer products interefere. The downside to 802.11a is that you will lose distance; so hope your walls are like paper or buy a repeater for each room.

I don't have much experiance with a crowded spectrum, but I do know 5.8 has horrible range (which will lead to less interference from distant neighbors)

Hearing aids get interferences too...

[antdude]

This might be off-topic. I can hear my Linksys WAP11 (802.11b) during heavy file transfers with my bone conduction hearing aid when I am in close range. It is the same type of interferences that I get if I am near radio stations or cellular phones. I believe this situation is going to get worse. I love wireless, but there are conflicts.

Re:Easy answer

[notsoclever]

There's no such thing as an impossible cabling situation. You don't have to punch holes in the walls or have them visible or be tripped on easily. For example, you can run it under the carpet, or along the baseboards, or even along the ceiling (using staples every foot or so to tuck the cable nicely in the corner, or strategically run them behind the curtains or whatever.