Wireless Coverage Improve your WiFi Signal

Placement is the key

A lot of business’s hide their Wi-Fi access point with all their switching and routing gear near the Telco Demarc, usually in there telephone closet. That is not optimal for the best coverage. The best placement for a wide area of coverage would be centrally located and at or above ceiling height 7-9 feet. Often times more than one access point will be needed to cover larger offices.

Stop the Interference

Don’t place your wireless device near to cordless phones, microwave ovens, Bluetooth cell phone and other devices that using 2.4 GHz radio frequency if possible. This is because it will create interference and affect the wireless signal strength. Your Wireless Access point is competing with a lot of other devices for a pure signal. Most Access point come pre-configured to channel 11, simply changing that channel to another channel will increase performance. Best bet for multiple AP’s is to stagger the channels by at least 3 if possible.

Re-positioning Wireless Device

You should re-position wireless router or access point at a clearer area and minimize the blocking from thick wall and other obstacles. Usually the effective wireless range would be 100 feet (30 meters), however be aware that each wall and ceiling could reduce the coverage from 3-90 feet (1-30 meters) or total blocking depending on the thickness.

I usually place my access point as high as possible, so that can reduce the signal blocking. After re-positioning the device, you should check the signal strength by connecting to it. If the signal is not good, re-position it again and test the signal strength again.

Next week I will discuss  security and troubleshooting tips.