Why Is WiFi Less Stable Year by Year?

[Jason Dunn]

I swear that WiFi overall as a technology is less and less stable every year. Back when it was only 802.11b, I don't remember having nearly as many problems as I have lately. I've owned D-Link, Belkin, Netgear and Linksys routers - all have been replaced in my hunt for a fast, stable router that works with all of my equipment. The past month or so has been particularly hair-pulling; I've been in wireless router hell.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago my still-quite-new D-Link 802.11n router (a DIR-655) flaked out on me. I spent an hour thinking it was my cable modem, eventually narrowed it down to the router, then wasted an hour on the phone jumping through D-Link tech support hoops just so I could get an RMA and get the router exchanged. It took talking to three techs before they'd admit there was a hardware problem with the router. From the beginning the router had compatibility problems with my wife's iPAQ 1950, even with the latest firmware on both devices. It's embarrassing in a geeky way when my wife has to Exchange sync over WiFi at work because the home network is never functioning. I bought the iPAQ 1950 to replace the previous iPAQ that had trouble connecting over WiFi, hoping that the newer model would be more compatible with modern WiFi. It's not. I don't believe the compatibility problems are due to a hardware failure - I think the DIR-655 just has poor compatibility with WiFi devices, which is a common issue I've seen with routers over the past two years.<br /><!><br />I then switched to my backup router, also a D-Link (DI-624). It kept dropping my connections, both wired and wireless, so I swore I'd never buy another D-Link router. I went out and bought a Belkin 802.11n router, another brand I've had trouble with in the past and never wanted to buy again - but there are only so many choices on the market. The Belkin router worked perfectly when I swapped it into place, but now my Fujitsu P7020 laptop running Windows XP refuses to connect to it regardless of which mode I put it in (WPA, WEP, no security, 802.11n/g, or 802.11g). The HTC Touch won't connect to it either - it can't even see the network. The AT&amp;T Tilt locked up the Wireless Manager trying to connect to it, so I reset it. Trying to even remove the wireless network setting locks up the wireless manager on the Tilt. When I did manage to get it to connect to the Belkin router and prompt me for the WPA password, it would try to connect for a few seconds, then come back and show me a list of networks again. My Dell XPS M1330 can connect to the Belkin router if it's in 802.11g/n mode, but not if it's in 802.11g only mode. I'm in wireless hell.<br /><br />The ultimate frustration here is that whenever I can't get wireless working properly and I'm in desperate need of a connection, I always connect to a neighbour's unsecured network called "default" - and almost every device can connect to it (the Tilt can't however). I'm tempted to go knocking on some local doors to see who's router it is, and ask if I can buy it - because clearly whatever old, unsecured hardware they're using is superior to all the modern, expensive routers that I keep buying.<br /><br /><i>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. Why can't WiFi work better?</i>

[Filip Norrgard]

I guess this is sorta a silly question for a professional like you, but I've got to ask it: have you changed the channel frequency on your WiFi AP to be different from your neighbours?

I noticed one day that at least three WiFi APs running on the same channel around my apartment which probably doesn't make for a great connection should any of my Bluetooth or WiFi gear hop on into that channel. And, I do notice that the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum is crowded when using my Bluetooth stereo headphones in my apartment (it's freakishly frequency hopping! :D ).

Just fire up Wififofum or Wifi Graph on your Pock... err, Windows Mobile device and take a peek around your house to see which of the channels are already taken in your neighbourhood. ;)

[Chris Gohlke]

I'm with Filip, the best thing you can do to improve your wireless performance is do a scan of the area for things running on other channels with netstumbler or a similar tool. Running netstumbler with a GPS will let you pinpoint which homes are running which setup. You could even talk to your neighbors to coordinate which channels you are using to optimize everyones performance. Then look for other things using the 2.4 Ghz spectrum that would not be picked up in a scan (phones, microwaves, etc). If you still have problems, move to 802.11 A since there is a lot fewer people using it and it is on a different frequency altogether.

[Don Tolson]

Hi Jason... I've had the DIR-655 for a number of months now with no problems at all. Mind you, I probably don't have the variety of devices trying to connect, but it's been fine with Fujitsu 4215 laptop, HP 762 desktop, my son's COMPAQ laptop, my ETEN X500, and my nephew's XBox 360. I haven't tried the WII yet, but I'm not sure if it has a wifi connection or has to be cabled.

In relation to the other comments, I did, however, change off the default channel as the first thing I did in configuration. Plus, it's now configured to only allow connection from certain MACs.

[Wojo]

I've used all the usual brands. Linksys, Dstink, Belkin, Microsoft, Netgear. What I've settled on for the past 2 years is NetGear's ProSafe Line of devices. Most of my configurations are in enclosures so I usually split the devices, router in the enclosure and access point somewhere in the home. The only time I've had issues has been with Panasonic wireless cell stations or cordless base stations near the access points. I have not switched to any N series devices yet. If you look on NetGear's web site, they have not integrated the N protocol into their ProSafe line of hardware. For me this is a sign that it's not stable enough to deploy in the business world. All of my clients are still running G WAP's that are 99% stable. The need a reboot every now and then. Once NetGear deploy's N in their ProSafe line I'll do the same.

I'm in complete agreement with Don and Chris. You should 1. change your WiFi channel. 2. Have your router assign IP addresses to your devices based on their mac address. I do this with every hardware item I have on my network, wireless and wired.

Also, try using a router and a WAP. You'll get more control and stability this way. I use the NetGear FVS-114 router (mainly for footprint) and the WG-102 access point. Another bonus on thie ProSafe line is it has a Lifetime warranty.

Wojo