# How can improve my wireless connectivity at home?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-improve-my-wireless-connectivity-at-home/477781>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 18, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-improve-my-wireless-connectivity-at-home/477781 "2008-12-18T18:45:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![spazurek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@spazurek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spazurek)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-improve-my-wireless-connectivity-at-home/477781/1 "2008-12-18T18:45:36Z")

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I have a wireless network at home. Sometimes, often during weekday working hours, I lose the signal approx. every 15 minutes. As you can imagine, this is very problematic, especially because when I work at home I require an internet signal.

This may or may not be relevant, though I suspect it is: From where I sit my computer can see anywhere from 22 to 26 wireless signals.

I use an Airport Extreme wireless router that we purchased in 2004. Do you think that getting a new router would improve the situation? Any other tips? I’ve fiddled with the software preferences (I’m running Windows XP), setting my network to be the sole signal on the preferred list and such, but it doesn’t seem to help.

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-improve-my-wireless-connectivity-at-home/477781/2 "2008-12-18T18:51:22Z")

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Have you changed the channel that the signal is using? Phones and microwaves will interfere with your signal. Hopping around to different channels might help.

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-improve-my-wireless-connectivity-at-home/477781/3 "2008-12-18T18:53:01Z")

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You might have better luck if you tell your router to use a different channel, as the one you’re on might be getting interfered with by something that does its thing every once in a while. Such a list would include, but not be limited to:

Other wireless routers (Neighbors, local coffee shops)  
Wireless microphones  
Graco video baby monitors  
RFID readers  
Microwave ovens  
Cordless phones  
Anything that broadcasts video wirelessly  
X-box 360, wireless

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**Author:** ![spazurek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@spazurek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spazurek)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-improve-my-wireless-connectivity-at-home/477781/4 "2008-12-18T19:42:21Z")

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> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> You might have better luck if you tell your router to use a different channel, as the one you’re on might be getting interfered with by something that does its thing every once in a while. Such a list would include, but not be limited to:
> 
> Other wireless routers (Neighbors, local coffee shops)  
> Wireless microphones  
> Graco video baby monitors  
> RFID readers  
> Microwave ovens  
> Cordless phones  
> Anything that broadcasts video wirelessly  
> X-box 360, wireless

Thanks, didn’t realize this was an option. Out of curiosity, just how many channels are there? If there are already upwards of 30 other devices out there competing with my router, is there likely to be an empty channel available?

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**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-improve-my-wireless-connectivity-at-home/477781/5 "2008-12-18T19:45:35Z")

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In N America there are 11.

I solved the problem you’re having, by downloading and installing new software for my router (note: this is the software in the flash memory of the router itself, not any software on the PC). I don’t know why it worked, but it did.