[SOLVED] Suspected wifi interference

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blockhead78

blockhead78

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I've been helping a friends business and I'm pretty sure something in one of the surrounding businesses is interfering with their wifi.

Setup:
* 1 desktop PC wired into the router, 1 network printer wired into the router, 2 laptops wifi, 5 mobile devices wifi
* Previously a netgear router (which failed), now using BT business hub router

Symptoms:
* at almost exactly 5pm every day, any device connecting via wifi starts intermittently losing connection and/or cannot see the network printer (wired into router)
* during these dropouts, anything which is wired into the router does not have its connection effected
* changing the channel in the router settings (eg, from 10 to 11) will temporarily fix it until the next day
* the problem existed using the previous netgear router, but has worsened since using the BT business hub (ie. the dropouts using the netgear would be about 15mins apart after 5pm, whereas with the BT hub it's constant)

I'm convinced that something else being switched on at 5pm in the surrounding businesses is the cause, as they have next to no connection issues throughout the day until that time and they don't turn anything on in that business that hasn't already been turned on during the day. Engineers have been out to test the line and no faults have been detected at all.

Posting here in case there's something I've missed
 
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ronintexas

ronintexas

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Dec 10, 2012
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Try changing the router to the extreme settings - go to the lowest channel, then try the highest channel (most routers are in the middle).

Where is the router placement compared to the devices connecting (distance, obstacles, etc....)?

Are there businesses within the immediate area that open and/or close at that time?
 
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blockhead78

blockhead78

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I'll give the channels a try

The router is right in the centre of the office with not many obstructions at all. The signal is a little weak in the back, but they have a wifi booster

There is a restaurant directly above them which I think is the most likely culprit, as the shop next door has the exact same connection issue at 5pm
 
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makkem

makkem

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Jan 22, 2012
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Hi
Microwave ovens with faulty door seals can cause major interference with Wi-Fi,you maybe should have a word with the restaurant owner as leaky door seals can also be a health risk to people close by.
Other interference can be caused by a failure of motor suppressors,so any thing that is motor driven could cause this such as air conditioning,extractor fans,fridges and freezers.
Since this is causing a problem for you and other businesses have a word with the restaurant owner and if no joy then you may need to contact OFCOM.
 
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bill001g

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It tends to be costly to find interfering stuff. My favorite tool inssider they now charge for but if you can find the old version you can use it for free.
It is a excellent tool but charging $20 for a tool that someone uses once a year is kinda high. This tool will only show other AP but it is extremely easy to use. To see stuff like microwave ovens and baby monitors you need a spectrum analyzer. This is a link to a nice document for spectrum analyzers from the same same company that now sells inssider. Nice tool but way out of the price range for most people even their small version in $200.
http://www.metageek.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/MetaGeek_HowToUseWi-Spy_SpectrumAnalysisTools_FINAL_2012.pdf

The cheapest way I have found to get a wireless spectrum analyzer is to buy a Ubiquiti outdoor AP what supports airview. The airview software has a pretty good spectrum analyzer in it. It is not as advanced as metageek but you can buy something like a nano loco m2 for $50. You are getting a pretty good outdoor bridge that just happens to have a free spectrum analyzer. This is why I say the $20 for just inssider seems a little high when I can get hardware that does much more for a little over double the cost.

Still all this may not be worth the effort. Figuring out what is causing the issue will do you no good if you can not correct it.
 
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blockhead78

blockhead78

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ok, turns out the previous engineers overlooked something that the latest one spotted.

Something to do with the SNR and decibel settings at the local hub. Apparently it was set way to high for their type of connection, so when there is interference, it was increasing way to much to counteract it. He's adjusted it to a lower setting and things immediately improved, although there were still some dropouts after 5pm.

Plus, it looks like BT's business hub router is just simply crap! Like I said, it worsened after their previous router died.

I've installed the Asus DSL-N55U and that combined with the new settings regarding SNR/decibels seems to have drastically improved the situation.

So far they've ran for 48hrs (previously it dropped out every single day) with no dropouts at all and the connection is now a hell of a lot stronger and quicker.

Thanks for everyones input :)
 
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ronintexas

ronintexas

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The symptoms included:

* at almost exactly 5pm every day, any device connecting via wifi starts intermittently losing connection and/or cannot see the network printer (wired into router)
* during these dropouts, anything which is wired into the router does not have its connection effected

If you notice - "wired" connections are not effected.....
 
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bill001g

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Maybe I just don't read real well on this thread. What this means is these statements regarding the wired connection are incorrect. The wired connection had to be affected. The SNR ratio things are DSL settings that would affect all connections to the router. I guess you can't do much when the data is incorrect in the post.

 
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