Polarization
On top of all the other issues we’ve encountered with wireless communications so far, we can add polarization to the list. Polarization is a bigger deal than many people suspect, and I had the chance to witness its effects first-hand with an iPad 2. But first, the theory...
You probably know that light travels in waves, and all waveforms have a directional orientation. This is why polarized sunglasses work so well. Light that reflects off of the road or snow and into your eyes tends to be polarized along a horizontal orientation, parallel to the ground. The polarized filter coating in sunglasses is oriented in a vertical orientation. Think of the waveform as a big, long piece of cardboard you’re trying to slide through window blinds. If you’re holding the cardboard horizontally, and it encounters vertical blinds, the cardboard will be blocked. If the blinds are horizontal, like Venetian blinds, then the cardboard can slide through unimpeded. Sunglasses are designed to cut glare in particular, which has a horizontal orientation.
Back to Wi-Fi. When a signal emits from an antenna, it carries the polarization orientation of that antenna. So if the AP is sitting on a table and the emitting antenna is pointing straight up, then the emitted waveform will have a vertical orientation. It follows that the receiving antenna, if it’s going to have the best reception possible, should also have a vertical orientation. The reverse is also true—the receiving AP should have antenna(s) in polarization alignment with the sending client. The further out of polarization alignment the antennas are, the worse the signal reception. The good news here is that most routers and access points have moveable antennas that allow users to suit their positioning to the best possible client reception, much like bunny ears on TV sets. The bad news is that because so few people understand the principles of how their Wi-Fi gear uses polarization, hardly anyone performs this orientation optimization.
With all of that said, as you look at the above illustration, you’ll see that the access point is emitting both a horizontal (top) and a vertical signal waveform to the iPad 2 client. Which orientation results in better reception quality and performance? That depends on how many antennas are operating within the client and the orientation of those antennas.
Really TH, you think I'm going to click next 27 times and Read more another 27 times? Sorry, but I'll read this when it is put on one huge page.
Where's the usual "jump to this section" that usually is with Tom's articles/reviews? I have a hard time clicking for 27 times too, but would prefer a click down menu to select the topics that most interest me or to at least have the option to jump ahead, if I so desired.
Use the pictures to jump, sadly there are no caption on them.
Dear THG.. it really is a big hassle clicking 10 buttons dat dont load fast enough to read five lines.. R u worried abt copyright thingy? pls pls give us an easy to read comprehensive page to read ur wonderful articles and dont make it difficult.. As an eg, to read dis article, I had to load it in 2 different browsers n click 54 times!! come on give us a break!!
Really? hes just trying to avoid a wall of text. i don't see the big deal. Thanks for the article.
i gotta say the thumbnail gave me a laugh
Why does every page require us to hit Read more to see the full text? Do you think most people who read this article will prefer to only read the first 1/3rd of every page?
I'm not reading this.
I believe I know why this article was written like this... the salesmen that need to know this need you to draw them a picture....
Hang around the wireless router/dsl section of your local PC hardware store and listen to the stories...
My favorite one was where two kids persuaded their mom that they needed a $120 wireless range booster for the grandmother's notebook which was in a tricky part of their property to reach. How about giving them a $5 phone cable and a better access point for $30...
*Why Your Article Layout Sucks And How It Can Be Helped*
Just read all the comments above. I know it's free content and I actually like the article, but you should really take a look at all the feedback you are getting.
ROFL! But seriously this layout sucks.
Very nice article! It was very informative. I didn't mind having to mouse click 27 times...I don't get what their problem is about that though I think the "read more" should be replaced with loading the full explanation. I can't wait to read part 2.
Never do this again toms. But something tells me your not going to listen to us.
In what way does the huge pictures help in understanding the point of the text?
Have you ever read a book to a 4 y o?
*Why Your Article Layout Sucks And How It Can Be Helped*Just read all the comments above. I know it's free content and I actually like the article, but you should really take a look at all the feedback you are getting.
We do, regularly. This one ended up in a picture story; the next one will go into a regular review format!
Thanks for the feedback, guys.
Chris
This was a hard one to read William. Im not too sure what you could have changed (as this stuff is very technical). Regardless Im eager to read your conclusion.
I don't have any problem with the way this is set up - and I do have to say this was a great read. I learned a lot, thanks for the article!
very thorough article. skimmed through most of it, but still learnt quite a bit.
But please Toms, as everyone else has said, sort out your format. its a simple thing, but spoils the reading.
Not only is being FORCED to click ~27 times completely wasteful of your readers' time, it is also nonsensical to have a "Read more" and "Read less" option that hides 3 sentences. You literally have to click over 50 times (half of those in different locations since the text is always different) to read this article.
Seriously, 4 year olds are not reading your articles. If someone DOESN'T want to read more, why on Earth would they not just STOP READING. Do you have an option that says "Stop looking at pictures"? How about an option that says "Stop having ADD and being illiterate"?
Are you afraid that 15 sentences might entice readers but 18 sentences are going to scare them away? What planet are we from that this makes sense...as a scientist and computer programmer I always try to be as skeptical as possible that I am wrong and think of ANY possible mistake or oversight that I have made, but I cannot think of ANYTHING that would explain these ludicrous layout choices.
If I have clicked "Read more" 15 times, maybe just maybe you should keep track of that and not force me to click ANOTHER 15 times? Do most readers have such an attention deficit that they have to reconfirm to you their intent to read your article every 30 seconds?!