Signal strength poor

My computer is a floor above and about 50 feet diagonally from the primary computer linked to fios internet thru a wireless connection. The primary computer has great signal strength but mine is always poor. I heard that other wireless products might interfer with my antenna's signal. Is there a cure for this (besides hard wireing)? Thanks.

I suggest you might try several things:
1) Move the router around a little. The signal strengh at your wireless PC is affected by the path the signal has to take, how many walls, mirrors, etc, it has to go through, so moving the router a little bit might help. Try moving it both horizontally and vertically.
2) Try moving the antenna. I have mine vertical, but you can rotate it to horizontal or anywhere in between. With your PC above the router, horizontal might just work better
3) Try using a different channel, especially if there are other networks in your neighborhood. From looking at my Actiontec router, it appears that the default channel setting is Automatic, but you can change it to any channel you want, 1 to 11 (Wireless Settings ==> Basic Security Settings ==> 3.Channel). It might take some experimentation, but what you want is a channel that is not in use by other networks nearby. Some wireless cards/notebooks offer a function that allows you to see what other networks are available, and what channel each is using (including your network). If yours has that capability it might help you figure out another channel to use.
Beyond the above, another thing you could try is to buy a higher gain antenna for the router or the wireless client, but that costs money. Or invest in a wireless access point, which can be placed nearer to the computer with signal strengh problems - money again.
I suggest you try the free things first. And maybe someone else will come along with additional suggestions.
Unfortunately, wirelss can be somewhat hit or miss. I presume you are using the Actiontec router that Verizon gave you; some people report that the wireless capability of that router is terrible. I have the Actiontec, and for me the wireless signal is great, much better than the signal from the router I replaced. But your mileage may vary.....

Similar Messages

I seem to have very poor wifi signal strength,is there any way to boost my signal

I seem to have very poor wifi signal strength,is there any way to boost my signal

If you gave some information on what network equipment you are using (make, model, version) and where you are experiencing signal problems it would help in giving advice.

Why do I have such poor/sporatic signal strength?

I have an iBook G4, and ever since I bought it i have had trouble with wireless connections. In my home, a small one bedroom apartment, I have and airport station. Connected to this is an external antenne. This is hooked up to a PC. My laptop has an airport extreme card. I have double checked and the card as well as the airport base station are installed correctly.
I am able to connect to the internet in my apartment. However, my wireless signal is always very weak. I am currently less than ten feet away from the base station and I am at less than half signal strength. Inside of my bedroom, approximatly twenty feet away from the base station I have little or no signal strength depending on what part of the room I am in. The signal strength varies constantly and does not allow me to connect to the internet.
My boyfriend has a PC laptop and is able to connect fine anywhere in the apartment. Also, he is able to detect several other wireless networks, where as I am only able to detect one.
When I am outside of my home and attempt to use hotspots, at school or coffee shops, I have little or no signal strength and am almost never able to connect to the internet for more than five minutes at a time, if at all.... All around me I always see PC users, as well as other Mac users serfing the internet without trouble.
How can I fix this? Should I buy a replacement airport extreme card? Is there any external USB devices that would help?
Thank you in advance for any help you are able to provide. I am desperate and will take any suggestions.

Hi Kat,
Welcome to the Discussions.
An improperly inserted antenna is the usual cause of weak signals. It takes considerable force to get it all the way in. This article illustrates a properly attached antenna.
John

Poor signal strength on MacBook Pro

We bought a new AirPort Extreme 802.11n for Christmas. Setup was fairly easy. We have two Macs--an 2005 iMac which is plugged into the AE via Ethernet, and a MacBook Pro from mid-2006 that we use in other rooms.
Our problem is that the signal strength on the MacBook Pro is terrible. Even at just 20 feet away, the signal strength varies between 1 and 3 bars (most often just the one tiny bar). The wireless is basically unusable at that point because pages stop loading.
To eliminate interference as a problem, our daughter brought her 2008 MacBook Pro over and we carried it around the house. It had 4 bar strength with no problems wherever we went and held 4 bars for hours while she used it in the kitchen. So we're pretty sure the problem is not interference in our house, unless her newer AirPort card is far better at blocking it.
What could be causing the signal strength on the older MacBook Pro to be so lousy? The computer is a Intel Core Duo, 2.16 GHz, running 10.4.11. The wireless card is 0x168C, 0x86. The wireless network adapter is 802.11 a/b/g, so it's not running "n", but I can't believe that's the only reason it won't hold a good signal. The AE is set up to run "n" as well as the older ones. (Bear with me...this is my first experience with wireless!)
We've been trying everything we can think of to improve the signal but nothing works. When the bars are in the 2-3 range it runs the internet fine, but the problem is that the signal constantly shifts between 1 and 3. So is the AirPort card in the computer that weak?
Any ideas are most welcome. Thanks.

I'll bet this is a hardware/firmware card with a chunk of AEx cards. I have had the same problem with a recently purchased iMac that was assembled in early '08. I tried all sorts of fixes, but ultimately took it in to a local Apple shop. The "geniuses" spent about 30 seconds looking at the machine (failed to replicate the problem), but then recommended replacing the airport card. I just got it back today &, while I can't yet say everything's hunky-dory, I think the problem's been solved. I'll bet there's a service bulletin that the genius bar has access to that describes this issue.
I had the same AEx series you report. I had the problem with 10.5.4 & then with the 10.5.6 upgrade.
See the following lengthy thread for more similar tales of woe: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1815644&tstart=0.
I think this is hardware-related. It's a $183 dollar fix (parts & labor) -- mine was under warranty, but I think there's enough in the discussion forums to justify pushing for a free replacement, even in an older machine.

IMac G5 AirPort Issues - Very poor signal strength.

Disclaimer: I am normally a PC user, but just bought a iMac G5 for my son's bedroom. Problem is that I am having a **** of a time getting the iMac to stay connected to my network long enough to download a newest OS update and in general, it is very slow downloading webpages...clearly not normal...at least I hope not.
My connection is Broadband DSL to my main PC equipped with a Linksys WRT54G Broadband Router. My 2nd PC is connected wirelessly and is much further away than my iMac, but gets better reception.
Therefore, what is the deal with my iMac??? It seems to be super slow downloading the large software updates and has often timed out as they have bogged down.
As a PC guy, I am wondering is it an internal antenna issue in the iMac G5 or is it something as simple as Wi-Fi (AirPort) setting?
If is is a lousy internal antenna, what can I do to boost my signal strength? I was thinking of disabling the Wireless and buying Gaming Console access point to hard wire to the ethernet port. Is that possible? Would AirPort Express device be good for anything?
Help...I am ready to return my first Apple and go with a Dell!!!
Solutions???

Thanks Rod. Your comments were very helpful...
Apologies for the dash of sarcasm, M., but these things usually are just that simple to get running, and your Dell jokes started me down that path you know . Yes, I should have resisted the temptation.
Screen orientation really can make a difference in a low signal situation. So can simply changing the channel on which your wireless router operates (have you tried that yet?). You also can't assume that because a computer in a neighbouring room gets gets adequate signal , the one that you are working on will too. Walls, power circuits, nearby electrical gear, etc etc can all have highly localised effects with this stuff.
If, as it appears, you have adequate signal strength (I thought you indicated initially that you didn't have) and the problem is not related to local interference on the channel which the router is using (that's why you need to try a different channel) , then its time to check other aspects of the setup, both of the router and the iMac. The problem could be caused at either end.
Lets take the router first. The WRT54G usually actually works pretty well with Macs. In some cases, however, it may need a firmware update from the Linksys site. There have been quite a few different models of this particular router produced, so you'll need to check the downloads section at Linksys support for the correct one.
The best people here to answer this sort of stuff are probably Henry B. and Frank Canzolino . They both spend much of their time over in the Airport forums. If a firmware update for the router , or a simple channel change, doesn't fix the problem then I'd try posting there with "WRT54G and iMac G5 AE " displaying in the subject line.
As far as toast goes, I personally recommend asking the power company to drop the voltage for a few minutes. Saves all that time wasted knob twiddling.
Cheers
Rod

Can I configure a wireless home network with two cable routers (both with separate connections to the same cable company)? Issue is poor signal strength even with multiple Airport Expresses added to the network.

I have a wireless home network consisting of a time capsule, two airport expresses and a cable modem. Even with this configuration I get a very weak signal in much of be condo - the walls, etc. are solid concrete. I want to see if I can add another separately connected cable modem and connect one of the existing airport express to it by Ethernet cable. If so, this would give me two wired hubs and greatly improve signal strength. I do not know if this configuration will in fact work or if I will just wind up with two, separate and unrelateable networks. Unfortunately, there is no way to run any additional Ethernet cable and I doubt simply adding more Airport Express will help. Thanks.

Try Ethernet over Power adapters.. these are very popular for your kind of environment.. being able to make non-wireless link to another area where you can setup a wireless access point.
Airport Express are not great for wireless power.. if you really have issues with wireless strength in a bad environment apple stuff is not the way to go.
The comparison chart here.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/router-charts/bar/58-2_4-ghz-dn?see=P_F
This is their worst test location you can also see averages.. the latest airport extreme.. is there a long way down.. and that is a much better wireless device than Airport Express.
The Ubiquiti power AP is small cheap and designed for precisely this duty.. useless in an apple wireless network.. you will need to run ethernet or EOP adapters back to the main router.. but if the normal omni directional antennas don't provide enough signal you can get directional ones.. I suspect you can cover your whole apartment with a pair of these and high gain directional antenna.

Poor SSID signal strength

We have 4 SSID configured on our WCS 7.0.164.3. The last SSID signal strength is not as good as the previously configured SSID, why?

Do you have multiple Wireless LAN controllers? Is the SSID being broadcast on both controllers?
If the SSID is hidden on half of your APs, a client selecting the SSID from the list will only roam between the APs that are broadcasting the SSID. Same applies if someone manually enters the SSID. It will only roam to APs where the AP is hidden.
Regards,
Brett

4th Generation iPad wifi poor signal strength

I recently purchased an iPad 4th Gen. It seems to only want to connect to wifi when I am within 15-20 feet of the antenna. I have tried removing the iPad from the case and still nothing. I have the problem at home and work, and have tried 4 different routers. My phone and laptop have full signal strength while my iPad cannot even find the network. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Bill

I recently purchased an iPad 4th Gen. It seems to only want to connect to wifi when I am within 15-20 feet of the antenna. I have tried removing the iPad from the case and still nothing. I have the problem at home and work, and have tried 4 different routers. My phone and laptop have full signal strength while my iPad cannot even find the network. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Bill

VERY poor signal strength

I'm lucky if I get one bar at home, often getting the connection lost message every few minutes. We have another iphone in the household though that is absolutely fine.
Is this something that is supposed to improve after a couple of days (I did transfer my number from an old provider, and I still keep getting texts saying "We haven't set picture messaging up yet"), or could something be wrong with the phone?

Re picture messaging: I believe that's coupled to MMS which AT&T does not yet support. Should not be related to signal strength.
Re signal strength: I'd try a full reset (hold down the Home button below the screen and the power button at the top simultaneously). You might also try cycling Wi-Fi and 3G on and off in the Settings: I've seen my signal low and jump back to normal after changing such settings.
If anything my phone signals at home are better (consistently full bars) than they were with the 2G model. And 3G tests out as about 8x faster than EDGE, but substantially slower than Wi-Fi, here.
Phil

Problems with poor wifi signal strength, need help?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated? This is a lengthy explanation. Thanks in advance.
I have a 3rd generation Airport Extreme wirelessly bridged to a 4th generation Time Capsule. I have noticed only mild increase in signal strength. Surprisingly I have only 1 – 2 bars of signal strength when standing next to the bridged Airport Extreme. There are areas of the house that continue to have very weak coverage ranging from 0 – 2 bars depending on the day and others that continue to have no wifi coverage.
The house has Cat 5 cable in all rooms. Most rooms only have a phone jack wired to the end of the Cat 5 cable but two rooms have data ports. All the wires (phone and data) run to the same junction box and are connected to, what appears to be, a simple parallel bridge. (There are a couple unused access points on the bridge. A few years back, I ran an additional line for a phone by simply pressing the colored wire into the corresponding site and the phone works fine)
It was suggested to plug the two routers directly into the data ports rather than have them communicate wirelessly. When doing this, I had no signal at the other end and the phone stopped working.
What is the best way to fix the weak wifi signal problem?
1.     Do I need to tweak my current wireless set up? (FYI, In the Airport Utility, both devices are listed and have green dots)
2.     Do I need to buy an additional Airport Extreme to bridge to the Time Capsule to cover the current dead areas? (unless there is something I should do different in the set up, hesitant to do this, since I have only seen a marginal boost with my current bridge)
3.     Would it be better to use the existing cat 5 cable and create a functional “hard wired” network that I can use to connect the two wireless routers? (If this is the answer, is this something relatively simple that I can do myself or should I hire a professional?)
Thanks again.

The house has Cat 5 cable in all rooms. Most rooms only have a phone jack wired to the end of the Cat 5 cable but two rooms have data ports. All the wires (phone and data) run to the same junction box and are connected to, what appears to be, a simple parallel bridge. (There are a couple unused access points on the bridge. A few years back, I ran an additional line for a phone by simply pressing the colored wire into the corresponding site and the phone works fine)
It was typical awhile back, where you have "whole-house" Ethernet running back to a patch panel to use the cable runs for both data and phone service. This works fine as long as you only wanted 100 Mbps Ethernet (or Fast Ethernet) connections for data. Gigabit Ethernet requires all of the twisted pairs in the CAT-5 cable and cannot share any of those pairs for phone lines.
So any wall outlet that is wired for both phone & data will not provide Gigabit Ethernet ... unless there are at least two CAT-5 cables going to that outlet. I am only mentioning this as to the potential for reduced bandwidth on some of your connections as all of your AirPort base stations are Gigabit capable.
As far as "weak" signals, I am assuming that you have configured all of your AirPort base stations for a roaming and NOT an extended wireless network ... correct? Even if you already have, please review the following Apple Support article to make sure you didn't miss anything. Please post back your results.

WRT54GX2 0 Poor signal strength

Had to replace router. Had a WRT54Gv1 that went bad.
Bought a WRT54GX2 for additional range and
- placed router in same place as old one
- didn't alter ANYTHING regarding location, cables, etc.
Signal strength is significantly lower / less.
Any suggestions?
Regards,
-jP

Are you then saying that with everything else staying the same that replacing an old linksys G router with the new SRX wireless router will not improve the strength?
The effect is minimal, it will not improve strength as it will only function as a G router when you are using a G card. The SRX effect will only work with an SRX adapter.
I was hoping to provide great distance and speed from what we have without going out and buy another adapter for my laptop. My wife has a new laptop with wireless built in...will that have to be changed to a plugin SRX card to get benefit?
If you want the SRX range to work, you need an SRX card. The G card will work still but it will work on G speeds only. If that would be the case then yes, you would need to have an SRX card for it to take effect.
Also what about using expanders with the new SRX stuff?
It will work with the range expanders...not much of a conflict with them...but the expander is expensive than the card...your call...
"Sometimes your knight in shining armor is just a retard in tin foil.."-ARCHANGEL_06

Iphone in Great Britian discovers Apple tech problem - Signal Strength -

November 25, 2007
Signal trouble: British iPhone mystery
Is O2’s network to blame, or Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone?
That’s the question posed by more than a few British iPhone owners who purchased the device in the past two weeks and have been struggling ever since to get decent telephone reception on it.
The problem surfaced two days after the phone went on sale in the U.K. when “Matlock” in Derbyshire started a discussion thread on Apple’s support board entitled “UK 02 (poor signal strength/reception problems)”:
My iphone can barely pick up even the slightest signal, although on occasion can pick up 3 ars, only for it to drop out again. I have two other 02 phones, a Sony Erricson and a Nokia n95 with no reception problems at all. Is anyone experiencing same problem with their iphone, I would like to hear from you. (link)
Two weeks later, Matlock’s query has received more than 100 replies (and 3,723 pageviews), most of them registering similar complaints. Some users found that reinstalling the software made a difference. When others returned their phones for new ones, the problem went away (although some reported that the new phones were no better).
Definitive U.K. sales figures are not available, but O2 reported that it sold “tens of thousands” of iPhones the first weekend it was available.
Several posters on the Apple discussion board volunteered that unlike the complainants, they were getting great reception on their iPhones. And many owners with signal problems expressed pleasure with how well the device performed its other functions.
But unlike American iPhone owners, who tend to blame any reception headaches on AT&T’s (T) cellular network, the assumption in the U.K. seems to be that the signal problem is Apple’s. The impression is reinforced by O2, which has been referring callers directly to the manufacturer.
One clue is that many British iPhone owners can, like Matlock, compare the signal strength on their iPhone with other cellphones using the same network (one user even posted photos showing the phones side by side). Another is that the indicator on the iPhone tends to jump to five bars as soon as it is placed in the charging dock, which suggests that the problem is battery related. As user Richard Catledge points out:
It says in the manual that phone signal is adjusted to the minimum power when not in use, just enough to detect the incoming pings, then it will power up to get the best quality call. It is digital, so as long as the signal power is strong enough to reconstruct at the other end, more power is pointless. I suspect this is what you are seeing, or a slightly flakey implementation.
Meanwhile, the consensus on the discussion board is that unhappy owners should let Apple know. Writes one user who posts as ::…SAM…::,
The only way to get anything done about it is if people that have poor signal problems is to take your phone back and get it replaced. The more phones they get back, the sooner they will do something to fix the problem. Emails and complaints are fine, they can be put in a folder, high handset return numbers cant be so easy to hide under the rug.
Thanks to InformationWeek’s Alexander Wolfe for the link. See his report here.
Filed

Interesting post. My previous phone was an 02 XDA Exec, a smart phone based upon a common handset (forget which one), but the smart phone before that was the same. They all had one thing in common - poor reception.
tbh, I think its an inherent problem with smart phones. However, with my iPhone I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary really. Its better than the XDA, at least the iPhone doesn't drop out completely!
But compare it to a normal handset and the normal handset will normally have a much better reception strength.

WRT54G3G-ST: Signal Strength "meter" broken?

I am running a WRT54G3G-ST using the 2.00.9 firmware on Sprint with a Novatel Merlin S720.
I think that the signal strength meter does not actually work properly:
a. I can be connected just fine and have it display "No Signal"
b. Other than "No Signal" the only reading has been "Excellent" and I live in a fringe area with -90dB readings being very common for me which is FAR from "Excellent".
Does this meter work for anyone? If it does, which firmware? What gradations does it display? Which cards?
Linksys, it would be *REALLY* useful it the Status page would give an actual signal strength reading, SNR, which network (1xRTT vs EVDO Rev 0 vs EVDO Rev A). The card can deliver this information in the Sprint Connection Manager so it should not be terribly difficult for the router to display it. If you can't display the native data (seriously, this is the most useful data) then a graded bar graph would be better. Worst option is an unscaled word description - if it even works.

Well, good to hear that this bug is not specific to this firmware. Sounds like Linksys is getting signal information either incorrectly or at least inefficiently.
I updated my router firmware immediately (for card support) so I did not get a chance to see the original version.
Even the terrible D-Link DIR-450 give a 10 segment bar to indicate relative signal strength. They still should have displayed signal numebrs, SNR, network, etc., but at least you can kind of tell how you're doing from refresh to refresh. Saying "Excellent" when you know that you're in poor reception and/or reporting "No Signal" when you're online is not very helpful.
Linksys, is there a formal bug process or do we just leave messages here?

WRT350N Signal strength

I recently bought the WRT350N to go with my MacBook Pro and iMac and Powerbook G4, and so far I am very unsatisfied....
One major issue (mentioned in my other thread) prevents me from being able to connect wirelessly if the signal is broadcast at "mixed mode". If I change to "G only" or "N only" ... its fine. But in mixed the signal constantly cuts out, and most of the time I can't even join the network (yes password and login name is correct).
The other main issue I am finding is that the signal strength is piss poor. I am currently sitting on my MacBook Pro about 5 feet from the router. It is on "G only" cause I am forced to downgrade for the network to be functional. I have about 30-40% signal strength. Meanwhile my neighbors router (don't know what model) has to be at least 20-30 feet away, and yet their strength is at about 80-90% strength.
What do I need to do to improve the strength or speed of the wireless connection? The Belkin router I owned previously was much easier to setup...the Linksys I have no clues on channels and modes, and settings.

I am sitting about 5 feet away from my AP. It still often does not show a strong signal. Right now I have less then 50%. Still I have very good transfer rates.
To make a simple speed test transfer a larger file from one computer to another. The computer from which you download should be wired to the router. Now make two tests downloading the file from that computer once through a wireless link and once through a wired link. Then you'll see how fast it could be in comparison.
Moreover, let the wireless card in the computer scan for other wireless networks in your neighborhood. If you find quite a lot (keep in mind that you can only find those which broadcast the SSID, thus there may be even more) then you will always have issues with transfer rates simply because there are so many other wireless routers and thus you have a lot of collisions.

Dropping signal strength

hello,
recently I have changed from an AirPort basestation to an Airport Extreme basesation.
There are two iBooks (G3 and G4) and a PowerBook G4 using the wireless LAN.
Having now installed the latest (driver) software from Apple my iBook G4 (running on Panther) has four bars signal strength when booting or waking up. But within 20 to 30 seconds the signal strength drops to only two bars in the menu list.
This is strange to me because the PowerBook G4 (running on Tiger) has always four bars even if they are on the same table about 4 meters from the AirPort basestation away. Usually the PowerBook is further away and still has its four bars.
With my old AirPort both computers had always four bars.
Where shall I start searching to solve this?
If the signal drops even to one bar then sometimes the connection to the Internet is very poor (eg I had to click a hyperlink twice to get the page or I will run into a network timeout).
thanks for your help
ueli
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

the problem is solved, it had nothing to do with the change of the AirPort base stations. The iBook G4 had a broken antenna cable.

Signal strength poor

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