Router Placement 101
The tiny WiFi transceiver in your laptop should be capable of picking up any
wireless network within about 100 feet, perhaps a little more if you have
newer equipment. If indoors, this typically includes no more than about two
or three walls, and perhaps one floor or ceiling. But the placement of your
wireless router and the arrangement of natural obstacles near it will have a
significant effect on the strength and range of your WiFi signal.
Assuming you??™re using a setup like the one pictured later in Figure 7-20, your
router will need to be within spitting distance of your DSL or cable modem.
But provided that the cable from your modem to your router is long enough,
you should have a little leeway there.
Your router should be out in the open; don??™t put it under your desk, in a
drawer, or behind a metal file cabinet. If you??™re feeding more than one computer,
it should be placed in a central location, if possible. Use the signal
strength indicator (Figure 7-10) to test various configurations. Consider
cabling stationary computers so that you can optimize the placement of the
router for your portable ones.
The 802.11b, g, and n standards operate over the 2.4 Ghz band, which is also
inhabited by cordless phones and microwave ovens. (The black sheep of the
family, 802.11a, solves this problem by using the 5 Ghz band, but its short
range and limited compatibility make it an unpopular choice.) This means
that you??™ll get better results if you move the router away from any cordlessphone
base stations, televisions, radios, or TV dinners.
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