weak wifi?

[ilovemyjoggler]

Hi. Have just relocated 2 jogglers to top floor of my house. Both are connected via wifi and strength is showing as fair. Date and time are working but nothing else is (no squeezeplay, iplayer, web browser). Is this a wifi issue - 'fair' maybe isn't good enough for the jogglers? Laptops, mobiles and tablets all work fine using wifi in that part of the house which is why I'm wondering if this is caused by something else. Both jogglers are running PNP III on the updated Openpeak software. I'd like a second opinion before I splash out on a wifi extender. If it's a wifi issue can anyone recommend a cheap, easy to set up and reliable wifi exender for a sky hub? TIA

[castalla]

My joggler definitely works best over a distance on router channel 8. There are other refs. here (which I can't find!) to this strange phenomenon!

[pete]

What is in there are two tiny ~ 4.5 cm Airgain antennas connected with little tiny and thin 4.5 cm coaxial cables inside of the Joggler. (this was the same with the Chumby along with similiar issues)

One is attached / glued to the top back of the inside of the plastic case horizontally and the other is attached to the inside of the case vertically.

You can move the Joggler to change the 802.11 X reception a bit.

A laptop typically has two larger antennas built into the laptop lid adjacent to the LCD monitor.

You can do some stuff in a noninvasive manner:

1 - move the main access point antenna (and or access point).
2 - you can maybe replace the access point antenna with a higher gain antenna. Typically there are only two standards of attachement and the antennas are very reasonable in price on Ebay / Internet.
3 - currently my Ubuiquiti Access Point is mounted in the attic and covers three floors down with no issues; if you can move your AP up to the second floor of your home; it should cover the floors beneath it and it would be closer to your Jogglers.
4 - lastly if you want a reasonably priced extender; TP-Link makes some which are really nice and inexpensive.

You can also purchase an Almond extender with a bitty little touchscreen; but its a bit more expensive.

http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/deta ... TL-WA850RE

Personally I would first try moving the AP / changing the Antennas / et al as its just time to move them relative to purchasing something else.

[ilovemyjoggler]

Thanks guys for your replies.

Castalla - who'd've thunk it? I changed the channel to 8 as you suggested (took me a while as I had to download a reputable channel scanning software first) and it worked! I was on channel 11 along with practically everyone else around here. No one seemed to be on channel 8 so i'll keep an eye on all other gadgets to make sure that wifi for them is unaffected. Brilliant Thanks!

Pete - thank you! If I need to switch back to channel 11 i'll have your tips to try before I think about buying the extender. Moving the router is a not an option though as both the xbox and joggler (running LMS) are connected via ethernet to it.

Cheers people for saving me some cash!

[castalla]

Wifi voodoo???!!!

[ilovemyjoggler]

Update: whilst changing the channel has made a significant difference to wifi reception, Pete, you're right in that it can drop again if the joggler is in the wrong position. Sometimes moving it by a few cms makes all the difference!

[roobarb!]

Update: whilst changing the channel has made a significant difference to wifi reception, Pete, you're right in that it can drop again if the joggler is in the wrong position. Sometimes moving it by a few cms makes all the difference!

If you're using SQPOS, the latest versions all support the WNDA3200 2.4/5GHz stick (amongst others). I've used it with quite some success on 5GHz 802.11n - it's much more reliable and less 'droppy' than the default Realtek one. It even fits inside the case better!

I removed the little wireless antennae as they're not 5GHz compatible, but there are connectors on the WNDA3200 so you could utilise them if you're only planning to use 2.4GHz.