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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Airport Reception

Airport Reception
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radarbob
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Join Date: May 2001
Location: Round Rock, Texas
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Dec 31, 2001, 11:00 AM
 
No I don't mean the brown-nosers who meet the CEO (or generalisimo) at the airport (why is arriving at an airport a big deal anyway? Why doesn't (s)he get a reception coming to work every day?). Anyway....... I just installed airport this last week and I'm chagrined by the reception.

Setup:
Asante brand DSL router w/ a wireless PC card plugged in. The antenna of this card looks like it's the end of the card. The router is w/in 6 feet of our desktop PC and in an upstairs back bedroom.

Experimentation:
I've been moving the router around w/in the limits of the cables and AC power adapter chord, and laying it flat, hanging it on the wall, setting it on it's side. Sitting downstairs in my living room - no more than 30 feet straight line I typically get no reception. However there are good "hot spots" downstairs (where I am now). At best I get 3 of 5 on the signal strength meter.

Do you suppose the signal from the router card radiates in the same plane as the card? or do you suppose the signal is conical?

Do you think the house's heating unit upstairs being kinda in line with the router is causing the dead spot of the living room?

Even with the iBook directly in front of the the router I get only 4 (of 5) green lights on the control strip airport signal strength meter.

I set up the iBook on-board airport card via the airport setup assistant. So it's set to "default" and channel 1.

Do you think running the iBook via adapter or on battery makes a difference - either in power available or energy control panel settings (i.e. processor cycling)?


bb/300/288/3.2/airport
OS 9.1, airport v1.3

[ 12-31-2001: Message edited by: radarbob ]
bb iBook 300MHz / OS 9.2.2 / OS 10.2.2 / 544MB / 40GB
iceBook 700MHz / OS 10.2.2 / 368MB / 20GB
     
Arkham_c
Mac Elite
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
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Jan 1, 2002, 12:04 PM
 
I have the original AirPort hub from Apple and a new "C" revision AirPort card in my new iBook/600. I don't have any range issues at all. I can walk to any corner of our 1/2 acre lot and still stream Quicktime over the cable modem.

I wonder if the problem is your brand of hardware. I have never seen anyone use an Asante wireless LAN setup.

There was a discussion on SlashDot yesterday on boosting your 802.11 signal. Maybe you should go read it and see about boosting yours.
Mac Pro 2x 2.66 GHz Dual core, Apple TV 160GB, two Windows XP PCs
     
drillerkiller
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Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Carborro, NC USA
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Jan 1, 2002, 04:21 PM
 
I have an Apple airport card in my ibook and I use a Linksys router and wireless point. The signal is very strong. Plus, it's cheaper.
     
MUGlover
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Join Date: May 2001
Location: DG, IL, US
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Jan 3, 2002, 01:00 PM
 
No problem with my Asante router with wireless card, though I have a cable modem, not DSL. The iBook works all over the house and on the porch, which is what we wanted. No interference issues though we have cordless phones.

I am willing to pay for good Mac support, and Asante offers this. I do wish they would update their Web site to cover AirPort 2.0.

Can you test it with the heater out of the way (not fun in January)? If it is not movable, it should not be the problem. You probably want power for the heater to come on a different circuit from the one used by the router and modem.
     
ChaChi Boy
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
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Jan 3, 2002, 03:14 PM
 
Change the channel to 8 or something high.

Do you have a 2.4 GHz phone?

Iguana: The other green meat.
     
MUGlover
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Join Date: May 2001
Location: DG, IL, US
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Jan 3, 2002, 06:09 PM
 
Though I have a 2.4 GHz phone, it does not interfere with AirPort operation, as many discrete frequencies can share the same band, as you indicated (channel 8 being one of these). No problem, thanks.
     
   
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