Wi-Fi problems

[readyforno2]

I live in a flat (built in the 1940's/1950's)
My wifi isn't great in my bedroom, sometimes doesn't work in there at all. Any ideas??

There are all sorts of possible reasons from metal objects of various kinds blocking the signal to interference from neighbours wifi, DECT phones, etc.

Solutions vary, according to the nature of the problem. The InSSIDer program will show you signal strengths of your own wifi and potentially interfering networks.

Location is important. My parents had their wifi base in a back room (where the computer was - wired in), which was fine except the airing cupboard (with the immersion heater) was between that room and the rest of the house. Remarkably, large quantities of earthed metal do bad things to a wifi signal (who'd have thought :o ) and reception in the rest of the house was atrocious. Put a hole through the wall and put the phone cable and router on the other side (with a network cable back through to the desktop), and wifi to the rest of the house was suddenly much better.

So location is important - if your router is in an alcove, having to bounce a signal through a chimney stack or anything else, then try and work around those.

Beyond that, a wireless repeater like this one: www.edimax.co.uk/en/produce_detail.php?pd_id=348&pl1_id=1&pl2_id=5 (£20 off amazon) will boost the signal in the further reaches. I use one to fill a dead spot behind a chunky chimney stack which is also an ideal alcove for a computer desk.

Thanks I will look into that. It's just really strange as I can be outside (downstairs) and still get wifi signal and I'd say the router is at most 5 metres away from my bedroom.

It's all hit and miss in our house, too. Depends which device I'm using, too. Frustrating!

We use homeplugs in our house. Wifi reaches most rooms apart from ds's, who probably uses it most. I put it down to thick stone walls.