How Do I Optimize My Wireless LAN (WLAN)?
Minimize WLAN Interference
A wireless network operates best when your wireless routers or access points are located in areas with minimal potential for interference, ideally in central locations with clear sight lines to the computers or network resources that will be connecting to the WLAN. Setting them up in areas that are elevated and unobstructed – that is, off the floor and away from walls and metal objects such as metal file cabinets – will further help minimize the potential for interference.
Radio frequency (RF) interference can also significantly impact your wireless network’s speed. Wireless networks that operate in the 2.4 GHz frequency band (802.11b and 802.11g) will be working in the same frequency range as cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, wireless video cameras, microwave ovens and baby monitors, all of which can cause significant interference with your wireless network and degraded performance as a result. Wireless LANs that operate in the 5 GHz frequency band (802.11a and 802.11n, which utilizes both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies) may find RF interference in the form of newer cordless phones and other devices.
