WiFi Monitoring - tools and guides

Fozzy
Conversationalist

WiFi Monitoring - tools and guides

Hi - are there any guides that would explain how to use, understand and get the most of the RF Spectrum tool - and things like Air Marshall and Wireless health? I particular what the RF spectrum graph shows - e.g. what is the graph below telling me? One thing that I don't understand is why channel 6 seems to be using channel 5 in the diagram??

 

 

Opera Snapshot_2018-09-13_134328_n226.meraki.com.pngThanks in advance.....

3 REPLIES 3
Uberseehandel
Kind of a big deal


@Fozzy wrote:

One thing that I don't understand is why channel 6 seems to be using channel 5 in the diagram??

 

 

Opera Snapshot_2018-09-13_134328_n226.meraki.com.pngThanks in advance.....


The only channels to use that do not overlap each other are 1 - 6 - 11

 

Channel six overlaps channel five.

 

A smart Wireless Access PoInt is no substitute for an understanding of how wireless networks function and how they should be designed. Havee a look at the Ekahau documentation.

 

You might want to read this first as you do not appear to have an in-depth background in wireless network design.

 

Robin St.Clair | Principal, Caithness Analytics | @uberseehandel
cta102
Building a reputation

There are only 3 properly separated Wi-Fi channels in thee 2.4GHz  spectrum, and should have simply been called 1, 2 & 3

 

Channel 1 actually uses the frequencies listed  for channel 2 and well into those listed for Channel 3

Channel 6 dips down uses the frequencies lusted for Channel4 4 through to 8

Channel 9 runs uses frequencies listed for Channel 9 through to 13 (available in some regions)

 

You take a much smaller performance hit having multiple APs using 1, 6 or 11 than it is to have APs using adjacent channels (say 1 & 2)

APs on adjacent channels give a 5 times greater hit than simply using the same channel.

 

The rule I have in my notebook (from my Ekahau course) is that 2 APs on the same channel will take a 55 meg connection down to about 5 meg (bad enough) but adjacent channels are likely to take the connection down to 1 meg



This is assuming a default channel width

 

BrandonS
Kind of a big deal

Assuming none of your own gear is using channel 5, I think you may be seeing interference from something else.  I saw a very similar pattern recently when troubleshooting poor performance and it turned out someone had installed a wireless bridge using channel 5 and when confronted, claimed they chose it so it would not interfere with anything..

 

I could be wrong, but my reading of your RF is that you have something interfering pretty strong from channel 5 and your gear is using channel 6 so not good.

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