Wifi Routers: Does Channel SIX remain on at all times?

Changed the default channel to SEVEN but when my remote node is used
to scan for local networks it looks like both SIX _and_ SEVEN are
showing up.

The built in web based config screens don't show SIX as being
available, now that SEVEN has been selected. (It's a choose ONE kind
of setup.)

Is it likely a synch signal, or other housekeeping is always going to
be on Ch SIX?


TBerk

TBerk

All router mainly default to channel 6 and most wireless adapters (on Windows
PCs -- your nodes) will always scan all available channels. It is possible
that you have additional "wireless" networks in your area now and they may be
using the "standard" channel (6) and your wireless adapter will show all
available networks over all channels.

On 22/04/2008 TBerk <> wrote:
>
>Changed the default channel to SEVEN but when my remote node is used
>to scan for local networks it looks like both SIX _and_ SEVEN are
>showing up.
>
>The built in web based config screens don't show SIX as being
>available, now that SEVEN has been selected. (It's a choose ONE kind
>of setup.)
>
>Is it likely a synch signal, or other housekeeping is always going to
>be on Ch SIX?
>
>
>TBerk

smlunatick

TBerk wrote:
> Changed the default channel to SEVEN but when my remote node is used
> to scan for local networks it looks like both SIX _and_ SEVEN are
> showing up.
>
> The built in web based config screens don't show SIX as being
> available, now that SEVEN has been selected. (It's a choose ONE kind
> of setup.)
>
> Is it likely a synch signal, or other housekeeping is always going to
> be on Ch SIX?
>
>
> TBerk

A propos of smlunatick's observation that you may be seeing a nearby
router broadcasting on channel 6, you should also bear in mind that
although there are 13 channels (only 11 permitted in the US) in the
802.11b/g band spaced at 5 MHz intervals, the spec permits an effective
channel width of about 22 MHz. This means that to minimize problems
between nearby stations one should use (again in the US) channels 1, 6,
or 11.

That is, if the reason you set your router to channel 7 is because you
thought you were avoiding interference from someone nearby on channel 6,
think again; use channel 1 or 11 instead.

If you're interested in a discussion that beats this issue to death, see
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/wire....html#wp134263
(or http://tinyurl.com/246g7r)

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

Lem

Client Wireless (the one on the computer) can change its working channels in
the middle of its work as needed.
Source Wireless (Wireless Router/Access Point) is set to one channel and
stays there. It only changes when you log to the Router and manually change
it.
If you have Windows XP you can install this free utility and see how your
environment looks like.
http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/
Follow Lem's advise and choose 1, 6, or 11, depending on which one shows in
Netstumbler the lowest signal that is generated by other Wireless that are
not yours.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

"TBerk" <> wrote in message
news:961136c1-8ab7-44b8-b967-...
>
> Changed the default channel to SEVEN but when my remote node is used
> to scan for local networks it looks like both SIX _and_ SEVEN are
> showing up.
>
> The built in web based config screens don't show SIX as being
> available, now that SEVEN has been selected. (It's a choose ONE kind
> of setup.)
>
> Is it likely a synch signal, or other housekeeping is always going to
> be on Ch SIX?
>
>
> TBerk

Jack \(MVP-Networking\).