Large Spikes of Noise on 2.4GHz Network

[fathornet25]

I have a Linksys EA7500 AC1900 router. It works flawlessly on the 5GHz network. However the 2.4GHz network has a lot of trouble.

I have a strong signal throughout the entire house so I've ruled out weak signal as the cause. I'm using a 2011 MacBook Air and the built-in wireless diagnostics to examine wifi performance.

If a wireless device is on the 2.4GHz network it will have full bars but web browsing, gaming, video streaming will come to a complete halt. I've attached a screenshot of the wireless diagnostics and you can see the large spikes if the noise floor from -100dbm to almost -80. As a result the quality graph is all over the place.

The test is being conducted on the same floor as the router approximately 40 feet away. I made sure the test wasn't being run while the microwave was on. There is no cordless phone in the house either. I've run some wireless scans as well and I have the router set to channel 1, there is only 1 other 2.4GHz network around so it's the least congested channel.

Any insight into what is happening here would be great.

http://imgur.com/a/H3P3M

 

[bill001g]

It depends if you really want to spend money to find it even though you may not be able to do anything about it. Could be a baby monitor or security camera from a neighbor.

What you need is a actual spectrum analyzer. Good one cost a fortune but there is a way to get a ok one just for the wireless bands for cheap. Ubiquiti devices that run on airos...which is most of them...have a function called airview that lets you actually see all radio signals even though not from WiFi. If you get a outdoor bridge with a very narrow beam width you can use it as a directional locator by watching the signal levels. You should be able to get something for $50.

Still what you will likely find is you can not eliminate the source of interference. You would have to be very lucky and find some equipment you did not know you have that is using those bands.

 

[fathornet25]

That's what I was afraid of. It being interference from a neighbor that is unavoidable.

Hypothetically speaking, if I add an access point via a power outlet (or any method) would that help saturate a specific channel? Could it help "protect" the bandwidth I'm using?

 

[bill001g]

It would likely just make it worse. All you are doing is adding another wireless signal to the mix. Still you could add a bunch of ap and it would not do a lot. The AP only transmits the SSID beacon message a couple time a minute and it is not much traffic so most time it not transmitting anything. Only when they are talking to end devices do they transmit a lot of data.

Now if you put the AP closer to your end device it might help. The stronger signal from the AP would allow your end device to be able to hear the signal it wanted over the noise more. Still if you can actually place the AP in the room by using powerline extenders I would use a ethernet cable if that is a option....of course that does not work for a cell phone that has no ethernet port.