[SOLVED] Should I shift my WIFI channels?

[Rodion15]

I'm using two 5Ghz WIFI networks at home:

One is the WAP that comes with my ISP provided SOHO router, using channel 44 (using router mode, not Modem mode).

Another is my TP-LINK Deco P9 Powerline with 3 satellites, using channel 48.

Using a WIFI analyzer I can see they're blocking each other. Should I shift one of them so as to improve the WIFI?

In my testing, all I can do is shift the SOHO one to channel 36 (channels 52 and above are DFS so I guess I shouldn't use those). The TP-LINK doesn't allow to shift channels in the management interface.

Or are those channels OK? the SOHO router is using Channel Optimization/Auto, so I guess it chose those channels wisely?

Any advice much recommended.

The 3 on the right are the 3 Mesh wifi satellites. The left one is my SOHO router.

 

[dwd999]

I'm using two 5Ghz WIFI networks at home:

One is the WAP that comes with my ISP provided SOHO router, using channel 44 (using router mode, not Modem mode).

Another is my TP-LINK Deco P9 Powerline with 3 satellites, using channel 48.

Using a WIFI analyzer I can see they're blocking each other. Should I shift one of them so as to improve the WIFI?

In my testing, all I can do is shift the SOHO one to channel 36 (channels 52 and above are DFS so I guess I shouldn't use those). The TP-LINK doesn't allow to shift channels in the management interface.

Or are those channels OK? the SOHO router is using Channel Optimization/Auto, so I guess it chose those channels wisely?

Any advice much recommended.

The 3 on the right are the 3 Mesh wifi satellites. The left one is my SOHO router.

There's a free wifi analyzer in the windows store that you can use to examine traffic in your neighborhood. If there's lesser traffic on channel 36 I would use that as lower frequency channels are generally stronger. That's the channel I use since there are 25 other users in my neighborhood on other channels and I have 36 all to myself.

 

[kanewolf]

I'm using two 5Ghz WIFI networks at home:

One is the WAP that comes with my ISP provided SOHO router, using channel 44 (using router mode, not Modem mode).

Another is my TP-LINK Deco P9 Powerline with 3 satellites, using channel 48.

Using a WIFI analyzer I can see they're blocking each other. Should I shift one of them so as to improve the WIFI?

In my testing, all I can do is shift the SOHO one to channel 36 (channels 52 and above are DFS so I guess I shouldn't use those). The TP-LINK doesn't allow to shift channels in the management interface.

Or are those channels OK? the SOHO router is using Channel Optimization/Auto, so I guess it chose those channels wisely?

Any advice much recommended.

The 3 on the right are the 3 Mesh wifi satellites. The left one is my SOHO router.

Yes, you should change your second WIFI so that it doesn't overlap with your ISP router.

 

[bill001g]

Not sure what that display is. Generally the only range you can use is the first one that is 36-52. The equipment you have should not allow you to set the DFS channels but it might depend on what country you are in.

The problem you have is there is no room to do it even if you want to. These are using 80mhz blocks and there is only 100mhz total. It uses a group of 4 of those channel numbers. The other block for most countries is over 149.

The only way you make it work without overlap is to drop it to 20mhz or with partial overlap 40mhz channels. This ignores that your neighbor is also using the channels and stomping on you.

 

[Rodion15]

Not sure what that display is. Generally the only range you can use is the first one that is 36-52. The equipment you have should not allow you to set the DFS channels but it might depend on what country you are in.

The problem you have is there is no room to do it even if you want to. These are using 80mhz blocks and there is only 100mhz total. It uses a group of 4 of those channel numbers. The other block for most countries is over 149.

The only way you make it work without overlap is to drop it to 20mhz or with partial overlap 40mhz channels. This ignores that your neighbor is also using the channels and stomping on you.

I eventually set my SOHO WAP to channel 36 as you said, it was free when looking with a WIFI analyzer. My doubt is to what an extent that "partial" overlap of the two radios on channels 44 and 48 was affecting the connection, I guess it wasn't affecting much, otherwise, why did the access point automatically setting the SSID on that channel?, as you said, even changing to channel 36 there's some overlap.
Also: I never tried using a DFS channel, my AP seems to offer them, but I'm concerned I'd have issues or disconnections...have anyone here ever used DFS channels? these may interfere with radars, but who's going to have issues with radars unless near to a military base or so?

 

[bill001g]

What is using the DFS channels you never really know for sure when you have government involved. It can be hundreds of miles away. The most common is going to be weather radar that can be owned by the local tv station. Many times they only use these or run them in different modes when there is some kind of bad weather nearby.

The one article I have ever seen on this is locked behind some paywall from a wifi chipset manufacture. The methods used to avoid this seem to be very proprietary and they don't want to leak them to the competitors. Many many device take the easy way out and just do not support it.

Many times there are different transmit power limits so when you use it you must turn the power way down compared to non dfs channels.

In any case the solution to all this mess will be wifi6e. There are a bunch of 160mhz radio bands on the 6g radio so many people can have one without overlap.......well until the routers manufactures think people want 10gbit wifi and use 500mhz wide radio bands.

 

[Rodion15]

In any case the solution to all this mess will be wifi6e. There are a bunch of 160mhz radio bands on the 6g radio so many people can have one without overlap.......well until the routers manufactures think people want 10gbit wifi and use 500mhz wide radio bands.

Thanks for your informative answer. I eventually set the ISP SOHO router to channel 116 which is DFS and seems to be working, I'll test it. Otherwise, i'll set the channel width to 40Mhz as I use this WAP as a backdrop.
I'm 11mi from Heathrow airport, so I don't know..

Thank you

 

[bill001g]

I am surprised it lets you manually set that then again it maybe a USA rule that you can't set it.

Can you tell if it is running 80mhz on 116 and is 116 the center of the channels being used.

If you look at this chart it shows 122 as the number you are suppose to use for a 80mhz band.........problem is not all routers implement it using these numbers so I have never really figured it out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels

 

[Rodion15]

I am surprised it lets you manually set that then again it maybe a USA rule that you can't set it.

Can you tell if it is running 80mhz on 116 and is 116 the center of the channels being used.

If you look at this chart it shows 122 as the number you are suppose to use for a 80mhz band.........problem is not all routers implement it using these numbers so I have never really figured it out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels

I'm in greater London. I set it to channel 116 / 80Mhz width but the router eventually kicked me back to a non-DFS channel, so it seems to have detected some radar or something. I tried with another DFS channel with the same result.
I eventually set it to channel 36 and 40Mhz width instead of 80Mhz.
I wonder what's good about 5Ghz if you can't use most of the channels, only 36 to 48 are used if I'm right.

 

[bill001g]

You can try 149 and other channels in that range. I think the main restriction is lower power in the uk.

You are correct the 5g channels are not real useful if you can not actually use them. That is what people buying wifi6 are finding out, they try to use 160mhz and there is no way to do that without the DFS garbage.