OT: WiFi Modem/Router Help & Suggestions

[lattydaddy]

I have a house at the shore that's in very close proximity to other condos, residences, etc. We have Comcast there (as that is our only option) and our WiFi signal keeps getting interfered with by other neighbors' WiFi signals so a few times a day it will temporarily lose connectivity.

I'm no tech geek, but apparantly in a WiFi router there are channels 1-14, with 1, 6, and 11 being the preferred ones since their signals don't overlap with one another. Problem is there are so many routers down there on channels 1, 6, and 11 (and I don't think the other ones are better options) that all of the broadcast signals screw around with one another causing inconsistent connections. I've heard this is a common problem where there are a lot of houses/units in close proximity. Sometimes I leave it "autoscan" to find the best channel and sometimes I manually choose the WiFi channel - neither seems to be effective.

It seems ridiculous that with all of the people on WiFi these days, there are only 3 usable signals. What do people do that live in Manhattan or other dense areas?!

Here are my questions:

1. Does anybody know a fix to this?
2. I rent the Comcast modem/router (2-in-1) device for $10 per month. I know it makes more sense to buy one so I want to do so regardless of whether this fixes my problem. Any suggestions on a cheap but good 2-in-1 modem/router that I can buy? Will this solve my problem or no? When I buy a new modem/router, I don't want the technology to be dated in 2 years.
   
3. When I buy a new modem/router, would it be only usable with Comcast or would I be able to use it at a FiOs house as well?

Thanks in advance, folks.

 

[psuguy04]

Go to your router's settings--usually accessed by typing 192.168.1.1 into the web browser's address bar. You can then change the channel to anything you want.

It may also be worth it to buy something to boost your signal indoors.

 

[lattydaddy]

Yeah, I can change the channel no problem. The problem is changing to another channel doesn't help the connection stability.

The signal is very strong, as this house isn't quite big. It's like a 5 bar signal throughout the house. Problem is that there other units attached to ours.

 

[psuguy04]

Try getting a tri-band router then:

http://blog.dlink.com/wireless-router-buying-guide/

Also, download a WiFi analyzer and see exactly what channels the networks around you are using.

 

[lattydaddy]

psuguy04 - thanks for the replies. The networks around me are using all the channels. there's like 40 networks in range and they're all heavy usage on the main 1, 6, and 11 channels.

 

[CoolBean]

First off, you need to buy your own modem and dual band router, for $129 bucks NetGear N600 at Bestbuy for a combo, the investment will be paid off in about a year. And with a dual bands, you can connect to 2.4G or 5G whichever works best for you. If you have PC with Windows 7 and Smart phones, you can connect to 5G. you can also download an wifi analyzer app for your phone to see which channel give you the best signal strength.

 

[pmjoe]

I'll just ditto the reply about looking into if a dual band WiFi router that works at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz is an option. If your current devices support 5GHz then this will likely give you a whole range of channels your neighbors aren't using.

Cheapest option, if most of your neighbors are using Comcast, you may want to check if a strong xfinitywifi SSID network signal is available from your neighbors, and just hop onto their network courtesy of Comcast.