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B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 14 Jun 2012, 06:01
by DanielM
Hi.
Suddenly yesterday I started having trouble with my wifi at home. The computers are connected with good signal strength, but it seems like packets are randomly disappearing. Sometimes it works for a few minutes and then suddenly nothing gets through at all. Stuff that is connected by wire works fine, but everything on my wireless has the same problem.

My first thought was to cramp up hostapd log level, but I don't see any useful coming out there. I also tried upgrading my B3 from 2.5.0 to 2.5.0.1 and reboot it to no avail. The load on the B3 is like normal (about 98% idling). What could I try next?

/Daniel

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 14 Jun 2012, 06:21
by RandomUsername
Maybe someone has set up a network on the same or adjacent channel. Something like InSSIDer for Windows will be able to tell you.

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 14 Jun 2012, 09:24
by DanielM
RandomUsername wrote:Maybe someone has set up a network on the same or adjacent channel. Something like InSSIDer for Windows will be able to tell you.
Nope. I live in the countryside, the only neighbours within wifi range are my parents, and I'm the only one who has the password to their router.

/Daniel

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 14 Jun 2012, 14:16
by DanielM
Ok, this gets weirder. Much weirder. First I fiddled around with different frequencies. I'm normally at nine, I tried 1, 5 and 13. Even tried 5GHz instead (which I normally don't use since I have two old Soundbridges that doesn't support it). No difference. Then I took out my old Netgear router and plugged it in. Even there it's exactly the same problem. So now it seems from one day to another it's suddenly impossible to run wireless network in my house. WTF???

Any good ideas?

/Daniel

edit: Also checked with inSSIDer now as suggested and I can confirm that I see my own networks (the one from B3 and the one from the Netgear router) strong and good, my parents much weaker and then nothing else.

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 14 Jun 2012, 15:01
by RandomUsername
I've seen this before. Could be anything throwing out interference - street lighting, police radios, microwaves. My wifi was murdered for months by the generator belonging to the builders across the road.

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 15 Jun 2012, 01:58
by DanielM
RandomUsername wrote:I've seen this before. Could be anything throwing out interference - street lighting, police radios, microwaves. My wifi was murdered for months by the generator belonging to the builders across the road.
Well, the only thing I can think of is the electric fences that my parents have around the paddock where they keep their donkey. It's been broken for a while, I helped them fix it earlier this week. It seems kinda far-fetched, but I guess I'll have to ask them to cut the power and see if it helps. I have got a stiff neck today after sitting on the floor with my computer yesterday because the only tp cable I could find was too short.

Oh, and sorry if this is starting to get a bit off topic. I'm really desperate now...

/Daniel

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 15 Jun 2012, 02:21
by RandomUsername
That could well be it. I heard a story from a BT engineer once about a guy whose phone line ran under an electric fence and his DSL kept getting knocked out. He had to come to an arrangement with the farmer to switch the fences off overnight.

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 17 Jun 2012, 07:39
by DanielM
Ok. I've now asked my parents to temporarily cut the power to their fence and my network is working perfect. So now I've got a choice: Either I have to live with no wireless network (which kinda sucks) or I have to live with a donkey trampling and eating flowers in my garden (which also kinda sucks). This stinks. :evil:

But at least I can hardly blame Excito for it, right? :D

/Daniel

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 17 Jun 2012, 10:31
by 6feet5
Hi,

A friend of mine had similar problems. I think high grass touching the wire and thereby causing a shortage was the problem for him. Take a walk around the fence, looking for possible shortages (sometimes you can hear the shortage as a clicking sound). Also make sure the power supplies are electrically as far apart as possible (not sure how to put it in english, but don't connect the two power supplies to the same wall socket). Using a battery powered fence might help.

/Johan

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 17 Jun 2012, 10:34
by nobody
if a battery powered fence helps, would placing a UPS between the socket and the fence also help?

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 17 Jun 2012, 12:15
by DanielM
6feet5 wrote:Using a battery powered fence might help.
It is a battery powered fence (12V). I think that the shortage theory is applicable though. They have one unit serving two fences with a cable in between. Last week my dad destroyed that cable with a mower which led to quite some contact with earth and a very audible clicking. The cable is on the far side of the fence (like 100 meters away), but I guess maybe it might be related anyway. Maybe if he just fixes that cable he can plug the fence in without any problem for me...

I kinda get the feeling we're getting even more off topic now :D

/Daniel

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 18 Jun 2012, 04:01
by johannes
I almost filed a bug report with the word "donkey" in it, which would have been our first. :D Anyways, do what you can to avoid the constant sparking (clicking), sparks transmit high-energy broadband RF (much like the old transatlantic morse transmitters), which is distastrous for any civilized radio equipment. I'm guessing those are the problem.

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 18 Jun 2012, 04:09
by RandomUsername
johannes wrote:I almost filed a bug report with the word "donkey" in it, which would have been our first. :D
lol, I just checked our own bug tracker at work. We also have zero instances of "donkey" but we do have nine bugs that contain the word "pigeon" :)

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 18 Jun 2012, 06:25
by Gordon
Hmmm

What did you do to repair the electric fence? I mean, did you disconnect the second fence or splice the broken cable? If you did the latter, chances are that the lawnmowers pull on the cable might have caused other invisible fractures in it.

Re: B3 Wifi problems

Posted: 18 Jun 2012, 12:23
by DanielM
Gordon wrote:Hmmm

What did you do to repair the electric fence? I mean, did you disconnect the second fence or splice the broken cable? If you did the latter, chances are that the lawnmowers pull on the cable might have caused other invisible fractures in it.
Actually I just used a new cable and left the old one lying in the grass. Only as a temporary solution, but obviously not a good idea.

Talking about inSSIDer, it would be kinda fun to have one of these: http://www.metageek.net/land/take-inssi ... th-wi-spy/. A bit too much money for something that I don't seem to need anymore though. I think I'm gonna try to pursuade my work mates they need one so we can split the price :D

/Daniel