WiFi problems with home phone

olasek

olasek

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olasek
I have a problem at home.
I just recently move into the world of WiFi - installed a wifi router or whatever it is called. I have the router connected to the DSL/phone line, I have an AT&T internet/phone plan. Then I purchased the Ipad. Everything is fine. But when I am browsing the internet on Ipad and someone in my home starts using the phone (regular stationary - but cordless) I lose the wifi. I usually have to wait until the person hangs up but then I have to reenter the WiFi password on my Ipad to regain connection. Some interference I presume but is there a cure?
 
olasek said:
I have a problem at home.
I just recently move into the world of WiFi - installed a wifi router or whatever it is called. I have the router connected to the DSL/phone line, I have an AT&T internet/phone plan. Then I purchased the Ipad. Everything is fine. But when I am browsing the internet on Ipad and someone in my home starts using the phone (regular stationary - but cordless) I lose the wifi. I usually have to wait until the person hangs up but then I have to reenter the WiFi password on my Ipad to regain connection. Some interference I presume but is there a cure?
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Get a 5 GHZ wireless phone OR get a wifi router that can do 5GHZ and make sure all your devices can.

Right now you probably have a 2.4GHZ cordless phone and your wifi is operating at 2.4GHZ. Ideally this would work but there are a lot of factors and it sounds like there is an interference issue.

Also be sure the phone has a DSL filter (doesn't sound like the issue you're having, if you didn't internet would quit but your wifi wouldn't need to reconnect).
 
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If it's DSL, make sure you have filters on the phone lines where necessary (between the wall outlet and the phone itself).
 
Thanks, yes, I do have the filters.
 
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Go into your wireless router administration utility and try switching channels. Don't know if it will help, but it is cheap and easy (two best word in the world). I had to switch channels on my wireless routers due to interference from some unknown source.
 
Thanks all. Actually COFlyBoy was correct - it was a matter of changing the channel. I called my ATT support number and the technician stepped me through channel/intensity settings. Seems to have solved the problem.
 
olasek said:
Thanks all. Actually COFlyBoy was correct - it was a matter of changing the channel. I called my ATT support number and the technician stepped me through channel/intensity settings. Seems to have solved the problem.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, it's possible/likey that your cordless phone may decide to change it's channel and you'll be back in the same boat. I fought with that for a while and finally gave in and bought 5.8GHz phones. An even better alternative would be to get DECT phones which AFaIK operate at a slightly lower frequency than the 2.4 GHz phones and routers (they're supposed to be spread spectrum as well which also helps).

Finally if your iPad supports it (my iPad2 does) you could get a 802.11n router on 5.8GHz and leave the phones alone.
 
Yup, two devices on the same band have a tendency to interfere with one another... go figure. ;)

The old analog 900 MHz phones don't interfere either, but they're not highly recommended if you have neighbors with RF knowledge and receivers... pretty easy to eavesdrop on.

To keep the phone away from everything... you want DECT 6.0 -- Uniden has a nice little buyer's guide, here:

http://www.uniden.ca/products/buyingguide.cfm
 
Forgot to mention: Another nifty feature to look for these days if you're going cordless phone shopping... if you have folks with cell phones in the house, a lot of the cordless phone base stations have Bluetooth in them these days.

You take a little time setting it up, and pairing the cell phone and the base, but after that... you walk in the house, plop your cell phone on the charger, and if it rings, all the cordless phones in the house ring, and you answer it on one of those.

Very useful little feature. In fact, comes in handy if you ever cut the cord completely and drop the land-line or VoIP line that feeds the cordless phones. They're still useful when you do that, if all you have is the cell.

I can't cut the cord completely -- too many multi-hour troubleshooting conference calls. No cell phone battery can stand the full onslaught of being the on-call IT server guy on a bad week.
 
Cheaper 2.4 Ghz phone are poorly filtered and will blanket the band with it's signal and disrupt WIFI. Best solution is to go to a 5Ghz phone or hardwired.
 
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