The only thing more annoying than a dropped wireless signal is a weak one. Windows probably has the worst Wi-Fi management software available. Other than indicating a signal as poor as its management software this Windows feature is just about useless. Thankfully, there is plethora software available that performs better and some of it is even free.

If you have tinkered with settings and perused the menus of your wireless router, you may have noticed that it has a selection of channels from which it can broadcast information. This is similar to the channels on your cordless telephone. Unfortunately, manufacturers provide very little useful information as to the use of these settings. Once again, it is up to the consumer to do the manufacturers job in order to obtain the full value of their purchase.

When you setup your router, you obviously will want it to broadcast on the least used frequency in your broadcast area. Windows will show you the networks in your area but it is not capable of showing channel and its display format is not very accurate in demonstrating signal strength.

The common frequency range for wireless routers is the 2.4 GHz range. Of the fourteen channels designated for the 2.4 GHz range, only four do not overlap. When signals overlap there, is interference due to them colliding with one another and competing for their destination. The channels that do not overlap are channel 1, 6, 11, 14 but 14 is reserved by the FCC other uses and not available for wireless router use. The channels that remain available are 1, 6, 11 and you would pick the least used or occupied of those three channels for the best performance of your Wi-Fi.

Some wireless routers have a feature that supposedly selects the best channel automatically; do not rely on this feature for channel selection. PcWorld recommends the freeware program inSSIDer from MetaGeek to obtain the information required for channel selection. inSSIDer will show the channel of each signal in your broadcast area and it is far more accurate in signal strength measurement. It also provides an excellent user interface and more functional display of information.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/204781/wifi_performance_what_you_dont_kno...

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