Microwave disconnects wireless? 3801

[ManaPenguin]

This is an issue that just started this year, I used to have a 3600 set up and never had issues, but now I have a 3801 and whenever someone uses the microwave, it cuts off any device connected wirelessly to the internet. Wired internet is not affected.

The microwave is literally on the other side of the wall, but I never had issues with the previous gateway. I've tried changing channels and increasing the ghz on the router, but nothing seems to work. The simple solution is to not use the microwave during online gaming sessions, but I'd really like to fix it if possible.

[Computer-Joe ACE - Master]

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ManaPenguin wrote:

This is an issue that just started this year, I used to have a 3600 set up and never had issues, but now I have a 3801 and whenever someone uses the microwave, it cuts off any device connected wirelessly to the internet. Wired internet is not affected.

The microwave is literally on the other side of the wall, but I never had issues with the previous gateway. I've tried changing channels and increasing the ghz on the router, but nothing seems to work. The simple solution is to not use the microwave during online gaming sessions, but I'd really like to fix it if possible.

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Did the problem start immediately upon switching routers?

How old is the microwave?

Being on oposite sides of the same wall as they are, is the microwave and the router on the same electrical circuit?

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
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I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
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There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
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“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[ManaPenguin]

I'm not positive how long or immediately the problem occured after installing the 3801, I just know that the problem never occurred with the 3600 and it's set up in the exact same spot. I do believe they are on the same circuit. I googled around and one possibility is that the microwave's shielding may have sprung a leak... that doesn't sound good.

[ScottMac]

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ManaPenguin wrote:

This is an issue that just started this year, I used to have a 3600 set up and never had issues, but now I have a 3801 and whenever someone uses the microwave, it cuts off any device connected wirelessly to the internet. Wired internet is not affected.

The microwave is literally on the other side of the wall, but I never had issues with the previous gateway. I've tried changing channels and increasing the ghz on the router, but nothing seems to work. The simple solution is to not use the microwave during online gaming sessions, but I'd really like to fix it if possible.

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802.11bgn operating on channels 9, 10, or 11 can be interfered with by some microwave ovens.

Access the setup screen for WiFi and change the channel to 1 or 6.

If you want to do it right, download and run InSSIDer (free) and make a determination for which of the two channels are the least congested / best signal quality.

It is to your advantage to stay on channels 1 or 6 ... the actual RF bandwidth used is ~25MHz wide, so any channel operating within five channels numbers to the one you're using will interfere (the channel numbers represent ~5MHz of space; five numbers wide = 25MHz).

Another possibility is that the microwave is generating powerline noise that's messing with the RG, but the more likely suspect is the RF interference.

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Expert]

I would comment that you do not have to have a 5 channel separation from other wireless access points in order for 802.11 wireless to work properly.

While the bandwidth of 802.11g wireless signals does indeed overlap the 2 channels on either side of it (e.g. channel 6 actually uses frequency components from channel 4 through channel 8), 802.11 wireless transmissions are encoded using Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum technology. DSSS is specifically designed to operate in the presence of interference. Even if two wireless access points are operating on the exact same channel, their transmissions are completely readable as long as the signal-to-noise ratio is high enough.

This is the same way that CDMA cell phones operate. At any given time, there are dozens to hundreds of cell phones connected to a single tower, all of them are transmitting and receiving on the same frequency. DSSS enables the tower to pick out each phone's particular transmission.

So, while it is ideal to adjust your wireless channel in your house to a channel that is as far away from other wireless access points as possible, it is not a requirement that it be 5 channels away.

Furthermore, it is probably best to avoid channels 1 and 11. By US regulations, wireless transmissions on channel 1 and channel 11 are limited to transmit at 1/2 the allowable power level as channels 2-10, therefore reducing range.

If another wireless access point is on channel 6 in your area, and you're getting microwave interference from the upper channels in the spectrum, use channel 2 as the best compromise.

[Computer-Joe ACE - Master]

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ManaPenguin wrote:

I'm not positive how long or immediately the problem occured after installing the 3801, I just know that the problem never occurred with the 3600 and it's set up in the exact same spot. I do believe they are on the same circuit. I googled around and one possibility is that the microwave's shielding may have sprung a leak... that doesn't sound good.

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Yah there is a lot of tweaking you can do with channels if the problem were other wireless signals, but this does seem strictly related to the microwave. So, it's possible that either the 3801 is more sensitive than the 3600 to noise on the electrical circuit or your microwave may be on it's way out and not operating as "cleanly" as it used to.

If your microwave sits on the counter or in a cubby hole in the cabinets, you could move it out and line the wall directly behind it with foil to reflect or block some of the RF interference. When you put the microwave back, do not to allow it to physically touch the foil.

If that does not help, you can run an extension cord to the 3801, so you can try it on a different circuit.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell