Wireless Router and Dropping calls

[rschoey]

I hooked up a wireless router in my home a couple of months ago and every since then when talking on the phone I keep dropping my phone calls. It doesn't matter whether I am talking on the cordless or on the landline. Anyone have any suggestions?

[jlachowin]

Set your router to another channel, usually channel 6 is default, try another. The wireless router could be interfering with your main cordless base station, and then cutting off the corded phone to?

[rschoey]

It was set to channel 1 and I had already changed it to channel 5. I have changed it to channel 8.

[jlachowin]

Any better? keep trying different channels as your neighbors might have channel 1 and/or 5, etc.

[rschoey]

Any better? keep trying different channels as your neighbors might have channel 1 and/or 5, etc.

I talked for over twenty minutes yesterday and the call didn't drop. Tonight will be the big test. I'll post and let you know if the call drops tonight. I didn't know that it mattered what channels my neighbors were using. I thought it was interferring with my cordless phone.

[jlachowin]

Could be a combination of both. Test it out!

[stevech]

I work wireless for a living.
Don't use WiFi if there's any possible way to use cat5/wired.
Wireless is about mobility.

QoS for VoIP in 802.11 WiFi is a real problem. Esp. if the client device is battery powered and using 802.11's power saving mode (sleep between beacons).

In the 2.4GHz band, the proper channel numbers are 1, 6 and 11. The trick is to find which one is least-used when YOU are using that channel. Common PC software shows you only the existence of SSIDs, not how busy these are.

Going to 5.8GHz with 802.11a devices, or for $$$$, 802.11n in 5.8GHz (dual band routers, etc.) gets you away from the crowded 2.4GHz band.