Setting up a wireless router is not really that difficult anymore if you stick with the default settings. While that works fine often, it is better to go through the configuration manually to improve the security and performance of your wireless connection.
Besides making sure that you are running the most secure protocol available, you may also want to make sure that your router is placed and configured optimally for reception.
One of the things that you can do to ensure that is to make sure that you are using one of the free channels and not one that all of your neighbors are making use of.
If you own an Android phone or tablet, you can use it in conjunction with the WiFi Analyzer application to find the best spot and configuration for your router.
Just start the application after you have installed it to start using it. It will display the channel graph by default which is useful for two purposes.
You may want to walk around into all rooms or even outside to get a feel for the reach of your router's signal strength. Note though that this does not necessarily reflect how well others can connect to it or attack it, as the device that is used for that also plays a role here.
You can switch to other graphs and information with a tap on the eye icon on top. Available here are time graph, channel rating, ap list and signal meter.
You may also want to check the preferences of WiFi Analyzer to modify some settings like the scan interval, change the available channels in your region, or set it to automatically enable and disable WiFi when needed.
I have used WiFi Analyzer several times in the past to find the best possible channel configuration for wireless routers. It is ideal for that purposes, and even if you are not familiar with the technicalities, you can still use it effectively by trusting the apps channel ratings.
AdvertisementPlease click on the following link to open the newsletter signup page: Ghacks Newsletter Sign up
Ghacks is a technology news blog that was founded in 2005 by Martin Brinkmann. It has since then become one of the most popular tech news sites on the Internet with five authors and regular contributions from freelance writers.
Love this app but it’s a shame it seems to be broken on my Galaxy Nexus since upgrading to 4.3 – even the so called fixed version either shows me nothing, or when it does won’t let me see the 5Ghz range. I let the dev know.
I switched to inSSIDer for Android for the time being, but I much prefer this app.
I found this app on my own eons ago, love it. Lets me locate locked / unlocked networks. Saves network passwords so connecting to familiar networks again is simply a tap and wait for the authentication. It can also select preferred channels to scan instead of viewing them all. Sorts them by name, channel, strength, proximity and more. Very useful app!!!
Have used the app for ages and love it. What it cannot find, because of hardware limitations, is interference. Things like microware ovens (very common in the US) generate noise in the same band and would not show up in the app. While the Fritzbox router you show (red curve) suggests moving to a lower channel, this might not be ideal if the particular interference is in the channels you choose.