Networking: multiple WiFi networks on same channel = interference?

[Lupine]

I'm struggling keeping this short and to the point, so please bear with me.

Home network w/ way too many clients (mobile phones, tablets, web-enabled appliances). Roku 3 devices on network. The Roku 3 communicates with its remote(s) via its own ad hoc network. Each Roku 3 advertises its own SSID (DIRECT-roku-"roku id"). Even though the Roku 3 devices are using a separate network for the remote functionality, they "copy-cat" the channel used by the home network, which appears to be causing significant interference. Note that this is a separate network, specifically for the remote. It has nothing to do with getting the device online itself (you can run the Roku 3 wirelessly, by putting it on your Wi-Fi network - but even then it still broadcasts the separate remote SSID).

So the query is this: what impact does having a 2nd (or more) wireless network using the same channel have? It seems to me that this would negatively impact bandwidth, and could be the source of issues being experienced (slow performance, inability for some clients to access / join the home network when the Roku 3 devices are on).

Unfortunately, at this time there is no way to force the Roku 3 to use a different channel for its ad hoc network. If I change the Wi-Fi channel, the roku eventually updates its remote network to use the same channel. Currently, the only workaround is to unplug the Roku 3 when not in use ... basically you have to choose between having the Roku 3 on the network, or dealing with subpar Wi-Fi performance / connectivity for the other devices.

[CR2500]

Can confirm.. Had Wifi interference issues back when i was living in crowded college apartments. That's when I discovered routers have channels and changed to the least occupied channel and noticed improvement. For me the effects were fluctuating bandwidths when downloading stuff, and sometimes when loading webpages on different tabs none of them would load until 5 secs later when they'd all finally load at the same time.

[Lupine]

Originally Posted by CR2500

Can confirm.. Had Wifi interference issues back when i was living in crowded college apartments. That's when I discovered routers have channels and changed to the least occupied channel and noticed improvement.

Yes. That was my preferred solution, thwarted by the fact that the culprit is a device that changes its Wi-Fi channel to match.

Solution seems simple: allow users to specify the channel used for the appliance's ad hoc network (and let me disable it / change it completely if so desired, but that's a somewhat separate issue).

[caveman-jim]

You need to create a second SSID on another channel for the Roku's to clone.

http://krivatech.blogspot.com/2013/1...ions-with.html

[Lupine]

Good link. So sounds like I can either add a second AP (like my Airport Express) or replace my Asus RT-N16 with one that has multiple radios ... as long as the AP can specify trusted & untrusted SSIDs. From my read of that article, I'm okay as long as I can specify untrusted / trusted, and the Roku 3 will default to the untrusted, for the ad hoc remote bit.

[caveman-jim]

Might be able to run Tomato or DD-WRT on the RT-16 and get the AP option you need. Or a $10 cheapo router / reuse of old equipment is all you need.

[VW_Factor]

Does your guest network settings allow you to set another channel?

[Lupine]

Originally Posted by caveman-jim

Might be able to run Tomato or DD-WRT on the RT-16 and get the AP option you need. Or a $10 cheapo router / reuse of old equipment is all you need.

The RT-N16 is a single band router, so didn't think I could run multiple SSIDs on it. If I'm wrong, would appreciate being corrected.

I do have some other routers / APs laying around, that I can probably use to create a second wireless network. I think its kinda silly to have to do this, but its better than having the primary Wi-Fi network compromised.

Originally Posted by VW_Factor

Does your guest network settings allow you to set another channel?

The devices I have that can set up multiple SSIDs, my Unifi UP, does not appear to be able to use different channels per SSID. All SSIDs (in supports up to 4x) are on the same channel.

[t3hl33td4rg0n]

Even if you can set multiple SSID's as seperate virtual WLAN's, they still broadcast on the same radio, set to the same broadcast channel as the primary SSID.

I have an Asus RT-N66U running tomato. You can set up to four SSID's, but they are all bound to the same radio for each band, 4 on the 2.4GHz, and 4 on the 5GHz.

I think the best option would be like caveman suggested, use a cheap-o- WAP broadcasting its own network on a different channel hooked up to your router.

Here's a visual guide of the channels you will want to use...




So, if your primary router is set to channel 1, then the other WAP you will want to set to 6 or 11. Those channels don't overlap/interfere with each other.

[KAC]

Don't know much but I read that having too many wireless devices can cause issues. Presently, I have issues with running the Router and Wifi headset (G930 logitech) close to each other. I have had to move the router and now the sound does not cut off. Previously, it was quite bad with sound cutting off once every 30 minutes or so. The other alternative was shifting channels but then my wireless printer would not connect to the network...

[Lupine]

Here's my current plan, using existing hardware.

I was previously using my AirportExpress (AE) to stream iTunes music wirelessly to our AV system. That wasn't working anyway, due to Roku 3 interference, so I'm physically connecting the AE to the network via ethernet. That frees up its wireless, so creating a new secure network with it, using channel 11 (home WiFi, via the Asus RT-N16, uses channel 6).

Will turn off the RT-N16's wireless, unplug the Roku 3 devices, then plug them back in. Once I verify that the Roku 3 WiFi Direct networks are both on channel 11, I'll turn the RT-N16's wireless back on. If everything I've read is correct, the R3's should remain on channel 11.

[Lupine]

Didn't work.



Main WiFi is "homernet". Roku 3 devices are still on channel 6 with the RT-N16. "AE" on channel 11 is the Airport Express.

[Lupine]

So, lets try just moving the Roku 3 devices onto AE ...



Now, theoretically, any Roku based interference should only impact the Roku devices themselves.

edit: also, once I transition the Roku 3 boxes to my wired network so am able to turn off wireless, I'll be able to "lock" the WiFi Direct channel per this post:

If you use wireless on the Roku the WiFi direct channel will always be the same. Once you force it to a channel you have to turn wireless off and leave it off. If you turn wireless on for any reason then the WiFi direct will change to the channel being used. I forced my Roku 3 to 5Ghz channel 165 many months ago. I have not touched the wireless on the Roku since then and WiFi direct is still using channel 165.

source: avs forums