I love playing with a spectrum analyzer

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
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The 802.11g band shows activity all over the place, picking up phones and other devices. The entire frequency band has activity.

But looking at the 802.11a band it's quiet as a mouse. Time to turn up the 802.11a radios at home and enjoy fast wireless!
:thumbsup:

:Q
It is even able to tell me the model of the wireless phones.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Yep. Having fun aiming the directional antenna at other places.

Oh, and it picked up your microwave. The AP channels just changed automagically to work around it.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
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Originally posted by: nweaver
802.11A is for private pr0n downloads and wireless backhauls at my house ;)

Good man!

Performance for the win! I've been meaning to setup some 5 gig backhaul at the home.
 

nweaver

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2001
6,813
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I moonlight as a tech for the wireless ISP (only highspeed in my area) and we have one 2.4 hop (my house to the AP) and then it's 2 5.8 hops to the fiber.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
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Originally posted by: Special K
Doesn't 802.11a have reduced range compared to g?

Yes, but only very slightly in open air. It's the darn things getting into the way that make it's reach less.

Most people mistake "my wireless doesn't have enough strength" with the more correct "my wireless radios suck at getting a good signal to noise ratio". So rather than getting a quality radio, they throw a big antenna onto a crappy radio. Guess what? You antenna doesn't care - it's just gonna amplify the noise.

Think of a fuzzy cableTV signal? What happens when you throw on a big honking amplifier on it? More noise, more fuzzy.

-edit-
I see that my neighbor has a Panasonic KXTGA270S phone. Always liked panasonic phones.
 

RichUK

Lifer
Feb 14, 2005
10,341
678
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Is it a cylindrical shaped directional scanner thing which you point at a target? I?m pretty sure I saw some guys on TV that were checking security of home wireless networks with something similar.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
It's not quite that directional - but if those guys were checking wireless security they were aiming a YAGI at the home. HIGHLY directional antenna, second only to a dish. But it was able to locate my cordless phones and led me to where they were. Pretty slick stuff.

Feel like an old timer working a divining rod.