Wireless network with 2.4 Ghz FHSS cordless phone?

[AC2]

Unfortunately I already have a 2.4Ghz cordless phone that uses FHSS at home and now want to setup a wireless network. Also have a microwave but have tested that it doesn't affect the phone signal at all so it's probably adequately shielded.

I know the phone is bound to cause interference in the 2.4Ghz wireless space, but I want to see if it is possible to setup a working network with it, instead of having to go out and buy a new 5.8 Ghz phone.

The phone base is setup around 1 ft off the floor to one side of the hall. My thought is to setup the wireless router high up on the wall (say 6 ft off the ground) in a passage at the end of the hall from where it will have line of sight into a third of the area of each of the 3 rooms and fully into the hall/ dining area.

I know the easiest answer would be a simultaneous dual band 802.11n wireless router but from the Newegg end user feedback on these products they don't look very stable or well performing, with some problem or the other reported on every model.

So am thinking of a 2.4 Ghz 802.11n router and hope the setup alleviates any problem.

One more thing, from the sticky I can see that the antenna on the wireless router should point straight up (i.e parallel to the ones in the clients). Some of the wireless routers e.g. Linksys E3000 have no external antenna and yet their orientation for wall mounting and placing on a flat surface are different so how does that work out?

And if the router has external antenna, can I point them straight down instead of up (needed to get line of sight into the hall area).

 

[Ghiedo27]

Chances are your phone will seek out a new channel to sit in if there's interference from the router. Just manually set your router to either the very first or last channel to give the phone the maximum number of clear frequencies to work with.

If you're feeling extra paranoid look up your particular phone model and find out what frequency it transmits and receives on by default. You can compare that frequency to this chart to determine which channel on the router would cause the least amount of interference.

Regarding antenna orientation, the key thing is to avoid pointing the antenna directly towards the other devices. Up, down, or sideways doesn't really matter. If the model has no external antenna, just put it wherever and forget about it. They're engineered to be set down and just work.

 

[spidey07]

FHSS obliterates the wireless spectrum and will cause interference with your wireless no matter what channel it's on. Freuqncy hopping, spread spectrum...think about what spread spectrum means. It may not be major, but it will slow it down and may cause headaches if the phones radios are close to or inline between the wireless router and client.

Regarding the antenna, the weakest signal is where the antenna is pointing and on a line 180 degrees from that.

You could also look to a dual band router and use the 5Ghz frequency. It doesn't pass through walls as well but your interference trouble will be gone. I don't think I'd buy a 802.11n router these days and not be dual band.