How low can I go?

[mrs.chappie]

I have recently started using a laptop with a wireless router. I keep getting a message saying that the signal strength to the router is very low.

How low will it go before I cannot get online?

[koster]

If the signal strength is very low then obviously you do have a signal - which is better than no signal. However, the connection may be slow or become intermittent.

The question is, why are you getting a very low signal? Are you at the end of the garden, do you have a large house, or do you have an old house with thick walls? Other electrical equipment can cause interference.

Consider putting the router in a different position. Also try moving the antennae on the router.

[mrs.chappie]

Thanks for replying koster. I do have quite a large house, and the router is upstairs in a bedroom which we have turned into an office.

I will try wiggling the antenna about. Thanks for that. This might sound like a daft question - but is it possible that I will get a better signal if I leave the office door open?

[koster]

I don't think the door will make any difference. If you live in a three storey house and need to use the Internet on the top floor and the bottom floor, you'll have better results with the router on the middle floor. Consider the straight line between the router and the computer, and how many walls it passes through.

[mrs.chappie]

Many thanks for that, buddy.

{:o)