kair: ABES Signal Strength - How to Improve

Question:

Right now, when I stick my 17" Powerbook right up against my AEBS, I only get a signal strength of about 80% as shown on the bar in the Internet Connect display.
At about 25 feet from the AEBS, the bar only shows about 60% strengh.
Is this normal or is something wrong with my AEBS?

Answer:

I don't find your signal strength to be too bad. My own observations indicate that the signal strength shown in the Internet Connect application never show 100%, even while sitting next to the base station. You may want to download MacStumbler, AP Grapher, or Apple's own AirPort Management Tools for a more accurate assessment of your signal strength.

The much more sophisticated modulation techniques required by 802.11g to jam all those bits into much less time to get the increased data rates means that a much better signal level is required to get the desired throughput. Marginal signal levels that may have worked with 802.11b will not cut it for 802.11g, however the AEBS drops back to 802.11b as necessary to maintain communications. The down steps are gradual depending on the signal quality.

When transmitting in 802.11g mode, AirPort Extreme Base Stations do not transmit to the same range as the old Snow 802.11b base stations. You may want to step the AEBS back to 802.11b if you have no need to use the 802.11g speeds. Also make sure you are transmitting at 100% power (AirPort Admin Utility).

You may also find a change of channel may increase your signal strength. Are the two base stations' channels separated by at least 2 channels? Are there any sources of Interference near the low power base station?

Here is a way to optimize your reception:

Launch MacStumbler, AP Grapher, or the AirPort Client Monitor
While it is running in the background
Launch AirPort Admin Utility
Vary the Channel and multicast rate in some scientific manner until you get the best signal/noise ratio on Macstumbler (don't forget to update the base station after each iteration).

Check that antenna wire, too:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108039

Some light reading, courtesy Apple:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=150733

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58572

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86622

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=88258

(This response is generated in cooperation with Bruce Thomson)