Airport Express has very weak signal even to the next room

Question

Level 1

125 points

Airport Express has very weak signal even to the next room

I am wondering why my airport express has a weak signal. The signal to the next room(about 4 or 5 meters away), is so weak that you can only see one or 2 lines from the graphic at the internet connect. My base station has the last firmware from apple. Has anybody else experiencing this problem or knows what could be wrong?

Mac mini G4 1.25, iMac G5 2.0, MacBook 2.0, iPod 20Gb, iPod nano 4Gb, iPod 30Gb Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Jul 19, 2006 9:52 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Mihalis Simos Author

Level 1

125 points

Jul 19, 2006 10:55 AM in response to Mihalis Simos

This is really weird... In the same room, I get almost full signal from airport when its on the kitchen table and almost zero signal when its on the den table 1 meter away....?? Thats wierd or what?

Reply

Answer 2

Duane

Level 10

124,293 points

Jul 19, 2006 11:59 AM in response to Mihalis Simos

The material used inside the walls can be blocking the RF signal. And there may be other 2.4 GHz RF interference in that room that isn't reaching the room with the base station.

KB 58543, AirPort: Potential sources of interference

Reply

Answer 3

drrandy

Level 1

0 points

Jul 19, 2006 3:01 PM in response to Mihalis Simos

I am having the same problem, except I am having a low signal in the same room! It began just a few weeks ago and I can't seem to find devices that might be interfering. I have even had to re-connect to my network as it drops out frequently. Anyone else had this? Is my Airport dying?

Reply

Answer 4

Duane

Level 10

124,293 points

Jul 19, 2006 3:42 PM in response to drrandy

drrandy, Welcome to the discussion area!

Try changing the channel used by the base station. Keep changing the channel until you find one that works or you run out of channels.

The RF interference could be from a neighboring source. See AirPort: Potential sources of interference.

Reply

Answer 5

drrandy

Level 1

0 points

Jul 19, 2006 4:28 PM in response to Duane

Thanks for the info Duane. I'm trying the channel changing thing. I notice that my reception at times is high, but mostly not so high. I am wondering if this is the neighbors using thier phones since it changes so often. So far out of 5 channels, nothing is different. 5 more to go. . .

Reply

Answer 6

Mihalis Simos Author

Level 1

125 points

Jul 20, 2006 6:41 AM in response to Mihalis Simos

I have tried changing channels, I have tried using interference robustness but nothing seems to work. Isn't it so wierd thought that in the same room within 1 meter distance, the signal becomes from strong to weak, to zero?? The funny part also is that when i change channel for a few seconds the signal is very strong until it drops to zero. When i try another wireless device doesn't seem to have this problem but only with airport express base.

Reply

Answer 7

Mihalis Simos Author

Level 1

125 points

Jul 20, 2006 6:55 AM in response to Mihalis Simos

I don't think walls could be the problem because there is a lot of open space between rooms, like open walls and hallways so the signal would stuck in walls, also there is no device that would interefere with the base station since i turned everything off and unpluged and the problem remains. Could it be MacBook problem? I read that they do have issues with airport express.

Reply

Answer 8

drrandy

Level 1

0 points

Jul 20, 2006 9:12 PM in response to Mihalis Simos

I have the exact same experience. Signal just drops and there is nothing in the way. I'm on an iMac and not a MacBook, so I wonder if its Airport. Mine is about two years old. . . .

Reply