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Advice on making sure my Extreme AC does not interfere with other devices?

I purchased a new Airport Extreme AC about a year ago and now need to purchase a baby monitor and would like to get one that will not interfere or get interference from the Airport Extreme. Is there anything I should look for to minimize interference? Frequency range, etc. Are there any settings I should look into changing on the Extreme to make sure it doesn't interfere with the baby monitor?

Thanks.

Posted on Mar 5, 2015 2:20 PM

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Posted on Mar 5, 2015 2:28 PM

Avoid a baby monitor that uses the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz signal range.

9 replies

Mar 5, 2015 2:54 PM in response to southwestform

You can statically set wireless channels.


The problem the extreme will have is the normal auto channel selection will fail.. the baby monitor is not using network wifi .. just wireless.. like a dect phone does.. or av senders.. none of these devices is visible to the wifi router so when it selects channels it can still select the wrong one..


So go to wireless options and select the channel that by testing proves the best.. where it says automatic change to 11, 8, 6, 1 for 2.4ghz (usually 5ghz is not used by things like baby monitors).


User uploaded file


A normal wireless survey will not work.. but you can see higher levels of noise if the monitor is on the same channel.


What you actually need is a spectrum analyser.. these are much less readily available. Or very expensive tools for professional installers and repairers.


However there are a few cheaper software units.. although none I can think of for Mac.

Mar 5, 2015 3:17 PM in response to southwestform

I also have some Dropcam wireless IP cams that are also on the network.

Obviously IP cam is on the network.. that is what IP means.


If your baby monitors are on the network then you don't need to move away from the baby monitor channel.. in fact you cannot.. the baby monitor is by definition part of the network and must use the local LAN wireless for connection.


Clearly when you are actually viewing the stream it will use a lot of bandwidth and other devices might then end up short..


That is when dual band devices are useful.. use 5ghz if the baby monitor is using 2.4ghz. You should always use 5ghz when possible as it is faster.. the problem is range.. and Apple auto band selection will usually select 2.4ghz as it has high signal strength.. even when 5ghz gives higher speed. That is the problem. The 2.4ghz might be packed with clients streaming like the video cams and baby monitors but the apple band selector has no ability to measure usage or speed.. merely signal.


To fix it give 5ghz a different wireless name to 2.4ghz and force the devices to use 5ghz instead. (where possible).

Mar 5, 2015 3:18 PM in response to southwestform

By changing to 5GHz will that affect performance of the network in any other way?

Tough question. Not all of your devices may be able to connect to 5 GHz....and....5 GHz signals are much weaker than 2.4 GHz signals, so you almost need to have line-of-sight between the device(s) and AirPort Extreme for 5 GHz to work well.


2.4 GHz signals are quite a bit stronger, and will penetrate walls and other obstructions more effectively....but....they are more susceptible to picking up interference than 5 GHz.


Everything in wireless involves a compromise of some sorts. We tell users that wireless in general is half science and half voodoo. Sometimes it seems a lot more like voodoo than science though.


The bottom line that we are driving at here is that with wireless, you just cannot predict how well.....or if.....things will work in advance before you try them out in your home.

Mar 6, 2015 9:45 AM in response to Bob Timmons

It seems that all of the baby monitors that I am finding are marketing them as 2.4 GHz FHSS. The one in particular that I am looking at also has the ability to broadcast the video on the web so it can be viewed remotely, so I'm guessing it will then be put on my network? If anyone is willing to look at the device:


http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MBP854CONNECT-Monitor-4-3-Inch-Internet/dp/B00ROE BAK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425663748&s…


I live in a large house, around 4,200sqft, so if I understand correctly, I would ideally put the Extreme on the 5GHz frequency, however, I will then have a range issue with how far it broadcasts its signal and that will not work in my large home.


Based on my size home, the baby monitor operating on 2.4GHz FHSS and also being on my network for remote access:

1. If I end up having problems, is my only option to manually change channels on the 2.4GHz option on the Extreme?


Thanks for your help and patience!

Mar 6, 2015 10:16 AM in response to southwestform

We have reached the point where our answer is going to be.......The bottom line that we are driving at here is that with wireless, you just cannot predict how well.....or if.....things will work in advance before you try them out in your home.


So, it might be a good idea to understand the store's return policy in advance before you buy, in case things just don't work out.


5 GHz signals are going to have a tough time reaching more than a few rooms, so you will likely need to rely on the stronger 2.4 GHz signals for more range. Everything in wireless is a compromise.


You may find that you need more than one AirPort to get good coverage throughout your house, or to the areas where you need a good signal. You are tired of this answer, but again.....


The bottom line that we are driving at here is that with wireless, you just cannot predict how well.....or if.....things will work in advance before you try them out in your home.

But, I may be wrong. Perhaps another user will have a crystal ball that is good enough to be able to tell you how well things will work in your home before you buy. Hopefully, he will post.

My house is about half the size of yours, all on one level. It takes two AirPorts to deliver a good wireless signal everywhere in the house. I use a third AirPort, an AirPort Express out in the patio area when I want to have good coverage in the outdoor area.

If I end up having problems, is my only option to manually change channels on the 2.4GHz option on the Extreme?

Whenever you restart the AirPort Extreme, it will perform a scan to find the best available channel to use at the time. If you feel that you can guess better than the AirPort Extreme about which channel might offer better performance, then you can certainly change the channels manually to see if you can find a better one to use.


Either way, you should know that other wireless networks around you have routers that are changing their channels constantly as well, so while you might find a good channel by experimenting manually this morning, that same channel may not be the best choice this afternoon, as another router may have switched to that same channel.


So, if you have the time and patience to change things manually, there is no harm in trying that. Some users swear by this.


Most users though, will get good or better results with far less effort and time spent, if they simply restart the AirPort Extreme from time to time. Users who are in difficult wireless environments often restart their router once a day. It only takes about a minute.


Hopefully, another user who has the same model of monitor that you are looking at might see this post and offer some comments on their experience.



Advice on making sure my Extreme AC does not interfere with other devices?

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