Advice sought on wireless router placement

[jimtherev]

We are installing wireless internet at our church site, which rambles a bit, and I’m wondering where to put the router/access point. I have a spare wireless router, but no BB connection yet, but I think (hope I’m right) that just plugging the thing in at various points in the building will provide a wireless signal which I can monitor, given a lappy and appropriate software.
Can anyone point me at appropriate software, please, so that I can wander round the site looking at signal strengths for various router positions?

[mixture]

You are looking for "wireless network survey" software, or perhaps more appropriately a company suitably skilled in such things.

See also this article as a very basic how-to. (http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/1116311/RF-Site-Survey-Steps.htm)

[Mike-Bracknell]

Company to do the wifi audit:
Red-M Wireless Ltd (http://www.red-m.com)

Software if you wish to do it yourself:
NetStumbler (http://www.netstumbler.com/)

[jimtherev]

Thanks for advices, Mix & Mike. Installed 'stumbler onto a lappy and went for an amble round the house. Surprised at how many wifi networks in range; some of them useable strength, some of them unencrypted.
Will try up at the church tomorrow; I'll be interested to find what's what there.

[mixture]

Will try up at the church tomorrow; I'll be interested to find what's what there.


There's some scope in that statement for a joke about god's wireless connection .... but I'm not feeling inspired today... will have to make do with this instead.....

http://www.savagechickens.com/images/chickenwifi.jpg




Good luck, and keep us posted.

[Ancient Observer]

Of course they have wi-fi in Hell. That's why it was invented. it doesn't exist in Heaven.

[jimtherev]

Hell or heaven, I don't know, never been in either yet. But it certainly works in 'my' church. Signal penetrates two walls very successfully, and 50m away and thro' a third wall it's useable - just.* So, success: we don't need to move the master socket: that saves us a few quid!
Thanks again for help.

*... however, the signal from the Weatherspoons a few doors down is a bit stronger than that. If I were feeling norty...

[green granite]

Why not it's free.

Free WI-FI @ Wetherspoons
Shopping, working or just keeping in touch - you can do it all, FREE, in the comfort of a Wetherspoon pub.

Customers can enjoy high-speed Internet connection in over 750 hotspots. Simply switch on your Wi-Fi-enabled laptop, PDA or phone and select 'Wi-Fi Zone - The Cloud'.

Happy surfing...

[mixture]

select 'Wi-Fi Zone - The Cloud'.

Having recently stayed in a hotel with one of those "The Cloud" hotspots, they are only free because you are given a free 24 hour code, in my case by hotel reception.

[jimtherev]

Actually, I did take the laptop into the local 'spoons a while back and it connected no trouble. Of course, it could have changed since then.

[Mike-Bracknell]

Hell or heaven, I don't know, never been in either yet. But it certainly works in 'my' church.

*SNIP*

*... however, the signal from the Weatherspoons a few doors down...

There you have it - Jim in "Wetherspoons is my church" admission

;)

[jimtherev]

Yup! From time to time I pop into 'The Moon' for a pint or two of Abbot. Couple of tables of resident Irishmen who request a blessing occasionally. One stopped me the other day, "Jim, I never come into your church, but you're always in mine." (Slight exaggeration, I protest.) "Yes," quoth I, "but I suspect that if Jesus were around He'd probably be in here as often as I am." I departed, leaving grins & a slightly puzzled silence.

[Keef]

Ah - the Moon! :8

I'll be in "The Moon and Mushroom" tomorrow evening. No WiFi there, sadly.

[green granite]

Incidentally there's an article in this months PCPro magazine on trouble shooting Wi-Fi signals. Nip into your local Library and have a read, wont be in the shops for a day or two.