9 Easy Ways to Boost Wireless Router Signal

Need some tips to boost your wireless router signal? Working wireless gives extra mobility and freedom to work from anywhere. Many of us might be using wireless routers to stay connected to the internet on our laptop or PC which is great but sometimes the signal strength is inadequate, which results in slow connectivity or no connectivity.

This may occur due to wide range of problems ranging from your router, other objects or even other wireless equipments. These problems can be easily over come and you can rebuild the signal strength of your wireless router and work without any interruption.

Boost Wireless Router Signal

Herein are some handy tips that enable you to boost up the signal strength of your wireless router.

1) Position of wireless router – Placing your wireless router in a room may result in signal loss or weak signal. It is always advisable to place the wireless router at the center of your home, such that you will have the same signal strength all over your place. Placing router near to metal objects like file cabinets or near dense brick walls can also add to signal loss or weak signal. So care must be taken not to place the wireless router near to any bulky objects such that the signal path is obstructed.

2) Interference by other wireless equipments – We use many other wireless equipments other than the wireless router like cordless phones, garage door openers, etc, which also operates using radio signals. Most of the wireless equipments emits radio signals in the same frequency, hence signal interference can take place. Placing the wireless router near to these equipments can also lead to signal scrambling and signal strength loss. Place the router away from these appliances and you can also change the frequency of the wireless router such that its signals will not be interfered with others.

3) Change Wireless router relay frequency - In US and Canada most of the routers relay signals using channel 6 2.4 G Hz by default and most other equipments like cordless phones may also use the same frequency. So try changing the channel such that the signal frequency will change and help reduce the signal interference and may improve the signal strength. You need not have to change any settings in your computer as it will detect the signal automatically.

4) Update Router firmware – The Router manufacturers will constantly update the firmware fixing problems which help in improving the performance and signal strength. To do this just visit your Router manufacturers web site and download or update to the latest firmware. It is always better to keep your operating system up to date such that any improvements or updates made to the network adapter drivers will be updated automatically. This can improve the performance of your system as well as improve the network adapter performance.

5) Buy Router and network adapter of same brand- Signal strength and the wireless performance can improve a lot when you use the Router and the network adapter of same make. Many manufacturers include signal boost techniques in there equipments such that you can have high performance. Router and adapter from different vendors may work fine but they cause problems some times and may not perform to the full capacity.

6) Use high gain antenna - Antenna supplied with the router will be an Omni directional antenna which will emit signals in all directions. So when you have placed the router in your living room then half of the signal is transmitted outside your house which is of no use. This can result in signal loss and poor performance. The solution is replacing it with High gain antenna which will emit signal in only one direction. You can install the antenna in such a way that all the signals will be transmitted inside your house. This is only possible if your router has a removable antenna. Check it before you install.

7) Placing a repeater - Router can transmit signals only to certain distances, mostly up to several meters. As you move away from the signal source (that is router), signal becomes weak and performance will be decrease. To overcome this problem you can place a repeater to boost the signal strength such that you can roam for more distance.

8) Replace your network adapter - The signal problem may not be always related to the router itself. Remember it is a two way transmission, so check the wireless network adapter of your PC or Laptop. Try replacing the network adapter and check if the problem is resolved. You can also use wireless USB network adapters for better performance and reliability.

9) Boost the signal with reflector - Reflector will reflect back the signal in the direction that we need, just like a mirror reflecting the light. Wireless signal from the router can be reflected the same way using a Tinfoil reflector which acts like a mirror. This can be easily made in your house using daily household items and in few minutes – all that you need is tinfoil, cardboard, sticky taps.

• Cut cardboard in rectangle shape about 15 x 10 cm in size and wrap tinfoil around it.
• Cut another piece of cardboard (or paper) in a circular shape. Now bend the circular paper slightly and place it like shown in the figure.
• Now pass the tip of the antenna along the focal point of the parabola, reflector. This not only helps to reflect the signal but also acts just like a dish to receive signals and focus them on to the antenna.

via - QuickOnlineTips

Cisco And CompTIA Practice Questions: Etherchannels, The OSI Model

Here are some questions on static routing, the OSI model, IP version 6, and other topics to help prepare you for CCNA, CCENT, and CCNP certification exam success! Network+ candidates, I didn’t leave you out!

CCNA Certification:

What character or combination of characters indicates a statically configured default route?

Answer: An "S*" next to a route indicates that it is a default static route. If there were no asterisk, the route type indicated would be a static route – but not a default static route.

CCENT Certification / Network+ Certification Question:

Which one of the following networking terms is not associated with the same OSI layer as the others?

A. router

B. packet

C. TCP

D. IP

Answer: C. TCP runs at the Transport layer of the OSI model. The other three terms are associated with the Network layer. The Network layer is sometimes referred to as the “routing layer”.

CCNP Certification / BSCI Exam:

If an IPv6 address begins with "FF", what kind of address is it?

A. broadcast

B. unicast

C. anycast

D. multicast

Answer: D. Any IPv6 address beginning with "FF" is a multicast. IPv6 does not use broadcasts.

CCNP Certification / BCMSN Exam:

You've configured an Etherchannel and note that the trunk has gone down. You check the interfaces on one switch and note that two are "err-disabled". The corresponding ports on the other switch are not. What should you do?

A. Nothing - that's the normal and desired behavior.

B. Shut and reopen the err-disabled interfaces.

C. Shut and reopen the non-err-disabled interfaces.

D. Use the err-abled command on the err-disabled interfaces.

Answer: B. After finishing the config, shut and reopen the err-disabled interfaces. If the configuration is correct, that will do the trick. This is common when you configure all of the ports on one switch and then start configuring the other switch, rather than going back and forth between the appropriate ports on the switches.

See you soon with more CCNA, Network+, CCNP, and CCENT questions!

Cisco CCNA, CCENT, CCNP, And CompTIA Questions: HSRP, OSPF Cost, Route Summarization

Let's test your knowledge of important CCNA, CCENT, CCNP, and Network+ exam topics!

CCNA Certification:

The term used for an OSPF path metric is ____________ .

Extra credit: What formula does OSPF use to calculate that metric?

Answer: OSPF's metric is referred to as cost, and the calculation is 100,000,000 / interface speed in bps.



Cisco CCENT / CompTIA Network+ Question:

Which of the following do TCP and UDP headers have in common?

A. sequence number

B. source port

C. source IP address

D. window

E. destination port

F. destination IP address

G. ACK bit

H. reset bit

Answer: B, E. In addition to the source port and destination port numbers, the UDP and TCP headers also have a checksum field in common.



CCNP Certification / BSCI Exam:

In ISIS, what is the most efficient point of a network at which to perform route summarization?

A. An L1 router.

B. An L2 router.

C. An L1/L2 router.

D. A DIS router.

Answer: C. L1/L2 routers are area boundary routers in ISIS, and this is the most efficient point at which to configure route summarization



CCNP Certification / BCMSN Exam:

Short answer: An HSRP router is the primary router and it has a priority of 100. Another router comes online in the same group and it has a priority of 107. Does the new router become the primary? If so, why? If not, what additional configuration is needed to make it the primary?

Answer. By default, the new router with the higher priority will not become the primary router. To allow a router with a higher priority to take over the role of HSRP primary from an existing and normally functioning primary, the preempt option must be configured on the router with the higher priority.

Let's use a two-router HSRP deployment as an example. R2 is the standby, R3 is the primary ("active"), and both have an HSRP priority of 100. Raising R2's priority to 150 does not automatically make it the primary, as shown below.


R2(config)#interface ethernet0

R2(config-if)#standby 5 priority 150


R2#show standby

Ethernet0 - Group 5

Local state is Standby, priority 150

Hellotime 4 sec, holdtime 12 sec Next hello sent in 0.896

Virtual IP address is 172.12.23.10 configured

Active router is 172.12.23.3, priority 100 expires in 8.072

Standby router is local 1 state changes, last state change 00:14:24


R2 now has a higher priority, but R3 is still the active router. R2 will not take over as the HSRP primary until R3 goes down - OR the preempt option is configured on R2.


R2(config-if)#standby 5 priority 150 preempt


1d11h: %STANDBY-6-STATECHANGE: Ethernet0 Group 5 state Standby -> Active


R2#show standby


Ethernet0 - Group 5

Local state is Active, priority 150, may preempt

Hellotime 4 sec, holdtime 12 sec Next hello sent in 1.844

Virtual IP address is 172.12.23.10 configured

Active router is local

Standby router is 172.12.23.3 expires in 10.204

Virtual mac address is 0000.0c07.ac05 2 state changes, last state change 00:00:13

That's enough for today! Look for more free Cisco and CompTIA certification exam questions on this website soon! A+ certification and Microsoft Vista certification practice questions are on the way as well!
by: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933

Cisco CCNA, CCENT, And CCNP Home Lab Study: The DTE/DCE Cable

More Cisco CCNA, CCENT, and CCNP candidates than ever before are putting together their own home labs for their certification exam study, and that's a great trend - there's nothing like learning on the real thing!

Part of putting a home lab together is getting the right cables and understanding their usage. In this new Cisco home lab series, we'll take a look at the different cable types and how each fits into your home lab. The first cable type we'll look at is the multi-purpose DTE/DCE cable.

When I say "multi-purpose", I mean that while the cable will always perform the same task, it can be used in several different points in your home lab network. If you're going to have a frame relay switch - and you should get one if at all possible, since having your own frame relay cloud is a tremendous boost to your home lab studies and your exam score - you're going to need a DTE/DCE cable.

You can also use a DTE/DCE cable to directly connect two Cisco router serial interfaces and configure HDLC (the default) or PPP encapsulation over that point-to-point link.

Most of today's DTE/DCE cables have "DTE" clearly stamped on one end of the cable - actually, "DTE" is probably embedded into the connector itself. Naturally, the other end will have "DCE" clearly indicated. It's the DCE end that will connect to your frame relay switch. If you're going to use a direct connection to run PPP or HDLC, it almost doesn't matter which end of the cable is connected to a given router.

Keyword: "almost". You must use the clockrate command on the DCE end of the connection in order to bring the line protocol up.

If you're not sure which end of your DTE/DCE cable is connected to a given serial interface, just use the show controller serial command to get that information. Most of the output of that command isn't comprehensible, but what we need is right on top:

R3#show controller serial 1
HD unit 1, idb = 0x11B4DC, driver structure at 0x121868
buffer size 1524 HD unit 1, V.35 DCE cable

Naturally, if it's the DTE end, you'll see "DTE" there. And if you don't have anything connected to that interface, you'll see "no cable".

Whether you have your own frame relay switch or not, you'll want to pick up some DTE/DCE cables for direct connections between your Cisco home lab router's serial interfaces. Just don't forget to put the clockrate command on the DCE end of the cable! And if you're not familiar with a frame relay switch, check this same website soon for a tutorial that will show you how to set one up.

Just about any Cisco router can serve as a home lab frame relay switch, and once you've got it configured, you're in good shape - but it can be a little maddening to get it up and running in the first place. I'll show you how to avoid that aggravation in the next installment of this Cisco home lab tutorial series!

by: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933

CCNA, CCENT, Network+, And Security+ Practice Questions: TCP, UDP, Smurf Attacks, And More!

Let’s test your knowledge of UDP, TCP, smurf attacks, EIGRP, and more with these questions designed to help you prepare for success on your CCENT, CCNA, CCNP, Network+, and Security+ certification exams!

CCENT Certification / Network+ Certification:

Which of the following protocols runs on both UDP and TCP?

A. DHCP

B. SNMP

C. DNS

D. ARP

E. Inverse ARP

Answer: C. DNS runs on port 53, both on TCP and UDP.

Security+ Certification:

Briefly define the term "smurf attack". (Not too briefly, though!)

Answer: Basically, a smurf attack involves sends ICMP Echo packets (pings) with the intended victim's IP address specified as the source of the Echo packets. This transmission takes the form of a directed broadcast, which means that quite a few hosts can receive it - and then respond with ICMP Echo Replies, which will all be sent to the intended victim.

CCNA Exam:

R1 and R3 are directly connected at their respective Serial1 interfaces via a DTE/DCE cable. What command will tell you whether the interface is connected to the DTE or DCE end of the cable?

Answer: Run show controller serial 1 on either router - the DTE / DCE information is near the top of the output.

CCNP Certification / BSCI Exam:

DUAL has discovered four possible paths to a remote network, with the following metrics: PathA, 1500. PathB, 1500. PathC, 2600. PathD, 3100. What command will allow EIGRP to use the first three paths without using the fourth?

Answer: variance 2 would do the job. Any path with a metric of 3000 or lower will be utilized; setting it to 3 would bring PathD into the equation.

CCNP Certification / BCMSN Exam:

What is the main purpose of IEEE 802.3ac?

Answer: The IEEE 802.3ac standard allows the maximum frame length to be extended to 1522 bytes, which means the dot1q 4-byte header doesn't cause problems in transmission.

CCNP Certification / ONT Exam:

Which queueing strategy gives priority to interactive, low-bandwidth communications by default?

Answer: Weighted Fair Queueing (WFQ) gives priority to interactive, low-bandwidth conversations, and then splits the remaining bandwidth fairly among the remaining conversations.

Look for a new set of Cisco and CompTIA certification exam questions soon!

by: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933

Trouble Shooting Home Network

For Small Office/ Home Offices (SOHO) troubleshooting network is sometimes a cumbersome job. It is really an unmanageable job if you are not an expertise in this and can take away many precious hours of your day as you will keep waiting for the network representative to come.

Home Network can face many problems like – Computers are not able to see each other on the network, you are not able to share the printer or the files on the network, you are not able to see the shared folder and many other problems you can face with your home network. Till the time your technical representative appears, you can try hands on with the following tips to troubleshoot your network:

·         If the computers are not able to see each other on the network then first thing to do is to check the workgroup of all the computers. Are they all in the same workgroup? If not change the workgroup of all computers to same.

·         Check whether the names of each computer are written correctly. There should be no spacing in between the names and each specification should be kept in mind.

·         The computers are not able to detect each other on the network: Are you facing the problem that the computers on the network are able to access the Internet but are not able to detect each other? If yes, then one thing for sure that your hardware is no problem. Now start the real efforts. Click Start-.>Help and Support->Fixing a Problem->Networking Problems-> Troubleshooting->Troubleshoot Problems finding on computer network.

·         If the above followed process does not help you, then try with your firewall check. Sometimes firewall settings are such that they do not allow the local network. So first disconnect your Internet and then your firewall. Check whether the computers are able to see each other or not. If the problem still persists then Firewall is not at fault then check with the settings and make them such that they allow the local network to see each other.

·         Are you facing a problem to share the printer or file on the network? Then follow this tip: Check the workgroup name, domain name, TCP/IP settings, IP and Subnet Mask Configurations. After that make a check if sharing is done properly and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft is configured on each computer on the network properly.

·         For enabling the shared folder, right click the folder and enable the sharing option. You can also make the adjustments for the permission levels like writing or just reading permissions. If you are working on Vista, after right clicking the folder type everyone, click Add and Click Share.