Tech Tips Blog

Radio signals grow weaker as the distance between the transmitter and receiver increases. Meanwhile, the data rate for a given client will adjust dynamically depending on the distance and signal strength. As the distance between AP and client increase, the signal strength will decrease. As the signal strength decreases, the current data rate cannot be maintained. The transmitting device will drop ....Read more

It’s true that Wi-Fi network documentation isn’t the most fun thing to do. In fact, it can be such an eye-rolling task that engineers in many organizations avoid it until necessary. In some cases, documentation is considered a low priority task – until a problem strikes. When troubleshooting a critical problem, good Wi-Fi network documentation can mean the difference between quick resolution and c....Read more

SNR, or Signal to Noise Ratio, also dBm, or decibel margins, is a measurement of how strong a signal is through the noise of the medium it is traveling through. It is the ratio of Signal to Noise. For example, a Signal of -24dBm with a noise of -90dBm would yield a SNR of 66dB. SNR Connection Quality 10dB - 15dB Unreliable Connection 16dB - 24dB Poor 25dB - 40dB Good 41dB or Greater Excellent Nois....Read more

Without remote technical staff and the inability to travel to troubleshoot, it’s difficult to isolate problems caused by bandwidth issues and packet loss. In this short video, we’re going to show how to use the Network Performance Test client software and the EtherScope nXG to diagnose the performance of links to/from remote sites.....Read more

Before you can start troubleshooting problems with slow Wi-Fi network speeds, you need to verify if there really is a problem. The easiest way to confirm this is to measure your network’s actual upload and download speeds. Still, how do you do that? Can you do that by just looking at the PHY data rates being used? Could you use your network’s expected bandwidth? Or do you need to actually measure ....Read more

There are a few key challenges with respect to troubleshooting your remote site networks. The primary one being the profile of your on-site personnel. Lack of expertise at remote sites often results in travel by senior IT staff to gain the visibility needed to identify the root causes of problems. But, of course, travel is not an option in many cases. Your evaluation of the on-site support situati....Read more