WiFi

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name: WiFi description: Troubleshoot and secure wireless networks with channel optimization and diagnostics. metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"📶","os":["linux","darwin","win32"]}}

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Band Selection Traps

2.4GHz penetrates walls better but congested — neighbors' networks interfere

5GHz faster but shorter range — may not reach all rooms

Same SSID for both bands can cause issues — device may stick to weak 5GHz instead of switching

6GHz (WiFi 6E) requires compatible devices — falls back to 5GHz if unsupported

Channel Interference

2.4GHz only has 3 non-overlapping channels (1, 6, 11) — using others causes interference with neighbors

"Auto" channel selection often picks poorly — scan and set manually in congested areas

5GHz has more channels but DFS channels may pause for radar — causes brief disconnects near airports

Microwave ovens interfere with 2.4GHz channel 11 — kitchen dead zones are real

Security Mistakes

WPA2-Personal minimum — WEP and WPA crackable in minutes

WPA3 preferred when all devices support — falls back silently if mixed

WPS is a backdoor — disable it, PIN can be brute-forced regardless of password strength

Hidden SSID doesn't improve security — devices broadcast it anyway when searching

MAC filtering trivially bypassed — MACs visible in air, easy to spoof

Speed Issues

"Connected" doesn't mean good signal — check RSSI, below -70dBm is poor

WiFi speed is shared medium — many devices = less bandwidth each

Advertised speeds are theoretical max — real throughput is 50-70% at best

Old devices slow entire network on 2.4GHz — legacy rates affect everyone

USB 3.0 devices interfere with 2.4GHz — especially external drives near router

Connection Drops

DHCP lease expiring causes reconnect — reduce lease time for troubleshooting, increase for stability

Roaming between access points isn't seamless — same SSID doesn't mean smooth handoff

Power saving mode causes ping spikes — disable on devices where latency matters

Driver issues more common than hardware — update or rollback WiFi drivers first

Diagnostics

Ping router IP, not internet — isolates WiFi from ISP issues

Signal strength varies by location — walk around while monitoring

Channel scanner shows neighbor congestion — choose least crowded

Packet loss under 1% is acceptable — higher indicates interference or range issues

Router Placement

Center of coverage area, not corner of house — signals radiate outward

Elevated position improves coverage — floor level gets blocked by furniture

Away from metal objects and aquariums — water and metal block signals

Router antennas perpendicular to each other — covers horizontal and vertical planes

Guest Networks

Isolates untrusted devices from main network — IoT devices can't reach your computers

Separate password allows sharing without exposing main credentials

Bandwidth limiting available on most routers — prevent guests from saturating connection

Captive portal unnecessary for home — just use WPA2 with password

Mesh vs Extenders

Extenders halve bandwidth — repeating uses same channel for backhaul

Mesh systems with dedicated backhaul avoid this — wired backhaul even better

Single router often enough — try repositioning before buying mesh

Adding access points to wrong locations creates more problems — coverage overlap causes roaming issues