In reply to a post by dsf58:

1) Is it a matter of rebooting something,
2) Is it a matter of reconfiguring what they already have
3) Might putting in yet another access point solve the problem
4) Or is it a matter of getting some sort of extender/repeater - if so what

Thing is, even with the details you have discovered, or anything further you could try without administrative access, it may not be possible to determine the cause yourself.

(1) No way to know. You could reboot something at random and it works - for a while - but any problem is not fixed
(2) The channels do need sorting out; it's not that anything will explode or stop working completely, but creating interference noise between their own APs is unnecessary and will be worse the more devices try to use the network.

The IP address range of approx 250 sounds like plenty at first but:
if residents have their own phones (or other networkable device inc laptop or TV)
and staff can use the same network
and each AP is using up an IP address

... it is conceivable that with a 3 day lease if there were enough visitors over a weekend they could run out. If any neighbours have guessed the key this is more significant.

Lots of ifs there but the point is good planning could easily avoid any risk whatsoever by using a larger IP range. They are just numbers so there is no extra cost in an IP range having say 1000 or 4000 usable IPs. You don't need to suggest a particular numbering to mention this aspect.

(3) Another AP in the weak area would work but is likely to require more cabling, for which labour can be expensive for a single run (it's normally done as a bulk job) could even cost more than the extra hardware. If running cable they could just as easily run to a new network socket in the room but are unlikely to single out one room for this.

So if suggesting another AP find a spot that could help more people.

Signal strength is a relative concept depending on background noise from overlapping channels and non Wi-Fi gear in the band (microwaves etc). As a guide you might need -70dBm or better (less negative) before your throughput picks up, but if you have something that reports a Noise Floor value you are looking for signal 15 to 20 dBm above that for starters.

Gvien the above each channel can have a different noise floor across the band, so some APs will feel like they have a better range.

Another AP will create more interference unless the channels are tidied up, You would get online but your experience could be intermittent or with random slowdowns.

(4) An extender or repeater is really only appropriate in a network you operate as it may act as another AP (at least part of the time). You would also need to know the location and capabilities (exact model) of the AP you were linking to. An extender / repeater is intended to be placed where the signal is still strong enough, such as midway between source and where you want to place a laptop.

Edited by prlzx (Thu 08-Mar-12 00:56:49)

In reply to a post by prlzx:

If you can reach a website by IP address (e.e. http://173.194.34.120/ = Google) but not by name, their DNS setup is broken.

No (I cannot reach Google by IP address) - so that narrows the field a bit!

Thanks

In reply to a post by prlzx:

>><<
Consider whether you should even be taking this on as you are (or represent) the "customer" (not quite the right word I know) and it's not for you to fix their problem. However given that you want be offer "constructive" advice have you spoken to other residents / families to see if they have a similar experience, so that you can relay that it is not an isolated problem but a symptom of a poor setup?

Would you feel confident about tidying up this system if they gave you temporary access to the admin side? If not, you or they would need to get someone in who has experience because it is not something that can be done properly solely from forum advice.

The problem is not isolated - but not many residents use IT - possibly because they think it is something tha "they can't work". (I think more staff members struggle with it!)

I think gaining admin access is unwise - I may have set up a few home networks, but the last commercial network I set up involved NETBEUI , IEEE 802.5 and MAUs! If anything goes wrong I know who gets blamed! So I will limit interventions to hard reboots!

I think though I have a meeting set up for next week.

Thanks to all
David

Thanks, some useful thoughts

David

Ah, lovely token ring.

Update:

Had a meeting with the MD of the Nursing Home Company (regarding a different issue) and he had bothered to check whether I had any other issues or problems so he asked what the problem was with wifi. This resulted in a guarantee to get it fixed - and two days later: (touch wood) my mother now has a reasonable link.

I need to test speed etc this week-end but hopefully problem solved.

Now to consider the best way to set up outgoing email!

David

Excellent

In reply to a post by dsf58:

Now to consider the best way to set up outgoing email!

If she does not have an acount somewhere already, I think gmail, with Imapped software on the PC is a fairly good choice.

Additional that if the email provider specifies SMTP as part of the client settings, look for a section on authentication with TLS (or SSL). Those settings will be on different port numbers from 25 / 143.

E.g GMail Yahoo

Edited by prlzx (Wed 21-Mar-12 04:59:52)

In reply to a post by philippercival:

Excellent

In reply to a post by dsf58:

Now to consider the best way to set up outgoing email!

If she does not have an acount somewhere already, I think gmail, with Imapped software on the PC is a fairly good choice.

ill second that i use gmail with windows live mail(imap settings) both free makes a good combo.

Ash