Skip to main content

Wireless interference: What this means for students

Posted by on Monday, October 20, 2014 in News.

Wireless interference degrades and/or inhibits the use of the Vanderbilt wireless network. This interference is caused by competing devices, such as routers, cell phones and wireless printers, transmitting bits of data through the air by way of their own wireless communication signals.

 

Effects of Interference

  • A decrease in the wireless range between devices
  • A decrease in data throughput over Wi-Fi
  • Intermittent or complete loss of the wireless connection
  • Difficulty pairing during a Bluetooth device’s discovery phase

Major Causes of Interference

  • Routers or Wireless Access Points – Examples include Linksys, Belkin, Netgear and D-link
  • Printers with Wi-Fi or ad hoc mode enabled
  • Laptops in ad-hoc Wi-Fi mode
  • Personal hotspots or Mi-Fi

How to Prevent Wireless Interference

  • Routers or Wireless Access Points – All personal routers or wireless access points are forbidden on the Vanderbilt network and must be turned off.
  • Printers with ad hoc mode enabled – Turn ad hoc mode off and connect to your printer with a cable.
  • Printers with Wi-Fi enabled – Turn Wi-Fi off and connect to your printer with a cable.
    • HP Printers – For most HP models:
      • Use the menu to navigate to Setup
      • Then Network
      • Then Wireless Radio
      • Turn the Wireless Radio OFF
      • Laptops in ad-hoc Wi-Fi mode – Turn off ad-hoc mode under your wireless settings.
      • Personal hotspots or Mi-Fi – Turn off personal hotspots or Mi-Fi.

Tags: , , , , , ,