Wireless Security; Optimizing Your Wireless Connections - NETGEAR WGT624 v4 User Manual

The WGT624 v4 Super G Wireless Router provides highly effective security features, which are
covered in detail in this chapter.

Optimizing Your Wireless Connections

The speed and range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the location of
the wireless router. Choose a location for your router that will maximize the network speed.
To optimize wireless router performance:
• Identify critical wireless links.
If your network has several wireless devices, decide which wireless devices need the highest
data rate, and locate the router near them. Many wireless products have automatic data-rate
fallback. This lets you connect from farther away, but the connection might also be slower. So
the most critical wireless links are those where the traffic is high and the distances are great.
• Choose placement carefully.
For best results, place your router:
– Near the center of the area in which your computers will operate.
– In an elevated location such as a high shelf where the wirelessly connected computers
have line-of-sight access (even if through walls).
• Avoid obstacles to wireless signals.
– Keep wireless devices at least 2 feet from large metal fixtures such as file cabinets,
refrigerators, pipes, metal ceilings, reinforced concrete, and metal partitions.
– Keep the devices away from large amounts of water such as fish tanks and water coolers.
• Reduce interference.
Avoid windows unless you want to communicate between buildings.
Place wireless devices away from electromagnetic noise sources, especially those in the 2400–
2500 MHz frequency band. Common noise-creating sources are:
– Computers and fax machines (no closer than 1 foot)
– Copying machines, elevators, and cell phones (no closer than 6 feet)
v1.0, July 2008
Chapter 2

Wireless Security

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