We’ve all had those moments, when the WiFi signal drops right in the middle of our favourite episode, or in that long-overdue catch up call with a friend or family member. But, do we know why our WiFi can drop out, or do we simply refer to any internet issues as “The WiFi is down again!” when really it’s a problem with the ISP and nothing to do with our home WiFi network.
Our guest, and good friend of the show, Alex has worked with wireless technologies for quite some time and kindly agreed to give a fair chunk of his time to help us explore some of the common myths around WiFi, the history of the technology, how mesh WiFi is a far better solution than the plethora of range extenders and boosters that really don’t help a poor WiFi signal.
What’s your experience with the wonderful world of WiFi, do you have any burning questions you want us to address, or pro tips you’ve found for your own setup? We’d love to hear from you, so please send us a note to [email protected], or why not come join the disscussion on our Discord server.
If you liked this episode or any of our content, we’d greatly appreciate any little bit of support you can throw our way over at our Ko-Fi page.
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Episode Links
- Alex: Mastodon / The Interface
- WiFi Standards Explained – Lifewire
- Should I Worry About Mobile Phones – YouTube
- What is Mesh WiFi – TechQuickie (YouTube)
- How the Internet Saved Florida – 2 Days with the ITDRC – Crosstalk Solutions (YouTube)
- UniFi Dream Router – Ubiquiti Store
- TP-Link Deco – Product Page
- Eero by Amazon – Product Page
- Eero DFS Support – Eero Blog
- Wireless ISP Starry Files for Bankruptcy – The Verge
- OpenWireless.org – EFF
Chapter Times
- 00:00:01: Adopt a Listener
- 00:01:07: Introductions
- 00:07:27: What Does WiFi Stand For?
- 00:08:15: History of WiFi
- 00:14:09: WiFi 6E
- 00:14:50: Frequencies
- 00:19:27: WiFi Router vs Access Point
- 00:21:21: Crowded WiFi
- 00:23:28: HomePods and WiFi 4
- 00:25:43: Ethernet Is Always Better
- 00:29:41: Common WiFi Misunderstandings
- 00:37:08: Is Wireless Dangerous?
- 00:41:42: WiFi Extenders & Boosters
- 00:46:37: Mesh WiFi
- 01:00:45: Should You Replace Your ISP Router
- 01:05:34: Subscription Features
- 01:07:35: UniFi Dream Router Pricing
- 01:10:18: HomeKit Routers
- 01:13:53: WISPS
- 01:24:49: Making The Most of Your Existing WiFi
- 01:29:54: Understanding WiFi Channels
- 01:35:44: Too Much Mesh?
- 01:39:16: MU-MIMO
- 01:40:30: “Gaming” Routers?
- 01:43:30: Guest Networks
- 01:49:11: Wrapping Up
Credits
Intro and outro theme: Ace of Clubs by RoccoW
