From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

In article <9W4Ma.69370$R73.9548@sccrnsc04>, sam grey <sgrey@invalid.com> wrote:

In article <dotlyc-2606031146510001@10.0.1.2>, dotlyc@yahoo.com wrote:

I first noticed the drop to two dots this past winter. It usually happened on very cold nights and I wondered if it might have something to do with low temperatures. But this latest episode has occurred during a major heat wave, so I guess that's not it either -- unless the ABS doesn't like temperature spikes of either variety.

Do you actually detect a loss of signal through actual use in some way, or are you just going by the "dots" of your indicator(s)? because those little dots and/or Airport reception signal meter thingies are notoriously flakey. In the past, a software upgrade would change the apparent signal strength that these things denoted, although in actuality the source transmitter was still transmitting at the same level. I.e., it's a calibration thing.

That's the key question, of course. It's hard to tell because there are times when my ISP service is grindingly slow, no matter how many dots are green. It's my sense that things do seem to be slower when the dots are
down to two -- that's why I got concerned about it in the first place. But there are times when I have three or four dots and the service is still
quite slow.
However, when I'm downstairs and get five dots, things do seem to be
much snappier.
I'm going to move the base station to the second floor, which should
give me at least four dots upstairs and I'll see whether that generally improves the speed.
For the past several days, I've been getting three dots consistently,
and sometimes four, so whatever was causing the problem has gone away for
now. I also have an eMac on the desk upstairs and it has exhibited similar behaviour at times, but it rarely goes down to two dots and is usually up
to four.

--
dotlyc@sympatico.ca
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

In article <dotlyc-3006032338570001@10.0.1.3>, dotlyc@sympatico.ca wrote:

That's the key question, of course. It's hard to tell because there are times when my ISP service is grindingly slow, no matter how many dots are green. It's my sense that things do seem to be slower when the dots are
down to two -- that's why I got concerned about it in the first place. But there are times when I have three or four dots and the service is still
quite slow.

You might download a freeware/shareware wardriving application like MacStumbler or KisMAC or something (from versiontracker.com), which should give you a better gauge as to the strength of your signal over time. The signal level indicators in those programs are better than the things that Airport software gives you, and I think they can keep a log over time so
you can get a more "scientific" picture of what's going on. I prefer KisMAC myself.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

In article <tJgMa.7494$926.788@sccrnsc03>, sam grey <sgrey@invalid.com>
wrote:

In article <dotlyc-3006032338570001@10.0.1.3>, dotlyc@sympatico.ca wrote:

That's the key question, of course. It's hard to tell because there are times when my ISP service is grindingly slow, no matter how many dots are green. It's my sense that things do seem to be slower when the dots are down to two -- that's why I got concerned about it in the first place. But there are times when I have three or four dots and the service is still quite slow.

You might download a freeware/shareware wardriving application like MacStumbler or KisMAC or something (from versiontracker.com), which should give you a better gauge as to the strength of your signal over time. The signal level indicators in those programs are better than the things that Airport software gives you, and I think they can keep a log over time so
you can get a more "scientific" picture of what's going on. I prefer KisMAC myself.

My signal strength doubled when I moved the ABS from the vertical Apple bracket on the wall to a horizontal position on a bookcase shelf. MB
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