Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

SoylentNews is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop. Only 18 submissions in the queue.

Wi-Fi Dead Zones Mapped With a Physics Equation

posted by n1 on Friday August 29 2014, @09:31AM   Printer-friendly
from the never-where-you-want-it dept.

jonathan writes:

Ars Technica reports that in an effort to better understand, and possibly eradicate Wi-Fi dead zones, one man took the hard way by solving the Helmholtz equation for his flat (apartment).

The Helmholtz equation models "the propagation of electronic waves" that involves using a sparse matrix to help minimize the amount of calculation a computer has to do in order to figure out the paths and interferences of waves, in this case from a Wi-Fi router. The whole process is similar to how scattered granular material, like rice or salt, will form complex patterns on top of a speaker depending on where the sound waves are hitting the surfaces.

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Wi-Fi Dead Zones Mapped With a Physics Equation | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 9 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 1) by panachocala on Friday August 29 2014, @02:48PM

    by panachocala (464) on Friday August 29 2014, @02:48PM (#87219)

    It would be interesting to see the effects of putting a reflective surface on the wall behind the router. There is some anecdotal evidence (google wifi tin foil) that this can improve signal strength. I'm thinking put the router in a corner and put tin foil on the walls behind it to reflect some of the RF back into the room.

    Anyways... I've never had a problem with low signal unless leaching off the neighbors ;)

  • (Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Friday August 29 2014, @08:12PM

    by SlimmPickens (1056) on Friday August 29 2014, @08:12PM (#87347)

    We have what you might call a wireless mesh in our house, but for some reason the AP with the internet connection is in the kitchen cupboard, very close to the fridge. Powerline ethernet won't work and there's all kinds of problems preventing us from getting a decent line of sight for the wifi or laying some cable.

    Anyway. 'N is self tuning to the reflections (that's what those CSIRO patents are about). If only/mostly clients on the good side of the fridge are accessing it the throughput does increase, but it will go out of tune with stuff on the bad side.