Future proofing home/making smart with technology

[bernardgreen]

, channels 12 and 13 are fine to use.

They also overlap

Just using one example. The upper frequency limit of channel 12 is higher than the centre frequency of channel 13.

Assuming 5MHz channel spacing and 20 MHz band width per channel ( Centre frequency +/- 10MHz )

 

[opps]

They also overlap

Agreed, I just didn't understand why you only mentioned channels 1-11 given that you don't seem to live in the USA. Sorry, i wasn't having a dig at you, I just didn't understand why you omitted the extra 2 channels.

 

[cwhaley]

With regards to Wi-Fi channels, if you use OS X (Mac) you can use the Wireless Diagnostics tool which will scan the area and tell you the best channels to use based on usage in the local area. I'm sure there are free Windows alternatives too.

With regards to future-proofing, I think the only real thing to consider are the number of electrical sockets and locations. Ethernet is more reliable that Wi-Fi yes but everything is gearing around wireless data transfer and it gets better every year. Wireless power transfer is still very infant at the moment so it's presumably years until we all drop the use of power cables (if at all).

Separately if you need/want CCTV now is a good time as already suggested.

 

[bernardgreen]

but everything is gearing around wireless data transfer and it gets better every year.

it may be "getting better" but the fundamental rules of wireless communication remain valid and impose limits on what reliable communication can be achieved on Licence Exempt frequencies,.

A friend who worked in wireless equipment design is watching as at least two of his neighbours are in a WiFi War. Each one is using more and more power to blast WiFi throughout their houses and gardens in order to outshout the interference from WiFi in other aggressive houses.

Edit error corrected

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

With regards to Wi-Fi channels, if you use OS X (Mac) you can use the Wireless Diagnostics tool which will scan the area and tell you the best channels to use based on usage in the local area. I'm sure there are free Windows alternatives too.

There are a few versions of scanning software, to show local channel usage, but what I find is that the occupied channels constantly change. By default, routers when turned on choose what they find is the least occupied channel - often that channel will be the one you have chosen earlier as the least occupied local channel.

My solution, after spending years struggling for access and constantly swapping channels, is to have more than one router access point. One at the top of the house where the phone line comes in, a second on the ground floor, with the two connected by a LAN cable. I have a third wifi router on the first floor, also wired back to the main router, which serves what I call my 'print room' and only powered when I need to print anything. In there I have an old monster of an office laser printer and a couple of colour laser printers, plus a RPi acting as a weather server, plus my desktop PC.

When I first got wifi, there were no others around me, now there are around 30 very local systems.

 

[cwhaley]

it may be "getting better" but the fundamental rules of wireless communication remain valid and impose limits on what reliable communication can be achieved on Licence Exempt frequencies,.

A friend who worked in wireless equipment design is watching as at least two of his neighbours are in a WiFi War. Each one is using more and more power to blast WiFi throughout their houses and gardens in order to outshout the interference from WiFi in other aggressive houses.

Edit error corrected

Agreed and as I say, a wired connection is currently 'better'. In fact a lot of internet providers don't guarantee Wi-Fi as a means of reliable connection at all. How the people of the future deal with interference and channel hogging though we do not yet know.

@Harry Bloomfield - I suppose it depends on your circumstance. For me I did expect to constantly have to change the channel, but it seems those close by get the router from the ISP and presumably just leave it on the set channel. In our area there are around 15-18 Wi-Fi networks at any one time, but luckily only two of them use 5GHz frequencies meaning we get reliable connections and speeds. Your set up sounds like an excellent workaround for areas with high traffic.