By Jason Fitzpatrick, Lifehacker – May 14, 2010 at 08:30AM
If you’ve been having trouble with your wireless signal the culprit might be interference from other wireless routers in the area. Free web-based tool WiFi Stumbler will show you which channel is least likely to cause interference.
WiFi Stumbler uses your computer’s Wi-Fi antenna to scan local access nodes. You can do a wide open scan or narrow it down by the type of encryption, the manufacturer, the radio type, frequency, or channel.
When you’re done with the scan you’re presented with both a detailed listing and a chart showing the number of nodes. Using this information you can then switch your router to a less occupied channel—every router I’ve ever purchased has been set to Channel 6 for some reason and just getting it off 6 has been a huge help in every instance.
Have a favorite tool for tweaking your Wi-Fi? Let’s hear about it in the comments.