topic Re: Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection in Arlo Pro

Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection

sftwengnr — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 03:02:47 GMT

I am not sure why the Arlo base station WiFi channel discussion has been closed/solved because it is still a problem. I am using a professional Pepwave SOHO router and a Pepwave AP One Mini and both routers have hung up due to interference in the 2.4GHz frequency range. I have move my router's 2.4GHz frequency to several different channels like 2, 4, 6-10 and in all cases the Arlo base station NTGR_VMB router has followed the router's channel, almost acting as jammer. When the NTGR_VMB in on the same channel I lose 10-15db's in SNR. This is a problem. The solution of moving the base station > 20ft from the router is unrealistic. Many of us have wives and they would not appreciate the base station sitting on the coffee table or hanging from the ceiling or sitting who knows where. The appropriate solution is to enable the assignment of the base station to a different channel than the router.

Until this happensk this topic should remain open. I currently am working with my Pepwave engineers to come up with a solution to the Arlo induced problem. It is a problem Arlo needs to resolve. They created the issue.

Bob

Re: Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection

TomMac — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 12:55:59 GMT

Don't think it's going to change on Arlo's part....the base station has always followed the router channel.

Netgear when started did research on this and found that when the base was close to the router, the best results were if they sat on the same channel.

( I have 2 bases within 6 ft of the router currently and have no issues, and had a third off one of my satellites ).

You only option is if the base is far enough away from the router and then it will remain on it's own channel.

Good luck with the Pepwave, would be interesting to hear how you work it out

Re: Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection

maartenklein — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 16:37:36 GMT

Quite a nonsense approach to just tell customers to move their router. Customers should be able to fix the wifi channel for the base station.

Re: Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection

sftwengnr — Sat, 09 Mar 2019 18:32:56 GMT

Are you trying to say you have two base stations within 6 feet of the router and the base stations are using the same channel as the router or the base stations are using different channels than the router? Here is why it is important. In my house I have 2.4G and 5G networks. The base station broadcasts a signal on the 2.4G frequency that is the equivalent or slightly greater than my router 2.4G frequency. This has caused the interference on that channel to increase and the throughput to decrease on my 2.4G frequency channel. This has caused my Roku Express to drop off, occassionally my SimplySafe camera to drop off, my Win 10 PC and Canon printer to drop off the 2.4G WiFi network.

I have moved my router's channel all up and downt he frequency and in all cases the 2.4G network would lose its clients periodically over time. It would generally recover but the recovery would be in minutes to hours not seconds. Seconds I could live with.

If you are telling me the base station can be move 6 feet away from the router and it will retain its own channel and not migrate to the router's channel when I change it then I could possibly make that work; but 12 feet or 20 feet. No way. I have not place to go with the equipment.

Thanks

Re: Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection

jguerdat — Sat, 09 Mar 2019 19:28:07 GMT

No place to go or no easy way to get an Ethernet connection? WiFi or powerline extenders work fine for more optimally positioning base stations for whatever reason. It would be a good troubleshooting step if nothing else.

Re: Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection

maartenklein — Mon, 06 May 2019 05:39:39 GMT

That is a workaround and not a solution. People buy Arlo Pro because they want less cables, not more. It's just laziness (nice and cheap not to add anything) not to add a proper channel selection option.

Re: Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection

jguerdat — Mon, 06 May 2019 13:01:44 GMT

That's one opinion. The folks that designed the system know a lot more about how WiFi works thatn I do as well as 99% of the Great Unwashed. Adding access to the base is a security hole whether you agree or not. The idea of minimizing network issues by using the same channel as the router has been studied and put into use.

If it bothers you so much, just move the base using a long cable or an extender so the base chooses a different channel.

Re: Arlo Pro and base station wifi channel selection

RaccoonCam — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 17:10:01 GMT

They might know wifi, but they don't know our physical layouts, the materials out houses are made from, etc. We are seeing drop offs due to interference which appears to result from this lame "auto mode".