Cactus TurboNet Newsletter January 2008               

  X-box 360’s Deadly for Wireless

If you’re having trouble connecting to your 2.4 GHz wireless router, or to one of our 2.4 GHz access points for Internet, check around for Xbox 360’s.  They don’t even have to be turned on – if their AC adapter is plugged in, they’re broadcasting strongly in the 2.4 GHz radio band.  See http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/121307-microsoft-xbox-jams-wireless-lans.html for the story.

Note  that other game consoles, computers, microwave ovens, garage door openers, cordless telephones – lots of equipment can have a similar effect.  The Xbox 360 is simply unexpectedly strong, so I thought I’d mention it.  We were even told by an X-box retailer that the reason they didn’t turn on their Xbox 360’s for display purposes is that they take down the store’s network.

  Getting a Little More Speed from your dial-up Modem

  If you’re on a dial-up connection, here are some things to try to make it as fast as possible:

1.  Unplug all of your regular telephones, answering machines, etc. and see if this increases your modem speed.  If it does, plug them in one at a time until you find the one that’s throwing static on your phone line, then replace it.  Cordless phones and phones with lighted dials are the common culprits.  If you have telephones you don’t use, consider unplugging them permanently.

2.  Replace your modem.  The more expensive modems generally have better noise-rejection circuitry and can give faster and more reliable service, especially over rural phone lines.  If you want to know if it’s time to replace your modem, bring your computer in and we’ll connect it through our phone line in the store.  We know how fast computers usually connect through out phone line, and if yours is that fast, it’s probably not worthwhile replacing your modem.

3.  You don’t control the length and quality of the phone line outside of your house, but you do control it inside your house.  The wiring may have been substandard when installed, or it may have deteriorated over the years.  As an experiment, try running a twisted-pair phone or ethernet cable out through a window and connecting it to the phone box on the outside of your house.  Crimp a phone plug or jack on the other end, and plug in your computer.  See if it increases your modem speed enough that you want to go to the trouble of installing a similar wire inside your walls or through the crawl-space.   (We sell phone line, crimpers, jacks, and plugs, and give free advice.  There are also several businesses in Moscow and Pullman who will do it for you.)

4.  Spyware or virus cleanup.  It’s true of all Internet connections, but it’s most noticeable on a dial-up connection – spyware slows down your Internet.  Spyware is usually piggy-backed along with free programs downloaded from the Internet.  The more free games and cute programs you download, the more chance you’ll be infected.    There are many spyware cleanup programs available.  We have often used AVG anti-spyware (available at http://free.GRIsoft.com – click on Downloads). 

5.  Updates.  If your computer is downloading Windows Updates or updates to other programs, it will seem very slow on the Internet until these downloads are complete.  Consider connecting to the Internet first thing in the morning, eating breakfast, and then checking your email after the updates have been downloaded.