inSSIDer shows neighbor using channels "6+2"

[relem]

If I posted this in the wrong forum, moderator, please move to correct one.

I was noodling around with inSSIDer to see if my change to channel 11 on the 2.4Ghz band had moved me away from the stack of ssid that I had been seeing on auto. I had reset my channel manually to 11. I saw all of the ssid that I had seen before.

I saw that three of them from the same neighbor were using channel "6+2". InSSIDer did, in fact, show that all three were spread across channels 1 through 8. Another thing, all three of the 6+2 MAC addresses differed only in the last digit and were sequential.

They also had one ssid in the 5Ghz band and its ssid corresponded to one of those on 2.4.

Everyone else I saw was spread across channels 1 - 8 with some even on 4. The only one on 11 with me is a very weak, sporadic signal.

I just really started wireless because my granddaughters have two laptops here and my wife and I finally moved up from flip-phones. I've been using hardwired networks since 1981. I'm pleading ignorance on wireless here about the 6+2 channel thing and the sequential ssid addresses.

Any help would be appreciated, I really don't want to knock on their door and ask (a last resort).

 

[CaptainSTX]

Your neighbors are using 40 Mhz channels on the 2.4 Ghz band. Not very neighborly is this day and age of congested bandwidth. If their router was set up correctly if would default to a single 20 Mhz channel. The sequential MAC addresses you are seeing are guest networks they have activated. It is possible they have done this to scare people away form this channel as when people see four SSIDs they may move to a different channel.

While many people recommend against doing so you can use the same SSID on the 2.4 & 5 Ghz band.

What you are seeing is normal in this day age of congested channels.

 

[thiggins]

While many people recommend against doing so you can use the same SSID on the 2.4 & 5 Ghz band.

Didn't you mean same *channel*?

 

[CaptainSTX]

My understanding of what the OP said is that he was seeing the same SSID on both bands. My reply was that some people do use the same SSID on both bands, but there is a difference of opinion if that is a good setup.

 

[thiggins]

Got it, Captain.

 

[relem]

I guess I wasn't clear originally. The stack of ssid I referred to was four or five variations on the same base name with a couple of unique thrown in. In any case I got enough info to contact two of the neighboring families with the greatest impact on the channel loading.

 

[stevech]

There mere presence of SSIDs means nothing. It's all about channel utilization - % of time the RF bandwidth is used by one device. Even if it is near 100%, you have no recourse under FCC regulations, other than to change YOUR frequencies. Few devices use a high percentage of airtime.

This will get worse over time, with more use of 40MHz mode (2/3 of the whole 2.4GHz band), offset some by more use of 5.8GHz.

Such is life in urban areas and unlicensed bands.

Stream video on cat5, not WiFi, if at all possible, for many reasons.
And don't turn up the stereo's bass channel in a condo/apartment!