Without functioning DNS servers, our web searches would go nowhere.  Why?  The Domain Name System (DNS) is responsible for finding the correct IP addresses for all domain names (google.com or wyebot.com, for example) entered into a web browser.  Once found, the IP addresses are used to communicate with origin servers to allow users to access …

If there’s one thing we all want more of, it’s fast internet.  In fact, speed is one of the most important things used to measure network performance. So, how do you test it? What is commonly referred to as speed, is often technically called throughput. Throughput tells you how much data was “effectively” transferred between …

How important is the response time of network infrastructure?  For anyone looking for a high-performing wireless network, the answer is very important.  Network response time, or network latency, is a measurement of the amount of time it takes a packet to travel from sender to receiver.  Response times vary based on the number of users, …

On the job training is important for any position, but perhaps none more so than for new network technicians. After all, the functioning of your network and success is dependent upon hands-on experience with setup and installation, troubleshooting, and repair. Training new technicians often presents novel challenges and takes current critical people away from the …

In an earlier post discussing over-coverage on the 2.4GHz spectrum, we mentioned that we don’t recommend completely disabling the 2.4GHz band.  We got several questions about that, so today we want to discuss it in more detail. First, let’s check out the benefits to disabling the band. There are more channels available in 5GHz, so …

What do we mean by Airtime Utilization?  Free airtime describes how much time is available on a channel for data transmissions.  Any time a device communicates with another device or an access point (AP) it uses airtime. Airtime Utilization is a per-channel statistic that defines what percentage of the channel is currently being used, and …

Not all networks are exactly alike, and for good reason.  At a basic level, the network you need for your house has different requirements than the network you need for your school, but it gets more complicated than that.  Not even all schools need the exact same network, and this applies to schools in the …

Are you familiar with site surveys?  You probably, and should have, had one when your wireless network was installed, but you might not have thought about it since.  Site surveys determine exactly where access points (APs) should be placed for optimum network performance. Those performing the site survey know that physical obstructions (walls, ceilings) and …

It’s an unfortunate fact that, frequently, problems are not reported to IT while they are occurring. Maybe this is because IT isn’t onsite, maybe it’s because the problem seemed to resolve itself quickly, or maybe it didn’t seem like a big enough problem to warrant flagging down IT. Whatever the reason, the fact is that …

A WLAN controller’s auto-channel capability can be used to manage the wireless channels used by all the Access Points (APs) in a network.  This can be a great way to ensure all APs select optimum channels based on usage and interference levels, but it does require some monitoring.  Some APs don’t recognize RF interference and …

From a user’s point of view, any issue with connecting to the Internet is an issue with the WiFi.  Users turn to each other and complain that the WiFi is down again, and that’s what they expect IT to fix.  But anyone working in IT knows that the WiFi is only one part of a …

Wireless printers seem like a great option.  They allow users to print from multiple different devices in multiple different locations, giving an ease of use perhaps not felt with wired printers.  However, they might be negatively impacting your network performance.   How? Many wireless printers send out beacons just like Access Points.  These beacons are …

Channel interference is a common problem, and you’ve read about it at Wyebot before.  Our previous post discussed interference on the 5GHz spectrum.  Today we want to address issues with the 2.4GHz spectrum. Typically we see schools place one AP in every classroom, as well as several in hallways or other common areas.  There are …

SSIDs (service set identifiers) are, in non-technical terms, the names of WiFi networks.  These are the names that pop up when you try to log onto the WiFi in a coffee shop, hotel, or business.  Each SSID creates its own overhead (network traffic) as it transmits probes and beacons to devices, and receives probes.  In …

A school’s building department wanted to conserve energy and purchased 1000 IoT wall plugs.  Different devices, such as printers, can be plugged into the IoT plugs, and the IoT plugs in turn plugged into a standard outlet.  Like all IoT devices, the plug can be controlled via WiFi using an app.  The building department planned …

Most wireless LAN controllers have a functionality referred to as IDS/IPS (intrusion detection system/intrusion prevention system).  The IDS monitors a network and sends alerts to administrators if there is an attack while the IPS goes a step further and automatically takes action to prevent attacks.  Using the functionality, Access Points (APs) can be programmed to …

On the 5GHz spectrum, there are three possible channel widths: 20MHz, 40MHz, and 80MHz.  In dense environments such as schools, we often see clients immediately jump to the 80MHz bandwidth, assuming the wider channels will provide better speeds and service.  While this can be the case in less crowded environments, schools will actually see better …

In part one of the series, we discussed what multicast/broadcast traffic is, and why you should worry about having too much of it on your network.   This week we want to share the 9 possible mitigation solutions. They are: Make smaller broadcast domains Use multicast to unicast conversion (if available with your AP vendor) …

This is Part 1 of a two-part problem/resolution series Multicast and broadcast traffic are a normal part of all networks today.  Many devices use multicast/broadcast traffic to advertise and discover services on the network.  Protocols such as Bonjour and MDNS make streaming to an Apple TV or connecting to a printer simple – but that …

A client purchased the latest and greatest access point (AP) to create a space where every device in their school would get over 25 Mbps. However, a quick check on device analytics revealed that they were operating at a far lower streaming speed.  The client wondered if there was an issue with the AP, or …

One of our clients, a school whose programs cover Pre K through 9th grade, uses around 20 smartboards throughout its campus.  When smartboards in certain parts of the school stopped working, students’ education was directly impacted.  IT personnel at the school troubleshot potential issues in several areas – software, hardware and the WiFi – with …