[TriLUG] can't connect to wap when move it to alternate location

[Joseph Mack NA3T]

A business wants to replace their ceiling ethernet cables 
with wifi. I know Jim Ray will think this a bad idea, but 
I've decided to gave it a go.

I've taken 3 different "g" waps, two laptops and two 
different pcmcia cards to the business. Everything works 
fine at home, but when I get to the business, I can't 
connect to the wap. Then on my return home, the gear works 
fine and the connection stays up for hours.

At the business I can't even see the wap with `iwlist scan`. 
It's like the wap is off. I moved the wap to the other of 
the business and can connect intermittantly, but most of the 
time I can't see the wap with `iwlist scan`, while I can 
pick up other waps, presumably in the neighboring businesses 
(all in the same building). When I see my wap, it's strong, 
as expected. Next scan it's gone.

I'd think that something was interferring, except I can pick 
up other nearby waps just fine. Maybe the laptop end is not 
being interferred with, and the wap is.

The business has 5.8GHz extension phones. They're needed for 
the business so I haven't been able to disable them yet. 
(I'll come in after hours sometime). I can't imagine that a 
5.8GHz phone is interferring with a 2.4GHz wap. As well I'd 
expect the extension phones only to cause problems when 
being used, but even when the phones aren't being used, I 
can't connect to the wap.

I'm thinking of crazy things, like maybe there's a cell 
phone transmitter in some service room 20 ft away.

A couple of the adjacent businesses have functioning wifi, 
so it must be possible.

Any ideas what might be happening?

Thanks Joe

-- 
Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
jmack (at) wm7d (dot) net - azimuthal equidistant map
generator at http://www.wm7d.net/azproj.shtml
Homepage http://www.austintek.com/ It's GNU/Linux!