When Wi-Fi and Cordless Phones Collide

Les Horne writes: Hello, is there any way to avoid getting knocked off of my wireless network when the cordless phone rings other than buying a 5.8GHz phone? Is there any wireless technology that does not use the 2.4GHz frequency? Is there only 802.11a?

Les has a problem that a few people experience and most do not: His cordless phone and wireless network are interfering with each other on the 2.4GHz frequency. How will you know if this is a problem at your home? Simple: Your wireless network will drop out when the phone rings, and you'll have tons of static and dropouts on the phone line.

First step in troubleshooting: Change the wireless channel on your Wi-Fi router by opening your management web page. The choices will be 1, 6, or 11: Try all three and experiment to see if the dropouts continue. This could solve the problem completely and without additional headache and expense.

Next step: Move the wireless router. You probably can't or don't want to move your phone, but moving the router to another floor or room could help matters considerably. I've had this same problem in my house, and taking the router upstairs solved the problem.

Finally: Give up, and upgrade (or downgrade) your phone or upgrade your network. Consider dropping down to a 900MHz phone (cheaper, less range, but much less interference) or upgrading to a 5.8GHz phone (more expensive, but longer range). Alternately, and I don't really recommend it, you could jump from the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi network standard and go to 802.11a, as Les suggests. 802.11a works the same way as the more common b/g standard, but on a higher frequency. But few 802.11a network adapters are available, they're expensive, and the standard is fading. It's a much better (and cheaper) idea to change your phone than change your data network.