Watch in 720p, full-screen.

Tony do you know of a “Simple” program that will measure antenna signal
strength in dB while you are connected to your wireless link. I guess it could
be called a signal strength meter. The ones avaiable either show you in a
bar graff or some other rediculas manner that is good for Non Tech folks but
to most of us Geeks it would be nice to be able to see the readout in dB so
the antenna could be fine tunned for the best signal.

And my (less-than-perfect) answer:

Heya. This seems like something that would be exposed from the Network Interface object of the Performance Monitor snap-in, but I couldn’t find it. I did find the dB listed by network diagnostics, however. Do this (in Windows 7):

1. Right-click the wireless network icon in the notification area, and then click Open Network And Sharing Center. Or just open Network And Sharing Center some other way.
2. In Network And Sharing Center, click the wireless network.
3. In the Wireless Network Connection Status dialog box, click Diagnose.
4. Let Windows Network Diagnostics run. When it announces that it can’t find a problem, click the View detailed information link at the bottom of the page.
5. In the Detection Details section, scroll down to the “List of visible access point(s)”. It lists the dB of every access point. You can copy the whole thing to the clipboard so you can easily search it.

List of visible access point(s): 1 item(s) total, 1 item(s) displayed
BSSID        BSS Type PHY    Signal(dB)    Chnl/freq    SSID
————————————————————————-
00-13-46-86-01-FC    Infra     g    -66        2     myhomeap

It’s not quite as easy as I’d like, but the raw information is there. If you find a prettier tool, do let me know.

Tony

I read your article about 10 tips for improving your wireless connection and I have a question for you.

I have an apple mac book pro computer and my husband has an ibm thinkpad. We moved into a new house in July and ever since we moved into our new house my wireless connection has not been working well at all – it is extremely slow but my husbands computer works great and has a very strong wireless connection. The strange thing is it worked fine at our last home with the same set up except that instead of using our apple airport we are now using a linksys router that is connected to our dsl modem. If I take my computer outside of the house and get on another wireless network the internet works fine. The other thing we have tested is actually hardwiring my computer into the router directly and it still didn’t work quickly at all so I am wondering if there is a problem with my computer (being an apple) with a linkys router?

Any ideas? I have been working on this issue off and on for a while now. We have even had our tech guy come out and take a look and he can’t seem to figure it out.

Thanks for you any ideas you may have.

First, let’s find a way to test the performance so we can see how bad it really is, and whether our changes fix the problem.

If you share files between computers on your network, find a big file (like a video) and copy it to another computer. Time how long it takes. Then, repeat that test after each change to determine if the problem is solved.

If you only use your computer to access the Internet, visit this Web performance test, and make note of the upload and download speeds. You could test this from both your Mac and the Thinkpad, and see how much performance differs.

Now, let’s start making some changes. Test performance after each step, and stop when things seem good:

1. Visit your router’s configuration page and install any firmware updates available.

2. Make sure your Mac has all updates installed, especially those related to network performance.

3. Visit your router’s wireless network configuration page. Set it to 802.11G, and disable any performance-boosting capabilities. Restart your Mac (or disconnect from the wireless network and reconnect).

4. Run network diagnostics on your Mac (which you can do from Safari).

5. On your Mac, delete the new network location, and then re-create it. Read this for more information about network locations (remember, I’m not a Mac guy).

6. Sell that Linksys and go back to your Airport router! I know, it’s tough to give up, but searching the Internet I found dozens of people complaining about Mac-Linksys connection problems and most of the never found a solution. Most wireless networks are highly compatible thanks to networking standards, but it’s still possible for a client and a wireless access point to suffer from performance problems because of the software implementations.

Let me know how it turns out!

802.11b is the most common type of wireless network, but 802.11g is about five times faster. 802.11g is backward-compatible with 802.11b, so you can still use any 802.11b equipment that you have. If you’re using 802.11b and you’re unhappy with the performance, consider replacing your router and network adapters with 802.11g-compatible equipment. If you’re buying new equipment, definitely choose 802.11g.

Hi, Jerry. Your wireless network–802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n, is your local area network (LAN). That works only inside your house–and the speeds of your wireless network only apply between computers in your house.

AT&T Elite is your DSL Internet connection. The speed of AT&T Elite determines how fast Web sites perform for you.

So, your connection is a bit like this:

Your computer -> wireless network -> AT&T Elite -> Internet

This might be a bit confusing because AT&T might be providing both the Internet connection and your wireless network. Regardless, their peformance is separate, and your Internet performance will be limited to the AT&T Elite speeds–6 Mbps (6000 Kbps) downloading information from Web sites, and 768 Kbps when uploading to the Web.

So, what questions should you be asking–just ask them to setup a wireless network for you. They will be happy to do this (I know, because I’ve had AT&T DSL before) but they’ll charge you. If you don’t mind some light network configuration (just following instructions), you could buy your own 802.11g or 802.11n wireless router from Amazon, TigerDirect, or an electronics store. I like Linksys, but just about any router will do the trick.

Hope that answers your question!

The video above and the article below compare two free virtual machine applications designed for home users: Microsoft Virtual PC and Sun VirtualBox.

What is a Virtual Machine (VM)?

A virtual machine (VM) is a computer that runs inside a window on your host computer. VMs are also great for testing–you can test different operating systems, applications, and configurations without messing up your computer. For example, you could run Windows in a VM on a Linux or Macintosh computer, allowing you to run Windows-only applications. Or, you could test out Linux in a VM on your Windows box without committing to it.

In fact, even if you install spyware, adware, or rootkits in a VM, they won’t infect your host computer. Just shut down the VM, and your computer is as clean as ever. VMs are also a great tool for learning networking, allowing you to connect several different computers when you only have one computer available.

After the jump, my recommendations for home users who want to use VMs:

Microsoft Virtual PC

Virtual PC is the right choice for people who just need to test downloads or browse the Web with total privacy. It’s free with Windows 7–in fact, Microsoft even includes a license for Windows XP to allow you to run any old applications that aren’t compatible with Windows 7. It’s polished, fast, reliable, and (like VirtualBox) it can share USB devices and network connections.

It also has a couple of unique features: It can log you on automatically to a Windows VM, it’s integrated into the Windows 7 Explorer interface, and it supports the AERO interface in Windows 7. It’s biggest downfall? It can’t run Windows Server 2008 R2, because it doesn’t support 64-bit VMs. Your host computer can run 64-bit versions of Windows, however.

Sun VirtualBox

This is my favorite free virtualization software because it does several things Microsoft Virtual PC can’t do. First, it can run 64-bit VMs. That’s important, because Windows Server 2008 R2 is only available in 64-bit. Second, it supports multiple processors on the VM, which can improve performance.

Third, and most importantly, VirtualBox supports snapshots. With a snapshot, you capture the state of a VM. Later, if you mess up the VM, you can return it to the snapshot state–like instantly restoring a computer from a backup. With a snapshot, you never have to worry about messing up a VM. Snapshots are great when you need to test something repeatedly and you want the computer to be in a “clean” state when you do it.

Feature Comparison

Both apps support the following features:

• Run on 32-bit or 64-bit hosts.
• Install integration software on the VM so that you can move your mouse in and out of the window–though this must be done after the operating system is installed.
• Supports a variety of different operating systems on the VM, including different versions of Windows and Linux.
• Connect USB devices to the VM–though this isn’t working in VirtualBox on a Windows 7 host for me–I get an error when it attempts to install the driver.
• Automatically change the VM by resizing the VM window (this requires you to press a key in VirtualBox, but not in Virtual PC).

Microsoft Virtual PC has these unique features:

• Supports Aero in Windows 7. This is the pretty, glass-like user interface, along with Aero-features like 3D-flip. To get Aero in VirtualBox, you need to connect to the VM using Remote Desktop.
• Automatic login for Windows VMs. This saves you having to type Ctrl+Alt+Del and your password.
• USB device sharing works properly with Windows 7. VirtualBox offers this feature, but it’s not working for all USB devices–for me, at least.
• Integrated into Windows Explorer. VMs appear as files in a folder. Actually, I hate this feature–I’d prefer starting VMs from within an application.

Sun VirtualBox has these unique feature:

• Runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac hosts. I’m a Windows guy myself, but I suppose if you’re using Linux or Mac, you’ll need this so you can run all those Windows apps in a VM. Ouch! No hatin’!
• Run 64-bit VMs. This allows you to run Windows Server 2008 R2, which isn’t available as 32-bit.
• Seamless mode. Applications in the VM act as standard Windows on your desktop. In other words, you can start an application in the VM, and move it anywhere on your desktop, even outside of the VM window. In the figure below, notice that I’m running Internet Explorer in Windows 7 on the lower window, and Internet Explorer in Windows XP on the upper window.

• Remote display. You can use Remote Desktop (or any RDP client) to connect to a VirtualBox VM, even if the VM’s operating system doesn’t support it or the OS hasn’t yet been installed.
• 3D and 2D video acceleration. This might allow you to do some 3D work, though performance still won’t be great on games.
• Multiple processors. VirtualBox supports up to 8 CPUs in your VM–as long as your host has that many.

The Winner

VirtualBox is the clear winner–though I still need to use Virtual PC for those times when I need to share a USB device with a VM. I’ll also use Virtual PC for those times when I need the Aero user interface but Remote Desktop won’t do the trick.

Other Free Virtualization Software

I should also mention two other free virtualization products, even though they’re intended for businesses:

• VMWare Server. It’s free, and it works, but it’s a pain to setup and run compared to VirtualBox or Virtual PC. What you really want for home environments is the far more useful VMWare Workstation–but you have to buy that at $189.
• Microsoft Hyper-V.  It’s also free, but it’s intended for IT, so you’re going to have to read the instructions to use it. I say BOO to reading! Also, you can’t run it as an application on your existing computer.

Hello Tony:

Well, here’s one for you…

I purchased Windows Vista and a brand spankin’ new computer a month ago.  Needless to say, it’s bee harried at best!

Well, anywho, here’s the problem now:

Periodically (often, but not always), when I try to get online via email or internet (I have DSL), a window pops up and says “unknown error” and won’t let me get connect.

THEN a window comes up and asks me if I want to let the computer try to diagnose the problem.  I say yes. Then it says that I have more than one network connected or something like that and that I need to unplug one of them for 10 seconds….

Well, I don’t have more than one connection. So, I go into the place where you “repair network settings…” It doesn’t work, but I see my network listed, then another one called “unidentified network” listed! This isn’t all the time.

Well, after much on/off trying to get onto the internet, eventually, a window comes up and asks me if I want the computer to try to “reset” or repair or something like that, my network settings. I say yes, and it repairs. Then I can go online. Any answers?

D

Answer: Heya, Diane. First, let me say, “Ugh”.

Microsoft made a whole lot of changes to networking,  and they don’t all work well. They also added “Windows Network Diagnostics”–that’s the component that’s prompting you to diagnose and repair the problem. Apparently it’s helping some, but clearly it’s still a nuisance.

First, the bad news. There may be no real fix for the problem your having. You mention it’s a brand spanking new computer–it’s counter-intuitive, but that actually means it’ll be less reliable, because all the problems haven’t been worked out yet.

You might be able to find a fix, though. Visit your computer manufacturer’s website, and look for driver updates (especially if they’re for your network adapter). Install them, and reboot your computer. Check back every couple of weeks for some new updates.

I wish I had a better fix, but I hope that at least helps you understand the situation. Good luck with it.

Sometimes when I am opening web pages in Internet Explorer, it says I’m
offline.  When I click Try Again, it takes me to the page with no problem.
I constantly get error messages with AOL IN2TV.  In Quicken 2005 when I run
update, I get a constant popup saying I’m offline.  Itunes thinks I’m not
connected to the internet.

I have a Linksys WRT54GS.  I’ve heard there are networking issues with it,
but no specifics.  I have done constant Google searches.   I have tried
countless suggestions.  Disable auto-tuning, turn off SPI in the router,
etc.  Some problems go away temporarily, but I still get the offline message
a lot when surfing the internet.  I connected directly to the cable modem,
and Quicken and IN2TV worked, but I still got the occasional offline message
in Internet Explorer.

Any suggestions, or should I just go back to XP where I didn’t have any of
these problems on the same computer with the same hardware?  If I go back to
XP, I will probably wait until after the consumer release to go back to
Vista.  Hopefully by then, there will be some updates that address these
issues, and better drivers available.

• Athlon XP 2500+
• 1GB Memory
• Nvidia GeForce 5700 Ultra 128 MB
• Nforce 2 Chipset
• Nvidia Nforce Networking Controller 6.2.0.126

Answer:

Hiya. I have no idea what’s causing your problem, but I bet it’s a problem with your network adapter driver, or, as you suggested, an incompatibility with your router.

First, check and see if you can find an updated driver for your network adapter (and any other hardware components). It might fix the problem.

If you have another type of network adapter, you could try connecting that, disabling your normal network adapter, and seeing if the problem disappears. If it does disappear, well, at least you know it’s your original driver.

I have networking problems myself on one of my Vista computers (every couple of days, it refuses to establish new connections, though existing connections continue to work). I have to restart the computer to fix it. How am I dealing with it? Well, I reboot my computer whenever it happens. It’s not a long-term solution, but I’m not going to spend hours and hours on the phone with Microsoft and Dell trying to figure out what’s causing the problem–especially since they’d probably just tell me that Vista isn’t officially supported yet, and I should wait a couple of months for updates to be released.

So, I guess my answer is that it might still be too early for you to use Vista. It’s definitely too early for most users. By May or June, most of the big problems will be flushed out (largely by users such as yourself who pour countless hours into the troubleshooting and eventually escalate to the hardware vendors), and we’ll have an operating system that’s at least as stable as Windows XP. So, even though Vista is out of beta, it and its 30,000 drivers haven’t yet stood the test of time.

Incidentally, I do have a desktop with the Nvidia Nforce network controller, and I’m using the WRT54G router, and I haven’t had any problems.

Well, wish I could provide a more helpful answer. Good luck with it.

Tony