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obiwifi problems

Started by nmstough, May 03, 2017, 02:21:37 PM

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nmstough

I have an obiwifi USB stick in an Obi 200 device.  Frequently (but not always) the inbound caller cannot hear me and hangs up.  And when I call somebody they usually complain about distortion and bad audio.  I temporarily disconnected the obiwifi and use a hard wired connection and none of these problems occur.  But that's only a temporary solution because the obi device cannot be placed near the router. 

What should I do?  Get one of the obiwifi5G devices? 

azrobert

Do you have any old routers? You might be able to use one as a network bridge. See:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=5229.msg33913#msg33913

drgeoff

Although you seem to have identified W-Fi as the culprit you need to find out if your current OBiWiFi and router are working properly of if one of them is faulty.  Can you temporarily bring them much closer together and check if the issue goes away?  If it does we must assume the equipment is working as designed and proceed as follows.

There are two main problems with Wi-Fi:

1.  Low received signal strength caused by distance and/or objects in the path.

2.  Interference from other Wi-Fi networks operating on the same or nearby frequency.

5 GHz Wi-Fi usually suffers less than 2.4 GHz from the second of those (because there are more channels available).  But as regards the first problem, 5GHz usually performs less well than 2.4 Ghz.  So, running an OBiWiFi at 5 GHz is not necessarily the solution for you.  (And if your current Wi-Fi router does not have 5GHz, you would need to obtain one that does.)

My recommendations would be:

1.  First, try changing your current Wi-Fi router to use a different channel.  If you have a smart phone try a Wi-Fi analyser app - I know there are free ones for Android - to see what channel is the quietest at your location.  You can also use it to get an indication of received signal strength.  It could be that moving your router or the OBi+ObiWiFi a few feet gives a significant increase.  Even if not practical or convenient to reposition the OBi200, you can use a USB extension cable to have the OBiWiFi some feet away.

2.  If the problem turns out to be low signal strength which you cannot otherwise overcome, I'd suggest an inexpensive Wi-Fi range extender such as the TP-Link TL-WA850RE, TL-WA855RE, TL-WA860RE or similar as available from many manufacturers.  Ideally place one of those midway between the router and OBiWiFi.

SteveInWA

Quote from: nmstough on May 03, 2017, 02:21:37 PM
I have an obiwifi USB stick in an Obi 200 device.  Frequently (but not always) the inbound caller cannot hear me and hangs up.  And when I call somebody they usually complain about distortion and bad audio.  I temporarily disconnected the obiwifi and use a hard wired connection and none of these problems occur.  But that's only a temporary solution because the obi device cannot be placed near the router. 

What should I do?  Get one of the obiwifi5G devices? 

WiFi technology in general wasn't designed to be optimal for real-time communications, because it is inherently subject to signal dropouts and interference.  Additionally, the 2.4GHz WiFi band can be severely impacted by other microwave-band signals in the area, such as microwave ovens, older cordless phones, baby monitors, and some "radar" based motion or speed detectors.

I have a couple of the new 5GHz OBiWiFi dongles, and they do at least avoid the other, interfering crud on the 2.4GHz band.  It's worth getting one to see if it solves your problem.  Do keep in mind, that it will depend on the technology used by your WiFi router, and the layout of your building.  5GHz WiFi has shorter range than 2.4GHz.

nmstough

No old routers to be used in bridge mode.  The 2.4Ghz signal is strong as measured by wifi analyzer.  And other devices such as security cameras have no problems.  They are transmitting both audio and video.  The router is a modern device with both 2.4 and 5Ghz 802.11AC.  I don't know if the Obiwifi can use AC however. 

What is strange is that if there is a problem it is always that the other party cannot hear me, not the other way around.  If there were interference one would think it would affect both parties.

SteveInWA

You've been dealing with this issue for over a year.

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11146

Given that you have a new-ish router with 5GHz capability, I'd suggest you simply buy the new 5GHz OBiWiFi dongle and enjoy the improvement.

nmstough

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 03, 2017, 05:48:48 PM
You've been dealing with this issue for over a year.

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11146

Given that you have a new-ish router with 5GHz capability, I'd suggest you simply buy the new 5GHz OBiWiFi dongle and enjoy the improvement.

Its not the same problem.  The previous problem dealt with disconnects.  With the assistance of the Obi support personnel that one seemed to get resolved.  The problem lately is not with disconnects but the outside party not hearing the audio. 

SteveInWA

Quote from: nmstough on May 03, 2017, 02:21:37 PM
I have an obiwifi USB stick in an Obi 200 device.  Frequently (but not always) the inbound caller cannot hear me and hangs up.  And when I call somebody they usually complain about distortion and bad audio.  I temporarily disconnected the obiwifi and use a hard wired connection and none of these problems occur.  But that's only a temporary solution because the obi device cannot be placed near the router. 

What should I do?  Get one of the obiwifi5G devices? 

These symptoms clearly point to a poor-quality WiFi connection at the OBi.  Spend the $25 on a new OBiWiFi dongle and solve the problem.

nmstough

Its not a problem with the wifi.  I have plenty of other devices in the same relative location operating correctly.  And my wifi analyzer shows that signal strength is good. 

Next time I ask a question in this forum, I would appreciate it if you would not offer your usual useless advice. 

drgeoff

Quote from: nmstough on May 04, 2017, 08:38:39 AM
Its not a problem with the wifi.
But in the opening post you wrote  "I temporarily disconnected the obiwifi and use a hard wired connection and none of these problems occur."

Anyway I expect you know that Wi-Fi is not the only alternative to an ethernet cable when you want an IP connection between two points in your residence.

nmstough

That's true, I was hoping someone would have some understanding why the whole outgoing audio seems to be blocked over wifi and not otherwise. 

There is another alternative? I thought you either connected by Ethernet to a router or wifi (wireless).  I never heard of any other method. 

SteveInWA

Quote from: nmstough on May 04, 2017, 08:38:39 AM
Its not a problem with the wifi.  I have plenty of other devices in the same relative location operating correctly.  And my wifi analyzer shows that signal strength is good. 

Next time I ask a question in this forum, I would appreciate it if you would not offer your usual useless advice. 

Taoman

Quote from: nmstough on May 04, 2017, 11:30:58 AM

There is another alternative? I thought you either connected by Ethernet to a router or wifi (wireless).  I never heard of any other method. 

If it were me I'd probably go with Powerline network adapters. You'll need minimum bandwidth so I'd probably go with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-Adapter-Starter-TL-PA4010KIT/dp/B00AWRUIY4/ref=lp_1194444_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1493921483&sr=1-1&th=1

drgeoff

Yes those works of the devil now exist, despite my belief that the regulatory authorities around the world should have used their lawful powers to snuff out powerline technology at birth. Instead they let it drive coach and horses through the EMC rules that had been long established to ensure efficient and equitable use of the radio spectrum.

Taoman

Quote from: drgeoff on May 04, 2017, 02:25:02 PM
Yes those works of the devil now exist,

Satan himself?? Now ya tell me.

MrTom

#15
Quote from: nmstough on May 03, 2017, 02:21:37 PM

I temporarily disconnected the obiwifi and use a hard wired connection and none of these problems occur.  But that's only a temporary solution because the obi device cannot be placed near the router. 


I would try the basics first. Try to ping your OBi device. See what kind of quality you get. "ping [your ip] -t"

I use a WiFi USB too. I'm just using the standard 2.4GHz. My pings range from 2ms to 100ms. But sometimes I do get the occasional high ping. I plan on moving my router closer to the center of the house sometime.

I also use 2 power line adapters to bring internet to my living room. I believe I use the gigabit ones. I can transmit a bit over 100Mbit. But bandwidth really doesn't seem to matter with my OBi200. I made a test call to my cell phone and checked the bandwidth of my router's WiFi usage and it was so low I was amazed. Like in the low Kbit range.

So I'd imagine as long as you have a strong connection and not necessarily a fat connection like 5GHz, then everything should work okay. Also, have you tried to plug in a different phone to the OBi port? Just something to test out for the heck of it.