Home > Ask the Networking Experts > Wireless networking Questions & Answers > Do sandstorms, too much heat, and strong winds affect Wi-Fi connections?
Ask The Networking Expert: Questions & Answers
EMAIL THIS

Do sandstorms, too much heat, and strong winds affect Wi-Fi connections?

Lisa Phifer EXPERT RESPONSE FROM: Lisa Phifer

Pose a Question
Other Networking Categories
Meet all Networking Experts
Become an Expert for this site


Wireless networks news, advice and technical information
Digg This!    StumbleUpon Toolbar StumbleUpon    Bookmark with Delicious Del.icio.us    Add to Google


>
QUESTION POSED ON: 02 August 2007

We are situated in Saudi Arabia and we have a Wi-Fi connection from our ISP. I only use ping to other websites to monitor our connection. Most of the time, we encounter request timeouts and slow connections. My question is, do sandstorms, too much heat, and strong winds affect Wi-Fi connections? If so, how does it affect the connection?



Digg This!    StumbleUpon Toolbar StumbleUpon    Bookmark with Delicious Del.icio.us    Add to Google


RELATED CONTENT
Wireless networking
How radio frequency (RF) of microwaves alter wireless signal strength
Stolen laptop recovery using remote access and wireless network SSIDs
How is wireless access point (AP) coverage affected by frequency?
Wireless AP SSID and channel configuration for a distribution network
How 802.11n wireless APs in Greenfield mode affect nearby networks
Monitoring your network to detect rogue access points (APs)
Will 802.11x wireless products be compatible with 802.11n?
How to find an SSID and identify neighboring WLANs
How to create a Wi-Fi hotspot
How to stop channel interference on 802.11x wireless access points

Network Performance Management
Virtualization: The next generation of application delivery challenges
New skills emerge for network engineering and administration careers
Improving the performance of Web traffic and application delivery
Network performance management evolution: Involving other IT domains
Formula for proper bandwidth utilization on a T1 line
The link between network management and application delivery
IT automation, automated network management becoming essential
Network management and monitoring market remains crowded, fragmented
Network configuration flaws block server access and wireless printing
Xangati help desk 'DVR' feature speeds up trouble ticketing resolution

Wireless LAN Implementation
802.11n wireless LAN access point market: Who's really in second place?
Wireless LAN security: SonicWall joins crowded WLAN market
Stolen laptop recovery using remote access and wireless network SSIDs
Distributed antenna systems and WLAN: A network management burden
Wireless AP SSID and channel configuration for a distribution network
Solid 802.11n deployment prepares medical center for future demands
How 802.11n wireless APs in Greenfield mode affect nearby networks
How to create a Wi-Fi hotspot
Beamforming, RF management key to 802.11n wireless LAN success
Set up secure wireless networks with 802.11x, access points and bridges

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS
Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary
baseboard management controller  (SearchNetworking.com)
fault management  (SearchNetworking.com)
loose coupling  (SearchNetworking.com)
maximum segment size  (SearchNetworking.com)
maximum transmission unit  (SearchNetworking.com)
network coding  (SearchNetworking.com)
packet loss  (SearchNetworking.com)
phase-change cooling  (SearchNetworking.com)
round-trip time  (SearchNetworking.com)
throttled data transfer  (SearchNetworking.com)

RELATED RESOURCES
2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems
Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts
Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary


802.11 signal strength can certainly be affected by physical obstacles. I have never read anything regarding the impact of sandstorms, but it stands to reason that sand in the air between transmitter and receiver would cause some attenuation.

Strong winds also frequently impact radio transmission systems -- not through signal attenuation, but by knocking directional antennas out of alignment or causing other physical damage to base stations.

According to my colleague Craig Mathias, heat won't directly affect RF propagation, but it could affect the electronics used if temperatures rose to, say 70+ degrees C. Some mil-spec products are designed to handle higher temperatures.

In your case, you can try to determine the impact of these weather conditions by taking performance measurements at regular intervals. Ping can be helpful –- for example, run a batch file hourly to send a fixed number of pings (ping –n) and write the average to a file. But it may be more useful to run something that measures application throughput, like using FTP to copy a few files (perhaps several large images) from a Web site and average their throughput. Alternatively, a number of Web sites let you measure your connection speed interactively. You can view this list of international speed test sites.

But the reason that I suggest batch-mode tests at regular intervals is that you'll end up with a larger set of samples that you can review or plot with a spreadsheet program. That will help you establish a baseline -- what your performance usually is -- and differentiate it from anomalies caused by weather -- what your performance is during or following a storm.




Search and Browse the Expert Answer Center
Search and browse more than 25,000 question and answer pairs from more than 250 TechTarget industry experts.
Browse our Expert Advice



Expert networking advice and tips for IT professionals
About Us  |  Contact Us  |  For Advertisers  |  For Business Partners  |  Site Index  |  RSS
SEARCH 
TechTarget provides technology professionals with the information they need to perform their jobs - from developing strategy, to making cost-effective purchase decisions and managing their organizations' technology projects - with its network of technology-specific websites, events and online magazines.

TechTarget Corporate Web Site  |  Media Kits  |  Site Map




All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2000 - 2009, TechTarget | Read our Privacy Policy
  TechTarget - The IT Media ROI Experts