Florescent lighting and WI-FI question

[Addrock]

I am going to ad lights above my bench. My bench is the closest part of my shop to the wi-fi network (the signal is only sketchy at this point). I have heard that the new electronic starters/balast have a negative effect on radio waves (WI-FI also). My question is has anyone experienced this or mitigated it?

Thanks,
Addison

 

[webbdogg]

Wi-Fi is in offices filled with fluorescent lighting all over the world. I wouldn't worry about adding some lights over your bench.

 

[DanCo]

Same as the above post, fluorescents and wi-fi shouldn't be an issue. You should look at booster antennas for your modem, I picked up a set @ Radio Shack (GigaWear brand)for $12. I get good signal for a half a block using my network.

 

[Falcon67]

No issues between the $18 Lowes electronic ballast T8 shop lights and our E3000 Cisco router. At the old house, there was about 50', two walls and 14 lights between the work bench with the laptop and the router.

 

[rickairmedic]

I have lots of florescents in my shop and the router is on the other end of the house from the garage . I have no problems at all with a signal in my garage .


Rick

 

[Addrock]

Thanks for all the opinions. I replaced the router to an N+ that helped without the added electronic noise. I like the $12 solution, I could try that.

 

[Cobra6]

I have heard of people (haven't seen it first hand - just so you know) that have had interference with a wireless router from industrial lighting ballast (not residential) -
I would figure there is some shielding in the case on residential-rated lighting.

 

[1Garageman]

Are building has over a 1,000 florescent lights and plenty of of switches, routers, etc. Doesn't effect the signal at all. I have never heard that before either.

 

[slickgt1]

Florescent lights cause interference for Unshielded Twisted pair, as in the wired connection, the cheap wire basically. Shielded Twisted pair costs a bit more, but is florescent proof. You are WiFi, should have no interference at all.

 

[Steevo]

This is where the religious wars about cabling specification start to escalate. It isn't your access point or your router that are affected by the lights, it is the wire. Wire acts like an antenna to pick up signals from other sources.

Basic Category 5 network cabling is very sensitive to the electro-magnetic interference (EMI) from fluorescent ballasts. Your cabling, whether to a wall jack or router or wireless access point, needs to be kept away (18" or more if possible) from those fluorescent fixtures, not run in parallel with power lines (Romex, etc), and properly terminated on quality jacks with minimum loss of twists and no exposed bare wire.
Standard Cat6 wire is twisted tighter and a little less influenced by EMI, but not immune by any stretch of the imagination.

The newer shielded twisted pair wire (Cat6a) is far less prone to EMI and more tolerant of closer (not close) proximity to power lines and ballasts.

 

[mdbeck1]

This is where the religious wars about cabling specification start to escalate. It isn't your access point or your router that are affected by the lights, it is the wire. Wire acts like an antenna to pick up signals from other sources.

Basic Category 5 network cabling is very sensitive to the electro-magnetic interference (EMI) from fluorescent ballasts. Your cabling, whether to a wall jack or router or wireless access point, needs to be kept away (18" or more if possible) from those fluorescent fixtures, not run in parallel with power lines (Romex, etc), and properly terminated on quality jacks with minimum loss of twists and no exposed bare wire.
Standard Cat6 wire is twisted tighter and a little less influenced by EMI, but not immune by any stretch of the imagination.

The newer shielded twisted pair wire (Cat6a) is far less prone to EMI and more tolerant of closer (not close) proximity to power lines and ballasts.

X2...

...and don't store computer media (floppy disks or hard drives) on top of fluorescent lights either. You will start by getting strange errors from them and eventually they will go blank.
...look up electrical wire and induced magnetic flux in a basic physics book. Basically when you pass electricity through a wire it creates a magnetic field. It doesn't have much of a range but it's there.

 

[Addrock]

Thanks for the posts, I upgraded my wireless router, with slightly better results, then I installed an 8' long (double 4') T8 commercial fixture. I separated it from the other 9 lights on the circuit (all incandescents) by a switch. I have a wi-fi app on my Droid I was able to test the effect. The effect on wi-fi (in my system, in my house, in my neighborhood) is a -5 db with light on. This is about 10%. I intend to add a repeater to the system to boost the signal. I have some cat 5 and some cat 6e in the house, good to know why there is a price difference.
Thanks

 

[slickgt1]

Stick with Cat6a. You can get higher wired speed when you upgrade your router/switch to 10/100/1000.