[TriLUG] WiFi quality monitoring

[Igor Partola]

Thanks for all the responses. Some quick responses:

 - I don't believe that other Wi-Fi devices on the network are the problem,
for a variety of reasons. Unless I am missing something really obvious,
other devices are either silent, or use very little bandwidth when I am
having issues.

 - The issue is definitely on the Wi-Fi end, not ethernet, not coax. I can
run tests over a wired connection and there are never issues. To test
performance I ping the router, or run iperf on the router and connect from
the laptop.

 - So the GSM Microcell is not it. Too bad, as that was the big change
recently.

 - I am using a TP-Link WDR-4300 router running OpenWRT. The router has
larger than recommended antennas:
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Power-Supply%C2%AE-WZR-HP-G450H-TL-WR1043ND/dp/B00DMJI9TA/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1408049307&sr=1-7&keywords=wifi+antenna.
These are +9dBi. The hope with this was to increase coverage around the old
house, which it did. It worked well about a month ago before we moved. Now
it is having these issues, and if anything I'd expect better performance
from it, now that it sits in the same room as my laptop.

 - This is the first time I've heard the terms "Wi-Fi front-end" and
"attenuators" (at least in this context). I have another router I could try
using (also running OpenWRT), though it has smaller non-detachable
antennas, and does not support the 5 GHz band.

 - My current router lets me set its transmit power. It's range is 0 dBm (1
mW) to 27 dBm (501 mW), and is currently set to 26 dBm (398 mW). Could
playing with this setting as well as Fragmentation Threshold, Distance
Optimization, or RTS/CTS Threshold help in any way?

 - I am in the burbs so no neighbor Wi-Fi around here. I can see there
being some hams around, but I don't own a spectrum analyzer so I have no
idea if someone is using something that would affect me.

 - Power issues are possible. I am using a surge protector but perhaps I
can try adding a UPS to see if the router gets happier with a different
power source.

Point taken on the software. I can definitely write my own, just was
wondering if it already existed.

Thanks,
Igor