“Wi-Fi is essential to most Mac users, but what happens when your network gets sketchy? Apple’s hidden Wi-Fi Diagnostics tool should help you improve Wi-Fi performance,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld.
“To access Wi-Fi Diagnostics Option-click on the Wi-Fi icon in your Menu bar. In the drop-down menu that appears select ‘Open Wireless Diagnostics,'” Evans writes. “The Wi-Fi Diagnostics app is hidden inside /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications, from where you can drag the app icon to make it easily available in your Dock.”
“When you launch the app a screen appears to tell you what the tool does and asks you to let it run tests to determine the state of your current Wi-Fi connection, these can take a few minutes to complete,” Evans writes. “The first thing to check is what channel your network is on in comparison with other networks in your area. If you find you are sharing a channel with others it helps to change the channel on your router to one the other networks aren’t using — using a clear channel usually improves reception quality.”
Much more in the full article – recommended for anyone who uses Wi-Fi – here.
Good tip. The nice feature of scanning and providing the best channels to use is very helpful.
I like wifi explorer better.
Getting onto a different Wi-Fi channel from other users around you can be EXTREMELY helpful. I’ve run into situations where people are competing with as many as six different routers on either channels 1, 6, 11 or 149, which apparently are being used as DEFAULT channels on a pile of different Wi-Fi routers. That’s really bad and really slows down your bandwidth. We have trouble enough these days with dickhead ISPs slowing down our bandwidth.
NOTE: On older versions of OS X than 10.9 and 10.8, you will NOT find the Wi-Fi Diagnostics app by option-clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar. It’s also NOT located in the file system exactly where this article indicates. Instead, you’ll find it in this similar location:
/System/Library/CoreServices/Wi-Fi Diagnostics.app
If you’d like a faster, user-friendly shareware alternative, there are a few from which to choose. The one I like best is AirRadar from Koingo Software. It’s got some nice bells and whistles AND it finds a lot more local networks than Apple’s tool.
I can echo all of that (save for the ISP rant) and have shown countless people the advantage to swapping channels from defaults, especially in apartments buildings and offices.
An issue I have run into with Macs is the channels allowed versus what some routers put out. Invariably, the ‘Automatic’ setting (not on Apple’s, obviously) may use a channel Apple doesn’t, resulting in the network not being found (especially on cable modem/routers & EMTAs).
Also, might check out ‘WiFi Explorer’ from The App Store, which gives a great view of what is going on for people to ‘see’.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wifi-explorer/id494803304?mt=12
“The ISP rant”
THANK ME for that rant. It’s a core reason the Internet is being eviscerated right at this very moment. But you probably think that’s a good thing. (o_0)
Anyway, it’s good to see you have some tech knowledge behind the bombast.
Actually, I work for an ISP (Engineering Dept) so I see first hand the money and time that is constantly being put into upgrading, updating and maintaining internet for our (yes, small number of) subscribers.
Your rant against ISPs is no different than those by others against Wal-Mart, Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Farming, and anything else that a small amount of knowledge gives them the right to eviscerate a business they actually understand very little of, save for the small part that affects them.
It’s not that ALL ISPs operate the same, or that some took measures they will soon find will backfire, it’s that the main thing to remember is that it is a BUSINESS, just like your IT service (or whatever you do…). I’m sure as soon as you hear people bitching about how ALL _______ (insert chosen field here) suck, you automatically realize….if only they had a clue what goes into it.
It occurs to me that if the incessant bitching about everything were somehow drastically reduced, the number of bits transmitted would drop by several orders of magnitude, and services dramatically improve!
The trick would seem to be in convincing everyone that shutting the hell up would make their lives better. Good luck with that, I guess…
Are you griping about bitching…?
😉
Anyhow, I agree.
Another hidden option! Another ridiculous “innovation” from the interface designers at Apple.
I don’t see it.
Hold Option, then click the Wi-Fi menu; it’s at the bottom.