Do channels have anything to do with Wi-Fi connectivity? by Westley Julio
Answer by Westley Julio:
You may have interferor(s) that are Wi-Fi or non-Wi-Fi. Non-detection or difficulty detecting of ALL AP’s within a channel range is frequently a sign of an interference issue. For example, Wireless AV transmitters, certain cordless phones can ‘talk’ non-stop and will DOS an access point/channel. You CANNOT see this from the various Wi-Fi analysis mobile apps or desktop programs.
To know this conclusively, you’ll need a spectrum analyzer.
If it’s specific to YOUR AP, there may be different issue at the router or client end or simply range/obstacles.
Try changing channels at the router to see if the issue improves.
There’s also the possibility that someone in the area is running Rogue AP detection/prevention measures. When this is misconfigured, it will essentially assault other APs with deauthentication attacks. You need to capture wireless traffic to know this conclusively. This usually looks like connecting briefly, disconnecting, reconnecting, in a perpetual cycle.
Hard to say what your issue is, or why the extender seems to mask your issue (the extender likely connects to your AP on one channel, and rebroadcasts on another). Take it one variable at a time until you isolate a change, or sequence of changes that improves your experience long term.