Here in the states, we have a regulatory body called the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As it pertains to the Wi-Fi world, they tell us what channels we can use how obnoxious we can be (strength) in those channels. We have what you would consider to be a ‘blanket rule’ that basically states ‘within a given number of frequencies, you can do anything you want as long as you limit yourself to a maximum power’. A very intentional byproduct of these rules is the relatively low cost of WiFi components. Since we don’t have to submit everything we operate to the FCC for validation, we have no ‘validation costs’ to pass onto our end users. In short, the FCC, as a regulatory body imposes rules and restrictions on our use of wireless frequencies in the name of the greater good. This generally works very well, creating the ecosystem of ‘small cell’ give and take that we live in today. You are given the choice to make your own determination if analog video cameras, microwave ovens, X-Box controllers, etc should take priority or if your Wi-Fi should. Political challenges aside, we’re masters of our own domain.
So what happens when someone does something outside the norm? What happens when someone violates the FCC specifications? What happens when someone fires up 10 watt outdoor analog video feed in 2.4GHz and points it at the broad side of a hospital?
As it turns out, someone recently did just that. I was asked to assist with locating what was being detected as a whole bunch of analog video cameras that hogging up all of Channel 1 in 2.4GHz along the broad side of a hospital. As you could imagine, with a good 100 or so Access Points all excluding channel 1 (due to interference) from their channel plan, this meant that a two channel plan was all that was left (6 and 11). After much sleuthing, we determined that the signal was traveling well in excess of 10 city blocks! In my book, that certainly fit the bill for ‘obnoxious’. With more than a little hesitancy, I went to the FCC web page for complaints and filed one.
We’re concerned with Wi-Fi Jammers.
Once my complaint went off into oblivion, I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t expect to hear anything from them at all. Instead, a few weeks later, I got a letter in the mail with the usual FCC ‘devices must accept interference’ text that you’d expect from a Federal entity. I was heartened by the fact that I got a response however, and there was a ‘for more information call this number’. They offered, I did. The nice Federal employee took my call, listened to my acknowledgement of the letter, listened to my insistence the letter was insufficient, and listened to my complaint that there was something going on that the FCC clearly needed to get involved in. She thanked me for my time and stated that she would escalate my case. This was the last I personally heard from them.
I was fortunate enough to have some contacts near the building that we suspected was generating the noise. Sure enough, a couple of weeks later, they informed me that a FCC field agent showed up asking questions. Shortly thereafter, the video camera signatures stopped being detected, the channel cleared up, and things got back to normal at my customer.
The point of all of this is that you do have a friend in the FCC. They’re not the most communicative, timely, or ‘feel good’ organization I’ve ever worked with, but if you have no other choice, and you can prove reasonably that there is a strong need for them to get involved with a neighbor that being obnoxious, they will. Start to finish, once I engaged the FCC, it took roughly 2 months to get back to normal. Don’t expect them to be quick. Don’t expect them to believe you. Don’t expect them to understand what you’re saying. Do be patient. Do be persistent. Do be kind. You don’t want to make a Fed angry.
Here are some good times to engage the FCC:
- You can prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that something beyond your sphere of influence is causing harmful interference to your Wi-Fi network.
Here are some good times to not engage the FCC:
- Your ER department won’t buy new Microwave ovens
- Your security team is installing analog video cameras
- Your customers are bringing gaming consoles onto your property and using them
- Your co-worker put a 20dBi antenna on a 200mW radio outside (although, this is a good way to get them called on you!)
- You believe you have external interference, but don’t have a Spectrum Analyzer to prove it
If you need a Spectrum Analyzer, head on over to the MetaGeek folks and check out their Wi-Spy Mini or their Wi-Spy DBx for a good cost effective way to tackle interference issues. If they get too big, rest assured that Big Brother is out there – just a complaint form and a couple phone calls away…
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