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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by KD4OUZ on May 2, 2004
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I have made a similiar thread in this forum:
http://www.eham.net/forums/RFI/379
Appears we both submitted it at pretty much the same time.
Yes I have the same router, and I have a heck of alot of noise comming out of it (cable or no cable hooked up to it)
I have 8 pc's throughout the house networked, and once those Cat5's are all plugged in....it is just about useless to use 2mtr. in the house.
I have tried several other sites, on this problem, and havent got any real good response (that I have not tried out already)
My linksys is still under warranty, but Im not sure I want to send it back in.
Chances are they will not be able to fix the problem anyway, considering they are useing a plastic caseing.
I'll try to keep an eye o this post and my post to see if anyone else comes up with a good dolution that does work. Ive all but given up on this problem.
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by KC2MMI on May 2, 2004
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Dave, I get a wonderful s6 crackle on 70cm when the box is plugged in, too. I didn't have a cookie tin around so I just wrapped the box in aluminum foil and folded over the edges. Guess what, "Faraday Foil" works.<G> Box gets a bit warm, so I don't run it that way.
The box is the source of the problem, with no questions about it. Since Linksys/Cisco was so clear about no warranty after 1 year, I didn't feel bad about taking a look inside, the two halves pop apart, no screws, after the tamper seal is taken off. (It glues them together.) Linksys didn't reply to the issue that there are longer federal statutory warranties against unseen defects--which I consider this to be.
There's no there there, as the saying goes. Nor, any shielding. Not even aluminized paint inside the case. I've seen that used to stop weak RFI, i.e. spray paint the inside of the case with aluminum or zinc "cold galvanize" paint and sometimes it is enough to work, without blocking any vents, etc.
But Friday I emailed the FCC asking how to pursue the issue of whether a device is defective, or perhaps simply was not built in compliance with what was submitted for ClassB testing. (Anyone here know how to formally question that?) CC'd to Linksys, too.
There were some "incidents" in the computer industry, and since Linksys made their reputation by shipping the cheapest possible boxes...I don't know, but I can suspect this box simply never should have been certified ClassB compliant. Computers generate RFI and need shielding. This one has next to none in sight.
Now there's three of us....that we know of.
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by KD4OUZ on May 3, 2004
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Im wondering if anyone has found a way to get rid of the RFI from this router, other than alum. foil.
I called Linksys/Cisco this afternoon, and I must say he tried to figure out a way to get rid of the noise like, move the antenna. I mentioned to him the antenna is on a tower, which is mounted on a cement block, and I cant easily "move" the antenna. He mentioned to get the radio as far away from the router as possible. With that I mentioned there was Cat5 running all through the house and it doesnt matter where the radio is in relation to the router, because the Cat5 is like a big antenna "transmitting" all the noise from the router throughout the house.
The guy was really nice, and even wanted to hear the noise. He had me put the phone up to the radio, and turn the router on and off, so he could hear the difference.
I suppose he did all he could.
Bottom line left me with only a few options:
1. Move radio as far away as possible from router.
2. Move antenna
3. Both the above, and put the router on a different electrical circuit from the radio.
Im hoping someone out there will come up with a way to get rid of the noise. Its out of the question as far as re-routing all the cat5 so I can re-locate the router.
I can not move the antenna.
And I pretty much cant move the radio because of lack of space, and length of coax.
So......anyone else out there have any idea's on how to rid RFI coming from a wired (not wireless)router?
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by KC2MMI on May 5, 2004
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Email my call @arrl.net and I can add your names and contact info to the complaint I've filed with the FCC.
I played nice, I gave Linksys *two* very clear chances to make some accomodation. They chose not to.
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by WA2E on May 21, 2004
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I've also found the wallwarts can be a source of rfi. Try ferrite beads on the power cord.
Mike WA2E
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by KC2MMI on May 21, 2004
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Mike-
A good thought. But the wall wart in this case is not emitting RFI, there is no noise from the wall wart. Once you plug it into the router, the router beings emitting gobs of RFI/TVI. Unplug it--without turning off power to the wall wart--and the problem goes away.
The problem is in the routers. At least, I've neer heard of a computer being built in a plastic case, with no shielding over the MB and CPU, that could meet ClassB certification. Except maybe my Palm, but Palm's were built by better "parents" than most computers.<G>
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by AA1VX on June 6, 2004
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I finally got around to putting the router into a cookie tin with just the RJ-45 cables sticking out, but the interference was still there.
I guess the next step is to buy a router from a different manufacturer.
Any suggestions on which one(s) won't cause QRM on the ham bands?
Thanks again, all.
73,
Dave AA1VX
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by K7NA on June 6, 2004
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I also am experiencing interference in the form of numerous phantom carriers up and down the 6-meter band which trace back to my plastic encased D-Link Dl-604 router. I've tried ferrites on the router power cable both near the wallwart and near the router itself to no avail. I can unplug the Cat5 cables leading to the SB5100 cable modem and to each computer with no effect on the 6-meter interference. The only thing that solves the problem is to unplug the power cable and thus power down the router.
As I indicated, my noise appears as numerous carriers across the 50 mHz band. I do hear a "frying noise" at some spots on the dial on 6-meters as well as HF and I suspect it is coming from somewhere in my neighborhood, not from my house and not from my router because it does not disappear when I remove power from my router. Interestingly, another source of interference I located in my house was my wife's fax machine! Just plugged in, the machine created a noise approximating that from flourescent lights on HF.
Yesterday, I purchased (temporarily) another router (Netgear RP614 encased in plastic) and installed it in place of the D-Link unit. Other than a slight shift in the frequency of the phantom carriers that appear up and down the 6-meter band at various signal strengths, no improvement was noted at all. I immediately returned the Netgear unit to the store. Next, I plan to purchase a metal encased router to ascertain whether that affects the level of noise. Like many, I am not in a position to change the location of my computer, router or ham antenna. On 6-meters, I use both a Diamond DP-GH62 vertical and a Par Omniangle loop and both pick up the router interference.
If someone finds a real cure for this interference, by all means, please share it with us!
Vince
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by AB0KB on June 12, 2004
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Add us to the list. We recently installed a Linksys non-wireless router and it completely took out our "home" 2m frequency. We have been running a netgear for a while (family of four, all hams and techies, we actually intend to run both routers...) and have not noticed any interference from it. It sounds to me like the FCC cert was bogus. Maybe Hollingworth would be interested in this case? We have all our routers, most of our hubs (except the wireless one a couple in other rooms) and broadband modem co-located in a little "nook". Given the experiences of others, I think the easiest approach for me (that has good odds for lots of significant improvements) is to build a mini-screenroom mounting enclosure and put all our network stuff in it. I'm interested in what others are doing and (should I get to this project in a reasonable amount of time) I'll let you know how it goes here.
Steve, AB0KB.
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RE: RFI from Linksys non-wireless router?
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by AB0KB on June 12, 2004
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Here's a quick, and discouraging, update. Before going to the effort to build the cabinet, I did the "rapid proof-of-concept" test. I have a lot of surplus copper tape, so I took the router apart and carefully copper-taped the entire inside of the case (repunching the air and LED holes). It's clear the pcb designer was assuming a conductive case as the one mounting screw through-hole on the pcb (to screw into the case) has routed to it the ground plane and the drain wire for the shields around the network connections. I made sure my copper shield made the connection with the pcbs single point shield ground. Although there was improvement (I can at least squelch it on the 2m in my lab) but is still stinks. I can't squelch it on the family room's 2m (in the same room as the router). By the way, if you google "linksys router RFI" you get a ton of hits. One of the threads I was reading mentioned an existant class action suit against linksys. Don't know if that real or not as googling "linksys RFI class-action lawsuit" didn't hit anything real.
Steve
AB0KB
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