Skill: ivangdavila/wifi (version 1.0.0)

--- name: WiFi description: Troubleshoot and secure wireless networks with channel optimization and diagnostics. metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"📶","os":["linux","darwin","win32"]}} --- ## Band Selection Traps - 2.4GHz penetrates walls better but congested — neighbors' networks interfere - 5GHz faster but shorter range — may not reach all rooms - Same SSID for both bands can cause issues — device may stick to weak 5GHz instead of switching - 6GHz (WiFi 6E) requires compatible devices — falls back to 5GHz if unsupported ## Channel Interference - 2.4GHz only has 3 non-overlapping channels (1, 6, 11) — using others causes interference with neighbors - "Auto" channel selection often picks poorly — scan and set manually in congested areas - 5GHz has more channels but DFS channels may pause for radar — causes brief disconnects near airports - Microwave ovens interfere with 2.4GHz channel 11 — kitchen dead zones are real ## Security Mistakes - WPA2-Personal minimum — WEP and WPA crackable in minutes - WPA3 preferred when all devices support — falls back silently if mixed - WPS is a backdoor — disable it, PIN can be brute-forced regardless of password strength - Hidden SSID doesn't improve security — devices broadcast it anyway when searching - MAC filtering trivially bypassed — MACs visible in air, easy to spoof ## Speed Issues - "Connected" doesn't mean good signal — check RSSI, below -70dBm is poor - WiFi speed is shared medium — many devices = less bandwidth each - Advertised speeds are theoretical max — real throughput is 50-70% at best - Old devices slow entire network on 2.4GHz — legacy rates affect everyone - USB 3.0 devices interfere with 2.4GHz — especially external drives near router ## Connection Drops - DHCP lease expiring causes reconnect — reduce lease time for troubleshooting, increase for stability - Roaming between access points isn't seamless — same SSID doesn't mean smooth handoff - Power saving mode causes ping spikes — disable on devices where latency matters - Driver issues more common than hardware — update or rollback WiFi drivers first ## Diagnostics - Ping router IP, not internet — isolates WiFi from ISP issues - Signal strength varies by location — walk around while monitoring - Channel scanner shows neighbor congestion — choose least crowded - Packet loss under 1% is acceptable — higher indicates interference or range issues ## Router Placement - Center of coverage area, not corner of house — signals radiate outward - Elevated position improves coverage — floor level gets blocked by furniture - Away from metal objects and aquariums — water and metal block signals - Router antennas perpendicular to each other — covers horizontal and vertical planes ## Guest Networks - Isolates untrusted devices from main network — IoT devices can't reach your computers - Separate password allows sharing without exposing main credentials - Bandwidth limiting available on most routers — prevent guests from saturating connection - Captive portal unnecessary for home — just use WPA2 with password ## Mesh vs Extenders - Extenders halve bandwidth — repeating uses same channel for backhaul - Mesh systems with dedicated backhaul avoid this — wired backhaul even better - Single router often enough — try repositioning before buying mesh - Adding access points to wrong locations creates more problems — coverage overlap causes roaming issues


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)