Classy Hatter

NetSpot and InSSIDer are often recommended. I also noticed that Apple’s AirPort Utility (iOS) can show channels and signal strength of nearby networks. You need to turn on a setting in the Settings app to enable that feature. But it doesn’t have a clear UI that would help you to figure out the best channels.

Wi-Fi extenders are usually worthless. If you want to extend your network you should use mesh network.

Another thing that helps with interference is lowering the channel width. Using wider channels gives better throughput but there will be more interference. If you don’t transfer much data between your devices wirelessly and you don’t have some crazy fast internet connection, setting the channel width to the lowest for both bands is the safest option.

Another good network troubleshooting step is to simply restart the router by unplugging the power cable for 30 or so seconds. It can fix many network related issues with little to no effort and is good practice for security reasons as well. (Restarting the router will effectively close any malware running in router and as long as the router doesn’t start them again after restart, you’ll be safe until your router is again compromised.)

Have you recently moved the router to new location or moved objects around the router? Check the router’s environment for any metal objects. They can cause significant interference. And then there are dead spots. Regardless where inside a building you place Wi-Fi access point, somewhere within its range there is most likely at least one spot where the signal cancels itself.

If the router’s location or “gaming location” has not changed, the reason most likely is that the channel used by the router has become congested. For both 2.4GHz and 5GHz there are recommended channels one should use, and you should choose the one that is least used around you. There are no tools for iOS devices that can help with that because Apple has locked down the required functionality, so use either computer or Android. EDIT: Apple’s AirPort Utility has this functionality after you enable it in Settings app.

5GHz is better for gaming due to better latency. But if you can’t play close enough to the router, 2.4GHz might provide more stable connection.

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. Just finished the story mode. It’s Steam Deck Verified, so it runs and plays well, and it’s easy to play with a controller because it has a bit of auto-aim/aim correction.

I did enjoy it. Not a must play by any means, but it does add to the lore of the Alan Wake series. If you are a fan of that game series, I recommend playing this. And if you aren’t, you probably should play the other games in the series. 😉

This is a Bluetooth issue, not Linux or Deck specific. When microphone is enabled on a headset, Bluetooth will switch to a different audio codec. That codec supports one output channel (microphone) and one input channel, so it will be mono audio. The sound quality is good enough for audio calls but not for anything else. The only thing you can do is to disable the microphone. Or, you can do what people have done for couple decades now: complain at Bluetooth Special Interest Group until they improve the standard.