802.11 b/g Channels
Here’s a handy chart that shows the 802.11b/g channel assignments. I’ve had this on another website for a long time, but the source page disappeared. Luckily I saved a copy so it can have a new home here.
The key to wireless performance is to use non-overlapping channels.
Channels 1, 6, and 11 are the only three channels that don’t overlap. Others do; for example, if you had a base station on 1 and your neighbor on 3, you will still have interference because of the overlap. Grab a tool like MacStumbler or Netstumbler and find out what the channel allocations around you are and pick a channel that doesn’t overlap at all or has the least amount. This includes multiple base stations of your own: the SSID needs to be the same, but the channels must be different or you will have performance issues.