[Coda]

The channels that people recommend are the best in the absence of competing signals because they're on the edges of chunks of spectrum -- they've got more room for frequency variation. However, the key phrase there is "in the absence of competing signals." When everyone takes that advice, those channels get overcrowded, and every wifi signal in the area that ISN'T the signal between you and the router is just noise to your computer. So it's not unusual that using channels that people recommend against will actually give you BETTER service.