bob Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 Hiya, I'm after an upgrade for my wireless network at home. At the moment I have a BT Voyager 220V voice router which is giving an 'always on' internet connection. It's managing all the phones as well so I'd like to keep that. The internet connection goes out of a standard Ethernet cable to a BT Voyager 1500 Wireless router, which gives one computer wired internet, and is connected to two other computers wirelessly. The wired computer is acting as a printer server. My problem is that the range of the network is absolutely rubbish, and won't handle any corners or walls. I'm not sure whether this is because of the low power of the router or the other computers. One computer is a desktop relatively close by with a good signal all the time, the other is a laptop with a belkin wireless 'laptop card' plugged in. I'm using wireless G at the mo, but I've heard wireless N is better, and I'd definitely upgrade the laptop card to N if it was such a benefit, but I'm reluctant to upgrade the card in the desktop. I would like to upgrade the router to something with a bit more power, and if required a new laptop card with more power. Basically I need a wireless router which will accept the input internet from a modem via an Ethernet (RJ-45) cable. It needs to have a four port switch built in, and as much wireless range as possible. I think that this router clicky might be suitable, but it is only fitted with 2dBi antennae so probably wouldn't have very good range, although I may be able to improve this with other antennae. I'm not so fussed about network speed so long as it can handle the broadband which is only a relatively slow connection. I would also like it to be wall mountable somehow. Total budget for all upgrades is about 150 quid. I've thought about a stand alone range expander clicky, but the signal seems ridiculously weak at the moment. Suggestions please! Thank you lots! Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 (edited) Not sure it's worth buying 802.11n products yet. The existing products are running a draft version at the moment, until the standard goes up for ratification in a few months (I think it's scheduled for May but not too sure on that one). Chances are that if you buy Linksys (owned by Cisco) they will have enough clout to sway the standard their way anyway, but may be worth thinking about. If there are changes, a lot of devices now do their magic in hardware, so there's not always a firmware upgrade available if they do change the standards. 4 months in you could be stuck with a router which is only compatible with your existing wireless cards (in the worst case). You are unlikely to get too much benefit unless your clients are alsio 8.2.11n compatible. I'm not sure whether 802.11n will have the same problem as the upgrade to 802.11g, where if you still had even one 802.11b client using your network, then every one of your devices reverts to "previous slowness" Is there anything you can do with the positioning of your existing router, maybe to tide you over? They sometimes don't like transmitting downwards (just in case you've got it upstairs). And if you've got the luxury to be able to move it around you have to look at the path to all your clients. Walls and ceilings kill it gradually as you go through more of them, but going diagonally through walls can be a total killer. If your router allows an external antenna connection that maybe a cheap upgrade too. Ebay has them all over the place. Edited January 7, 2007 by bikespace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinell Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 Not sure it's worth buying 802.11n products yet. The existing products are running a draft version at the moment, until the standard goes up for ratification in a few months (I think it's scheduled for May but not too sure on that one).Chances are that if you buy Linksys (owned by Cisco) they will have enough clout to sway the standard their way anyway, but may be worth thinking about. If there are changes, a lot of devices now do their magic in hardware, so there's not always a firmware upgrade available if they do change the standards. 4 months in you could be stuck with a router which is only compatible with your existing wireless cards (in the worst case). You are unlikely to get too much benefit unless your clients are alsio 8.2.11n compatible. I'm not sure whether 802.11n will have the same problem as the upgrade to 802.11g, where if you still had even one 802.11b client using your network, then every one of your devices reverts to "previous slowness" Is there anything you can do with the positioning of your existing router, maybe to tide you over? They sometimes don't like transmitting downwards (just in case you've got it upstairs). And if you've got the luxury to be able to move it around you have to look at the path to all your clients. Walls and ceilings kill it gradually as you go through more of them, but going diagonally through walls can be a total killer. If your router allows an external antenna connection that maybe a cheap upgrade too. Ebay has them all over the place. If there's a typical BS joke in there somewhere, I can't find it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcra Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 interesting that you are having range problems, because its rare for people to have problems with 802.11a/b/g in a normal size house. My wireless ADSL router is a Belkin, has 4 ethernet ports and wireless b/g and has good coverage even though its one corner of the house where the BT line comes in. You must have really thick walls ? With wireless, you need to remember, that to increase the range, you need to increase the antenna/output on both the base station and the mobile device. I have in the past put an old Cisco wireless 802.11b in my garage and managed to cover the whole garden, something i need to set up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 If there's a typical BS joke in there somewhere, I can't find it! Shows how good my usual jokes are Ahh well....no there wasn't on in there anyway...sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted January 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 Well, our house is a sort of U shape, the router is positioned about half way down one side of the U towards the middle, mounted on the inside of a window frame. Unforturnately my current router will not allow a change of antenna. The router is mounted sideways on a wall with everything sticking out horizontally. From most areas of the house where I want to use it then it can either be seen through a window, or if you go to the nearest window then the router can be seen, but signal is still weak, thereis generally little interfeerence, but weak signal. Unforturnately it will barely penetrate walls, at the moment in my room the signal has to pass through a single double glazed window which is a few inches away from the router, and a single wooden door which is only thin, but the signal is still very unreliable, move the computer a few inches either way and the signal goes completely, no matter how the router is orientated. The walls in my house are either two foot thick on the outside, or about ten inches for internal walls, but I reckon that many of them may have lumps of wire mesh wedged in when the building was reconditioned, furthermore any plasterboard walls have plasterboard backed with silver foil, not that there are many plasterboard walls. I think that linksys intend to release firmware updates in the near future for the router I was looking at. That linksys one may be better for me because i can relatively easily upgrade and tinker with antennae and it looks to have a big flat thingy in the middle which could be adjusted to point where I want it. Does anybody know if the linksys WRT300N can be wall mounted without buying extra bracketry and stuff? Cheers for your replies! Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 Your antenna need to be vertical otherwise you're messing with the horizontal/vertical polarisation and could cause problems with the signal, but maybe you've tried this already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 The other thing you have to think about is the radiation pattern. If you can imagine it, with most of the routers, the pattern is the shape of a donut. If you imagine the antenna is sticking through the hole of the donut, that's how the signal radiates, so you turn the antenna on its side, and all the signal is going up and down. Next to nothing radiates from either end of the antenna, so you'll have little coverage in those directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted January 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 Yeah, I've tried perhaps every possible configuration imaginable, including putting it on a heap of shoe boxes, so close to the window it is touching the glass and further away aswell. I think it must just be a cruddy router, BT aren't exactly the best in my book anyway. I think I have settled for this router clicky along with a matching greater range wireless laptop card. It seems like it will do the trick. I believe that it is wall mountable, but if not then I will construct a shelf, which would be an all together better setup. This router also has removeable antennae, so if I do have any problem then I should be able to whip them off and put them elsewhere on extension leads, or even repace for a more powerful one. The MIMO thing with three antannae also claims to be able to maintain a high speed connection whilst connected to a standard 'g' device. If I then wish to expand further then I expect that I could get one of those ethernet by power line kits and place the older router in a room where the broadband is going to be used regularly, the poor signal means it probably won't interfeere too much with other devices, but the other router gives way to other devices because it works over a broader frequency range. Cheers, Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianj Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 Hi, A point to note:- Biggest problem I have in our house is our wireless router interfering with the wireless Scart AV I have that transmits SkyTv around the house. Even the nextdoor neighbours router interferes with it. The problem is they all run on 2.4gHz. My next router will have to have one of the 5gHz bands.........the old, original 802.11 runs on this! Ian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted January 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 Yeah, I've thought about that for a while, we've no plans to pump sky around the house really, we've got plenty with the telly in one room, and we don't listen to enough radio to get one of those gnome things. Luckily I live in a village surrounded by old people who don't have computers, so power isn't a problem, and security really isn't a big issue, I just set it up so you can't see the network without knowing the SSID then leave it be. Any particular views on the netgear? Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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