Router question

[Sean Troy]

Hi all, I have TWC for my internet and I'm not completely happy with Wi-Fi range. We have one of their newest modems with built in Wi-Fi using 300 meg service.

I'm on an upstairs computer connected by Wi-Fi as I type this and the connection is not bad but not near as good as I hoped. The best I've gotten is 23.65 mbps up and 19.77 down. The computer downstairs hooked to the router gets almost 200 mbps up. I asked the tech that came out about it and he said I can't do any better with the router they provided and that I have to pay for monthly. He suggested I would be better off getting my own because what they have is just not that good.

I've been looking but I am not sure what modem with built in Wi-Fi to look at? I know dual band is better for my needs and I would need/like at least 4 eithernet ports. Any suggestions? Thanks, Sean

[John K Jordan]

Hi all, I have TWC for my internet and I'm not completely happy with Wi-Fi range. We have one of their newest modems with built in Wi-Fi using 300 meg service.

I'm on an upstairs computer connected by Wi-Fi as I type this and the connection is not bad but not near as good as I hoped. The best I've gotten is 23.65 mbps up and 19.77 down. The computer downstairs hooked to the router gets almost 200 mbps up. I asked the tech that came out about it and he said I can't do any better with the router they provided and that I have to pay for monthly. He suggested I would be better off getting my own because what they have is just not that good.

I've been looking but I am not sure what modem with built in Wi-Fi to look at? I know dual band is better for my needs and I would need/like at least 4 eithernet ports. Any suggestions? Thanks, Sean



Sean,
Those speeds don't sound so bad to me, since wi-fi will always be slower than a direct wire ethernet. But I got out of the computer field when I retired and haven't kept up. I can give you my experience: I've tried several expensive routers and wi-fi repeaters and none was flawless. I get the best range and service from an Asus RT-AC66U. It has three antennas and gives me the best range in the house and yard.

I would get a separate modem and separate router. My thinking: the more complex, the more things that can go wrong; when something goes wrong, substituting one component is easier than two for debugging; to upgrade the router, you have to throw away the whole thing; you have more flexibility in router selection if not limited to one with a built-in modem. Just my opinion.

Did you check the wi-fi signal with a meter (available for smart phones, tablets) to see if there it was limited where you need it? (I assume you want wi-fi for more than just the two computers or you could just run another ethernet wire and be done with it.)

If the wi-fi signal is the limiting factor, one thing I can absolutely guarantee will give you better and longer wi-fi reception (if that is the problem): run an ethernet cable from whatever router you use to a second router and configure the second one to be an extension of the first with the same ID. That's what I did for my shop about 300 ft down the hill from my house. I get seamless wi-fi walking between and get full signal in and around the shop. The two routers don't have to be the same model or even the same brand.

JKJ

BTW, I bought a new router for old shop and it didn't make any difference (sorry, couldn't resist):
340344

[Sean Troy]

I do have a wireless access point set up and that helps but would sure like to have a good consistent signal upstairs. I know it could do a lot better.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have the Time Warner modem router that has been rock solid. I have tried many different routers and always had to do resets on either router or modem almost weekly. With their setup I don't have to reset at all

[Jim Becker]

It's important to remember that the nature of your home as well as the antenna arrangement and frequency band will affect coverage. I have to run two APs in our home just to have any coverage over the entire footprint...things like 18" thick limestone walls, older construction with a former exterior wall with foil faced insulation, and other factors greatly affects coverage. 5ghz bands have less penetration than 2.4ghz, but are less susceptible to interference from common household signal radiators, such as cordless phone systems and microwave ovens.

You may very well need to put a second AP upstairs on the same SSD (or a range extender) to get better performance in your particular home and keep in mind that John is correct...wireless will never be as efficient as wired due to the nature of both variable signal strength and other things that are the nature of wireless communication. The only way to get maximum performance from your 300mb service is with wired connections that use Gigabyte Ethernet connections. (Which is why I use wired for my 150/150 FiOS service for anything important)

[Sean Troy]

It's important to remember that the nature of your home as well as the antenna arrangement and frequency band will affect coverage. I have to run two APs in our home just to have any coverage over the entire footprint...things like 18" thick limestone walls, older construction with a former exterior wall with foil faced insulation, and other factors greatly affects coverage. 5ghz bands have less penetration than 2.4ghz, but are less susceptible to interference from common household signal radiators, such as cordless phone systems and microwave ovens.

You may very well need to put a second AP upstairs on the same SSD (or a range extender) to get better performance in your particular home and keep in mind that John is correct...wireless will never be as efficient as wired due to the nature of both variable signal strength and other things that are the nature of wireless communication. The only way to get maximum performance from your 300mb service is with wired connections that use Gigabyte Ethernet connections. (Which is why I use wired for my 150/150 FiOS service for anything important)

I may just run cable through the ceiling below me where the modem is located and hard wire my PC upstairs. Was trying to avoid that but I guess that would be the best solution and pretty much free. I have the cable and connectors already from leftover.

[Curt Harms]

I may just run cable through the ceiling below me where the modem is located and hard wire my PC upstairs. Was trying to avoid that but I guess that would be the best solution and pretty much free. I have the cable and connectors already from leftover.

I don't know if this will work for you but we have Verizon FiOS which uses MoCA networking for its set-top boxes. It also works quite well for ethernet networking. Used Verizon routers with a couple settings changed and I'm able to use the already in-place coax. Any coax - preferably RG6 or better and appropriate splitters. Two routers or other devices that are MoCA capable are all that's required. It's not gigabit but it's faster and more reliable than wifi in my experience. If it's pretty simple to pull ethernet cable then that's the way to go. One trick I've read about but not used is to run properly rated (plenum) ethernet cable in HVAC ducts.

Another option might be powerline networking, perhaps connected to a wireless access point on the second floor if you want stronger wifi there. I have no experience with powerline networking but modern hardware seems to work pretty well. Just be aware with powerline networking that if you have a shared transformer your network traffic will leave your house and be available all the way to the transformer. That's why powerline devices support encryption. That may be an issue with cable systems, I'm not sure but there are filters to prevent ethernet signals leaving the building. I don't know of the equivalent for powerline networking.

[Sean Troy]

I ended up just running some left over cat5e cable I had up through the ceiling.