802.11b in a 2200sq. ft. house -- Full throughput?

[Nighthawk69]

Hi there,

I am still looking into upgrading my LAN to 802.11b from HomeRF which is in my 2200 sq. ft. home. The server right now with the HomeRF (Intel Anypoint 1.6Mbps USB adapters) is in the garage and two of the computers are upstairs in the house and one is downstairs and both have no problems getting full speed (what there is of it) or any lost connections. My question is, with 802.11b, will all of these same computers most likely get 11Mbps? The direct path distance from the farthest computer to the server is roughly 30ft, through a floor and two cabinets (no metal in between or anything like that, though).

Thanks!

 

[ktwebb]

You should probably still be in an 11 meg cell though you will see some degradation of your signal, thus some speed loss. Real world throughput is around 5 to 6 mb so you might get 4 or more out of it. Play with your antenna position and keep the AP away from any multipath scenarios. Antennas pointing directly and close to a ceiling or floor etc..

 

[Nighthawk69]

OK, thanks!

So, what would the ideal antenna position be, considering it would be behind the computer and in a PCI slot... the far computer is in a desk that keeps the computer in a cabinet, which is always open due to heat on the front and back, but the desk is of course on a wall... would this be OK? The same type of scenario seems to work fine with the HomeRF signal...

 

[ktwebb]

If you going Ad Hoc there not a whole lot you can to as far as antenna placement. I was talking about and assuming you were going to have an AP.

 

[Nighthawk69]

This would be with an access point--sorry if I was not clear. The access point would be in the garage.

 

[Garion]

I've got a Cisco AP and I go between two floors and about three walls (maybe 40') with my laptop and get 50% signal strength. You probably won't get the full 11Mb/s, but you will likely do just fine.

Since you're moving over, if you're not in a rush, you might wait for the 802.11a stuff coming out in 2002 - It's considerably faster, if that's your concern. More expensive, however.

Also, I'd check the hot deals forum - There's always interesting deals on WIFI equipment there.

- G

 

[Nighthawk69]

Garion:

THanks for the info, but 802.11b is fast enough for me at 11mbps and it's plenty expensive too

 

[ktwebb]

What model AP Garion? If you have a 350 or an older 4800 model you have a 100mW AP which really is quite different than what you can get retail. SOHO AP. Even the 30 mW 340 series generally have quite a bit better coverage than your basic consumer Access Point.

 

[Garion]

I've actually got the old 340. Not terribly modern, but works just fine.

- G

 

[Tallgeese]

The key to getting the best coverage is to get the AP as high as possible in the house (and, of course, to avoid putting it right next to metal or a solid masonry wall, as you already mentioned).

I have my AP on the 3rd floor in a 2300+ sq. ft. house, and my wife's laptop is on the second floor on the exact opposite side, and she rarely goes below 75% signal strength. This is using an Orinoco RG-1100 and Gold card.

I also have an iPAQ 3670 tricked out with a PC Card sleeve and its own Silver card. I can be sitting in my easy chair on the first floor (almost directly below the AP) and browse the web on the iPAQ. It never drops below 95% signal strength.

 

[Nighthawk69]

As high in the house as I can... hmm... it will actually be at the lowest point, actually in a thin cabinet in the garage where the soon-to-be fileserver is located. Would that be OK in a two story house? Two computers are almost directly above this point, and one of the two is literally directly above that point with the other being about 15 ft away from the first, if that made any sense And, the third is no problem, it's about 15ft away from the AP. What kind of signal strength am I looking at in this situation and will I lock in at the 11mbps mode, especially for the farthest computer, referred to as the one upstairs and 15ft from the computer directly above the AP? One again, if that made any sense

Here is a clearer picture:

One computer would be connected via CAT5 to the router since it would be right next to it (the file server) in the garage cabinet. Next, there is one computer which is one wall away and about 15 ft away on the same level as the AP. Then, there are two other computer upstairs on teh 2nd floor, noth above the garage. The first one is directly above the cabinet in the garage and the second is about 15ft away from that computer. Hopefully that is a bit clearer

 

[ktwebb]

Well, getting it in the most central location is the best bet. Not necessarily at the highest point. The dipoles on most AP's are omni directional, meaning they send RF in a 360 degree arc. The scenario you described should be fine. As far as what strength you'll get, it varies. Only way to get the most out of the signal is to test in various location in the room that it is in with different antenna positions and height.

 

[Nighthawk69]

OK, thanks!

One more question, cross-posted from my other thread:

I have looked at the review of the Linksys 802.11b card and most users say the range is terrible and I need good range in my home. So, I want to buy the Orinoco Gold card, but I need to use these in desktop PC's, so what PCI card do I need to use the Orinoco Gold card?

I need to keep the price as low as possible too--this is already looking like it will be a lot more than I wanted to spend

UPDATE: Yikes! The adapters from Orinoco are 57 bucks online and the card is pretty pricey too... I can't spend 150 bucks per setup as I need 3 of them plus the AP/router... I want to keep each card setup under $100 if possible, but I also want good throughput if I spend all of this money in the first place. Will I be happy with the Linksys wireless card and adapter combo or can someone recommend a cheap and better solution?

Thanks

 

[Tallgeese]

If I were buying an Orinoco wireless connection for a desktop, I'd forgo the PCI adapter and PC card, and instead buy one of Orinoco's USB wireless NICs. It looks like an add-on antenna, and offers nearly 30% more range than the standard card, not to mention it won't automatically be located behind a big hunk of metal (PC case).

Here are prices for a USB
Here are prices for a Gold PC Card

The adapters are really cheap when bundled with an AP tho:
RG-1100 with a USB & PC Card
RG-1100 with just USB
RG-1100 with just PC Card

 

[Nighthawk69]

Hmm, that's a good idea. I'll check the prices on the USB ones right now.. anyone have any experience with these?

 

[Nighthawk69]

Here we go:
http://www.nxgenstore.com/nxgen/itemdesc.asp?CartId=8441825KKBHH404&ic=848623856AGERE&tpc=

$119.00... that is what you would get? I might be able to do that...