Help me get (fast)internet to my room

[badb0y]

UPDATE: Solved me internet problem but I have another issue now. I have crappy WiFi in my room. I currently have Netgear EX6200 (http://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-range-extenders/EX6200.aspx) connected to my wireless router (ASUS AC66U) wirelessly and have my computer connected to the Netgear EX6200 with a wire to get internet. Is it possible to connect another wireless router in my room with the wire that is coming from the EX6200 and then connecting my computer to this router and have good WiFi in my room as well as a solid connection for my computer? I know this makes no sense but I drew a crappy MS Paint diagram to visualize what I want to do:

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Old problem that been solved.

I recently upgraded my FiOS plan from 35 mbps download to 50 mbps download and decided I want to actually take full advantage of that speed....in my room. The router is in my brothers room that is upstairs towards the back of the house while my room is in the front and on the first floor of the house.

Here's how my internet was setup:

Verizon router -> Linksys WRT54GL(Wireless Access Point) -> Encore ENHWI-N3 (Wireless repeater) -> My computer(hard-wired to the Encore router)

Under this setup I was getting around 12 mbps download and I was fine with that for a while but I recently bought a ASUS AC66U in an effort to boost my download speed and looking at my setup I assumed the botteneck was the Linksys router. Here's how I have it setup right now.

Verizon router -> ASUS AC66U(Wireless Access Point) -> Encore ENHWI-N3 (Wireless repeater) -> My computer(hard-wired to the Encore router)

My download speeds have only gone up to 18 mbps and I think the reason is that my Encore router performs terribly in when the N-band is active so I am forced to put it in G-band mode only so I can get some halfway decent download numbers. So I have some questions regarding my current setup and some suggestions.

1.) Why does my Encore router perform so terribly under the wireless N band? Is it defective? I have the latest firmware already installed so I got that covered but why does my download speed go down to 4 mbps?

2.) What are my options here? I was thinking of grabbing a more robust repeater and hopefully that solves the problem but one of my friends recommended a powerline adapter since my room seems to be a Wifi deadzone.

I know hard-wiring my PC to the Verizon router would be the best route but unfortunately I don't have that option.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Fardringle]

Reviews on that Encore repeater seem to be either "It works great" or "It's complete garbage", which leads me to believe it's a decent device but has a significant Q/A problem with lots of bad units being sent out. It sounds like yours might be one of the bad ones, at least as far as the N band goes.

 

[Danstek]

Repeaters will reduce wireless channel bandwidth in half. This is why it is recommended to not use more than one repeater as bandwidth reduces each time it is daisy chained eventually becoming unusable.

In my experience, powerline is not worth it because too many variables exist in the quality of your home electrical wiring that can degrade performance in powerline networking pretty bad. Its basically hit or miss.

I would recommend running an Ethernet cable and adding a second AP.

 

[badb0y]

Repeaters will reduce wireless channel bandwidth in half. This is why it is recommended to not use more than one repeater as bandwidth reduces each time it is daisy chained eventually becoming unusable.

In my experience, powerline is not worth it because too many variables exist in the quality of your home electrical wiring that can degrade performance in powerline networking pretty bad. Its basically hit or miss.

I would recommend running an Ethernet cable and adding a second AP.

There's only one repeater unless you consider the original access point a repeater as well.

 

[Blastman]

Now that you have a new wireless router (ASUS AC66U), you could consider getting a wireless USB/PCI N/AC card that connects to the Asus router instead of using the Encore. Unless your spot is really dead to the signal from the Asus?

I don't know if there are some settings on the Encore that you could change that might help things?????

If your in a bad signal spot you could consider one of these high power N options … like the Signal King1.

 

[badb0y]

Now that you have a new wireless router (ASUS AC66U), you could consider getting a wireless USB/PCI N/AC card that connects to the Asus router instead of using the Encore. Unless your spot is really dead to the signal from the Asus?

I don't know if there are some settings on the Encore that you could change that might help things?????

If your in a bad signal spot you could consider one of these high power N options … like the Signal King1.

I think the biggest problem I have right now is that the stupid Encore router doesn't function well when I enable the n band. I am only running on b+g so I can get some decent speeds (20mbps download) but as soon as I enable the n band my speeds drop to 4 mbps. I think I need a new repeater to fully take advantage of my new ASUS router in my room.

I was thinking of grabbing the Netgear EX6100 that was just released this month unless you guys have a better suggestion.

 

[sabot00]

You can get a 100-ft ethernet cable for around $11. Is there a reason that you can't run one ethernet cable?

 

[badb0y]

You can get a 100-ft ethernet cable for around $11. Is there a reason that you can't run one ethernet cable?

Yep, the Ethernet wire would have to go from my computer to the second floor and my parents are sort of neurotic when it comes to cleanliness. Having a wire routed up to my brothers room and having a clean look is going to be impossible for me. Trust me, that's the first thing I wanted to do but it wasn't practical route for me.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yep, the Ethernet wire would have to go from my computer to the second floor and my parents are sort of neurotic when it comes to cleanliness. Having a wire routed up to my brothers room and having a clean look is going to be impossible for me. Trust me, that's the first thing I wanted to do but it wasn't practical route for me.

Drop it down the wall, staple it to the beams in the basement, and stick it up through an air duct into your room.

 

[Mushkins]

Yep, the Ethernet wire would have to go from my computer to the second floor and my parents are sort of neurotic when it comes to cleanliness. Having a wire routed up to my brothers room and having a clean look is going to be impossible for me. Trust me, that's the first thing I wanted to do but it wasn't practical route for me.

So put it in a cable track running down the corner of the room? You can even paint it to match the walls. I have fairly thick wiremold raceway going across my living room and around the molding of my sliding glass doors. If I don't explicitly point it out to someone, they never notice its even there, just looks like the rest of the molding. It's not expensive at all for small runs like yours.

 

[azazel1024]

Lets just work with "a wire is not an option". Any ideas what kind of signal strength you are getting? Is just a decent PCI-e wifi card and then using some high gain antennas an option? You can do smaller directional high gain antennas.

 

[badb0y]

bump new question

 

[azazel1024]

If you want to answer my questions, then maybe I can help you.

 

[badb0y]

If you want to answer my questions, then maybe I can help you.

The original problem is solved this is something new.

 

[JackMDS]

If you connected everything correctly then...

You can put an additional Wireless Router.

Connect the Repeater wire output to a regular port on the New Router (I.e. do not use it as a Router).

Configure it like this.

Using Wireless Cable/DSL Routers (or Modem/Wireless Router) as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

Please Note that the speed of the Internet pass the Repeater would be 50% then the speed at the main Wireless Router.




😎

 

[badb0y]

If you connected everything correctly then...

You can put an additional Wireless Router.

Connect the Repeater wire output to a regular port on the New Router (I.e. do not use it as a Router).

Configure it like this.

Using Wireless Cable/DSL Routers (or Modem/Wireless Router) as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

Please Note that the speed of the Internet pass the Repeater would be 50% then the speed at the main Wireless Router.




😎

Thanks, will give it a shot tomorrow.

 

[azazel1024]

Ahh I see. It might have been helpful if you were going to edit your original post to have instead of saying "bump new question" to have actual stated "Edited original post with a new question. Please see above".

 

[s44]

What I'd probably do is get a dual-band router for your room, use the 2.4ghz band to bridge to the AC66, and set up the 5ghz band as an AP (with different SSID). Then you're not generating interference on the main 2.4ghz link.

This is really easy with Tomato. Not sure about stock firmwares.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

If you connected everything correctly then...

You can put an additional Wireless Router.

Connect the Repeater wire output to a regular port on the New Router (I.e. do not use it as a Router).

Configure it like this.

Using Wireless Cable/DSL Routers (or Modem/Wireless Router) as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

Please Note that the speed of the Internet pass the Repeater would be 50% then the speed at the main Wireless Router.




😎

That's where I thought he'd gone "device-crazy." He needs a switch. Or -- he could use a switch.

My brother worked for the telephone company, and it was he who did the dirty-work to provide us a CAT-6 cable-drop between second and first floors. But I could have done it myself. After that, you're going to route an Ethernet cable around the baseboard of the floor, or any approach similar to extending your telephone across the room from its socket. There are a lot of ways to hide wires.

My own router is a CISCO "wireless" which is currently in use only for wired connections. In a few days, I'll have a wireless-equipped laptop and I'll enable the CISCO for that purpose.

I just think -- in your home or wherever -- there has to be a balance between wired and wireless linkages. I see no reason to use wireless for connecting desktop computers, unless there's no other way. Laptops, tablets, phones -- that's something else.

Somehow, I really despise that DirectTV (whatever) commercial with the puppet kid and his puppet Mom in the red nightie. "Wires are ugly!"

Then, the lemmings swallowed whole this "cloud" storage thing. They walk around taking selfies with their cell-phones, Congressman Wiener snapping a close-up of his jockeys, and finally they go ballistic about NSA. [Fur Chrissake . . . ] "Oooo! Oooo! Beam me up, Scotty!"

 

[ImDonly1]

What I'd probably do is get a dual-band router for your room, use the 2.4ghz band to bridge to the AC66, and set up the 5ghz band as an AP (with different SSID). Then you're not generating interference on the main 2.4ghz link.

This is really easy with Tomato. Not sure about stock firmwares.

I second this.
Less devices, no bandwidth splitting in half if you had a simultaneous 2.4/5Ghz router.