What are my best options for home network?

[Goothry]

Okay, here is the situation:

My wifi wireless N router is down one floor and on the opposite side of the house. For some reason my wireless card seems to have a very unstable connection. For example, when I try to play some games online or Skype I'll frequently have my connection dropped just long enough for call/game disconnects, and I'm very sick of this.

What are my best options to fix this crappy connection? Should I invest in a new router, wifi extender, wifi card, wifi card antenna, or possibly powerline?

I had a friend suggest using a powerline connection, but I know nothing about them. I've done some internet searching and it seems like a good idea, but nothing I have read ever gives what the cons might be. I know that they need plugged in directly to a wall socket, but does doing so leave my computer open to power surges? Also, if I decide to go this route, what is a good brand? Again, I possess no knowledge on this topic.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Compman55]

You will want the wireless access point in the center not on just one end. they make PoE access points that you run just a network cable to, so you are not stuck locating it where there is a power outlet.

 

[KingFatty]

Switch the wireless signal to the basic 802.11b or g, instead of N? I think N has less range than B or G, so the N signal is not making it reliably to your distance.

Even though using B or G is less speedy as far as data capability, it can penetrate through the floor for better range and more reliable connection, which could paradoxically result in faster/better overall connection using B or G, instead of N, for your application going across the house and down one floor.

Anyway, you could try that first and see if your gaming issues and Skype improve. Maybe also get a diagnostic utility to look at the data signal quality/strength over time, and compare the N to the B and G.

Of course, I'm assuming you can set your router appropriately. Perhaps also try turning off any mixed mode, and go with a single B or G mode and not mixed.

If you use the utility to see your signal strength, perhaps you could also try adjusting the antenna on the router, or maybe sitting the router at an angle that is tangent to the line between the router and your computer?

 

[smitbret]

Switch the wireless signal to the basic 802.11b or g, instead of N? I think N has less range than B or G, so the N signal is not making it reliably to your distance.

Even though using B or G is less speedy as far as data capability, it can penetrate through the floor for better range and more reliable connection, which could paradoxically result in faster/better overall connection using B or G, instead of N, for your application going across the house and down one floor.

Anyway, you could try that first and see if your gaming issues and Skype improve. Maybe also get a diagnostic utility to look at the data signal quality/strength over time, and compare the N to the B and G.

Of course, I'm assuming you can set your router appropriately. Perhaps also try turning off any mixed mode, and go with a single B or G mode and not mixed.

If you use the utility to see your signal strength, perhaps you could also try adjusting the antenna on the router, or maybe sitting the router at an angle that is tangent to the line between the router and your computer?

N has the same range as B or G, in fact, you'll probably have better luck with N because you can afford to lose more bandwidth than you would with B or G.

Your solution is going to be move the router to a more central location (high and in the middle is always best) or, if you are limited on where you can move the router, set up an access point (high and in the middle). You can do this by running an ethernet cable to the AP from the router, use powerline networking or MoCA adapters.

 

[JackMDS]

Mr. King is confusing N with A.

It is the 5GHz band that has higher Bandwidth and shorter coverage.

Actually if One has No b devices any more and can set his/her Router to g/n only, Do it.
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OP if the problem is second floor, string up one CAT6 wire to the middle of the second floor hallway, then put there an additional Wireless Router configured as an Access Point.

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

 

[KingFatty]

Ah yes, thanks for the correction, the idea would be to use the type of signal with the most penetrating power too, in addition to range, so it won't be blocked as much by going through the floor?

 

[azazel1024]

Right.

As for b versus g versus n, n will generally have more range as you can use multiple spatial streams. So long as both receiver and transmitter have multiple spatial streams there is a log gain in signal strength per spatial stream.

Effectively because n (and ac) have more than one radio chain transmitting at once, in different phase, it effectively increases the signal strength at the receiver. So in practice, n can have more range. You also have much better performance at range.

One thing that CAN be a nit, is at long distances you have to step down your modulation rate. If the client and basestation do a poor job of this, it can limit your range more than using an already lower modulation rate (IE manually using b or g). This is much more tuning a long link than it is practical home wifi network. For the later, n (or ac) is going to work a lot better than b or g (or a) will.

As for what to do, what kind of client do you have? Desktop with a PCI-e wifi card? USB wifi? Laptop?

If a PCI-e wifi card with removable antennas (most), I'd replace them with higher gain antennas and play with the orientation. If you can currently get a signal there, even if not a very good one, going up an antenna size or two will possibly get you a much better connection (if not great).

Alternately you can get a wifi repeater and try placing it in between the computer and the router, but those are generally last resort as it halves wifi speed (since it is repeating the signal using a single radio).

Or a set of powerline adpaters (they transmit a network over your house's electrical wiring). Or run an ethernet cable. Or run an ethernet cable part way and setup an access point/router in access point mode.

 

[Goothry]

Thanks for the feed back guys! I did some thinking last night and decided to take a risk on a powerline solution for a few reasons. Two of those reasons being that its not possible to move the router, and that my only PCI-e slot is blocked by my GPU.

That said, so far so good regarding the powerline. I picked up a Netgear 500 and it has been allowing my internet to be a steady 100 mbps (or so it says).

I just wanted to post this final comment and express my appreciation toward the people here helping fine tune my thoughts on the matter!

 

[azazel1024]

100Mbps is what the Powerline utility is telling you the link rate is? Or you are getting ~100Mbps actual transfers? Keep in mind, powerline link rate is going to be a lot like Wifi link rate, you aren't actually getting those transfer speeds.

With Wifi generally 40-75% of the link rate is going to be usable performance/payload. With powerline, it is a little worse, about 30-50% is going to be usable performance/payload.

 

[Compman55]

How secure is the power line adapters? I read up on them years ago and have not recently investigated.

I would this to some degree your neighbor may be able to intercept your packets, at leat this was a concern before.

 

[azazel1024]

They all ship with 128 (maybe some have 256) bit AES encryption. As to what kind of hash is used, dunno. It is effectively WPS security though. Push button.

So, inherintly insecure, though a lot better than just open talking. That plus a not overly common method of communication makes it a bit more secure.

Then to top it off, it's not going to carry over a transformer, so only residences on the same pole/transformer could possibly intercept it, and in general the longer the distance, the weaker the signal.

Just like wifi, modulation rate drops with distance. So the modulation rate between two connected adapters is going to be roughly the maximum distance you can be an actually hear the adapters talking at the rate at which they are talking. get further away and you are going to hear "white noise" effectively as you won't be able to decipher it.

With wifi you can compensate trying to evesdrop by using a high gain antenna pointed at the transmitters to pick up the signal better and turn indecipherable back in to something you can understand and then try to decode it.

With powerline you can't do that. You also can't amplify, as you will directly be amplifying the noise on the line too, which gets back to the same "too low" signal to noise ratio.

So, within reason, it is fairly safe, but certainly not absolutely positively secure. A lot safer than an unsecured or WEP secured wifi network.