Will a wi-fi network card solve my problem?

[Perene]

I need to transfer (inside my network) files at a speed that can only be achieved using a CAT-6 cable. I have the ISP modem and the Archer C8 (wi-fi router). When I connect my PC (using CAT-6 ethernet cable) to the ISP modem (which is handling DHCP, while the Archer is broadcasting at 5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz in the adjacent room) I only get at best 12 MB/s.

If I connect the CAT-6 ethernet cable from the PC to the Archer I can get at best 60 MB/s. But my PC doesn't have wi-fi capabilities, and I don't want to buy any USB-wi-fi dongle for that. My PC has a bluetooth USB dongle, and that's it.

I was told to buy something like this:

*******
- A PCI-e wireless network adapter. Once you’ve installed it, though, the PCI-e wireless adapter is going to give you more networking power. They typically pack at least two antennas, each of which is going to boost your Wi-Fi signal reception. Some of them, like the Rosewill RNX-AC1900PCE (UK), even have three antennas, further increasing the card’s potential for high-speed communication.
*******

And install in this computer. Here's my question: will I get the same upload speeds in my network, 60 MB/s? Or this can only be achieved this way:

PC <--------- CAT-6 ethernet cable -----------> Archer C-8

The distance from the PC to the Archer is 10 feet and 9.921 inches (3.30 meters). It's in the adjacent room, and there's a wall between them.

If you want to know how good is the ISP internet signal, I can get max speeds (50 Mbps/5 for UL) in the 5 Ghz network, in my iPAD/tablet. That's because the distance is short. This has nothing to do with my question, though. What I want is to stream things at the max 60 MB/s speeds, in my own network.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Ok, couple questions. Who is the ISP, and what is the gateway (modem) model, you're indicating it's also a router, so ISP's call modem router combos "gateways"

What's the link speed you get when connected to the ISP device?

Sounds like 100mbps speeds, aka 12MBps.

Are you running the Archer as a router, or configed as a WAP?

 

[Perene]

Ok, couple questions. Who is the ISP, and what is the gateway (modem) model, you're indicating it's also a router, so ISP's call modem router combos "gateways"

What's the link speed you get when connected to the ISP device?

Sounds like 100mbps speeds, aka 12MBps.

Are you running the Archer as a router, or configed as a WAP?

The ISP internet is VDSL2 (so is the modem). 50 Mbps DL speed, 5 Mbps UL.

Meaning = 50 Mbps = 6 MB/s, and UL 600, 700 KB/s at best.

This is a picture from the ISP modem:

Gateway is 192.168.15.1.

But please note this has nothing to do with the issue in question, since I am talking about speeds inside one's own network.

Then there's the Archer C8, gigabit router. Gateway is 192.168.8.1.

The Archer C8 has 4 ethernet ports, and one port called "Internet" (the latter is not being used right now, despite what the above picture is showing).

This is how things are connected:

***********
PC = CAT-6 ethernet cable goes to............ ISP modem (which has wi-fi disabled, and DHCP enabled). One of the 4 LAN ports. Max UL speeds inside my own network = 12 MB/s.

Archer C-8 (DHCP disabled, and dynamic IP enabled...) ethernet cable goes to......... ISP modem, too (one of the 4 LAN ports).

And that's it.

If I wanted my UL speeds to rise from 12 MB/s to 60 MB/s I would need to connect the PC to the Archer C8. And, of course, use a CAT-6 ethernet cable (it's the red one from the image).

Or (and this is where this thread is going) I would theoretically require one of these two devices:

- USB dongle for enabling wi-fi in the PC (not good enough)
- Internal PCI-E wi-fi network card

My question is: will the wi-fi network card enable my PC to achieve 60 MB/s max speeds, streaming inside my network?

For example, if I want to send a file from PC to ------------------> iPAD I can only achieve 12 MB/s now, since the ISP modem is not a gigabit router.

The PC is the only device in my house that does not have wi-fi capabilities.

 

[ch33zw1z]

The answer to your specific question is: possibly.

The reality of the situation is that streaming at that speed from wifi device to wifi device may not be sustained. Nothing stopping you from trying though.

Edit: and the day modem has everything to do with the 12MBps inside your network, for the reason you stated. It's not a gigabit device. 12MBps * 8=100mbps

 

[mxnerd]

Why do you connect your PC to the modem? You should connect it to Archer C8.

Modem Gateway is 192.168.15.1, you should put Archer C8 into AP mode, set its IP address to 192.168.15.2, uplink one of the LAN port to modem. WAN port of Archer C8 should be left unconnected.

Then your communication between WiFi devices and PC will happen inside the Archer C8. Not going through the slow modem.

 

[Perene]

The answer to your specific question is: possibly.

The reality of the situation is that streaming at that speed from wifi device to wifi device may not be sustained. Nothing stopping you from trying though.

That's my problem, I can't buy something I don't know how will it perform. Most people are only concerned about getting good speeds from the ISP, and never talk about if you can stream 1080p or 4K files from a device to another, in the same house (and some of those are huge).

Usually when the PC is only a few meters away from the router can we get good gigabit speeds?

Are there any reviews or tests that can show these speeds being achieved?

I know that ideally by connecting a CAT-6 ethernet cable we can get 60 MB/s inside the network, but for me it would be more practical to install a wi-fi network card in the PC motherboard to do the same. It would be more expensive, though, but it would be for the best, since this PC can only use the internet through ethernet cable.

What I am not going to invest is in a USB dongle, clearly this isn't going to be anywhere good compared to a wi-fi network card.

I also read that the wi-fi network card needs to be 802.11ac, and all the devices.

Why do you connect your PC to the modem? You should connect it to Archer C8.

Modem Gateway is 192.168.15.1, you should put Archer C8 into AP mode, set its IP address to 192.168.15.2, uplink one of the LAN port to modem.

I can't do that because the router is in the other room. I put there on purpose to reduce the EMF exposure, prior to that decision it was 3.28 ft (1 m) from me, in my desk, now it's 10.82 ft (3.3 meters), and there's a wall separating both rooms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICA19oKPi5I

I know that installing a wi-fi network card will add more EMF to my bedroom, but at least I can disable it when I don't need it.

If I wanted I could purchase 49 ft (15 m) of CAT-6 cable and connect the PC to the Archer C8 again, however that would be inconvenient since I'll need to do other adjustments in #2 room (where the gigabit router is located now).

I don't think the Archer has what you are saying, too. It only offers "Static IP, Dynamic, PPPoE, Bigpond cable, L2TP and PPTP" in the "Internet" setting.

Note: I know that distance is not the ultimate solution to EMF exposure (of course the entire house has that radiation), yet the more distance you are from the source, the better.

This link indicates the following:

http://www.emfwise.com/doc/10-precautions-emf.pdf

If possible, obtain a low-powered Wi-Fi router and keep a distance of at least 1 to 3 meters when it is powered on. If possible, turn on the Wi-Fi router only when needed and unplug it otherwise.

 

[mxnerd]

If you worry about EMF exposure, you shouldn't use WiFi at all. WiFi is everywhere and you worry about it?

I guess it could fry your brain overnight since you have a lot of neighbors who also have WiFi devices.

Just choose Dynamic for Archer C8 and don't connect for WAN port.

 

[ch33zw1z]

He's talking about wan. You can choose dynamic, but it won't pull and IP unless you use the WAN port.

What mxnerd is saying is: don't have two routing devices in a chain. Set the Archer up as a WAP, which it sounds like it's close to being already.

Google "router as WAP"

Basically in the archer:

1. Disable WAN
2. Disable DHCP
3. Set static IP to something outside of the DHCP range configured in the dsl device

Like 192.168.15.2 , subnet mask 255.255.255.0

You will have to check the DHCP range in the dsl device and adjust that example if needed.

No dns required.

Plug in the network cable from lan to lan. Leave archer wan port empty. You should be able to access the archer using the IP you set.

Just take a deep breath, read our advice, and think about what you really want to do.

The WiFi card could work, but I don't use wifi for a streaming server, and then another wifi device as a client, especially not off the same access point. You really want to wire up the server.

 

[mxnerd]

Yep. Thanks for ch33 clearing it up. What I said 192.168.15.2 for Archer C8 is its LAN IP. Not WAN.

All WiFi devices share the same bandwidth. The more devices you connect and transmitting data at the same time, it gets slower.

And you should worry more about what you eat or whether you exercise or not, not EMF.

 

[Perene]

Static IP? How is this going to work since I disabled the wi-fi in the VDSL2 ISP modem (the one with the "VIVO" label)????? I did it because the Archer provides me with two networks (5 and 2.4 Ghz, and much better speeds).

Also, the ISP modem has DMZ enabled:

Should this be disabled?

I took a picture from the Archer C8 "Internet" settings, as they are now:

https://i.imgur.com/aaGFhxl.jpg

Then, look what happens if I select Static IP:

https://i.imgur.com/CGkFnqe.jpg

 

[mxnerd]

Why would you enable DMZ if you are not hosting anything that's needed to be accessed from outside?

If you setup DMZ for a specific IP, it means that IP is exposed and always under attack from internet. It should never be used.

Enable WiFi on Archer C8 and disable WIFi on modem gateway. Why wouldn't it work?

If you want to enable both, that's fine too. Reserve modem's SSID for your guests. Use other SSIDs (one for 2.4G, another for 5G ) for Archer C8's for your own usage.

Any LAN static IP from 192.168.15.2 to 192.168.15.254 is OK , as long as it does not conflict with modem's IP. Ignore WAN IP or connection for Archer C8. Change it to Dynamic so you don't have to enter any info. Leave it alone and don't connect it to anything! Use a tape to cover the WAN port so you don't forget. Connect modem to one of Archer C8's LAN port.

Just make sure the IP address does not fall in modem's DHCP range. There should be only one DHCP server on the network. It can be modem or Archer C8, just not both.

==

If you want Archer C8 to control everything, then turn that modem gateway into pure modem. Choose PPPoE type for Archer C8's internet (WAN), enter your ISP login username/password there.

 

[Perene]

Thank you all. I configured as instructed here. What I was failing to understand was how to configure exactly.

It's this way:

https://i.imgur.com/FDk1E2m.png

And:

https://i.imgur.com/r3uQXIv.png

Now I am able to access the Archer in the PC, something not possible before (I had to configure a static IP such as 192.168.8.130, 255.255.255.0 and 192.168.8.1 for the gateway, and only in my iPAD). Now the Archer C8 can be accessed anywhere, using the 192.168.15.254 IP. The confusion was due to two different settings, look at Imgur and you'll see "Internet" and "LAN" in the Network option.

As for the wi-fi network card, I'll investigate what results can be achieved with one, if it's worth buying for this PC. Since I don't use the PC very often to stream and send files this might be useful to enable when needed.

 

[mxnerd]

That's the way it is. Nothing wrong with it.

Wireless router is a 3-in-1 device. Router + network switch + wireless access point (WAP or AP).

Now you put Archer C8 into AP mode, so the routing part is disabled. The routing function now is provided by your DSL modem gateway.

If you want to lookup WAN (internet) info, you should visit http://192.168.15.1

We don't want to cascade 2 routers in a network unless you have very particular reason. It slows down the traffic and make it hard to troubleshoot when something goes wrong.

 

[Perene]

I am having a problem with this configuration: now the Archer C8 can't be accessed anywhere if I visit the IP 192.168.15.254. I can do that with the VR900 only: 192.168.15.1.

I tried connecting ethernet cable to my iPAD and then using the ethernet option, but that only creates a 192.168.15.X IP, with the gateway always 192.168.15.1.

I also tried accessing 192.168.15.254 from the iPAD (using the wi-fi), no luck.

Everything is working the way I wanted, it's just that I can't access the Archer anymore. When I try to ping 192.168.15.254 it says the host can't be reached.

I want to avoid reseting the Archer to factory settings just to access its internal settings again. Is there something I can do to access the Archer C8 gateway? I thought that just plugging an ethernet cable on one of the 4 ports would be enough in this scenario.

Also tried changing the gateway from my iPAD to 192.168.15.254. No luck, and couldn't even connect to the internet after that.

Note: currently the wi-fi is being broadcasted by the Archer C8;

- The Archer C8 is connected to the VR900 (router + modem) via the ethernet cable, in the LAN port.

The VR900 uses 192.168.15.1 as the gateway.

I don't understand what happened, since the IP 192.168.15.254 was working before.

EDIT: The problem was fixed after I did a reset to factory settings in the Archer. 192.168.15.254 accessible again. And it is configured as explained here.