Old Dude... help me build new AC network

Just wanted to thank you all for your help, and ideas on how to optimize my network going forward.

Charter cable was out today to FINALL Y get VoIP setup. Took the guy NINE HOURS to get it done. Spent the first 4~5 hours trying to figure out why the line(s) were not ported. (One was... the other was still in limbo.) Then once they got the ported, they were BOTH ringing on the same line in the modem. Took them another couple of hours to get the lines to go to separate outlets on the modem.

Meanwhile... I have two separate physical lines running throughout the house, everywhere but behind the main system. There I have a run of Cat5 with both lines in it. The guy couldn't figure out how to back feed the signal through the house to where I had both lines ringing in the kitchen (or anywhere else for that matter). I finally got him connected with Cat5 line I ran to the office downstairs, spliced that one together with the one from the family room. That however didn't get signal everywhere as he still needed to go to the NIC outside and splice the back together.

The problem was that the builder ran 2 wires, but only used 1 pair on each wire. Once *I* showed the installer that he didn't need 2 wires (twisted pair, even though AT&T lines only have 2 pair), that he could use black/yellow then red/green and get both lines on a single wire he FINALLY got it working, after 9:00pm! By that time my back was hurting so bad I couldn't walk.

Tomorrow the new router and switches show up.
If my back feels like it does now, in the morning.... it surely looks like one of those days where I spend the day in the bedroom again.

Any-who.... thanks again guys.

You can ask your son to do the cabling while you just watch. Tell him if he wants to game online he needs to pitch in too especially if you're the one paying the bills and for the equipment.

System Error Message said:

You can ask your son to do the cabling while you just watch. Tell him if he wants to game online he needs to pitch in too especially if you're the one paying the bills and for the equipment.

Click to expand...

LOVE this reply.

System Error Message said:

You can ask your son to do the cabling while you just watch. Tell him if he wants to game online he needs to pitch in too especially if you're the one paying the bills and for the equipment.

Click to expand...

I hear ya!

I already have a line runnin to the game room from upstairs. So on that one I am going to install the old Dlink as an AP and then run the five port switch off of it as well to accommodate all the various devices and 'visitors" that tend to show up. (FWIW there is also another hard line running to his bedroom, (where for his computer used to be). Yet I go downstairs and find that he's pulled it out of the ceiling so that his 'buddy' can use it when he's "visiting".

But yeah.... I am surely paying all the bills and buying all the equipment!

OTOH, as expected.. Today has been a very VERY hard day for me to move around. (Was up till 3:30... with no amount of pain meds helping.) :-(

Now I have to get my alarm company to walk me through resetting that darn thing to operate over VoIP.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Managed to get everything working.... sort of.

The R7000 has been giving me fits, trying to keep 5G connections up. Seems devices keep dropping off, then I can't get them back on, OR... it's turned 5G off completely.

I've updated firmware 3 different times, both on the R7000 as well as the GS108Tv2 and the GS105Ev2. I find it strange that the 108 uses the Smart Control Center software (can still do web view) whilst the 105 uses the ProSafe Plus Utility.

Found with 1 of the switches the newest firmware didn't 'play' well with their software, (so backed that down to a different version).

After a couple of days fighting with the 5G problem I started looking at the new Asus USB AC-56. I could get everything running, then leave for a while only to come back and find the device off line.

It was shutting off (even though I told power management NOT to shut it off) and it'd sometimes not turn on no matter what I did.

So... I upgraded that firmware as well. BOY WAS THAT A BAD IDEA!

Their 'firmware' also comes with a rather intrusive bloatware app that is *supposed* to be able to control the device. One word... WRONG! I could reboot the laptop and the device still wouldn't turn on.

Uninstall the software and go back to the original, to the next, next, and even the latest one (from May of 2015). Then I started searching the net.... found a review on Amazon where a guy had been having the same problem.

His solution was to load an Edimax driver and use that. Accounting that to the fact that both devices use the same Realtek RTL8812AU chip.

Figured that couldn't hurt, as what I had was TERRIBLE. Loaded that puppy and I can connect the internal "N" card at 2.4 & 5 as well as the Asus AC-56. I can switch between 'adapters', switch between frequencies, it's completely stable (with the Edimax driver of course). The sweet side of it all is I no longer have to deal with the (Asus) software interface to get anything done. Can connect/disconnect directly from my systray.

FWIW, connection(s) are at 300 or 897. Have yet to have a 'dual-band' connection. (Nor do I understand yet how to get the true dual-band connection.)

The funny thing though is my D/L speeds whether connected via the Centrino 6205 or the AC-56 are the same. The speed difference however between this (even on N) and my old DLink is dramatic! That one had dropped into the mid 30's at best, with a TON of dropped packets. Now I'm in the upper 50's to mid 60's with no loss packets. (Our ISP speed is 60 btw.)

I would suggest to those that are looking at the Asus AC-56 to COMPLETELY FORGET the included software, and instead go the Edimax site and download the ew-7822uac drivers. Having the high gain antenna will help you in areas where you need the signal, (as long as you have workable drivers). OTOH, if the two are this similar... might as well get the Edimax device for half the money.

This part is something I was somewhat surprised to see. I've been a fan of Asus hardware for 15+ years, using their MB's to build a number of PC's. Perhaps that's what they need to stick to, (hardware) as the software is extremely penurious at best.