External Antenna for RT-N66U

[tonytoronto]

That is the point, your NOT an Asus engineer, and I have read your posts. You have not ran yours at 120mW, so don't advise others to due what you are unwilling to do yourself. You have only ran 40mW and 80mW. If you are willing to test long term 120mW with your hardware, have at it and then advise others that it is safe or unsafe when yours burns up.

I did have mine at 120mw, i cannot tell you what will do the router, but i can tell you wireless became unstable and provides worst signal (inSSIDer) and lower file transfer rate. 80mw seems to be sweet spot for the router, from my experiences with it. If they allow provision for the router to operate at 500mw they must have tested it at those limits, otherwise wouldn't be there.

 

[NightOwl326]

I did have mine at 120mw, i cannot tell you what will do the router, but i can tell you wireless became unstable and provides worst signal (inSSIDer) and lower file transfer rate. 80mw seems to be sweet spot for the router, from my experiences with it. If they allow provision for the router to operate at 500mw they must have tested it at those limits, otherwise wouldn't be there.

You are correct (and thank you), but as you stated 120mW does cause instability, which tells you the RF amps do not want to run that way and the signal is getting dirty.

Never forget marketing when it comes to any product. There are purchasers who will not be happy unless they believe that 500mW is a possible number.

That does not mean it will work, it is right, or the hardware can take it for long. But, boy oh boy, some buyers can brag that their router can do 500mW and post endless signal strength readings. Kind of the little guy, big truck scenario. You know, the highest lifted truck, with 36" tires, and out crawls a guy 5 foot 2".

This is not high school, chicks are not drawn to high power routers.

 

[davethebossman]

So in regard to higher gain, have we come to the conclusion that we CANNOT find better-than-stock antennas? If powerline + AP is the best option, then so be it. But until then, i'm still willing to look around for crazy antenna gain.

Someone suggested this brand in a different thread. Could someone else cruise through these antenna models and comment on any of the larger antennas being suitable for the n66u?

http://www.alfa.com.tw/in/front/bin/ptlist.phtml?Category=106129

Thanks guys (and gals?)

David H

 

[njweb]

So in regard to higher gain, have we come to the conclusion that we CANNOT find better-than-stock antennas? If powerline + AP is the best option, then so be it. But until then, i'm still willing to look around for crazy antenna gain.

Someone suggested this brand in a different thread. Could someone else cruise through these antenna models and comment on any of the larger antennas being suitable for the n66u?

http://www.alfa.com.tw/in/front/bin/ptlist.phtml?Category=106129

Thanks guys (and gals?)

David H

It will be hard to find suitable replacement antennae, as I think someone else already noted.
1) This router uses dual band external antennae which are harder to come by than 2.4 GHz only models.
2) Any good quality antenna with significant gain (can't go by some models that may be less expensive but may also have inflated dB ratings) would cost a lot, especially since you would need 3 matched replacement antennae, and not just one, to get the full benefit for 3 stream.

Of the Alfa section you linked to, only one (page 2 on my view) is dual band.
http://www.alfa.com.tw/in/front/bin/ptdetail.phtml?Part=APA-M03&Category=106129
I am not sure the gain listed in the specs is enough (relative to the stock antennae on the 66U) or not to make a noticeable enough difference (depending on your specific needs).

 

[jerryk]

I used the wired + access point method with great success. In my case I use cable TV as the WAN link (Comcast) and as the wiring (via MOCA) between the routers. The remote access point is my old WNDR 3700.

 

[robgold]

I promised I would report back after trying out an external antenna, so here goes. I bought 3 Asus WL-ANT157 antennas, which are dual band and directional antennas. They are pretty small and attached directly to the antenna jacks on the back of the NR-66U. I'm very pleased with the results. My 5.8 Ghz signal is even stronger now, but more importantly my 2.4 Ghz signal strength and speed has doubled. It seems that external antennas can improve signals and speed, at least in my situation. Thanks again for everyone's advice and comments.

 

[tonytoronto]

Robgold, could you post a picture how it looks like with those antennas?
thanks

 

[robgold]

No problem, but running out soon, so I'll try to post this afternoon when I get home.

 

[robgold]

Here is a photo of the RT-N66U with the WL-ANT157 antennas. This is not the spot where I normally keep the router, but its normal location makes it very hard to photograph. Also, the antennas are normally rotated with the "Asus" label facing the back of the router, but I rotated them so you can see them with the label.

 

[darksamus]

Here is a photo of the RT-N66U with the WL-ANT157 antennas. This is not the spot where I normally keep the router, but its normal location makes it very hard to photograph. Also, the antennas are normally rotated with the "Asus" label facing the back of the router, but I rotated them so you can see them with the label.

How much are they?

 

[RogerSC]

The lowest price I could find was $24.64 each at Amazon when I looked earlier this morning.

 

[tonytoronto]

Those look bad a$$!! Wonder if only one of them would help...

 

[TonyH]

Same gain as what you are taking off.

In my case careful tweaking of stock antenna position can make a 10dbm difference in signal level. I am watching the level in our family room where home theater is located. After spending some time with antenna positions, swieveling, bending various ways I found one which adds 10 more dbm. 2,4GHz is typically 10dbm higher than 5GHz band. Now 5GHz band shows steady ~50dbm and 2.4GHz ~40dbm. I got hold of a set of 7DBi dual band antenna and tried it. Not much different from stock ones. Legal limit of power here is 500mW I think. So I'd think they will handle upto that level. Better find a spec. data sheet of those amp. chips. I never ran more than 100mW and with Shibby's Tomato when I set the power to 80mW, 2.4GHz radio went crazy(quite unstable; signal stuttering). I know my Ubiquiti PowerAP N can handle 1000mW giving wider coverage.

 

[jerry6]

Here is a photo of the RT-N66U with the WL-ANT157 antennas. This is not the spot where I normally keep the router, but its normal location makes it very hard to photograph. Also, the antennas are normally rotated with the "Asus" label facing the back of the router, but I rotated them so you can see them with the label.

They look like the middle antenna from my wrt 600 linksys , if I replace the middle antenna with one of those will it help the 5ghz band , or do I have to replace all ? 2.4 is fine , 5 ghz needs a bit of help

 

[Raptor]

The RT-N66U is a Dual Band Router. You need to use Dual Band Antenna's.
Have a look at these:
http://www.l-com.com/item.aspx?id=21679

 

[darksamus]

The RT-N66U is a Dual Band Router. You need to use Dual Band Antenna's.
Have a look at these:
http://www.l-com.com/item.aspx?id=21679

robgold posted is dual band. Search Asus WL-ANT157.

 

[Raptor]

robgold posted is dual band. Search Asus WL-ANT157.

I've looked at the WL-ANT157 antenna before but it is a directional style antenna. This is more for special applications. Most users need omni directional antenna's that give fuller coverage. The RT-N66U come from the factory with omni style antenna's.

 

[darksamus]

I've looked at the WL-ANT157 antenna before but it is a directional style antenna. This is more for special applications. Most users need omni directional antenna's that give fuller coverage. The RT-N66U come from the factory with omni style antenna's.

You said "You need to use Dual Band Antenna's." You did not mention directional or omni directional.

 

[robgold]

I've looked at the WL-ANT157 antenna before but it is a directional style antenna. This is more for special applications. Most users need omni directional antenna's that give fuller coverage. The RT-N66U come from the factory with omni style antenna's.

Yes, the WL-ANT157 is not necessarily going to help if the router is in the center of your home because it focuses the signal in just one direction. In my case, the router is placed at the far end of my apartment so it has helped significantly, but it very much depends on your own setup and could conceivably make things worse.

 

[RogerSC]

Tempting for me...my router is all the way in the back of my house, and is now pointing towards the front. My house is deeper than it is wide by a factor of about 2. So these directional antennas would focus more of the signal where I want it to go anyways.

Just need to decide if the extra $'s are worth the signal gain. My 2.4GHz. coverage is okay at the front of my house now. Might help for 5GHz., though, but I'm not using it much at present. Using an AP in the front of my house might be a better idea for 5GHz. anyways, if and when I need it.