Ac68u Router Range issue.

[SHAH]

Im pretty much satisfied with its stability and performance but its lacks when it comes to range.

What options i've to extend its range? should i use external high dbi antennas? or range extender? please help me.

Thanks.

 

[htismaqe]

What kind of range are you experiencing? What are you expecting?

I've got an AC68W and have also recently used the Linksys EA6900 and the Netgear R7000.

My own personal experience is that you're not going to get better single-box range than what the A68U provides.

If you need better coverage, you'd be better off looking at adding APs to your network.

 

[SHAH]

What kind of range are you experiencing? What are you expecting?

I've got an AC68W and have also recently used the Linksys EA6900 and the Netgear R7000.

My own personal experience is that you're not going to get better single-box range than what the A68U provides.

If you need better coverage, you'd be better off looking at adding APs to your network.

currently have few dead spots in home where i get no coverage due to the walls or very low signals where the connection keeps dropping out.

What Aps you recommend? or should i use High dBi antennas which are available in market?

 

[htismaqe]

It depends on what kind of coverage you are looking for.

I needed to improve 2.4Ghz coverage in a couple of places on my property so I bought two refurbished Netgear WGR614's. I paid like $20 for both of them together. Configured them in AP mode and wired them up to my router.

Simple and straightforward.

 

[SHAH]

It depends on what kind of coverage you are looking for.

I needed to improve 2.4Ghz coverage in a couple of places on my property so I bought two refurbished Netgear WGR614's. I paid like $20 for both of them together. Configured them in AP mode and wired them up to my router.

Simple and straightforward.

i need to improve both the signals strength 2.4ghz and 5ghz... i didn't get that part "u wired them up with your router" ? how you connecting both netgear with Ac68u ? you using ethernet wire?

 

[htismaqe]

If you need both bands then you'll have to get a dual-band AP. The same concept applies - you set it up in AP mode (turn the router and FW off) and then connect it to your main router via ethernet cable.

If you can't use ethernet cable, you have a bit of a problem. Extending via wireless affects throughput and/or consumes a radio for the extended connection. Extending via wireless is not ideal.

 

[SHAH]

If you need both bands then you'll have to get a dual-band AP. The same concept applies - you set it up in AP mode (turn the router and FW off) and then connect it to your main router via ethernet cable.

If you can't use ethernet cable, you have a bit of a problem. Extending via wireless affects throughput and/or consumes a radio for the extended connection. Extending via wireless is not ideal.

i can't use ethernet cable that's a problem. i need something wireless and easy to setup so i can move things around... If i go for wireless setup will it affect the speed ?

If i go for higher dBi dual band antennas? are they sufficient?

 

[htismaqe]

I've never had good luck with after-market antennas. They don't actually improve the signal strength the way you'd think. Also, a lot of the antennas out there are only single-band, which means they won't work with a lot of these 3-antenna dual-band routers.

If you extend via wireless, the ideal situation would be to use a dual radio unit - one radio to connect to the router and one radio for clients to connect. The problem with this is that it won't give you simultaneous 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz coverage and ultimately your throughput will be limited to whatever the weakest link can attain.

I wouldn't recommend trying to extend your wireless range with a single-radio extender, it cuts your throughput in half instantly.

 

[SHAH]

I've never had good luck with after-market antennas. They don't actually improve the signal strength the way you'd think. Also, a lot of the antennas out there are only single-band, which means they won't work with a lot of these 3-antenna dual-band routers.

If you extend via wireless, the ideal situation would be to use a dual radio unit - one radio to connect to the router and one radio for clients to connect. The problem with this is that it won't give you simultaneous 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz coverage and ultimately your throughput will be limited to whatever the weakest link can attain.

I wouldn't recommend trying to extend your wireless range with a single-radio extender, it cuts your throughput in half instantly.

thanks for enlightening me. so then what would u recommend? for dual band extender?

 

[Pierino]

A Broadcom dual band router that is supported by dd-wrt. You can then set one band up as a client and the other band as an ap. It's how I do it.
Google dd-wrt compatible devices list.

 

[htismaqe]

That is what I recommend as well.

Just be aware that you cannot cover both bands that way. If you use the 2.4Ghz band for clients, you need to use the 5Ghz band for the connection to the router and vice versa.

 

[SHAH]

That is what I recommend as well.

Just be aware that you cannot cover both bands that way. If you use the 2.4Ghz band for clients, you need to use the 5Ghz band for the connection to the router and vice versa.

please explain again ? You mean AP should be set in 2.4Ghz and main router should be set in 5Ghz mode? is that what you mean ?

 

[htismaqe]

The router has two radios, 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. One of them will have to be used for the router-to-router connection. The other will then be used to connect clients.

 

[SHAH]

The router has two radios, 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. One of them will have to be used for the router-to-router connection. The other will then be used to connect clients.

i've a spare d-link dir655.. i hope it works with my asus router.

 

[connorm]

dir-655 wont work lol.

i have rt-ac66u and dir-655

 

[SHAH]

dir-655 wont work lol.

i have rt-ac66u and dir-655

oh.. i read a guide somewhere and it was mentioned that it can be turned into AP.

i've linksys wrt54g with dd-wrt firmware on it but "G" will be slow i guess :S

 

[htismaqe]

oh.. i read a guide somewhere and it was mentioned that it can be turned into AP.

i've linksys wrt54g with dd-wrt firmware on it but "G" will be slow i guess :S

The DIR-655 is single-radio. So is the WRT54G. You can't use them for what you want.

Both of them can be used as access points but you have to connect them to your main router with an ethernet cable.

You need a simultaneous dual-band router to do what you want.

 

[SHAH]

The DIR-655 is single-radio. So is the WRT54G. You can't use them for what you want.

Both of them can be used as access points but you have to connect them to your main router with an ethernet cable.

You need a simultaneous dual-band router to do what you want.

yeah..will look for cheap dual band router. if you have any in mind let me know ?

 

[jerry6]

Asus N 66 is a very good router , if you can find one at a good price .

 

[Pierino]

You can get a linksys e3000 for $25 on eBay. I just sold an e4200 with dd-wrt fir $40.
You can get a netgear wndr3400v1, wndr3700v3, wndr4000 all under $30 usually.
You will need a Broadcom router. An theros router on dd-wrt can't be set up as a client bridge, which is what you want to set one of the radios up as.