SkOrPn
Occasional Visitor
Well, not sure this is the proper forum section to ask this but I need to figure out how to increase our Wireless-N streams. We have multiple devices that keep dropping their streams down to barely watchable levels, A Samsung SmartHub BD Player, a WDTV SMP player, and a Roku. All wireless B/G/N devices. The WDTV SMP is in direct line of sight from the Actiontec C1000A about 12ft away and it still loses its HD appearance. The connection constantly gives me a 47 Mbps test result at speedtest.net and the HD streams to the wired devices do not seem to suffer any HD drops.
So, here's the setup. I am only using the C1000A for all the routing and wireless currently, mainly because we were told it was a powerful router and would handle anything we could throw at it. The specs are below of both my owned routers in house.
Actiontec C1000A (CenturyLink) (Set to Wireless-N ONLY)
FCC approval date: 28 April 2012
UPC: 789286808226 (UPC DB, On eBay)
ASIN: B008EM6XBQ (On Amazon, On CCC)
Type: wireless router, dsl modem, analog phone gateway
FCC ID: LNQC1000A
Power: 12 VDC, 1.5 A
CPU1: Broadcom BCM63168 (400 MHz)
FLA1: 64 MB (STMicroelectronics NAND512W3A2SN6)
RAM1: 64 MB (Hynix H5PS5162GFR-Y5C)
Expansion: USB 2.0
USB ports: 1
WI1 chip1: Broadcom BCM63168
WI1 802dot11 protocols: bgn
WI1 MIMO config: 2x2:2
WI1 antenna connector: none
ETH chip1: Broadcom BCM63168
Switch: Broadcom Model?
LAN speed: 10/100/1000
LAN ports: 4
DIR-655 A4 (taken directly from the review here at SNB)
Radio: Atheros AR9160 BB/MAC and AR9103 2.4 GHz
MIMO Config: 3x3 MIMO radio
CPU: Ubicom IP5160U (275mhz?)
Switch: Realtek RTL8366SR Gigabit
I cant seem to figure out how to setup QoS Downstream on the C1000A, it just has a selection dot for either upstream or downstream. When I click on that dot (downstream) it then asks me for a QoS Profile and gives me the options of CenturyLink Video, CenturyLink VoIP, or "Custom Rule". If I select Custom Rule, it then drops down a huge list of things I am supposed to select (I guess this is something that I match to Netflix or Hulu+ streams?). I have no clue what that is. On the DIR-655 using QoS for video streaming is as simple as just selecting it.
So, since the C1000A is a much newer device using newer tech would it be considered a better router for my needs (Like CenturyLink would have me believe)? Or should I go back to using the DIR-655? I have one high power (1 watt) wireless-N client about 106 ft away going through several walls and an entire garage, lol. He gets descent connection but when several clients are streaming everything seems to drop down to crappy video, especially on the WDTV. I assume it must be the antenna gain on the C1000A must be way to low?
Should I sell my DIR-655 and get the new Netgear R7000 instead? By the way, it is common talk at dslreports that this C1000A has a good router functions but not so good Wireless. I do not know how to proceed, or if I should do anything at all. I was thinking about getting three large 9dBi high-gain antennas (14" or so), putting the C1000A into modem mode only and setting up the DIR-655 for PPPoE to do all the wireless and routing functions etc, but not sure what that would do if anything since I will be going back to Draft N.
Any help or advice would be highly appreciated. Thank You
So, here's the setup. I am only using the C1000A for all the routing and wireless currently, mainly because we were told it was a powerful router and would handle anything we could throw at it. The specs are below of both my owned routers in house.
Actiontec C1000A (CenturyLink) (Set to Wireless-N ONLY)
FCC approval date: 28 April 2012
UPC: 789286808226 (UPC DB, On eBay)
ASIN: B008EM6XBQ (On Amazon, On CCC)
Type: wireless router, dsl modem, analog phone gateway
FCC ID: LNQC1000A
Power: 12 VDC, 1.5 A
CPU1: Broadcom BCM63168 (400 MHz)
FLA1: 64 MB (STMicroelectronics NAND512W3A2SN6)
RAM1: 64 MB (Hynix H5PS5162GFR-Y5C)
Expansion: USB 2.0
USB ports: 1
WI1 chip1: Broadcom BCM63168
WI1 802dot11 protocols: bgn
WI1 MIMO config: 2x2:2
WI1 antenna connector: none
ETH chip1: Broadcom BCM63168
Switch: Broadcom Model?
LAN speed: 10/100/1000
LAN ports: 4
DIR-655 A4 (taken directly from the review here at SNB)
Radio: Atheros AR9160 BB/MAC and AR9103 2.4 GHz
MIMO Config: 3x3 MIMO radio
CPU: Ubicom IP5160U (275mhz?)
Switch: Realtek RTL8366SR Gigabit
I cant seem to figure out how to setup QoS Downstream on the C1000A, it just has a selection dot for either upstream or downstream. When I click on that dot (downstream) it then asks me for a QoS Profile and gives me the options of CenturyLink Video, CenturyLink VoIP, or "Custom Rule". If I select Custom Rule, it then drops down a huge list of things I am supposed to select (I guess this is something that I match to Netflix or Hulu+ streams?). I have no clue what that is. On the DIR-655 using QoS for video streaming is as simple as just selecting it.
So, since the C1000A is a much newer device using newer tech would it be considered a better router for my needs (Like CenturyLink would have me believe)? Or should I go back to using the DIR-655? I have one high power (1 watt) wireless-N client about 106 ft away going through several walls and an entire garage, lol. He gets descent connection but when several clients are streaming everything seems to drop down to crappy video, especially on the WDTV. I assume it must be the antenna gain on the C1000A must be way to low?
Should I sell my DIR-655 and get the new Netgear R7000 instead? By the way, it is common talk at dslreports that this C1000A has a good router functions but not so good Wireless. I do not know how to proceed, or if I should do anything at all. I was thinking about getting three large 9dBi high-gain antennas (14" or so), putting the C1000A into modem mode only and setting up the DIR-655 for PPPoE to do all the wireless and routing functions etc, but not sure what that would do if anything since I will be going back to Draft N.
Any help or advice would be highly appreciated. Thank You
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