Cheap wireless bridge needed

[MisterDeadeye]

Okay, so I've got a~10Mbps download from my ISP. That ~10Mbps speed stays true through my D-Link DIR-655, wired to my desktop in the family computer room, and through to my laptop and phones, etc., downstairs in the entertainment room. I have one problem, and that's with my PS3. The speed is sporadic, sometimes <1Mbps, all of the way to about 7-8Mbps. I'd say the average is about 4Mbps, but with the fact that I get kicked out of the PlayStation Network so often, and kicked out of online games, etc., the average means nothing.

In a game(like the newest Call of Duty), I will go from a great connection, to horrible, and everywhere in between, several times in a single match. It varies, but I really feel like the variation is because of how far away the PS3 is to the router, and all of the interference that entails(multiple walls, and a floor).

So, whether the PS3's wireless adapter, the layout of my house, or my router choice is to blame, I obviously need something to help out. I've looked at Powerline(I don't want to potentially waste money on something that may or may not work well with my electrical lines), and I've looked at wireless bridges. I think what I'm going to do is get a bridge or WDS-enabled router, and use an Ethernet from said device to the PS3. I don't need to transfer files around my network, and nothing else will be connected. I will be gaming, and that will be the entirety of my Internet needs here.


The other thing is that I'm trying to find something under $50 to achieve this. The problem I'm running into is, will I be able to find something that has enough range to receive the signal from my 655, while still keeping the speed as pure as possible? I don't want my connection speed to suffer because of going cheap. Why buy something if it's going to be a waste?


Here is a list of WDS-enabled routers that I've been looking at. Will any of them fit my needs?

TP-Link(WDR3500($45) -- reviewed here, WR1043ND($49) -- also reviewed here, WR941ND($42))
ASUS RT-N10+($27)

If any other routers/bridges have the following criteria, please let the suggestions fly! Thanks to anyone who replies.

-<$50
-Enough range to pick up a (near) perfect signal 30-40 feet away, through a floor and a few walls
-Capable of consistent 10Mbps speed
-Wireless bridge

 

[sealrock]

I'm no expert but your symptoms sound like interference from other sources, not attenuation due to distance and obstructions. I'd expect that to be more of a constant issue. Perhaps all you need to do is change channels.

 

[stevech]

Before guessing that a different WiFi router is the cure:

1. Do laptops or smart phones using WiFi work OK when used near the location of the PS3?

2. Does the PS3 get a good strong signal from the router? And vice-versa?

3. Can you reposition the PS3 and/or the router?

4. Have you tried using a different channel (router setting) ? Among 1, 6 or 11?

 

[MisterDeadeye]

Thanks for the replies and troubleshooting tips.

1. Yes. Laptop gets a consistent 10Mbps. But actually, now that you mention it, I do sometimes go down to 3 bars of connection down here(Windows 8, so 5 bars max). iPhones also vary from 1-3 bars.

2. Right now, the PS3's reporting anywhere from 92-100%. It's been sitting at 100% for a while. However, I've seen it dip well below 50% in the past.

3. Unfortunately, no. The only way to move the router would be to drill a hole in the floor, and the girlfriend isn't going for it. And the PS3 has to stay down in the gaming room(they really are opposite corners of the house, with a floor in between).

4. I had the router set to automatic, and haven't paid any attention to channel, really. It's pretty late, and everyone around is asleep. I'll see tomorrow if there's more interference in the day time than in the night time.

As of now, the router is saying 100% connection to both the laptop and PS3.

 

[CaptainSTX]

Testing Signal

Install the free utility inSSIDer on your laptop. It allows you to graph your WiFi signal strength. Test the signal at various locations over time and you will have a better picture of what is going on. What you want to see is a nice even line with a constant strong signal. Change your channel and repeat.

If you have a weak signal, it isn't constant or there is lots of interference than a wireless bridge may not help. Powerline adapters will cost you $80 but they might be the most reliable way to extend your network.

 

[MisterDeadeye]

Install the free utility inSSIDer on your laptop. It allows you to graph your WiFi signal strength. Test the signal at various locations over time and you will have a better picture of what is going on. What you want to see is a nice even line with a constant strong signal. Change your channel and repeat.

If you have a weak signal, it isn't constant or there is lots of interference than a wireless bridge may not help. Powerline adapters will cost you $80 but they might be the most reliable way to extend your network.

Thanks for the help. inSSIDer really seems helpful. I've noticed that I'm using channel 1, while the closest routers to me(laptop usually only picks up two others) are using 6 and 11.

In the furthest room(gaming room, where the PS3 is, where I'm planning on adding something, whether it be a bridge, or Powerline, etc.), I'm getting ~-66dB. All downstairs, I'm getting anywhere from -54 to -67. I looked at the user guide, and these seem to be average numbers.


I tested for ten minutes in this location for each of the three most separate channels(1,6,11):

Channel | Avg. Str., Max Str., Min. Str.

1 | -66, -64, -86
6 | -62, -59, -86
11 | -57, -54, -72

While testing on channel 1, I dropped down to -72 a couple of times, and dropped down to -87 five times. When I dropped down to -86, it was usually in two quick dips, one right after the other. This happened twice, then it dipped once again later.

While testing on channel 6, I seemingly had a much stronger connection, but there was a ton of interference. I dropped down to -86 14 times, and to -72 6 times. When I dipped so low, unlike on channel 1, it took a while to get back to where it was originally. On top of that, near the end of the (albeit quick) test, it was dipping from -59 to -70, and back again, almost constant.

While testing on channel 11, I was constantly going from -54 to -59. I don't know how to interpret that. On one hand, it's definitely the best strength of all of the channels I tried, but on the other hand, I don't know why it's bouncing back and forth so much. Also, there was no complete drop to -86 like I experienced on each of the other two channels! There were two times in the ten minutes that the strength faltered beyond -59, and even then, it only went down to about -70.

Oh, and inSSIDer said that I was using 11+7, but nowhere in the router UI does it mention two channels. What's going on?



Anyway, I'll keep it on this channel and see how the connection goes. After looking at the graphs, I think interference might be the culprit of my random connection losses online. I'll do a longer test tomorrow during a more busy time, but I think the only real test will be to check my status with the PS3, because this whole problem revolves around it.

 

[devnull]

The 11+7 thing is the result of wifi channel bonding. Normally 2.4GHz wifi uses a 20MHz band. With 802.11n wifi, you can bond two channels and use a 40Mhz band.

Wifi channels use frequencies that intrude into the space of adjacent channels (10MHz above and 10MHz below). This is why the recommended channels are 1, 6, and 11. Those three channels do not cross into each other.

While channel bonding sounds like a good idea, testing has shown that most wifi routers lose performance in 40MHz mode. Also, 40MHz mode doesn't help any when adjacent channels that are part of your channel bond are in use by other people.

You'll probably see this setting as 20/40MHz in your router's wifi settings. Set it to 20MHz only and you might see an improvement in performance.

 

[MisterDeadeye]

I can't believe the answer was as simple as that. I could see that the width was double, but I've never looked into how the two bands(20/40) correspond to the channel I'm using. It makes so much sense now.