Improving range/coverage - ASUS RT-N66, EnGenius, or other?

[seadan]

I currently have a WNDR3700v1 providing dual band wireless in a 2500sqft, 3 story modern construction (wood frame) house. It's located on the second floor, at one end of the house (which is a rectangular shape, about 50' by 20'). It's connected to an Actiontec M1000 DSL modem.

Overall, it seems to work well, with the one exception being the wireless signal does not make it all the way to the other end of the house (on the 2nd floor, as well as the 1st floor). This is something I'd really like to fix. I don't have many options for relocating the router due to the DSL placement, so I was curious to get your thoughts on what might be best for my situation.

One option is to get another dual-band AP (another WNDR3700?) for the other end of the house; I do have cat5 to each room and could plug it in there. Would the two APs have any negative effects, as they'd likely have a large overlap area? If I go this route, is it best to match brands/models for optimum performance?

I've also been reading good reviews of the range on the ASUS RT-N66U unit, as well as more professional units from EnGenius. The ASUS looks interesting due to its performance and external antennas. For an EnGenius AP, I don't currently have POE and all of my cat5 drops are close to floor level, so a ceiling mount isn't likely (don't know if that makes a huge difference in performance?). I'd also prefer a dual-band setup, not sure if they have that--but they do seem to get good marks for range and reliability.

If you have any other tips for eeking out better performance from my existing WNDR3700, that would also be appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
My house is about same as yours. PCs, laptops located throughout every level from basement to the loft. IMO, your problem is location of the router. My router, Zywall USG 20W is located in the
loft pretty well central position in the house. My kids are surfing the net/playing games on line, wife streams real time HD video every evening, WiFi printer is scanning, printing frequently, no issues. Solve your router location in the house. I got rid of dual banders, WNDR3700V2 and ASUS RT-N66.

 

[tipstir]

The range on these higher end Wireless routers work better for the company that sells them in their ideal model home or office environments. But take out in the real world and watch those range figures drop off the scale. When I had one of your type of homes I had place each of the same brand of Wireless Router on each floor.

No dual band
3T x 3R + 3x 5dBi = 15dBi SMA ANT
20dbm
100mW
Gig Ports
828KB Package Buffer
400MHz CPU
32MB of RAM

Basement Network Closet: Wireless Router for DHCP + Mix Mode APN#1 + Gig LAN + 16port Gig switch + 16port Meg switch + Meg WAN + Cable Modem

1st Floor hardwired: Wireless Router 1 Gig LAN + Mix Mode APN (Access Point Network#2)

2nd Floor hardwired: Wireless Router 1 Gig LAN + Mix Mode APN (Access Point Network#3)

Using the same model from the same maker was 20dbm 100mW with Gig ports using 828KB Packet buffering.

Testing the WiFi signal using Cloud Java Base Signal tester shown:

If I was sitting in the basement family room the results was.

Basement = 100%
1st Floor = 90%
2nd Floor = 60%

If I was sitting on the first floor the results was.

Basement = 70%
1st Floor = 100%
2nd Floor = 90%

If I was sitting on the second floor the results was.

Basement = 60%
1st Floor = 88%
2nd Floor = 100%

I am talking about house that was built in 1927 but was remodeled in 2001. Even so it had a lot of cast iron heating steam pipes. I ran out side over 300 feet of CAT5e for the Gig side into each of the 3x rooms on the second floor.

On the 1st floor dining room 1x LAN port, Living Room had HTPC so there was about 6x wired gig an meg lan connections. The home office had 8x connections also.

The only issue I had ever faced was the signal lost but then again buying the same brand and using the same hardware seem to work better than using a mix bag of hardware. But the end results has been that the way I use the hardware it doesn't last more than 1 or 2 and fails.

Today I had tried using Cisco Linksys E4200 (that's only good for a standby) as it get so hard and fails (drop the connections on both WiFi, LAN and WAN) seems to get so hot. Replace that unit with Cisco Linksys EA4500. First time out of the box is ran so well. After a few months using it with some BT, HD Netflix, Amazon Instant Video HD and a lot of internet web host. It seems to be bogging down on me. Reset here and now seems to clear up the packets but.

Who wants to do that.. Right now EA4500 plus two RE1000 + 16 port Gig switch using that in mix mode of gig and meg all working in sync. Today I am in a newer house with no basement and no upstairs. Main EA4500 is in my living Room and each RE1000 are in 1x MSBR and 1x KTCH. When I test the house I get around:

EA4500 = 100%
RE1000 = 100%
RE1000 = 100%

Wait a bit and those numbers above drop by 20% or gain 20% back. I use more 10x Android Tablets 5x Android Smartphone in WiFi mode and 1x Windows 8 Tablet along with 3x laptops. Again WiFi mode is mix for some tablets still use 802.11g @ 20MHz. The rest are 802.11n @ 40MHz.

Most of my work for my forums which are based on Android and Windows tablets are basically centered around WiFi improvements. Android is weak on WiFi there I have fixed that issue. So now WiFi peaks and pins on the needle. So with all this daily testing the EA4500 along with it's two RE1000 takes it toll.

 

[thiggins]

The Best Way To Get Whole House Wireless Coverage

 

[tipstir]

I am using those RE1000 for a year now they seem to be working just find WiFi only. I don't have any wired APN into them though. Trying to reduce electric on additional devices.

Each bedroom should have RE1000 in there though. Two or 3 more should do it for me. Outside roofed Patio would need one. Thought the KTCH RE1000 is near it the signal is iffy at best though.

 

[seadan]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! Tim, I missed that article in my earlier research, thanks for pointing that out as well.

It looks like I have two main options here:

1. Move the WNDR3700 to the middle of the 2nd floor, and hope that sufficiently improves range everywhere I want it
2. Get an additional AP for the other end of the house to fill in the coverage

For option #1, I don't have DSL at any locations in the middle of the house, which is my main constraint. I do have ethernet, however--so in order to do this I'd need to use my Actiontec M1000 DSL modem as the main router (instead of the Netgear) and just use the Netgear as an AP. I'll take a look at the Actiontec specs later and see if it's got everything I need to use it as a router.

For option #2, (or if the Actiontec doesn't have all that I need) I can add another AP to the network at the other end of the house, where I also have ethernet ports. My question here is whether I should be looking at another Netgear WNDR3700, an AP like the Netgear WN802T, or a ranger extender like the Netgear WN2500RP, or a different product entirely?

I know I don't want a "true" wifi range extender due to bandwidth loss and the fact that I have an ethernet backhaul--but can the WN2500RP act like a normal AP using ethernet as the feed? The extra ethernet ports (and price) make it a more attractive option than the WN802T. Is the goal to try and match chipsets, bands, and speeds with my existing router or will any brand do as long as the networks are configured on different channels?

My only real requirements would be gigabit ethernet ports, and preferably dual-band (there's no other competition on 5GHz here, but a lot of 2.4GHz networks). What's the best bang/$ for APs right now?

 

[seadan]

After I posted this thread, I ended up snagging a refurb D-Link DIR-655 unit to use as a second AP, and put it at the other end of the house to improve range. I was actually pretty impressed with the wireless performance, it seems to outperform my old WNDR3700v1. Though, I don't love that it doesn't have a native "AP" mode built-in.

Unfortunately, there are still some dead zones right in the center of the house on the 1st floor, and in general I'm a bit disappointed with the range of the wireless on my WNDR3700v1 (though I have to say, it seems to be quite reliable when it comes to routing!). I've tried flashing to DD-WRT for stability and improved configuration, but that didn't seem to improve wireless performance.

So, I think it's time to upgrade my setup. I'm looking for a replacement for my WNDR3700v1 (and possibly the DIR-655, if there's another AP that would complement the router better), and would really appreciate some guidance!

Questions/Requirements:

1. "N" (e.g. ASUS RT-N66), or "AC" (RT-AC68 or R7000)? I don't have any AC devices at the moment, but that's likely to change in the next year or so. If I can expect better 2.4/5Ghz performance and range out of the AC models, I'd give them a shot. I do have a wide variety of wireless devices using both bands, and would prefer to keep support for both bands on at least 1 router.
2. I need a main router that supports local DNS resolution (DDWRT does this, I assume AsusWRT can as well)
3. I'm on a 50/10 internet connection, and have gigabit ethernet throughout the house (would prefer gigabit LAN ports on the router)

I was looking primarily at the RT-N66U for N models, and RT-AC68 or R7000 (w/DDWRT) for AC models. With Staples' current 25% rewards special, it makes the pricing for models they carry much more attractive. Would these offer a noticeable improvement in wireless range/performance over the WNDR3700?

Or, is it worth just keeping the WNDR3700 for routing, and getting a couple Unifi APs for wireless to provide a more seamless wireless experience on a single SSID? I'm tempted by the ease of use of these solutions, and the cost is pretty comparable to a new router.

 

[stevech]

For a room mostly used by an iPAD and Android phone, I bought a $35 ASUS RT-N12D1 and put it in that room. More than enough for those devices.

That ASUS product has router, AP and bridge modes.

 

[seadan]

For a room mostly used by an iPAD and Android phone, I bought a $35 ASUS RT-N12D1 and put it in that room. More than enough for those devices.

That ASUS product has router, AP and bridge modes.

I was considering an RT-N12 as a complement to an RT-N66 -- but an N12 alone doesn't address my question about replacing my WNDR3700. Any thoughts on that?

 

[JamesK]

I've got a similar 3 storey property as yourself. When I first moved in I also had the WNDR3700v1, and it had to be located at one end of the middle floor. I had exactly the same issues as you with wireless range. It was a great router, but just couldn't handle the bigger house which it was serving.

I did run some ethernet and set-up a 2nd access point which did improve matters for the side of the house where the WNDR3700 didn't reach. However, it wasn't an ideal solution.

I replaced it 18 months ago with the RT-N66U and haven't looked back. There was an instant increase in wireless range and throughput. The whole house and rear garden now gets good signal strength. The latest firmwares have improved this further. I'm currently using Merlins 41 firmware and it has been excellent.

Since using the RT-N66U my secondary access point has been turned off and not needed.

All properties are different, but hopefully my experience may help you.

 

[seadan]

I've got a similar 3 storey property as yourself. When I first moved in I also had the WNDR3700v1, and it had to be located at one end of the middle floor. I had exactly the same issues as you with wireless range. It was a great router, but just couldn't handle the bigger house which it was serving.

I did run some ethernet and set-up a 2nd access point which did improve matters for the side of the house where the WNDR3700 didn't reach. However, it wasn't an ideal solution.

I replaced it 18 months ago with the RT-N66U and haven't looked back. There was an instant increase in wireless range and throughput. The whole house and rear garden now gets good signal strength. The latest firmwares have improved this further. I'm currently using Merlins 41 firmware and it has been excellent.

Since using the RT-N66U my secondary access point has been turned off and not needed.

All properties are different, but hopefully my experience may help you.

Thanks, this is super helpful! I ended up purchasing an RT-N66U with a combination of coupons at Staples at a great price, so once it arrives I'll give it a shot. Hopefully I have a similar experience to you!