new router or repeater

[steinz]

Hi,

I have FIOS and the original router they gave me on the first floor. The computers on the second floor will occasionally get disconnected from the router and they complain the connection is slow. So should I get a new router or a repeater?

all the computers are 2 - 6 years old, but might be getting a new one soon.
Also, I was thinking about switching to vonage, but that should not affect this decision.

Thanks
Randy

 

[keenanj]

you can plug a high power AP like the ecb3500 into your existing router to extend you network either disable the wireless on the router or put the ecb3500 on a non overlapping channel.

more info on the ecb3500 here:

http://www.keenansystems.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=258

 

[Mangusta1969]

According to their respective manufacturer spec sheets, the Ubiquiti PowerAP N high power router and access point might be a better choice for longer range on both transmit power and receive sensitivity:

Ubiquiti PowerAP N - 1000mw transmit power/8dbi dual antenna gain

Engenius ECB-3500- 600mw transmit power/5dbi dual antenna gain


Does anyone have any real world experience with the maximum working ranges, wall penetration capabilities and overall wireless connection reliabilities of these two devices?

 

[keenanj]

I have lots of experience with the ECB3500 one unit will cover a average sheetrock / wood framed home and also provide signal 900 feet away.

I have also found the Ipad has the best range with the ecb3500. I also tested with high power n AP's.

The failure rate of the ecb3500 has been very low we deploy hundreds a month and have almost never seen one fail in the field.

 

[stevech]

OP: If you cannot get a cat5 cable from router to 2nd floor, then consider either MoCA or HPNA (see this forum's section by those names) as the alternative to cat5. Then on the 2nd floor, use that new connection to service a newly added Access Point (AP). You can buy an AP, or repurpose any old router to be an AP.

WDS/Repeater not recommended.

Those high power APs and routers do not solve the other half of the problem: weak signals FROM the client device TO the access point/router.

 

[Mangusta1969]

Those high power APs and routers do not solve the other half of the problem: weak signals FROM the client device TO the access point/router.

Both of the devices I mentioned above have receive antennas with significant gain and even higher gain antennas could be installed on each device. The higher gain antennas will help with the weak receive signal problem, so we are not just talking about higher transmit power here.

I would appreciate any real world feedback on effective operating ranges and throughput speeds on the 2.4Ghz band from users of these two devices or similar devices with 500mw or higher power output and receive antennas with gain.

Keenanj has just provided some pretty impressive range info for the ECB3500, but didn't include any throughput performance at long ranges.

This recent thread also has some additional information on range and throughput on both the Engenius ECB3500 access point and the Ubiquiti PowerAP N router/access point:

http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=4940

I and many others on these forums are looking for simple (aka no new wiring required) solutions on some hard to cover large and multi-story houses or long range wireless connectivity success stories with a couple of close-by buildings (shops, garages, guest houses, etc.) involved.

I have a Cisco/Linksys E4200 in use on a large multi-building and multi-story situation, but it has some periodic throughput and reliability problems, especially with networked TVs and networked DVD players like the LG590 and LG690.

My Mac laptops work a little more reliably than the DVD players at the same distances of 120 feet or so from the E4200 and penetrating 3-4 plaster walls and on the same floor or up one floor. At these distances, on a laptop I can typically get 1-4Mbps throughput from my ATT 6Mbps DSL connection/modem. The Mac's IStumbler application typically reports a noise floor of -92dbm and a received signal level of -64dbm to -70dbm on Channel 1 of the 2.4Ghz band.

More real world user feedback on higher power/higher sensitivity wireless devices would be most appreciated.

 

[stevech]

I suggest the way to cover large areas is with Access Points connected to the router via MoCA or HPNA - no wiring. You can't solve a significant coverage problem (say, more than 2500 sq. ft. or multi-story) with one brute force WiFi router.

Antennas on the clients help, but adding 4 or 6 dBi of gain is not much versus a total path loss in non-line-of-sight of 80 to 100dB or more (commonplace). Multiple APs is how it's done, and as above, you don't need new cat5 wiring if that's impractical. Note too, that in the 80 to 100dB of path loss, going from a typical 11g/n router at 30mW to 300mW is not very many dB - and this is small in comparison to the path loss. Path loss is considered in a log function, so doubling the transmitter power is just 3dB.

This stuff is done every day for enterprise/corporate WiFi, in large buildings. Scale down the same principles for a large residence, or an "RF hard one", say with lath and plaster or masonry walls/floors.

 

[roumys]

Sorry to butt in but, as for a homeplug and an AP, which brands,models would you recommend. I currently have an e4200 in a large residential property and have around 15-20 wireless connections. Im contemplating of either changing my e4200 all together with a powerap-n, or leave the e4200 and get a god homeplug and a good AP and use that.

 

[Mangusta1969]

Sorry to butt in but, as for a homeplug and an AP, which brands,models would you recommend. I currently have an e4200 in a large residential property and have around 15-20 wireless connections. Im contemplating of either changing my e4200 all together with a powerap-n, or leave the e4200 and get a god homeplug and a good AP and use that.

The Ubiquiti PowerAP-N has been working great for me and has completely replaced my much less reliable, slower (on wireless) and much lower range E4200 on my large property. Take a look here for more details:

http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=5312

You can also look at a few PowerAP-N reviews on amazon.com. They are quite positive in terms of performance and reliability.

If I were you, I'd get one these inexpensive, long range, Ubiquiti units and give it a try as a replacement for your E4200. You could always use it as a second, wired AP (along with your E4200) if you have a large property to cover or also need to support some 5GHz clients. My almost new E4200 is now fully retired...

 

[keenanj]

Also look at the new engenius ENH200 500wW 802.11n outdoor bridge it has better specs than the UBT power n unit and we are gettign great reviews.

http://www.keenansystems.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=328