Signal strength ac66u

[wyattroa]

Just have a few questions. My house is a 1300sqf ranch, no basement. My router was a first gen airport extreme that has given me no problems except when I got to this house. I decided to upgrade and get the ac66u. The airport would start to lose connection in the kitchen which is one room over. The ac66u starts to lose connection in the same spot. I decided to relocate the ac66u to the kitchen which is centralized in the house and test signal strength.

With my computer sitting directly next to the router I hit 98% on 2.4GHz and 95% on 5GHz. I would have thought I would get 100% on both with the computer literally sitting inches from the router.

Next each room is maybe 10 feet from the router and through 2 walls and it each room I get 60-75%.

In the living room 25 feet away I get 63% and in the attached garage, which is attached to the living room it drops out all together. This would be around 35 feet and through 3 walls.

In the kitchen with nothing blocking and 5 feet away the signal is 85% for 2.4 and 76 for 5GHz.

Are these numbers normal? Is something wrong with this router, I thought it would have no issue cover this small of a home. I also thought I would get full signal next to the router.
Robert

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
How high sits the router? On a desk? Can you put it on a shelf or hang it on a nail or something higher up? And those three antennas can be rotated and bend several different positions. Trying this experiment makes any difference? Also use something like inSSIDer to measure signal strength and other signal presence in your neighborhood. If TX, RX is too close each other RX front end can get overloaded from too strong signal and result could be negative. My house has two routers, one like your new one for general family use, another is Zyxel USG 20W for other purpose.
No issues in a ~3000 sq. ft. 2 story house where routers are located on the top floor loft. I get good signal in the front attached garage, back gazebo, and basement. Good luck.

 

[wyattroa]

Hi,
How high sits the router? On a desk? Can you put it on a shelf or hang it on a nail or something higher up? And those three antennas can be rotated and bend several different positions. Trying this experiment makes any difference? Also use something like inSSIDer to measure signal strength and other signal presence in your neighborhood. If TX, RX is too close each other RX front end can get overloaded from too strong signal and result could be negative. My house has two routers, one like your new one for general family use, another is Zyxel USG 20W for other purpose.
No issues in a ~3000 sq. ft. 2 story house where routers are located on the top floor loft. I get good signal in the front attached garage, back gazebo, and basement. Good luck.

I will try to answer everything to the best of my ability. The router is sitting around 7 feet up on a shelf. Right now 20 feet from the router through two walls I am getting 68% on 2.4GHZ on channel 11 with 32dB. On 5GHz I am getting 59% and 29dB. I am literally a room over. I have rotated the antennas and the strength does not change. I tried to use inssider on my mac, but since I don't have lion it would not let me download it. I am instead using the app WiFi Explorer, which gives signal strength, channel, SNR, band, mode, and security The only other signal I am picky up other then mine is at 18% and I am guessing that is my neighbors and its a belkin on channel 6 with 2.4GHz. Not sure if I just got a dude or I should try exchanging it. I mean I am getting 18% from my neighbors but going in my garage is dropping out on mine?
Robert

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
Try some other channels to see if signal strength changes. In my house right now like always wife is watching real time HD streaming video on home theater on 5GHz, channel 149. inSSIDer shows ~60db steady and signal quaiity is good. Download speed is ~50Mbps always. At same spot 2.4GHz , channel 9 shows 10db better at 50db. TX power is set at 75mW. Antenna, center one is bent ~45 deg. forward, two left and right one are bent ~45 deg outward. Router is standing on a stand approx 8 feet high from open loft floor one foot away from wall. From here down to family room(where HT is) is 30 feet thru 2 and half wall from front of house to back.