Simple Needs, longer range.

[Niki090909]

We have a NETGEAR Wireless Router - N300 (WNR2000)

http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Wireless-Router-N300-WNR2000/dp/B001AZP8EW

Our needs are simple, I have a laptop hard wired, we watch Netflix on a wireless Roku and we have a couple smart phones. Our wireless speed is 2M tops, on a good day. So far it's faired well for us.

However my husbands workshop is a barn on our 2 acre property. I get 1 bar of wireless single in his shop that is touch and go. So it seems I'm very close to getting the signal out there.

We bought a wireless extender thing, but I don't think the signal is strong enough out there to extend. Or I just couldn't get the contraption set up properly. I'm a researcher by nature, but I find this router business really perplexing.

I was looking at a ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006QB1RPY/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Would this help boost my distance (150 feet give or take to the workshop) or is it over kill? I don't care what it costs, I just want a decent router, but my head is spinning looking at all the choices.

Any advice?

 

[sinshiva]

what you might like to do is get that router to just use as another AP, where you might position it specifically for the barn. just use a cable to connect LAN ports between the routers and use the wizard on the n66u. you'll want to update the firmware on the n66u before you configure it, though. you'll figure it out.

 

[thiggins]

Another router might help. Only way to know is to try. If you can, you should also move the current router so that it is closest to the barn.

A pair of outdoor bridges is the recommended solution. Here is one we reviewed.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...reless-80211n-24ghz-outdoor-bridgeap-reviewed

 

[Niki090909]

Shinshiva, you mean to put a new router in the barn and run a cord between it and my current router in my house? That would be possible in the summer when the ground is not frozen, but a bit of a big job this time of year.

Thiggins, current router is already closest to the barn from inside my house. I wish I could move it just a bit as I think it would then reach, but any closer and it would be outside my house. lol I'm not sure I understand what a 'bridge' is. Is that pretty much just a range extender? Problem is the signal in the barn is SO low that etenders don't seem to want to work very well. I have no where in between the house and barn to plug one in as a buffer between the two. It's the house, barn or in the middle of the yard.

Looks like I just need to give another longer range router a try and hope for the best. Thanks!

 

[thiggins]

Thiggins, current router is already closest to the barn from inside my house. I wish I could move it just a bit as I think it would then reach, but any closer and it would be outside my house. lol I'm not sure I understand what a 'bridge' is. Is that pretty much just a range extender? Problem is the signal in the barn is SO low that etenders don't seem to want to work very well. I have no where in between the house and barn to plug one in as a buffer between the two. It's the house, barn or in the middle of the yard.

Bridges are not range extenders. You put one on the outside of the house and the other on the outside of the barn and aim them at each other. Look at the diagram on the EnGenius' product page.

 

[L&LD]

What Tim Higgins suggested is probably the best solution:

An outdoor bridge (one at the house and one at the barn) would be ideal: the link showing 60+MB/s downloading files is awesome from 100M distance between the two bridges.

Not sure if it will provide a wireless signal for clients in the barn though?

For roughly the same price (and a single router solution to replace the WNR200 you have now); I would also suggest for you to try the Asus RT-N66U with RMerlin's -36Beta 1 SDK5 firmware with the power output set to 100mW.

You may be surprised how much better the Asus is in range/throughput than the older Netgear.


Also: for the ~50M distance from the house to the barn, the bridge devices recommended you may want to mount the devices indoors (on the outside walls, respectively) so that their 4F lower range doesn't become an issue for you.

 

[sinshiva]

Shinshiva, you mean to put a new router in the barn and run a cord between it and my current router in my house? That would be possible in the summer when the ground is not frozen, but a bit of a big job this time of year.

sorry, i meant for you to install the n66 somewhere from the house like on the inside wall closest to the barn.

and like l&ld said, use the sdk5 variant firmware. I've actually finally decided on doing the above for myself, but to cover my 3bdr apartment. My current/old AP can almost do it centrally located, so i figure an RT-N66W will definitely do the job. and it gives me an excuse to buy the white version. camouflage lol.

 

[stevech]

best: trench/bury cat5 buryable cable to the out building or string overhead via poles/trees/rooftops

Next best: At outbuilding: WiFi client bridge with integral antenna. Picks up signal from house. Creates ethernet connection for PC or switch for multiple PCs, or other wired/wireless connectivity within the outbuilding

Pair of client bridges: for sure will work, but 150 ft. is too short to justify a pair, vs. the above.

 

[Niki090909]

Thanks everyone, this is some good information to go off of. I appreciate your time!

 

[sfx2000]

best: trench/bury cat5 buryable cable to the out building or string overhead via poles/trees/rooftops

Next best: At outbuilding: WiFi client bridge with integral antenna. Picks up signal from house. Creates ethernet connection for PC or switch for multiple PCs, or other wired/wireless connectivity within the outbuilding

Pair of client bridges: for sure will work, but 150 ft. is too short to justify a pair, vs. the above.

Quick note - if trenching or spanning with cable, make sure you have an electrician check the grounding with regards to the two buildings - if they're on different circuits, you can end up with hella potential... enough to kill...

I like Tim's suggestion - the Engenius bridges are cheap enough - $50USD each - and then set up an AP (not router) in the barn.

 

[Niki090909]

Running a wire would be nice, but it's not going to happen right now. It's on our 'to do' list.

I'm new to all this stuff so bare with me. I'm not fully understanding the difference between a wireless extender and a bridge.

A wireless extender just extends my routers wireless signal, making wireless available to wifi ready contraptions in the barn.

A bridge pretty much does the same thing, only the contraptions in the barn need to be wired to to, no wireless. Correct?

If a wireless extender didn't work in the barn because of a low signal, why would a bridge pick up the signal?

I think no matter what, I'm going to buy a nicer router for inside my house. It can't hurt anything and I think a dual channel will help my microwave interference. Not to mention having a spare is always a plus.

I'm just not quite understand the benefits/cons of an extender vs bridge.

EDIT: We would also like wifi to work on our smart phones while in the barn. A bridge won't work for that, correct?

 

[sfx2000]

An extender is a repeater - cuts your network performance in half for any clients talking to the extender - and it doubles traffic on the channel for all stations.

A bridge converts Ethernet into WiFi on one edge of the bridge link, and then converts it back into Ethernet on the other end - then you can add an AP on the remote end.

[modem]--[router/AP in the house]--[local bridge]-- wifi --[remote bridge]--[AP in the barn]

hope this helps.

 

[jlake]

Running a wire would be nice, but it's not going to happen right now. It's on our 'to do' list.

I'm new to all this stuff so bare with me. I'm not fully understanding the difference between a wireless extender and a bridge.

A wireless extender just extends my routers wireless signal, making wireless available to wifi ready contraptions in the barn.

A bridge pretty much does the same thing, only the contraptions in the barn need to be wired to to, no wireless. Correct?

If a wireless extender didn't work in the barn because of a low signal, why would a bridge pick up the signal?

I think no matter what, I'm going to buy a nicer router for inside my house. It can't hurt anything and I think a dual channel will help my microwave interference. Not to mention having a spare is always a plus.

I'm just not quite understand the benefits/cons of an extender vs bridge.

EDIT: We would also like wifi to work on our smart phones while in the barn. A bridge won't work for that, correct?

Try the RT-N66U. If it works, it works. If not you'll have to try plan B. Make sure you use firmware .276 as it has greater range. It is pretty unlikely that the latest firmware from Asus will allow you to even come close to your other building. Asus put a wireless driver in their latest firmware that was never intended to be there. Thus far, they (ASUS) have been as quiet as a mouse on this forum about the issue. When you read about the "great range" of the RT-N66U on Amazon, they are probably talking about the older firmware. The new firmware does not have great range.

Here's the link to firmware .276

http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?slanguage=en&m=RT-N66U+(VER.B1)&os=8

 

[sinshiva]

i thought that using the sdk5 version of merlin's beta1 should give her te best of both worlds

 

[jlake]

i thought that using the sdk5 version of merlin's beta1 should give her te best of both worlds

Right. But the OP is a beginner and "is new to this stuff". My post was written for a beginner.

 

[Niki090909]

Ok, this is coming together and making sense now. I've ordered the router and will get that up and running. If it's not doing what I want, i'll go for the bridge as well.

Thanks for the link to the firmware, I'll bookmark that for when it gets here.

You guys have been very helpful and patient with me. Much appreciated!