Trying to extend my RT-N66U wireless range, ideas?

[mummel]

Hi all - I have an area in my home that gets a weak wireless signal which results in poor transfer rates from the Net (Netflix streaming hangs, web browser takes forever to load etc).

I would like to find a way to extend my router's wireless signal to that area. Every room is wired with Cat5e so my first choice would be get get some sort of device that can replicate my existing router's SSID, and plug into the ethernet network, and basically channel all wireless traffic in this area over Cat5e to my Asus router. But Im not sure what sort of device world work (a bridge, another router with the routing capabilities disabled etc)? What would be my best choice?

Another option is a wireless extender. I have a 5Ghz network running and stream to multiple wireless devices simultaneously. If I use an extender, it would need to handle a minimum of 10MB/s downstream, and probably some more capacity for upstream. Are there 5Ghz extenders that can handle this that you would recommend?

I've just started researching options but thought I would put it to the forums in the interim so I can get pointed in the right direction. Thanks all.

 

[ikoul]

It seems like what you want is a "wireless access point", which would pass its wireless traffic through your wired network without doing any routing of its own. I think that configuration would get you the best speed (assuming whatever client you have in that room doesn't have an ethernet port).

Trying to extend your existing wifi's range with something like a repeater would, in the best case scenario, give you a signal equivalent to the one the repeater gets from your router (which depends heavily on placement).

I would definitely go for the access point connected via ethernet. A router could be configured to act as an AP as well, and might deliver better wireless performance if it's a pretty high end one, but if all you need to do is cover that one part of your house where your router doesn't reach then it'd probably be overkill to buy another router just to use it as an AP.

 

[RMerlin]

Trying to extend your existing wifi's range with something like a repeater would, in the best case scenario, give you a signal equivalent to the one the repeater gets from your router (which depends heavily on placement).

Since a repeater would cut the speed in half, best to install an AP instead since there are Ethernet jacks available.

 

[mummel]

Wow great, thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for. Im pretty tech savvy, but just havent looked at anything network related in 1.5 years so I'm a bit out of the loop.

I checked the ranker tab on SNB for wireless APs, but they have only enterprise level APs up there. Anything you can recommend for the home (keeping in mind I'd like at least 10-15MB/s throughput. Thanks all.

 

[mummel]

Mmmm, I wonder if I shouldnt wait until the 802.11ac final certification is out. They are saying Q1 2014. May be a smarter move. Decisions......

 

[RMerlin]

Wow great, thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for. Im pretty tech savvy, but just havent looked at anything network related in 1.5 years so I'm a bit out of the loop.

I checked the ranker tab on SNB for wireless APs, but they have only enterprise level APs up there. Anything you can recommend for the home (keeping in mind I'd like at least 10-15MB/s throughput. Thanks all.

Nearly all Asus routers can be configured to work as an AP (and a Repeater). No need to go for a dedicated AP solution.

 

[mummel]

Nearly all Asus routers can be configured to work as an AP (and a Repeater). No need to go for a dedicated AP solution.

Yeah unfortunately that looks like the only choice I have today. Get another RT-N66U for $180 and use it in access point mode. But damn, that's an expensive proposition.

Otherwise a better decision may be to wait until the 802.11ac standard is finalized (February 2014) and rather spend that $180 (ore more) on an AC level router. That way I will have an access point (I can use my existing N66U), and have an AC grade router to future proof myself when I upgrade my devices etc.

Bummer, but glad Im finding this out and doing my research. I probably just have to be patient. Thanks all.

 

[RMerlin]

Yeah unfortunately that looks like the only choice I have today. Get another RT-N66U for $180 and use it in access point mode. But damn, that's an expensive proposition.

Otherwise a better decision may be to wait until the 802.11ac standard is finalized (February 2014) and rather spend that $180 (ore more) on an AC level router. That way I will have an access point (I can use my existing N66U), and have an AC grade router to future proof myself when I upgrade my devices etc.

Bummer, but glad Im finding this out and doing my research. I probably just have to be patient. Thanks all.

That depends on your needs with that repeater. If you don't need the 5 GHz band then an RT-N16 would be more than capable. You could even look at a cheaper RT-N12 there.

Another possibility if you don't need triple stream is to get an RT-AC56U.

 

[dweiss]

ASUS makes a range extender that I believe will plug directly into your Cat-5 network and looks like it can provide exactly the features you need for less than half the price of a new second router (EA-N66).

 

[mummel]

ASUS makes a range extender that I believe will plug directly into your Cat-5 network and looks like it can provide exactly the features you need for less than half the price of a new second router (EA-N66).

I already looked at this extender but it fails. Doesnt broadcoast 2.4ghz and 5ghz simultaneously, so my older devices wont work.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Use Power line to install another AP in your network. Simply place it near the area with the weakest signal.

 

[DrTeeth]

Check out the Edimax N300+.

 

[mummel]

So I ended up getting a RT-N56U on Black Friday for $40, which I think was a good deal. My plan was to wait for the final AC spec in Q1 next year then get the latest hardware, but for $40, and the fact that I'll only really need AC at the end of next year when I upgrade my iPad, I decided it was worth it to roll the dice.

So my plan is the use the 56U as a router only (disable wifi), and move my 66U into a central place. My hope is that the 2.4ghz signal will be able to reach all corners of the house.

If that doesnt work, I'll end up creating an access point but my understanding is that devices sometimes have a hard time switching between access points and deciding which signal is strongest (unless you turn you device on and off for example). So I would like to first try a single network and if that doesnt work, create an AP with the same SSID.

Does this sound a like a plan? Is this the best course of action? Is the 66U a better wifi router at 2.4ghz vs the 56U so am I making the right choice by using the 56U as a router only? Thanks all.

 

[RogerSC]

I don't think that's what I'd do, but my issues are probably different than yours. I'd have the RT-N66U as the main router with wireless turned on, and attach the RT-N56U as a wireless access point plus additional LAN ports. I have just one area of my house, the front part, where I might use an AP. In fact, I did this for a while, and it worked really well for me. I decided after while that I really didn't need the AP at all, so am not currently using one.

 

[mummel]

I don't think that's what I'd do, but my issues are probably different than yours. I'd have the RT-N66U as the main router with wireless turned on, and attach the RT-N56U as a wireless access point plus additional LAN ports. I have just one area of my house, the front part, where I might use an AP. In fact, I did this for a while, and it worked really well for me. I decided after while that I really didn't need the AP at all, so am not currently using one.

Did you have trouble switching between SSIDs or your devices choosing the strongest signal if using the same SSID?

Also, is there anything the 56U lacks in WIRED routing capabilities that the 66U has?

Thank you!

 

[mummel]

If I'm reading this correctly, doesnt the N56U have better routing performance?

Routing Performance

Routing performance for the RT-N66U using our standard test method is summarized in Table 2. The product was loaded with the just-released 3.1.0.3.90 firmware for our testing. Unidirectional throughput is 10 - 15% lower than the chart-topping RT-N56U. But the thing that is sure to cause some people to think that the 66U's routing code is broken is that simultaneous bidirectional throughput is only ~ 800 Mbps. Nothing's broken, folks. It's more throughput than anyone will ever use.

Test Description RT-N66U RT-N56U
WAN - LAN 732 Mbps 802 Mbps
LAN - WAN 729 Mbps 862 Mbps
Total Simultaneous 810 Mbps 1269 Mbps
Maximum Simultaneous Connections 34,925 34,925
Firmware Version 3.1.0.3.90 1.0.1.2

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...n900-gigabit-router-reviewed?showall=&start=2