kurtwism

Hello, Can anyone advise me as to how I can get a google PIN please? It's necessary in order to activate phone unlocking via Google Assistant. So far all I've found is that you will be asked to create one the first time you sign into the "Google Admin" app. However, when I try to do this, the app tells me that standard gmail accounts cannot be used to sign in as the app "is only for Administrators of G Suite domains." Does this mean I must become a G Suite domain admin to get a PIN and finally gain access to this feature? If so, what does this entail? Or is this simply impossible? Thank you and hope to hear from you all soon!

Thank you all! Very helpful advice. I might consider using the switch method in future - though I am also considering upgrading to a fibre optic internet service to improve speeds.

Hey, Thanks for your reply! I don't really have one. To be more clear I'm not sure what buying a suitable device would cost. I guess it will come down to if I will be saving money purchasing the device VS buying a whole new comparable home theatre system with speakers and all. I'm open to budget suggestions... Thanks again.

Thanks for the link - what I'm not sure about is the difference between connecting up all the routers (in series) via LAN ports in AP mode and then connecting the gaming PC on the top floor to a LAN port on that floor's router and using switches however. Are you suggesting running a CAT6 cable directly from the main hub (router on ground floor) up top the top floor router? Or gaming PC? Do you think a single long cable will have any benefit over the serial LAN port connections we've been discussing? Any idea if there will be any noticeable difference in performance between the 2 setups? Thanks.

Hi all, I have an issue which I've been struggling with for a while and have not been able to get to grips with. So I finally decided to swallow my pride and ask all you lovely people for help/advice. I have been using my Panasonic 5.1 SC-HT845 home theatre system (with a sub-woofer) for ages and it's been great. Unfortunately, about 6 months ago, the DVD player (which is also the hub for the whole system - i.e. all the speakers connect to it)...died. So I'm not too distraught about losing the ability to play DVD's but I am sorry to have lost my surround sound system. All the speakers are great and well positioned in the room. Plus they are all installed and hooked up to the wall, etc. So...I have been trying to find a way of replacing the DVD player with some piece of equipment (doesn't have to play DVD's - in fact I'd rather it didn't) which I can hook my surround sound system up to and then plug into my TV so I can get my coveted surround sound back when I watch TV in my living room. Here's a link to the system specs; http://www.backoffice.be/prod_uk/Panasonic/sc-ht845_panasonic_sc-ht845_home_theatre_system_5.1_chan.asp Back of the DVD player; https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj6gKzpqPLWAhUHRhQKHZ6oCowQjhwIBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nix.ru%2Fautocatalog%2Ftv%2FPanasonic-SC-HT845-Silver-DVD-Home-Theater-Sound-System_41926.html&psig=AOvVaw1d4d4iHb_Hltf9LD8mWaax&ust=1508146250386201 Links to equipment are great but please keep in mind that I live in Malta (E.U.) so it must be available in the European (or better yet, the UK) market and shipping is a plus. Thanks all!

Thanks for the suggestion and diagram. Each floor will have it's own router. I wasn't aware of switches until you mentioned them - thank you for the enlightenment. I've done some research into them and I'm still not quite sure how this would be different from connecting up all the routers (in series) via LAN ports in AP mode and then connecting the gaming PC on the top floor to a LAN port on that floor's router however. Can you explain please? I'd also like to thank all you guys for responding to my queries and helping me out with this project - you have been very helpful and I appreciate the feedback. Thank you.

We've established that I'm using CAT 5E cables (see photo from my last post). Thanks.

Yep, you got it. Sorry, the attachments were labelled but this does not show on the submission: Ground Floor - 21.80 1st Floor - 22.70 2nd Floor - 9.43 At the moment the 2nd floor is just a WiFi extender (Netgear AC1200) - it will be replaced by an ASUS RT-AC1200G router once I decide on the best setup. I think they are both set up in AP mode but I'm not sure. I was mistaken - it does say it's CAT 5E on the cable (I have attached a photo of the cable connecting the main hub to the router on the 1st floor). So I assume all the cables must be CAT 5E then. I'm afraid I don't know exactly what speed of internet we pay for as I'm not the account holder and can't find this information anywhere...I will post it once I have it. Probably tomorrow. Thanks!

I see, so is there any way to differentiate a CAT 4 cable from a CAT 5E or CAT 6 cable? Also, must a device be capable of utilising CAT 5E or above cables? Or can any connection be improved simply by modernising cables? Thanks.

Hello and thank you too for your reply and advice. Those are indeed the options I'm considering yes - except for 3. as I thought I could run a cable directly from device A to the gaming PC on the 2nd floor. If I went for option 2. then I would still run a cable from Device C to my gaming PC (as long as having it connected in series through 2 routers wouldn't significantly affect my internet speeds. I definitely wouldn't just run it off WiFi though - no matter how good a signal it would get. All connections are using the LAN ports only. Here is a link to the exact device I was referring to when I said I'm using an 'ASUS AC1200:' https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01F4WOFD6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I believe the model number is ASUS RT-AC1200G - apologies. Thanks again.

Hi and thanks for your reply - I've run speed tests at each location (ground, 1st and 2nd floors and attached the results below). Each test was run once, over WiFi only and within 2 meters of the main source of WiFi for that floor. Please see the results attached. I'm not sure what the exact distance would be. My estimate would be 15-20 meters from the main hub to the 1st floor router and about 30-35 meters from the main hub to the 2nd floor. The distance of cable from the 1st floor router to the 2nd floor router would be about 20-25 meters. I know the distances don't add up but you have to keep in mind that if I decided to run cable from the main hub to the 2nd floor router then I would run that cable externally so it's basically just a vertical climb up the face of the house. There are already passages created for cable going from the ground to 1st floor router and 1st to 2nd floor routers and they are not 'direct' routes but follow walls and corners for a bit of cable management. The coloured wires inside the plug all end in a straight line - I believe if they were CAT5E or later then they would end in a staggered pattern (but I may be mistaken). If that statement is correct then yes, they are definitely CAT4 cables. Thanks again for your help.

Hello, I live in a 3 story house which is completely made of sandstone (including all internal walls and floors/ceilings. The main hub for my internet (a Technicolor TG589vn v3 router, supplied by my broadband provider) is on the ground floor in my living room. I have a router (ASUS AC1200) on the first floor which is connected to the main hub via a CAT4 cable and provides good WiFi for this floor. I spend a lot of my down time relaxing on the top floor and this is where my gaming PC is. I have bought a second ASUS AC1200 router for the top floor and don't know what the best method for obtaining the fastest internet speeds on this floor would be. I currently have a WiFi extender in the 'mancave' (on the top floor) which is connected to the first floor router via a CAT4 cable and my plan was to simply replae this with the new router. However, I recently bought a tool kit for setting up my own network cables and have been considering the idea of running a long CAT4 cable directly from the top floor router to the main hub on the ground floor in a bid to improve internet speeds. The router on the top floor serves 2 purposes - to provide WiFi for this floor and as a connection point for my gaming PC (which I plan on connecting to the router via a CAT4 cable). I'm certainly no expert when it comes to physics or networking hardware (or theory) and was hoping one of you more tech-savvy people could enlighten me as to which option should give me better results. My original plan to just connect the routers in series is the simplest method as all the cabling is already in place but I am willing to devote some time and effort to laying new cables if this will significantly impact my internet speed in the 'mancave.' As a last point, there is also the option of running a CAT4 cable directly from the gaming PC all the way down to the internet hub on the first floor. Do you guys think this will drastically improve my internet speed? Thanks and apologies for the essay-length post.