Home network band question, 2.4GHz vs 5GHz

[Zeinone]

Greetings lads,

 

The title is pretty clear and I googled things but my ISP provider is pretty shitty, so I'll have to ask here. Since the ISP provides internet via a coaxial cable, I can't just switch the router to a good dual band router since i haven't found such with a coaxial input, so I have to bridge the connection.

 

Long story short, my ISP router only provides connection at one frequency, either 2.4 or 5, so since there are devices in my home that don't support 5GHz connections, can a bridged dual band router "lower" the frequency so it still sends 2.4 and 5GHz signals throughout the home, with as little as possible speed and bandwidth loss?

 

Thank you for the replies!

[NinJake]

I wouldn't use 5GHz for anything unless you're in the same room as the router anyways.

 

I'm also confused about the ISP providing only 2.4 or 5 GHz? Do you own both routers you're using?

[Zeinone]

Just now, NinJake said:

I wouldn't use 5GHz for anything unless you're in the same room as the router anyways.

The thing is that I'm paying for a 120/20Mbps connection while getting no more than 20/10 on wifi (full speed only on ethernet), so I want to increase the speed somehow but the root router is killing everything (Cisco EPC3925)

[NinJake]

1 minute ago, Zeinone said:

but the root router is killing everything (Cisco EPC3925)

What is your slave router?

[Tristerin]

3 minutes ago, Zeinone said:

Greetings lads,

 

The title is pretty clear and I googled things but my ISP provider is pretty shitty, so I'll have to ask here. Since the ISP provides internet via a coaxial cable, I can't just switch the router to a good dual band router since i haven't found such with a coaxial input, so I have to bridge the connection.

 

Long story short, my ISP router only provides connection at one frequency, either 2.4 or 5, so since there are devices in my home that don't support 5GHz connections, can a bridged dual band router "lower" the frequency so it still sends 2.4 and 5GHz signals throughout the home, with as little as possible speed and bandwidth loss?

 

Thank you for the replies!

 

So it sounds like you have one of those ISP supplied Modem/Routers all in one units?

 

Usually those are garbage but since you haven't listed what it is I will assume its okay.

 

2.4ghz and 5ghz signals are on different bands because they are received differently.  I.E. my old smart phone cant even detect my 5ghz band in my house.  But my PC's wifi cards will hook to both - why both?  Because I get the speeds of 2.4ghz and 5ghz giving me AC1200 connection from my router.

 

If it were me and I wanted the most out of my ISP I would use my own modem/router - like I do.

[Zeinone]

1 minute ago, NinJake said:

What is your slave router?

Currently nothing, hence my questions of would a good dual band make the connection fast and stable for both streaming/downloading and plain browsing. (maybe even an extender, eh? but it's a flat not a house, might be overkill but not sure)

[Catsrules]

Yes get a newer router and use that instead of the ISP one.

 

The Newer routers have two radios one for the 2.4Ghz band and the other for 5Ghz band, these are completely separate and will not affect one another.

 

5GHz is is shorter range, and doesn't penetrate walls very well but it is much faster then 2.4GHz. 5GHz usually will have less interference from neighboring WiFi simply because it has shorter range and not everyone had a 5GHz router. My 5GHz router is in the middle of my house and it can cover almost all of it but I will loose it when I go outside.

 

 

[Zeinone]

5 minutes ago, Catsrules said:

Yes get a newer router and use that instead of the ISP one.

 

The Newer routers have two radios one for the 2.4Ghz band and the other for 5Ghz band, these are completely separate and will not affect one another.

 

5GHz is is shorter range, and doesn't penetrate walls very well but it is much faster then 2.4GHz. 5GHz usually will have less interference from neighboring WiFi simply because it has shorter range and not everyone had a 5GHz router. My 5GHz router is in the middle of my house and it can cover almost all of it but I will loose it when I go outside.

 

 

Okay, got that down just one more thing.

Hence my ISP being how it is, the root router would only send 5GHz to the new router (can't throw away the ISP router because of the coaxial input cable). Now could that 5GHz signal be lowered to 2.4 too (done/converted by the newer router) for my older devices that wouldn't see the 5GHz connection?

I know it's a really particular issue but what can you do...

[NinJake]

2 minutes ago, Zeinone said:

Okay, got that down just one more thing.

Hence my ISP being how it is, the root router would only send 5GHz to the new router (can't throw away the ISP router because of the coaxial input cable). Now could that 5GHz signal be lowered to 2.4 too (done/converted by the newer router) for my older devices that wouldn't see the 5GHz connection?

I know it's a really particular issue but what can you do...

The modem is what accepts the coaxial cable. If your ISP is providing you with an "all in one" modem/router then you might want to look into getting your own modem AND router. This way you plug the coax into your own modem, then plug a RJ45 data cable from the modem to your router and poof, 2.4 and 5GHz. And you own it all so you won't have to pay a rental fee.

[Zeinone]

1 minute ago, NinJake said:

The modem is what accepts the coaxial cable. If your ISP is providing you with an "all in one" modem/router then you might want to look into getting your own modem AND router. This way you plug the coax into your own modem, then plug a RJ45 data cable from the modem to your router and poof, 2.4 and 5GHz. And you own it all so you won't have to pay a rental fee.

They are free either way (no rental fee, which explains the quality of the product). Thanks for the clarification!

[SSD Sean]

You just need to connect a new dual band router to the gateway via an Ethernet cable and set it as a DMZ and disable the WiFi on the gateway. That way the new router is the management point and the old gateway is just gonna act as a modem. No need to worry about any coaxial cables or anything and bam, faster WiFi!

[Catsrules]

18 minutes ago, Zeinone said:

Okay, got that down just one more thing.

Hence my ISP being how it is, the root router would only send 5GHz to the new router (can't throw away the ISP router because of the coaxial input cable). Now could that 5GHz signal be lowered to 2.4 too (done/converted by the newer router) for my older devices that wouldn't see the 5GHz connection?

I know it's a really particular issue but what can you do...

Oh sorry I should have been more clear, when I said use the use the new modem instead of the ISP I meant turn off the router and WiFi functions on the ISP modem and just use it to pass through the connection to the new router. 

Some ISP routers do not support being turn off and you have to use the router functions on the ISP modem. If this is the case I would either get a new ISP modem that can support this, or on the new router turn off the router features and set it up as an Access Point Only.

[Arkanthos]

So, since it looks like you're getting a cable internet service, and the 120/20 makes sense for that kind of connection... Here's what I would look into doing:

 

See if the ISP will take back the modem/router. They never really give it to you for free, see if giving it back to them can nock $5-10 off your monthly bill. Then, just for fun, see if the guy behind the counter knows what flavor of DOCSIS they are enforcing. If they say they only support 3.1, feel free to have a good guffaw in their face. If they tell you 2 or 3, then look at getting an inexpensive modem to replace the one they gave you, and toss in a decent router. A decent enough DOCSIS 3 modem is $30, and you can get a wireless router for $50. So, after 8 months, you've paid for the new gear in lowered cable bills... and you have dual band (2.4 and 5Ghz), probably beam forming logic (don't need to know how that works, but it's a good thing), and more control over your network.

 

Yes, some of that will probably be technospeakmishmashbabble. Happy to clarify any questions you have. Don't feel intimidated by an ISP pressing you to use their gear, they want to use it because they have tons of it... Internet protocols are all run on standards, which means you can probably do better than what they have for less than what they are charging you.

[Donut417]

18 hours ago, Zeinone said:

Greetings lads,

 

The title is pretty clear and I googled things but my ISP provider is pretty shitty, so I'll have to ask here. Since the ISP provides internet via a coaxial cable, I can't just switch the router to a good dual band router since i haven't found such with a coaxial input, so I have to bridge the connection.

 

Long story short, my ISP router only provides connection at one frequency, either 2.4 or 5, so since there are devices in my home that don't support 5GHz connections, can a bridged dual band router "lower" the frequency so it still sends 2.4 and 5GHz signals throughout the home, with as little as possible speed and bandwidth loss?

 

Thank you for the replies!

If you get your internet from coax then you have cable internet and would need to buy a cable modem if you dont want to use what your ISP gives you. Here is an example of one: https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Download-960Mbps-Certified-CM600-1AZNAS/dp/B06XGZBCKP/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1544008616&sr=8-3&keywords=CM600. I need to make this clear, most ISP's provide you with a modem and router in one. What I linked was just a standard modem without any router built in, but the fact is, you can buy these at many retailers. Just need to verify with your ISP which ones are certified for their network. 

 

 5Ghz is your best bet for performance. While it does have less range and penetration power, it can go thru walls to an extent and still keep performance. I know this from personal experience. Unless your trying to go thru concrete you should be fine.