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Home WiFi Signal Boost Options

RiqSha
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59 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

 

You have a few options here. Firstly if your interested in building your own router you will need to look in to PFsense. Keep in mind you would still need to buy a switch and Wireless access point with this solution. Secondly, I dont really see the point of having two 5Ghz radio's, unless you running a lot of older hardware on 5Ghz, on top of that 5Ghz really wasnt popular with wireless N, so there are not too many older devices that use it. As far as 5Ghz is concerned, no you dont need to be in the same room, thats 60Ghz where you need to be in the same room. With 5 Ghz wireless N, I was about 20 feet away with two walls in between and still got 100% internet speed. 5Ghz just doesn't penetrate  walls real well and its not built for distance, but will go a bit a distance. With my modem and router siting in my room now on the second floor of the house, the entire house and garage which is about 20 feet away from the house is covered in 5Ghz. 

DDWRT is a advanced Linux based firmware that unlocked a metric shit ton of options for your router. It provides you will features you would see in business and enterprise grade environments. As a result its not easy to use, I had to go to the DDWRT forums on several occasions to get IPv6 to work with Comcast. Another issue you might run in to with it, is it makes the hardware work. My DIR835 router from DLink was pretty much a furnace after I install DDWRT, using the USB ports on the router and a spare laptop cooler solved that issue however. Your mileage may vary. The only other negative is the installation process. Its not "Just upload the firmware to the router", there is a process you have to follow or else you might brick the router making it useless. *See the DDWRT forum Peacock thread for more info on the installation process"* 

 

 

Oh and Im currently using a Synology RT2600AC router, it seems to work well, and it sits around $200USD, they also have a little brother to my router that just a bit slower that also costs less. I figured I put it in to the running. 

I'll look into PFsense, thanks @Donut417

 

I thought having 3 lanes would be useful to just split up the demand, but I'm not sure if that's the most effective solution anymore. I tried a test on my PC which is on the second floor directly above my router (on the first floor). The 2.4 GHz connection gave me a speed test of 35Mbps and the 5 GHz connection gave me 15Mbps. Do you know why the 5 GHz connection would have a slower speed? Also, dw I know I should be getting way faster speeds if I'm paying for a 1 Gbps service, which is the reason why I'm doing all this. 

 

I'm leaning towards the C3150 because I think it's better to have the faster CPU, higher bandwidth on each frequency and the AC Wave 2 features. 

 

I'm trying to boost the WiFi signal and strength in my house. RIght now I've got a 1 Gbps connection and I'm using the modem+router combo supplied by the ISP.  I'm looking to select one of the following two routers:

1) https://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/Archer-C3150.html

2) https://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/Archer-C3200.html

 

Initially, I was going to pick C3200 since it has tri-band with 2 extra bands of 5 GHz. But from what I remember, to utilize that frequency don't you have to be in the same room or within line of sight? My gaming setup and TV are in the basement and bedrooms which have layers of walls/floors (wood) between them and the router. Which would mean all devices would be on the 2.4 Ghz band.

 

On the other hand, I liked the C3150 with the MU-MIMO that Linus talks about as AC-WAVE 2 but that only works if the devices also have AC Wave 2.

 

So what are the options here? I feel like the best solution would be a router with a dual band or tri-band with 2.4 ghz so that all devices could spread over them.

 

P.S. I know running direct ethernet cables would be easier but I'm also trying to use this as a learning opportunity. I looked into MESH wifi solutions but those are almost $450. I also have an old PC with an AMD FX6300, 4Gigs of ram and a cheap MSI board, if that can be used to DIY a router solution.

 

All help is appreciated! My budget is around $200, which fits those two routers above. 

 

 

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powerline adapters? wifi repeaters? if you really want to choose between those 2, get the c3200 as it has more antennas. ddwrt is working on a firmware for c3200 so i would get that. 

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I've tried powerline adapters but they really depend on the wiring of the house and from what I've read the larger the house the more their efficiency drops. As for WiFi repeaters based on my research, it seems it cuts the total bandwidth you have in half and even then the overall performance isn't worth the trade-off. 

 

I was looking into the AC3200 but because of my house's layout, it seems I won't have access to the 5Ghz bands so that just seems like a waste. Who is ddwrt and what does the firmware do?

 

 

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3 minutes ago, RiqSha said:

I've tried powerline adapters but they really depend on the wiring of the house and from what I've read the larger the house the more their efficiency drops. As for WiFi repeaters based on my research, it seems it cuts the total bandwidth you have in half and even then the overall performance isn't worth the trade-off. 

 

I was looking into the AC3200 but because of my house's layout, it seems I won't have access to the 5Ghz bands so that just seems like a waste. Who is ddwrt and what does the firmware do?

 

 

DD-WRT is a group that makes custom firmware for routers offering better performance and more options. 

 

Is suggest the Ac3150 since the 3200 doesn't have the ability to take advantage of your connection since the 2.4GHz band only has 600Mbit. 

 

The 3150 also has a 1.4GHz CPU vs 1GHz for the 3200.

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1 hour ago, RiqSha said:

I'm trying to boost the WiFi signal and strength in my house. RIght now I've got a 1 Gbps connection and I'm using the modem+router combo supplied by the ISP.  I'm looking to select one of the following two routers:

1) https://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/Archer-C3150.html

2) https://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/Archer-C3200.html

 

Initially, I was going to pick C3200 since it has tri-band with 2 extra bands of 5 GHz. But from what I remember, to utilize that frequency don't you have to be in the same room or within line of sight? My gaming setup and TV are in the basement and bedrooms which have layers of walls/floors (wood) between them and the router. Which would mean all devices would be on the 2.4 Ghz band.

 

On the other hand, I liked the C3150 with the MU-MIMO that Linus talks about as AC-WAVE 2 but that only works if the devices also have AC Wave 2.

 

So what are the options here? I feel like the best solution would be a router with a dual band or tri-band with 2.4 ghz so that all devices could spread over them.

 

P.S. I know running direct ethernet cables would be easier but I'm also trying to use this as a learning opportunity. I looked into MESH wifi solutions but those are almost $450. I also have an old PC with an AMD FX6300, 4Gigs of ram and a cheap MSI board, if that can be used to DIY a router solution.

 

All help is appreciated! My budget is around $200, which fits those two routers above. 

 

 

You have a few options here. Firstly if your interested in building your own router you will need to look in to PFsense. Keep in mind you would still need to buy a switch and Wireless access point with this solution. Secondly, I dont really see the point of having two 5Ghz radio's, unless you running a lot of older hardware on 5Ghz, on top of that 5Ghz really wasnt popular with wireless N, so there are not too many older devices that use it. As far as 5Ghz is concerned, no you dont need to be in the same room, thats 60Ghz where you need to be in the same room. With 5 Ghz wireless N, I was about 20 feet away with two walls in between and still got 100% internet speed. 5Ghz just doesn't penetrate  walls real well and its not built for distance, but will go a bit a distance. With my modem and router siting in my room now on the second floor of the house, the entire house and garage which is about 20 feet away from the house is covered in 5Ghz. 

1 hour ago, RiqSha said:

I was looking into the AC3200 but because of my house's layout, it seems I won't have access to the 5Ghz bands so that just seems like a waste. Who is ddwrt and what does the firmware do?

DDWRT is a advanced Linux based firmware that unlocked a metric shit ton of options for your router. It provides you will features you would see in business and enterprise grade environments. As a result its not easy to use, I had to go to the DDWRT forums on several occasions to get IPv6 to work with Comcast. Another issue you might run in to with it, is it makes the hardware work. My DIR835 router from DLink was pretty much a furnace after I install DDWRT, using the USB ports on the router and a spare laptop cooler solved that issue however. Your mileage may vary. The only other negative is the installation process. Its not "Just upload the firmware to the router", there is a process you have to follow or else you might brick the router making it useless. *See the DDWRT forum Peacock thread for more info on the installation process"* 

 

 

Oh and Im currently using a Synology RT2600AC router, it seems to work well, and it sits around $200USD, they also have a little brother to my router that just a bit slower that also costs less. I figured I put it in to the running. 

I just want to sit back and watch the world burn. 

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2 hours ago, r4tch3t said:

DD-WRT is a group that makes custom firmware for routers offering better performance and more options. 

 

Is suggest the Ac3150 since the 3200 doesn't have the ability to take advantage of your connection since the 2.4GHz band only has 600Mbit. 

 

The 3150 also has a 1.4GHz CPU vs 1GHz for the 3200.

Ahh thanks!

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59 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

 

You have a few options here. Firstly if your interested in building your own router you will need to look in to PFsense. Keep in mind you would still need to buy a switch and Wireless access point with this solution. Secondly, I dont really see the point of having two 5Ghz radio's, unless you running a lot of older hardware on 5Ghz, on top of that 5Ghz really wasnt popular with wireless N, so there are not too many older devices that use it. As far as 5Ghz is concerned, no you dont need to be in the same room, thats 60Ghz where you need to be in the same room. With 5 Ghz wireless N, I was about 20 feet away with two walls in between and still got 100% internet speed. 5Ghz just doesn't penetrate  walls real well and its not built for distance, but will go a bit a distance. With my modem and router siting in my room now on the second floor of the house, the entire house and garage which is about 20 feet away from the house is covered in 5Ghz. 

DDWRT is a advanced Linux based firmware that unlocked a metric shit ton of options for your router. It provides you will features you would see in business and enterprise grade environments. As a result its not easy to use, I had to go to the DDWRT forums on several occasions to get IPv6 to work with Comcast. Another issue you might run in to with it, is it makes the hardware work. My DIR835 router from DLink was pretty much a furnace after I install DDWRT, using the USB ports on the router and a spare laptop cooler solved that issue however. Your mileage may vary. The only other negative is the installation process. Its not "Just upload the firmware to the router", there is a process you have to follow or else you might brick the router making it useless. *See the DDWRT forum Peacock thread for more info on the installation process"* 

 

 

Oh and Im currently using a Synology RT2600AC router, it seems to work well, and it sits around $200USD, they also have a little brother to my router that just a bit slower that also costs less. I figured I put it in to the running. 

I'll look into PFsense, thanks @Donut417

 

I thought having 3 lanes would be useful to just split up the demand, but I'm not sure if that's the most effective solution anymore. I tried a test on my PC which is on the second floor directly above my router (on the first floor). The 2.4 GHz connection gave me a speed test of 35Mbps and the 5 GHz connection gave me 15Mbps. Do you know why the 5 GHz connection would have a slower speed? Also, dw I know I should be getting way faster speeds if I'm paying for a 1 Gbps service, which is the reason why I'm doing all this. 

 

I'm leaning towards the C3150 because I think it's better to have the faster CPU, higher bandwidth on each frequency and the AC Wave 2 features. 

 

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7 hours ago, RiqSha said:

I'll look into PFsense, thanks @Donut417

 

I thought having 3 lanes would be useful to just split up the demand, but I'm not sure if that's the most effective solution anymore. I tried a test on my PC which is on the second floor directly above my router (on the first floor). The 2.4 GHz connection gave me a speed test of 35Mbps and the 5 GHz connection gave me 15Mbps. Do you know why the 5 GHz connection would have a slower speed? Also, dw I know I should be getting way faster speeds if I'm paying for a 1 Gbps service, which is the reason why I'm doing all this. 

 

I'm leaning towards the C3150 because I think it's better to have the faster CPU, higher bandwidth on each frequency and the AC Wave 2 features. 

If your just above the router then that might be the issue. Omni directional antennas dont work well broadcasting signal above. This is the reason I like external/adjustable antennas. Because then you can adjust them at the right angle. Another reason 5Ghz might not work well is the building materials of your home. Like I stated above its not built for penetration and if your home is build out of denser materials then it could be having a harder time getting thru those materials. 

 

Oh and you will NEVER get close to 1Gbps on wireless. If you need 1Gbps to a machine you will have to run a wire. 

I just want to sit back and watch the world burn. 

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11 hours ago, Donut417 said:

If your just above the router then that might be the issue. Omni directional antennas dont work well broadcasting signal above. This is the reason I like external/adjustable antennas. Because then you can adjust them at the right angle. Another reason 5Ghz might not work well is the building materials of your home. Like I stated above its not built for penetration and if your home is build out of denser materials then it could be having a harder time getting thru those materials. 

 

Oh and you will NEVER get close to 1Gbps on wireless. If you need 1Gbps to a machine you will have to run a wire. 

Ahh, that might be the issue. I'll look into Omnidirectional antennas and its effects on signal strength in perpendicular directions. I can't do too much about the building materials in my home but I knew that going in. 

 

And absolutely. But I don't think I should be getting 30Mbps either way. I'm not expecting 1Gbps, but I'm hoping for something more than 30Mbps. Like... seriously.

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3 hours ago, RiqSha said:

Ahh, that might be the issue. I'll look into Omnidirectional antennas and its effects on signal strength in perpendicular directions. I can't do too much about the building materials in my home but I knew that going in. 

 

And absolutely. But I don't think I should be getting 30Mbps either way. I'm not expecting 1Gbps, but I'm hoping for something more than 30Mbps. Like... seriously.

This is why people run wires and wire up wireless access points through out their home. Especially if your in a multi floor home that sometimes is the easiest way to ensure not only full coverage, but be able to get better performance as well. For those who cant run Ethernet the other alternatives are Power line adapters and Moca adapters. See my home is basically 3 cubes on top of each other. The basement which I dont care if I get signal in the first floor and second floor. With the router up high on because its on the second floor Im pretty much able to get all 150/10 of my internet speed through out the first and second floor and outside, if I ever choose to go out there. LOL. Some times a one box solution just isnt in the cards. 

 

Knowing that ISP supplied boxes are generally shitty when it comes to WiFi, what you could do is buy a new router or AP depending on what you want to do and test it, I found that AC wireless has a bit better range and penetration overall. Your best bet however is to elevate your router as high as you can get it, that will help spread the signal a little better. 

I just want to sit back and watch the world burn. 

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22 hours ago, Donut417 said:

This is why people run wires and wire up wireless access points through out their home. Especially if your in a multi floor home that sometimes is the easiest way to ensure not only full coverage, but be able to get better performance as well. For those who cant run Ethernet the other alternatives are Power line adapters and Moca adapters. See my home is basically 3 cubes on top of each other. The basement which I dont care if I get signal in the first floor and second floor. With the router up high on because its on the second floor Im pretty much able to get all 150/10 of my internet speed through out the first and second floor and outside, if I ever choose to go out there. LOL. Some times a one box solution just isnt in the cards. 

 

Knowing that ISP supplied boxes are generally shitty when it comes to WiFi, what you could do is buy a new router or AP depending on what you want to do and test it, I found that AC wireless has a bit better range and penetration overall. Your best bet however is to elevate your router as high as you can get it, that will help spread the signal a little better. 

Yeah, when I get my own home I will definitely have dedicated CAT6 connections in primary rooms. I think I'll go for the Archer AC3150 for now. It's quite expensive but its half the price of the Google home wifi mesh solution. I'm going to do some tests before I install the router and if the speeds don't increase be a worthwhile factor then I'm just going to return it and be sad with my predicament. 

 

Thanks for the help! 

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