Wifi setup

TheNewPCMan · May 1, 2017

I just got a new condo and need to set up my home network. I am planning on buying a modem instead of renting from my isp. I am also looking into a wifi router. It is just going to be myself and a roommate so we don't need many ethernet ports. However we both game online and want reliable pretty fast internet. We are planning to get at least 25 mbps internet speed from my comcast, possibly more. We both have several devices that will be online at the same time. we each have a desktop that will use wired connection. About 1-2 laptops could be on wifi and then 2 phones streaming at the same time. It seems like a lot connected all at once for only 2 people but we are gamers and I am a computer science major who is constantly doing something on the computer whether its gaming or streaming video or whatever. the condo is 3 floors but the bottom floor is the garage so it doesn't matter. the two top floors are about 800-900 sq ft. I need good reliable coverage all throughout that area. I have been looking into mu-mimo technology and that looks like something that would come in very handy for my specific needs seeing as how we could have 3 devices streaming on the internet at the same time. I have also been looking at the fact that there are at least 6 other wifi signals that I pick up in the condo so mine will have to compete with those. I am going to try to get cat 6 cable for the two desktops. Please leave any suggestions for internet speed as well as routers and modems and wired repeaters if you think I might need one. I think I am going to try to stay away from wireless repeaters cause I have never had very good luck with them. I'm hoping I don't have to spend more than 150$ for the router and hopefully not more than about 100$ for the modem. These prices are a little flexible because im not sure exactly how much the average price is. If you think there is one that will work really well that is more expensive still tell me and I will look into it and then decide if its too much. Thanks for all the help and for the help in the past!

PeachyUwUSenpai · May 1, 2017

if you want reliable use ethernet cables not wifi ESPECIALLY in a condo

LienusLateTips · May 1, 2017

13 minutes ago, Alaradia said:

if you want reliable use ethernet cables not wifi ESPECIALLY in a condo

Or 5GHZ WiFi. I get consistent 200mbps with Wifi (I pay for shitty internet, ewww only 200mbps)

And BTW this is in a condo, 17 floors.

PeachyUwUSenpai · May 1, 2017

1 minute ago, JDE said:

Or 5GHZ WiFi. I get consistent 200mbps with Wifi (I pay for shitty internet, ewww only 200mbps)

And BTW this is in a condo, 17 floors.

with a cable you get a consistent 1000mbps+ and not just mostly consistent like wifi including 5 ghz

Lord_Snax · May 2, 2017

I personally use a Motorola cable modem with a Linksys WRT1200AC Wireless router. If I had realized that Linksys is owned by Belkin at the time I bought it, I would have gone with a different wireless router, probably an ASUS router or something. Netgear routers are good but they are big packages put in small boxes, so overheating becomes an issue.

The Linksys router I have is good, but I need to restart it every so often. Which can be a pain.

I personally like TP-Link wireless routers if you are on a budget as they have the best bang for buck.

I would recommend placing the router at the highest point on the 2nd floor, like on a shelf or something in the middle of the condo. If you have 2 or more antennas on the back of the wireless router, have one upright and one on its side. This will allow best coverage for both the 2nd and 3rd floors. I use this trick in my home and have great WiFi coverage on all 3 floors of my home, and my wireless router is in the basement.

This is just me, but I would suggest you lower the transmit power (Tx power) of the wireless router to shrink the usable WiFi signal to just your condo. This will reduce the possibly of someone stealing your internet. Don't go to low, or you may create WiFi dead zones in your condo.

Make sure you use a strong password as well and I personally would disable SSID (WiFi name) broadcast on your router to add security through obscurity.

Cable Modem: https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Certified-Comcast-Spectrum-BrightHouse/dp/B01A1E6BA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493761885&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=cable+modem&psc=1

TP-Link Wireless Router: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Gigabit-Wireless-Archer-C1200/dp/B01IUDUJE0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493761930&sr=8-1&keywords=tp-link+wireless+router