Posted: 10/5/2012 3:53:09 PM EDT
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Hi ARFCOM, I'm looking to tap the vast knowledge banks of this site for some home networking information.
Background: My parents place is a three level home (including the basement). The current network setup involves a cable modem + wireless router in the basement. The wifi connection is the primary access method for the basement and the main floor of the house. The second story has a wireless repeater as well as a Powerline adapter used to connect a desktop to the internet. As you can probably imagine, the signal strength from the basement to the main floor is pretty weak, and the basement to the second story is even worse. The repeater is mostly there to keep devices from constantly dropping signal, it doesn't do a whole lot to improve data speeds. I suggested getting an installer in to run the necessary wiring to each level, allowing for one or two Wireless Access Points to be connected to the main router. These would replace the temporary band-aids (the repeater and the Powerline adapter). If the installation quotes are low enough, the ideal solution is to also run a direct ethernet connection to each major stationary device that could make use of it. The installer: I guess they found a guy to come out and take a look at everything. I expected to get a quote for the various wired network options. Instead, he apparently told them that he wants to install a "more powerful router in the basement" as well as a "faster Powerline adapter" upstairs, using that adapter to run a Wireless Access Point/Router up there. My questions: I've always heard that installing a more "powerful" router is relatively pointless, because the devices you're connecting to are the limiting factor (sending signals back to the router). Likewise, while the Powerline adapter is better than nothing, it is far slower than good ethernet connections I've had in the past. Is my analysis of that correct, or has Powerline/Router tech advanced enough that it can compete with a wired setup? Is his suggestion feasible? TL;DR: Installer disagrees with my suggestion of running ethernet cable. Instead suggests a different router along with a Powerline adapter connected to a Wireless Access Point. Can the hivemind give me any feedback on this? |
NO one wants to run cables through a finished house. do you know how much work that is?
and i agree with him. buy a new router and repeater. i have a customer with the same setup. modem is top floor of house with a linksys WRVS4400N (i love that router it has unbelievable range) signalwise it gets to the basement but devices occasionally would drop off. So i bought an engenious ecb 9500 and set it up on the 2nd floor in repeater mode. Fixed the issue. later on I decided to redo the network downstairs because he ended up needing a plotter on the network. change the 9500 from repeater mode to client bridge mode and now the pc's wireless and hardwired are gtg. |
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Well, I hope they aren't paying all that much for some guy to just swap out equipment. That said, is there a laundry chute? Cold air return straight drops? Running wires that are "good enough" (that wouldn't pass code when you sell but still work) isn't that hard. Wired will definitely simplify and speed the network. Whether or not your parents need a network that reliable is another question. New power line data circuits have indeed improved in the last few years. We are using one to rube-goldberg a 100 meg network to a 1 gig network, from the server room, to power lines, to conference room, too wired, to hole in roof, to wireless bridge across the block to wireless bridge to another setup like that on the other end. Strangely enough, it works fine.
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Quoted:
Hi ARFCOM, I'm looking to tap the vast knowledge banks of this site for some home networking information. Background: My parents place is a three level home (including the basement). The current network setup involves a cable modem + wireless router in the basement. The wifi connection is the primary access method for the basement and the main floor of the house. The second story has a wireless repeater as well as a Powerline adapter used to connect a desktop to the internet. As you can probably imagine, the signal strength from the basement to the main floor is pretty weak, and the basement to the second story is even worse. The repeater is mostly there to keep devices from constantly dropping signal, it doesn't do a whole lot to improve data speeds. I suggested getting an installer in to run the necessary wiring to each level, allowing for one or two Wireless Access Points to be connected to the main router. These would replace the temporary band-aids (the repeater and the Powerline adapter). If the installation quotes are low enough, the ideal solution is to also run a direct ethernet connection to each major stationary device that could make use of it. The installer: I guess they found a guy to come out and take a look at everything. I expected to get a quote for the various wired network options. Instead, he apparently told them that he wants to install a "more powerful router in the basement" as well as a "faster Powerline adapter" upstairs, using that adapter to run a Wireless Access Point/Router up there. My questions: I've always heard that installing a more "powerful" router is relatively pointless, because the devices you're connecting to are the limiting factor (sending signals back to the router). Likewise, while the Powerline adapter is better than nothing, it is far slower than good ethernet connections I've had in the past. Is my analysis of that correct, or has Powerline/Router tech advanced enough that it can compete with a wired setup? Is his suggestion feasible? TL;DR: Installer disagrees with my suggestion of running ethernet cable. Instead suggests a different router along with a Powerline adapter connected to a Wireless Access Point. Can the hivemind give me any feedback on this? You could try a router like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320091 with a repeater. or you could look into a MOCA solution: http://www.netgear.com/service-provider/products/powerline-and-coax/moca/default.aspx http://www.dlink.com/us/en/home-solutions/connect/moca/dxn-221-hd-mediabridge-coax-network-starter-kit |
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Quoted:
If they have coax that runs that way a Ethernet over coax adapter might be something to look at that, or if the house is new enough that it was wired with cat-3 phone cable, you could rob a couple of the pairs to get a connection connection across the house. |
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Different option.
1. Buy some more power line adapters. Make sure they are all compatible and make sure they are as fast as possible. I like the ones made by SlingBox. 2. Put an Access Point on each floor. Make sure that they are access points or at least wireless routers that have their IP address changed and DHCP turned off then plug into the LAN port. 3. Configure all Access Points with the same SSID and crypto. At this point the power line stuff becomes a backbone and everything is happy. Hard lines are better, but this will work just fine. |
| I'd run the lines from the router in the basement (you can do this with the current router). TP-LINK has some budget friendly AP's (300bps) for around $30 a piece if I remember correctly. I'd start off with two AP's (one basement, one second story) and run patch to a discrete location on the first floor, a discrete location on the second floor and one to the desktop. Configure the AP's for bridge and that should take care of things. I usually use Apple Airport Expresses for the AP's off the router if I have to do this just because they are easy to work with but they aren't cheap. I did something similar at my parent's house. From the router I ran patch (just in the middle of the floor, it was an experiment) across the house (caddy corner) to an exterior power supply, hooked up to an Airport Express and turned the power all the way up. Drove over to the barn (yes drove), set my computer on the roof of the truck and looked for the network. 400+ yards across a draw but as long as I had line of sight I could get on the internet (just barely though). |