dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
13650
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

4 edits

fartness (banned)

Member

Range extender for NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900

Click for full size
I have a NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 (with latest firmware from Netgear) and have trouble with some devices getting a stable (or any) connection outside of my 2.5 story colonial house. Walls are plaster and lath. I have 2 antennas facing flat and one slightly to the side. This seems to give the best signal throughout the house.

I would like to buy a range extender to put in my outside unheated garage which is probably 35 feet from the house, and maybe 55 to 60 feet from the router.

I think I just login to the range extender, set the SSID the same as my router, pick a different channel, and then in the range extender settings, I would type the SSID and WPA2 key for my NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 that it picks up so it can use its signal, correct? Or do they need different SSID's? When I'm at an airport and go from AP to AP that have the same SSID, I usually lose connectivity, although at college under the same circumstances, I think I would keep connectivity. I don't want to lose any connectivity if it jumps from the Nighthawk to the range extender and vice versa.

This Netgear replaced a perfectly working BUFFALO AirStation MIMO A&G WHR-HP-AG108 wireless router that got roughly the same range. I'm almost debating if I should run an Ethernet cable in the conduit that runs electric to the garage and put the Buffalo router in there. I don't think this Buffalo one has a range extending feature in it that would connect to my Netgear router without an Ethernet cable.

Anyway, would this work fine, or is there something better and or lower priced:
»www.newegg.com/Product/P ··· H1SX0141
Also can I install a third party firmware on that range extender and increase the wattage to the max that is allowed by the FCC? I know with DD-WRT firmware that I've used in the past, I could do this. Although this range extender seems to only support WPS as per some reviews (and not WPA2 PSK)?

Or for about $20 more:
»www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-A ··· FZK75A3J

mozerd
Light Will Pierce The Darkness
MVM
join:2004-04-23
Nepean, ON

2 edits

mozerd

MVM

LOCATION, location, LOCATION !!!

instead of spending money on an extender I suggest you spend the money on POSTIONING the R7000 properly then your range would improve significantly.

Where in Your 2.5 story colonial house is the CENTER of gravity? The RULE to always follow for WIRELESS is:
1.. as central as possible
2.. as high as possible

For example in a 2 story home the stairwell is usually located centrally so I would suggest placing the R7000 at the TOP of the Stairwell and 18 inches from the ceiling.

Under MIMO the EXTERNAL antennas will work much better if you make them look like a W -- always look like a W --- the W can be a narrow W or a wider W but always a W and vertical pointing at the CEILING.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

It's in about the dead center of the second floor. I've tried many different antenna configurations including the W but I thought that will only help with a side to side signal from the router, not up and down. I've spent about 5 hours putting the antennas in different locations, moving the router, etc. The signal is weak.

mozerd
Light Will Pierce The Darkness
MVM
join:2004-04-23
Nepean, ON

mozerd

MVM

Have you tried placing the R7000 18 inches from the ceiling like I suggested. You need HEIGHT as well as being centrally located.

Provide your 5G and 2G configuration settings ---- make sure that Beamforming is turned on.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

I will try that. Do you want the top of the antenna 18" from the ceiling or top of the router (not including antenna height) 18" from the ceiling.

Beamforming and 40MHz are on, what other settings do you want specially?
fartness

1 edit

fartness (banned)

Member

Click for full size
Temporary mounting position. New position cut my speeds in half. Now what?

Tried playing around with it some more. I think it's my walls. If I am standing in front of the router and behind the router with it like you see in my picture, that is where the strongest signal is. To the left of the router and to the right of the router is a weaker signal. I put it in my hallway by a window (1 wall that holds said window) and I go directly in the spot outside that should be "good" according to my observations, and I get 5 bars on my phone on 802.11n. Great. Walk towards the garage which would be to the left and right of the router, and I get the weaker signal. Either way, with the setup in the picture, and the mentioned setup in the hallway, my 3 IP cameras are still getting half the speed they did when I had it on my desk in my OP. I spent 5 hours getting that in an optimal position. I think I need a repeater...

mozerd
Light Will Pierce The Darkness
MVM
join:2004-04-23
Nepean, ON

2 edits

mozerd to fartness

MVM

to fartness
Which channels are you using for your 2G network when 40Mhz is on?

Each time you change channels for 2G you must restart the R7000 .. then give it at least 10 minutes for Beamforming to adjust ... do this with channel 1, 6 and 11 .... then report back .... also have you turned on Air Time Fairness ... if not turn it on ..... also make sure that 20/40 MHz coexistence is turned off .... do not be as concerned with the number of bars that appear as opposed to actual performance of the client .... if the client is working the way that you want then the R7000 is doing its job time slicing and throughput for each connected client. Strong signals do not translate into performance for clients with weak transmit output and unfortunately most clients have low transmit so the router must adjust according and that's when Beamforming plays a role.

For the antennas please use a wide W ... the left and right antenna should be tilted away from the wall by at least 4 inches while the middle antenna should be tilted forward away from the wall by at least 6 inches.

BTW, which version of the firmware is being utilized.

toby
Troy Mcclure
join:2001-11-13
Seattle, WA

toby to fartness

Member

to fartness
said by fartness:

40MHz are on

Disable that, put it to 20 Mhz, channel 1 or 6 or 11, for 2.4 Ghz.

Arrange the antennas vertically only and try and be a few feet from any solid wall or object.

To get a signal in your garage/yard install one of these on the outside wall.
»www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti- ··· 055PKSG6
Set it up on a different channel to your router, 1 or 6 or 11.
Different SSID until you get it all sorted.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned) to mozerd

Member

to mozerd
Click for full size
11(P)+ 7(S)... I've tried 1 and 6 also with same results.

Using latest firmware V1.0.3.80_1.1.38
fartness

fartness (banned) to toby

Member

to toby
said by toby:

said by fartness:

40MHz are on

Disable that, put it to 20 Mhz, channel 1 or 6 or 11, for 2.4 Ghz.

Arrange the antennas vertically only and try and be a few feet from any solid wall or object.

To get a signal in your garage/yard install one of these on the outside wall.
»www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti- ··· 055PKSG6
Set it up on a different channel to your router, 1 or 6 or 11.
Different SSID until you get it all sorted.

I've tried disabling 40MHz and it didn't make a difference.

mozerd
Light Will Pierce The Darkness
MVM
join:2004-04-23
Nepean, ON

2 edits

mozerd to fartness

MVM

to fartness
OK -- sounds like you do have far too much wireless interference in the 2G network from your neighbors.
said by fartness:

I'm almost debating if I should run an Ethernet cable in the conduit that runs electric to the garage and put the Buffalo router in there.

I agree that you should exploit your Buffalo router as stated in your quote above. Convert the Buffalo into a AP use the same SSID as your R7000 2G network but separate the channel as follows:

Put your Airstation into Bridge/Access Point Mode by moving the switch on the bottom of your AirStation from AUTO to BRI. This changes the default IP address of the AirStation from 192.168.11.1 to 192.168.11.100, and DHCP, NAT, and the WAN port are disabled.

You may have to adjust the IP addresses so that the Buffalo is on the proper subnet.

IF the R7000 is on channel 11 put the Buffalo on channel 1 and see if that works for you as you would like it to work. or you can reverse this by using channel 1 on the R7000 and channel 11 on the Buffalo ---- do not use channel 6 --- you need as much channel separation as possible within the 3 available so that rules out channel 6.

Now with the Buffalo in service as a dedicated AP make sure that on the R7000 20/40 MHz coexistence is turned on.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

My only worry with the conduit is getting the cable through it and interference from the electric wire running through it. Not sure if cat6 would be good enough to combat the interference, and with the price of cat7, I might be better off using an a/n repeater that picks up the signal on the a network and broadcasts a boosted n network.

toby
Troy Mcclure
join:2001-11-13
Seattle, WA

toby

Member

Don't run communication wires directly along side power lines.

I recommend putting the Ubiquiti AP on the outside of your house, as linked above. I have one.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned) to toby

Member

to toby
Why different SSID, or do you mean for initial setup only?

Does this do the same thing?
»www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B ··· 04XXMUCQ

billaustin
they call me Mr. Bill
MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV

billaustin to fartness

MVM

to fartness
In most situations, the odds of electrical interference having an impact on speed are very low. The twisting of the pairs in the cable are by design to mitigate interference issues. Cat5e is more than sufficient for your stated needs, if cost is an issue. Cat6 is a better choice to accommodate future growth, if you don't mind spending a little more. I have no issues with a gigabit network running on Cat5e cable installed over 15 years ago, with about 150 feet of it buried parallel to electrical lines.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

How exactly do I run it down the conduit?

mozerd
Light Will Pierce The Darkness
MVM
join:2004-04-23
Nepean, ON

mozerd

MVM

Fish Tape is what I use to pull Cat6 cable through conduits.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

1 edit

fartness (banned)

Member

Ok what about something like this...
»www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B ··· 165_QL70
Or this for $10 cheaper since the Buffalo router is only 10/100 anyway.
»www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B ··· 0AWRUIY4

If I put that in my garage then plug the Buffalo router into it. I don't think I need to buy anything else with that, do I?

billaustin
they call me Mr. Bill
MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV

billaustin

MVM

Powerline is a great network extender, when it works. It does not function well in some houses. I have used TrendNet and NetGear powerline adapters with good success. All you need is one pair of adapters and a couple short network cables.

You do have to watch how you connect things when using powerline adapters. The adapters have to be connected directly to the wall outlet, not to power strips. Plugging AC adapters, like cell phone chargers, directly into the wall outlets can create interference. Using power strips with a six foot cord to connect AC adapters will help minimize the interference they create on the line.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

I have three outlets in my garage so it can have a dedicated outlet but in my computer room, it would have to be plugged into the same outlet that has a UPS plugged into it too.

If I get the 500 mbps one versus the 200 mbps one, will the 500 mbps perform any better even though my device can't support 500 mbps?

billaustin
they call me Mr. Bill
MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV

billaustin

MVM

It all depends... I was using a pair to connect a building about 150 feet away. With a 200mb set, the utility showed the link speed as 105mb one direction and 85mb the other direction. When I upgraded to a 500mb set, the link speeds increased to 135/110. I would recommend a 500mb set with the pass-thru outlet for connecting devices (like your UPS).
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

What are your thoughts on something like this with the built in wifi?
»www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-T ··· A4220KIT

billaustin
they call me Mr. Bill
MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV

billaustin

MVM

I prefer to keep devices separate. Also, that will put your wireless near the floor instead of higher in the air where it functions better. Personally, I would look at one of these.

»www.amazon.com/TRENDnet- ··· owerline

»www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-P ··· owerline
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

I just realized my Buffalo router only supports WPA and not WPA2. Since that is the case, I can't have them share the same SSID and have it work flawlessly, correct? Unless I lower the Netgear to WPA from WPA2.

Also, my garage outlets are on the ceiling, so if I had one of those PoE with wifi devices, it wouldn't be pointing towards the ground.

billaustin
they call me Mr. Bill
MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV

billaustin

MVM

They have to share the same SSID and security key. I'm not sure on the security method, but I would guess it functions better if they are the same. Would be a good experiment to test it.

They are designed to plug into the wall and radiate out. If connected to an outlet on the ceiling, it would radiate more down than out. There might be issues keeping it plugged in (gravity).
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

1 edit

fartness (banned)

Member

Hmm, I can plug the Buffalo router into the garage tomorrow and see how well, if at all, it bounces back and forth between WPA (Buffalo) and WPA2 (Netgear). If it doesn't work well, I might get the wifi PoE, if it works fine, I'll get the non-wifi one.

Since I have an IP camera on my garage, I can use an Ethernet cable (it's not a PoE camera) so I get 100 mbps rather than having it on wifi. If the connectors of this cable are not exposed to the elements, is this rated for outside use? I don't see anything mentioned, so I'm going to say no, but I think I should still be able to use it. The one male end will be in the camera's weather shielded box, and the other will be inside the garage connected to the Buffalo router.
»www.amazon.com/Fosmon-Pr ··· rReviews

EDIT: Ran an Ethernet cable via my laundry shoot from 2nd floor to basement. Testing the WPA and WPA2 idea now.
fartness

2 edits

fartness (banned)

Member

Click for full size
Click for full size
Click for full size
Click for full size
I'll get my laptop out so I can run a ping -t and walk around but it appears that this will work ok...

My Netgear appears to downgrade its security to WPA automatically according to my phone. My IP cameras connected to the Netgear have it hard coded for WPA2 and they never lost connectivity.

The first two Adam (G) are with the Buffalo on and off. The second to last is my AC network. The last is with the Netgear off. Appears flawless. All 4 screen shots show the phone connected at the router's max. (Buffalo is 54mbps, Netgear is 96mbps on N and 433mbps on AC).

Can I have the Buffalo's 802.11a network the same SSID as the Netgear's 802.11ac SSID?

I don't know what this will do for throughput etc or if there are any I'll effects that I don't readily see.
fartness

4 edits

fartness (banned)

Member

Click for full size
Click for full size
Now I'm in the basement and this is kind of weird that it's showing WPA2 which would mean it's still connected to my Netgear on the 2nd floor.

Connected it to the Buffalo and then walked upstairs. Looks like it's just the phone misidentifing WPA or WPA2 since in the 2nd picture I'm still connected to the Buffalo as confirmed by my ~25 mbps speed test on my 50 mbps line from Road Runner.

My only worry will be if the Netgear is in the house and the Buffalo is in the garage, if I get home from driving somewhere, my phone will connect to the Buffalo since it's the best signal, but when I go in the house, unless the Buffalo connection totally drops, it will stay connected at a weak signal.

Also what happens if I leave my Netgear on 40MHz channels (11P + 7S) and have the Buffalo on channel 1?

billaustin
they call me Mr. Bill
MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV

billaustin to fartness

MVM

to fartness
The cable should be fine. Just keep the connectors out of the element and it should run for many years. You may just have to replace it in five years instead of ten. Outdoor cable has a gel in it to keep water from entering, and better UV protection for the outer insulation.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

On my Windows 7 laptop, it would not connect to the Buffalo unless I manually changed it to WPA. Otherwise the network would still show up but give me the message: "The settings saved on this computer for the network do not match the requirements of the network."

I'll just name the 802.11a on the Buffalo a different name.