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Gents,
Any recommendation for USB-wifi Dongle for desktop? I need something with a strong signal seeking capacity.

How is TP-Link TL-WN821N or Dlink-DWA-131


Along the same lines, I also need to add a good router & repeater that is capable of transmitting signal over a wide square footage (approx 2500 sqft) going through multiple RCC walls. Current desktop is approx 15ft away from the router; existing router is TP Link Model No. TD-W8968. I also have a repeater Dlink DIR-505 which is ok but nothing great.

Anything other than a wired ethernet connection on a desktop is a compromise. If you need wifi, a PCI-Card based solution like this is going to be better than a dongle. As for the router, ASUS RT-AC53 should be good enough.

I knew I could count on you, my man! FYI, went & bought your recommended configuration to the "T" at Lamington, costed me about 50xxx INR. Only thing I didn't factor in is the dimension of the CPU cabinet, now my furniture's door won't close! :deadhorse

Ok, while I understand ethernet is best, its not possible given the setup I have (no wired LAN port) in the room & not possible to run a cable from the duct of the building & it lying on the floor through the house. So that's out of the window. As for your suggestion on the PCI based adapter, I looked at the same one but again, my CPU sits in a wooden cabinet at a height lower than the chair, which is already far from the router (signal has to cross 2 thick walls). Currently what I have done is extended a USB hub & connected my existing cheapskate Livetech wifi dongle & kept it open to air, hoping that makes a difference. I will attach a couple of pictures tomorrow for better understanding.

So If I've to choose a USB wifi dongle, which would be the one to go with?

Cheers

No worries, congratulations on the PC! Would have been great if we could factor your size constraints re: the cabinet choice.

A Wifi-dongle would also have the issue of being in a similar spot as the card right? Maybe something like this is the answer.

I hope below image is able to depict what I mean to say, the position of CPU. The other image shows the position where wifi dongle is placed on the USB hub.

I saw the TP-Link TL-WN822N N300, USB dongle while researching yesterday but it doesn't seem to have very good reviews elsewhere, other than Amazon. Secondly Amazon has a strange way of posting reviews, all the reviews in similar product line-up get lumped together.

So the ones that I have posted before seemed to have a better rating, don't want to get stuck with multiple dongles for the same job.

Cheers!

Hi Folks,

I recently bought a TP-Link Archer A5 AC1200 modem/router to replace the previous D-Link router that was provided by my internet service provider.

The range of the new router (with 4 antennae) is really good, covering almost the entire 1600sft of my house, which the previous 2-Antennae D-Link router couldn't.

However, the signal strength shown on the devices is lower now on the Archer, compared to the D-Link one. While the speed is definitely improved, the signal strength (as shown on the phone/laptop) is never full, even if in the adjacent room with just one RCC wall in between. The drop in speed is nominal. Can access almost 36-38 Mbps of my 40 Mbps plan.

And the wifi speed beyond 2 RCC walls is manageable at around 5 Mbps. However, can not connect to the wifi from that distance. If connected nearby and then move to that room, the connection is sustained.

Any idea why this happens?

I have an Archer C6, so maybe it's comparable. I'm sure yours is a Gigabit router too... And most usage here is across a couple of walls. Haven't found connection issues though, connects well from all rooms. Didn't notice much of a speed drop either. What I can think of... is try the firmware update in Tether (app or web). If there's none, maybe a reset can help...

Thank you, Gusfring. Will try upgrading the firmware.

I used to use a Tp-Link Range Extender to connect my smart tv to wifi. Now it works without the range extender but again, at lower speeds. So I use the range extender when watching a movie on the TV.

What I fail to understand is that while the signal strength (as displayed on phone/laptop) is 3/4 in the room adjacent to the router (through an attached bathroom - 2 walls), the speed is not affected at all. But the connection in Hall, again 2 walls away, is sketchy. Significant drop in speed.

Anwyay, will try to upgrade the firmware. Thanks for the pointer!

PS: Gus Fring was my favourite actor+character in Breaking Bad. :D

Reviews/popularity are generally not the best way to judge the viability of a product for a specific use-case. If you feel like doing a bit of trial and error, I don't see a problem with trying out a few options (whatever you'd prefer to try first i.e.).

On a side note, because your front fan isn't lighting up, I'm assuming it isn't connected to an RGB header? Not sure if this is intentional. Would also recommend adding another front fan so as to induce positive pressure inside the cabinet.

Actually this speed drop can be caused by some other factors too... Even interference by other signals in the same frequency can do it. But it shouldn't connect in one room and not connect in other, which the firmware update or reset may help with, I hope.

Oh yeah, same here :D

Has anyone used the TP-Link powerline extenders? It is supposed to transmit and receive data over the powerline and needs no ethernet cabling nor is it said to use the wifi bandwidth to transmit data to each other. It seems to be a good option where extenders are needed.

I have a pair of TPLink powerline extenders that I use at home between my Wifi router and extender. They work quite well, though every few months they need a reboot as the connection goes out of sync. No complaints with the device. I've been using these for about 3 years now and they service the purpose very well.

Please make sure both ends of the powerline pair are on the same electrical circuit. Else it will not work.

Good afternoon. My new internet provider ACT has given me a TP Link Archer C5 V4. The wifi signal is not as strong as I would like.

Will updating the firmware help? Except I could not find any firmware update on the TP Link India site. I found a firmware update for it on TP Link Bulgaria(!). Can I use that?

My current firmware is:

3.16.0 0.9.1 v6015.0 Build 190226 Rel.23566n

Hardware:

Archer C5 v4 00000004

Firmware update by TP Link Bulgaria

Archer C5 v4 Build 190815

Is to possible to combine two ISP's in a load balancing setup such that based on the load/availability, the device decides which ISP to use. As a user, I will connect to one end point/router. All this load balancing should be done by a dedicated device to which my Wifi router is connected to.

Something like this

ISP 1 & ISP2 -> Load balancer -> Wifi router -> Devices.


I face frequent downtimes which is affecting my WFH. So I was contemplating to get a backup connection from a different ISP. Then, I thought it would be good if I need not have to switch to the backup ISP whenever the primary goes down. Then, I thought why not use both the ISP and let a device decide how to distribute the load. :)

Check tplink load balancers on Amazon.