[rajeshsundaram]

My 2 cents on a generic level.

@Thad-E-Ginathom, Sir. Correct me wherever I am wrong.

Factors that may be affecting the throughput in 5Ghz, IMO.
In most cases the problem starts with- the Channel allotment, and number of streams supported by the Router/AP device. Depending on the firmware - these parameters can be changed if the vendor/manufacturer has made it configurable. One should also take into account the client device's (phones, TVs, laptops) Wifi capabilities. Some phones typically use basic Wireless chipsets to conserve battery power. Some OSs when running from battery powered laptop - uses battery saving WiFi profiles. Tweaking those profiles may help to some extent.

Consumer 802.11AC - Fewer configurations
As limited I know, most consumer 802.11 AC routers / access points are often shipped with firmware which has locked parameters (with safe values). These locked parameters are usually hidden too.

Only a subset of the AC parameters are configurable by the users in consumer 802.11ac devices. Add to that, some vendors use basic AC chipsets, and basic radio circuits to keep the costs low. This is the reason, despite buying an 802.11ac Router/AP many people find similar performance between the 802.11AC (600, 750) and 802.11N counterparts.

But - 802.11ac offers a lot of parameters that can do wonders if configured properly with a stable firmware. Sadly such things are opened to the enterprise WiFi only, and those devices costs upward of Rs.15K. Trust me, configuring a enterprise class 802.11AC router / AP is different from configuring a consumer 802.11AC Router/AP.

One more thing. The way the device hardware is put together (Chipset + MIMO configs + modulations) determines the best performance of the Router/AP.

Can more antennae + 5GHz will provide double the radius WiFi coverage than a 2.4GHz?
NO. It does not. Infact the effective coverage of a 5GHz radio is bit less than the 2.4Ghz radio. Some manufacturers use better radio chips and antennae to increase the wifi coverage. But such devices often come with a premium price tag.

So for what purpose is this 5GHz used for ?
Consistent high throughput in a given radius. In other words - 5Ghz can provide you more speedier communication between your device and the Wireless AP than a 2.4GHz Wifi.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by rajeshsundaram

My 2 cents on a generic level.

@Thad-E-Ginathom, Sir. Correct me wherever I am wrong.

The only thing in your post that I am in the least qualified to correct would be your usage of the the word "generic!"

I understand the basics of TCP/IP networking, because I was a hands-on systems manager in a smallish company, but I retired more than twelve years ago --- and forgot lots. Would you believe that the wireless technology that is everywhere today, even in our pockets, was not even taken very seriously by most pros (some might say I was a conservative professional, which is fair enough) back then!

So, In the last century (almost) I could build, cable, configure and manage a network with over a hundred devices, e-mail, firewall, VPN connections and probably a few other things as well --- but I am, at best, where wireless technology is concerned, a mere user, and I'm glad that there are young professionals on this thread who can answer your questions properly.

This is the entire depth of my knowledge: 5GHz is good, almost entirely because it is relatively new, and not many devices use it. Therefore not many devices actually use it, therefore it's airwaves are not nearly so cluttered as the 2.4GHz region. You get more to yourself.

The downside is that not so many devices use it. My m4i phone is the only device in our house that supports 5Ghz, we have four or five devices that don't, and almost none of those are particularly old.

Someone who knows more will be along soon...

[TheTeacher]

The higher frequencies have difficulty with range and with penetrating barriers like walls. They work best line of sight at shorter distances.

That is why 3G data for instance is designed to work in the 700 - 900 MHz instead of the GHz range. For 4G and 5G they have moved to multi-GHz frequencies, but compensate with beam-forming and other technologies.

[indian21r]

In the last 3 years, I have been loosing one modem / modem+router every 9 months. I always run the devices 24/7. I now doubt this to either power surge or failure of heated components.

To overcome the crisis of not having a modem started the hunt for a budget modem (<2k). After lots of research I ordered a TP Link W8968 ADSL Modem+router from Amazon. I got the latest version V4 by paying a premium over what I was getting locally. But this was really short lived.

+Ves:
Works well with both DSL as well as Fiber (ACT) connections. Can be used with 3G Dongle as well ( Did not test)
Quite easy to setup
Broadcom chipset

-Ves
Range was surprisingly not that great. I was expecting more from the 5db antenna.
Very very unstable connection. Kept crashing every 5-15 mins across multiple devices

Probably the piece I got is defective. Tried all the combinations to get it working but failed. Luckily it was still in the return period.

I will continue to use the old airtel binatone modem+router for now.

What parameters do I need to check for getting good range. Modem lies bang in the center of a 2500 sq-ft flat. it will have to penetrate 3-4 walls at the max. Need to run 24/7.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by indian21r

What parameters do I need to check for getting good range. Modem lies bang in the center of a 2500 sq-ft flat. it will have to penetrate 3-4 walls at the max. Need to run 24/7.

I have faced similar situations and have a duplex home and needed internet in almost every room. I used to use separate routers in each room wirelessly repeating the signal of the main router from the hall. This was little flaky as the child (repeating) routers would drop the connection to the main router frequently.
There are special long range routers, one of which I purchased for a friend and it performs well, but I was concerned about the radiation levels as it is an unknown.
What I have done now, is to wire the routers in two of my bedrooms to my main router in the hall and things work like a rock. No issues at all and I get great speeds with no loss due to the cable. If you want a fail proof solution, you should strive for a wired connection. You get very thin Cat 5, 2 pair cables that support upto 100Mbps wired speeds. They are easy to clamp and run from one room to the other from the outside. Internally, I have not tried it, but if you have a good electrician, he can pull this through existing internal piping too.

If you want to keep it simple, you can try to get the specialized long range routers.

I have the following wireless routers at home and 2 broadband networks which I have bridged to access devices across the 2 networks. Depending on where I am at home, I switch on the nearest router. The one in the hall is always on. All my routers except the Netgear are more than 5 years old.

ASUS RT-N12
Linksys WRT160N
Netgear R7000
Belkin F7D3301

Apart from the Netgear, the rest are on DDWRT firmware. I have not flashed the netgear with DDWRT yet as havent felt the need so far, but I know it is compatible.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by diyguy

I have faced similar situations and have a duplex home ...

Does that mean a place where people can go up and down the stairs at the same time?

(Sorry... could not resist that one in a data-traffic-related thread)

But seriously, and about robust devices: What we see when we look for modems and routers now is the mass consumer market devices. what would we have to buy for commercial resilience, Would it be very much more expensive?

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

(Sorry... could not resist that one in a data-traffic-related thread)
But seriously, and about robust devices: What we see when we look for modems and routers now is the mass consumer market devices. what would we have to buy for commercial resilience, Would it be very much more expensive?

Touche. I wanted to convey that we have a room on a floor above our ground floor but it is not really a separate floor on its own, just one room with many walls in between causing a weak wifi signal from the floor below.
I work in an IT company and see some business class wifi devices. I had checked the price of one such device and the amazon price for it was ~800$, similar to the one here

[TheTeacher]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

But seriously, and about robust devices: What we see when we look for modems and routers now is the mass consumer market devices. what would we have to buy for commercial resilience, Would it be very much more expensive?

See SumitB's post 1144 in this thread here.

My friends in the USA also swear by Ubiquiti. When the time comes, I will be seriously checking them out.

Their website lists some distributors in India.

[r_devakumar]

My Asus RT-N56 suddenly stopped 2.4Ghz band wifi. Everything else is working fine. 5GHz wifi is working fine, but unfortunately only my laptop supports this band and rest of the gadgets needs2.4GHz. Not sure what would be the issue.

I am thinking about getting a 2.4GHz wireless router now (I may get the Asus repaired in parallel, but that may take a while). Let me know any suggestions with the below requirements.

- 2.4Ghz (single band only)
- Should get very good coverage (single floor, but corner to corner the distance is ~50ft across multiple rooms)
- Should be sturdy, expect to be only 15 hours a day
- Support for media server, good level of security (separate SSID for guests etc)
- Budget around 2.5K

[binand]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

But seriously, and about robust devices: What we see when we look for modems and routers now is the mass consumer market devices. what would we have to buy for commercial resilience, Would it be very much more expensive?

My company uses Ruckus ZoneFlex R600. Excellent devices with central management and a bunch of features. Powerful radios (27 dbm). Website: www.ruckuswireless.com.

At home, I now have 3 TP-Link devices. One AP (TL-ER604W - dual WAN), one Range Extender (TL-WA750RE) and a recent addition - Mini 4G Router (TL-MR3020). All three are excellent products, though a bit pricey than their D-Link etc. counterparts.

[clevermax]

Is DD-WRT site down most of the time nowadays?

Any TP-LINK WDR 3600 users here who use dd-wrt firmware? I was trying to download the formware from dd-wrt site and it seems to be down.

If someone has a copy of the factory-to-ddwrt.bin file, please drop me a PM!

[DigitalSoul]

Has anyone got Google's all new router made by Asus?
I am looking forward to get one from US but checking here if anyone has used it.

[AvinashV]

Guys I have the TP-LINK TL-WR740N 150Mbps Wireless N Router currently. Been running for about 3 years now. The range hasn't been great. Covers only one of the bedrooms in a 2bhk. And additionally my PS3 begins to lag like crazy even if just one other device gets connected to the router. I have a connection of 3mbps speed and is pretty consistent.

So i believe it's the router at fault. Please advise on a new router around Rs. 3k with decent range and would support at least 4~5 devices. Thanks

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by AvinashV

And additionally my PS3 begins to lag like crazy even if just one other device gets connected to the router.

You should check feasibility of connecting your PS3 to your router via Ethernet cable and not wifi, if possible. I've set it up this way myself. I think you should try at the minimum a 300Mbps router and if possible higher wireless speed. There are many in your price range and brand preference can be your deciding factor. I have some older routers and one new one. I wouldn't recommend the older models as they are between 3-5 years old though they still work well. The newer one is beyond 5k and is the Netgear R7000.

[Soumyajit9]

Folks, I use the below router with my Airtel Broadband connection. The router is connected to the Modem provided by Airtel.
My broadband plan is of 2Mbps speed and simultaneously 4 devices are connected to Wi-Fi - 2 Mobiles, 1 Tablet, 1 Laptop.

Offlate, I am observing slower speed on all the 4 devices. The house is of about 1200 sq ft, and the router is placed in the living room. In one of the far bedrooms, the signal does get disconnected sometimes. I believe I have to upgrade the router to one with more stronger signal strength for better speeds and connectivity.

I was checking on Amazon and there are ones with 300 mbps, costing just about 1200 - 1500 Rupees. I guess these should suffice my requirement ?

Would the experts here kindly advise me a few routers ?

Also, I keep wondering, if these strong signal routers have any long term negative effect on our health (like people say mobile networks have) ?