New WiFi Router - Giant improvement (eg., range)

[passedpawn]

This morning I replaced my old wifi router with a Asus RT-AC68U. I have much better range in my house now. Highly recommended. Dual Band (2.4/5Ghz), supports 802.11ac, superb admin interface, some very cool features. You can plug a USB drive into it and use that drive for backups, or just as a PC-free networked drive.

Biggest problem with previous wifi router was lack of range. I had to add a klunky network extender in my kitchen to hit the back bedrooms. After some quick testing, won't need that anymore. In fact, I have almost full signal everywere outside my house, into the cul-de-sac!

The previous (now dead) router was from the cable co (Brighthouse) ,a Ubee cable modem with internal router and wifi. Range was horrible. The thing would completely lose its settngs every few weeks (SSID, etc). I exchanged it for a simple Motorola cable modem.

So, if you're looking for more range, or are just in the market, consider this one.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I've 3500sqft and an excellent Linksys router. Still couple wireless DLink AP/Bridge to get a good signal throughout the house.

 

[passedpawn]

I've 3500sqft and an excellent Linksys router. Still couple wireless DLink AP/Bridge to get a good signal throughout the house.

1 floor or two?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Single story ranch style with a LOT of walls and millwork to filter through.

 

[passedpawn]

Single story ranch style with a LOT of walls and millwork to filter through.

My house is 3400 heated, so we are probably similar. I've got concrete walls (block/stucco) on concrete slab with concrete roof.

First test I did was from my den where the router is to the other corner of the house - almost opposite corners. Almost full wifi pwr.

Tonight I'm going to put the router up high on a shelf. Now it's only a couple ft off the ground.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Tonight I'm going to put the router up high on a shelf. Now it's only a couple ft off the ground.

This is the majority of my issues. All of routers/bridges are wall mounted near the ceiling. Thus adding a level of line of sight thickness to an otherwise unobtrusive wall assembly.

 

[vince805]

I might have to look into one of these. My home is only 2000 square feet, multi level and I have 3 routers(plus a switch) around the house bridged to meet my needs. Would love to get it down to 1 with the switch for my wired cameras.

 

[MaddBaggins]

My network got immensely better after getting a new modem to go with my newer router. I'm running a Motorola SURFboard SB6121 and an Apple Airport Extreme. I had been using a much older Surfboard and kept having issues. Now, stuffs rockin and rollin. I have just under 1/4 acre and get a great signal anywhere on my property.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

My network got immensely better after getting a new modem to go with my newer router. I'm running a Motorola SURFboard SB6121 and an Apple Airport Extreme. I had been using a much older Surfboard and kept having issues. Now, stuffs rockin and rollin. I have just under 1/4 acre and get a great signal anywhere on my property.

DOCSIS 3 modem was a bigger improvement to overall performance on my network than anything. Went from 70/80mbps downloads to 120mbps consistent.

 

[JonW]

I use a set of 3 Ubiquiti Unifi access points. They look like smoke detectors and can be mounted to the ceiling or walls. You manage the units as a single AP via their software and you seamlessly move from AP to AP to maintain coverage. I have one in the garage, one upstairs and one downstairs. Coverage is incredible. My router functions are provided by a separate Ubiquiti router that has no wifi functions.

 

[passedpawn]

My network got immensely better after getting a new modem to go with my newer router. I'm running a Motorola SURFboard SB6121 and an Apple Airport Extreme. I had been using a much older Surfboard and kept having issues. Now, stuffs rockin and rollin. I have just under 1/4 acre and get a great signal anywhere on my property.

Moto Surfboard SB6141 here. No idea what the diff is. Just tested speeds. I THINK that's more than I'm paying for (dl), but regardless it's plenty for me.

 

[Rhetorik]

I've been running an ASUS RT-AC66U for a while now. Similar product, also had a great experience with it.

 

[bluemoose]

This morning I replaced my old wifi router with a Asus RT-AC68U. I have much better range in my house now. Highly recommended. Dual Band (2.4/5Ghz), supports 802.11ac, superb admin interface, some very cool features. You can plug a USB drive into it and use that drive for backups, or just as a PC-free networked drive.



Biggest problem with previous wifi router was lack of range. I had to add a klunky network extender in my kitchen to hit the back bedrooms. After some quick testing, won't need that anymore. In fact, I have almost full signal everywere outside my house, into the cul-de-sac!



The previous (now dead) router was from the cable co (Brighthouse) ,a Ubee cable modem with internal router and wifi. Range was horrible. The thing would completely lose its settngs every few weeks (SSID, etc). I exchanged it for a simple Motorola cable modem.



So, if you're looking for more range, or are just in the market, consider this one.

Sure but can you get it out by the pool cabana?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Sure but can you get it out by the pool cabana?

I can actually get stronger signal across the backyard than I can across the house.

Fewer barrier in the line of sight.

I have also connected to my system from the neighbors house.

 

[passedpawn]

Sure but can you get it out by the pool cabana?

YES! 3-4 wifi bars on iphone all the way to the corners of my yard ( > 1/2 acre).

Between this gizmo and my new coffee maker that came this morning, I haven't gotten **** done today (also had a broken timing belt on wife's car which is getting towed atm, and fraud dept alerts for debit cards which are now invalid).

 

[MaddBaggins]

Moto Surfboard SB6141 here. No idea what the diff is. Just tested speeds. I THINK that's more than I'm paying for (dl), but regardless it's plenty for me.

I pay for one tier below the top. This is about how mine usually looks. This is from a 9 year old Macbook.

 

[CGVT]

I need a new modem, but have phone (emta) line too.

Any suggestions for something Mediacom compatable?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

No idea what the diff is.

Upload/download channels and throughput. 6121 is capable of 172mbps. 6141 can do 343.

 

[bluemoose]

I had to put a booster in to get good wifi in my garage.

 

[JoshuaW]

FYI for anyone who has T-Mobile, you can get one of these for free/nearly free. Ask for their Wifi Cellspot Router. It is a modified version of this, and is phenomenal. Best part? I paid $0 for it! Depending on your credit, you might have to put a $30 deposit down. Still not a bad price!

 

[KPBrews]

I might have to look into one of these. My home is only 2000 square feet, multi level and I have 3 routers(plus a switch) around the house bridged to meet my needs. Would love to get it down to 1 with the switch for my wired cameras.

It may actually be more efficient to have multiple routers, as long as they're on different channels, because each router will have fewer devices connected at once, so there will be less congestion. It's a lot harder for one router to deal with (let's say) 20 devices connected on the same channel, all broadcasting on the same frequency, than it is for 3 routers to deal with 7 devices each, all broadcasting on separate frequencies.

That said, always use a wired computer as a baseline. If your wireless devices (tablets, laptops, things where you can run a speed test) are nearly the same speed, then it shouldn't matter. But it's generally better to keep wireless devices, especially those that really use serious bandwidth (even only on occasion) as segregated as possible.

Hopefully your three routers are all connected via a hardline, of course, otherwise ignore everything I just said. Boosters (and routers used as wireless boosters) take a terrible toll on your available bandwidth.

 

[KPBrews]

My network got immensely better after getting a new modem to go with my newer router. I'm running a Motorola SURFboard SB6121 and an Apple Airport Extreme. I had been using a much older Surfboard and kept having issues. Now, stuffs rockin and rollin. I have just under 1/4 acre and get a great signal anywhere on my property.

Unless your wifi router (or access point) is really old, third party hardware nearly always outperforms the crap the cable company (or phone company) gives you.

 

[NightriderBrewing]

I use a set of 3 Ubiquiti Unifi access points. They look like smoke detectors and can be mounted to the ceiling or walls. You manage the units as a single AP via their software and you seamlessly move from AP to AP to maintain coverage. I have one in the garage, one upstairs and one downstairs. Coverage is incredible. My router functions are provided by a separate Ubiquiti router that has no wifi functions.

I want to second this. Separating the wifi from the router and getting dedicated devices improved performance greatly over having a "jack of all trades" router/access point. I just deployed probably these same access points Tuesday at my house and strength of the wifi is about 60%-75% better all across my house/yard. More of a learning curve but I work in information security so network configuration was not too far out of my comfort zone.

 

[KPBrews]

I want to second this. Separating the wifi from the router and getting dedicated devices improved performance greatly over having a "jack of all trades" router/access point. I just deployed probably these same access points Tuesday at my house and strength of the wifi is about 60%-75% better all across my house/yard. More of a learning curve but I work in information security so network configuration was not too far out of my comfort zone.

Ubiquiti makes fantastic APs with stunning range. The configuration is not friendly to those without decent networking / IT chops, however. I would not recommend them for the casual user unless they have a technical friend who is willing to assist.

That said, for most users, a good router (read: NOT something provided by the cable/DSL company, and NOT the "entry level" consumer grade Netgear/Linksys crud) will do quite nicely. Outside of special needs cases, it's not necessary to move into the realm of specialized enterprise-grade networking hardware.

 

[JonW]

<snip> Outside of special needs cases, it's not necessary to move into the realm of specialized enterprise-grade networking hardware.

I'll admit, I'm special needs! LOL

 

[Rockn_M]

I'm so glad we are talking about routers\modems. I have a Linksys Smart Wifi router connected to a Verizon router to get internet. Does anyone know how to change the Verizon modem into a bridge so I can access my computer and stuff from outside the network?

 

[JonW]

Does anyone know how to change the Verizon modem into a bridge so I can access my computer and stuff from outside the network?

It depends on the make/model of the router. Provide that info and someone can probably help. If you have FIOS, you can actually get Ethernet straight from your ONT and not use any VZ router.

 

[Rockn_M]

It depends on the make/model of the router. Provide that info and someone can probably help. If you have FIOS, you can actually get Ethernet straight from your ONT and not use any VZ router.

That would be perfect. It's a VerizonActiontec MI424WR.

 

[JonW]

That would be perfect. It's a VerizonActiontec MI424WR.

Which revision? D/F/G/I ??

Also, are you using VZ FIOS TV?

 

[Rockn_M]

Which revision? D/F/G/I ??

Rev I

 

[Newsman]

I need a new modem, but have phone (emta) line too.

Any suggestions for something Mediacom compatable?

Just use a standard DSL / cable modem from Mediacom and hook up your favorite Wi-Fi router. The OP's seems like a good one to get.

 

[JonW]

Rev I

Are you using FIOS for TV? Do you use any of the MOCA networking (networking via coax)?

 

[Rockn_M]

Are you using FIOS for TV? Do you use any of the MOCA networking (networking via coax)?

I'm not using FIOS for Tv and the router is hooked up to the coax for networking.

 

[JonW]

I'm not using FIOS for Tv and the router is hooked up to the coax for networking.

Hooked up to the coax just for the incoming network, correct? You're not using coax to distribute networking throughout the house?

If that is the case, call VZ and ask them to activate your ethernet port on your ONT (optical network terminal) outside. You can run an ethernet cable right off that to your other router and not need the VZ router at all.



(Sorry everyone for going off-topic here.... Rockn_M, PM me with further questions and I can help you out).

 

[d3track]

DOCSIS 3 modem was a bigger improvement to overall performance on my network than anything. Went from 70/80mbps downloads to 120mbps consistent.

Same here - makes the biggest performance increase

 

[KPBrews]

I'm so glad we are talking about routers\modems. I have a Linksys Smart Wifi router connected to a Verizon router to get internet. Does anyone know how to change the Verizon modem into a bridge so I can access my computer and stuff from outside the network?

Since you have your own router that you want to use, you can either do as JonW suggests and use the FIOS ethernet port to connect directly to your Linksys router, OR, as you suggested, use the Verizon router in bridge mode. Just call Verizon and their techs can walk you through configuring the Verizon router into Bridge mode.

I'm not clear how DOCSIS and cable is getting into the equation, however, if you have FIOS for networking. Cable modems and FIOS are completely separate things, two completely separate internet connections.

Also, be sure you know what you are talking about, and trying to do, if you want "access my computer and stuff from outside the network". You may inadvertently expose your systems to attack directly from the internet if you don't have everything locked down correctly.

 

[JonW]

I'm not clear how DOCSIS and cable is getting into the equation, however, if you have FIOS for networking. Cable modems and FIOS are completely separate things, two completely separate internet connections.

FIOS doesn't use DOCSIS. If you use coax from your ONT (optical network terminal), then the ethernet is done over MOCA. If you use the ethernet port directly from the ONT, then coax and MOCA never come into the equation. For those not using FIOS TV, it's real easy to dump their VZ router (it's not a modem). If you have FIOS TV and still want to retain video on demand, you can still dump their router but you'll need to substitute a simple MOCA bridge to provide ethernet connectivity to your in-house coax connections.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I had similar wifi woes and very recently upgraded to a business class access point. I looked into the Ubiquiti series but ultimately settled on the Xclaim Xi-3. Setup was slightly troublesome, as they rapidly roll out firmware updates that don't play well with the online, strangely cloud-based configuration tools that are obviously intended for businesses without sysadmins. Once the firmware was updated correctly, setup was a breeze (almost too simplified, though you can access advanced settings via SSH and/or a local web interface). I'm very happy with the results - much increased range, bandwidth, and reliability over the Motorola combination cable modem/router/AP I was using previously.

 

[Moose_MI]

Recently went from linksys ac1200 to netgear nighthawk x6......finally wife not griping about internet speed....teenage girls not yelling at little brother for using all the bandwidth with Xbox....family over for holidays and everyone can get on wifi.....I can get Pandora in the garage while brewing.......it's what I call the "shut the hell up, router"

 

[KPBrews]

FIOS doesn't use DOCSIS. If you use coax from your ONT (optical network terminal), then the ethernet is done over MOCA. If you use the ethernet port directly from the ONT, then coax and MOCA never come into the equation. For those not using FIOS TV, it's real easy to dump their VZ router (it's not a modem). If you have FIOS TV and still want to retain video on demand, you can still dump their router but you'll need to substitute a simple MOCA bridge to provide ethernet connectivity to your in-house coax connections.

Oops, I'm mixing up a couple of posts, I think. JonW's post:

I'm not using FIOS for Tv and the router is hooked up to the coax for networking.

...plus the one a few above again referencing DOCSIS.

All of the FIOS implementations I've worked with have been direct runs from the Optical terminal to the self-supplied router, no VZ router at all, so I was not aware MOCA is used in some FIOS systems. That's a bizarre setup. The people I've worked with who have FIOS all use DirecTV, since it's way better than FIOS TV anyway and they're far from price-sensitive.