Best products from r/wireless

Hi there! If you're looking for the cheapest/ most effective option I'd recommend getting a used home router that does 802.11ac and swapping the antennas for something that is directional (after trying without first). I'd lean towards putting it in your apartment to amplify the transmission of downloads instead of hers to amplify the reception of those downloads since most internet traffic is download to the home, not upload. Also, having her connect to your current wifi may actually slow down your connection back at the house since everybody else has to wait on her slow connection and re-transmits.

If just the additional router fixes things you're good to go. But if her signal is still week, switching it to directional antennas pointing in her direction will increase her signal strength and also be better at hearing her computer from that direction.

So here is the detailed run down:

• Disclaimer: Please never use the Wifi to control a personal relationship, but sure as heck take it down if the relationship ends/ sharing Wifi becomes a problem for your family.
  
  
• Get a used but good older 802.11ac router since the higher possible data rates will allow for better data rates at lower signal strength as well. Something like this. I am biased towards Asus, but if you really like a different brand stick with the one you love.
  
  
• Plug your PC directly into the router to configure it to not hand out DHCP, and set a static IP address on the router that is in the range of what you're already using in your apartment, but not an address that your current home router is likely to give out. You can probably pick 192.168.x.254 since DHCP servers very often start low and go up. That x should, of course, be swapped with whatever number your home router uses there.
  
  
• Create a wifi network just for your girlfriend with a passphrase that she knows WPA2-PSK is what you are looking for for security. If you see the option you might set it to use a different wifi channel on 2.4 and 5GHz than the one you already have in your apartment, but it will probably pick one for you that is fine (1, 6, 11 only for 2.4Ghz to be a good RF neighbor)
  
  
• Use an ethernet cable to plug one of the LAN ports from your existing router into the LAN port of your new router (Don't use WAN because double routing and NATing creates problems you don't want to deal with here). Hopefully, you can put it in the part of your apartment that is closest to her's.
  
  
• See if everything is great.
  
  
  • If not you are looking for directional antennas buy at least two of something like this. Be sure you are getting something that supports both 2.4 and 5GHz, you are looking for something like 5dbi at 2.4GHz and 7 to 10 dbi at 5GHz. That is going to be a more directional antenna. Swap them for the omnidirectional antennas that come with the router and point the antenna towards her apartment to create a shaped signal (Think flashlight instead of a bare lightbulb). You don't want to just swap these on your own home router though since that shaped signal would probably reduce your own wifi coverage.
    
    Hope this helped some. Good luck!
    

ok. I get it. if I'm going to be buying a router I should buy an AC model so I could future proof myself. everyone is suggesting the ac66u, but if I'm going to spend $150 to future proof myself, I'd rather pony up an extra $50+ to get the best available router out right now.

so from my research I noticed that the ASUS AC87U is pretty neat (sorry about the ASUS love but I am basing my research off of mainly one article and the author, at the time of writing, really loved the ASUS routers).

ASUS model: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-RT-AC87U-Wireless-AC2400-Gigabit-Router/dp/B00MPI5N7U

is this a good option or is there a better, cheaper option? would the ac66u suffice? would this linksys be a better alternative?

Linksys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K91DB7Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1427049742&sr=8-1&keywords=linksys+wrt1900ac&dpPl=1&dpID=41BI8x1i4HL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

or maybe even a nighthawk?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F0DD0I6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1427052167&sr=8-1&keywords=netgear+nighthawk&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41651m2TjVL&ref=plSrch

anyways I'm just wondering how do those compare to the router you've suggested? which is the best today? is it worth it to go for the ac87u even though it's still $250 or am I better off going for the $200 routers?

It's hardly an ideal home router, but I'm absolutely loving my Ubiquiti EdgeRouter but at around $175 US, and with NO WIFI, it's probably not what you're looking for. I recently picked up an Asus wifi router though, and I'm loving that as well, though I wish I had spent more and gotten the RT-AC68U, but at about $200 that's also probably not ideal. I have the AC1200 (RT-AC56R) model and picked it up at walmart for about $100, it lacks exterior antennae, but coverage at my apartment seems good, and it will function as just an access point if you do end up getting the EdgeRouter from Ubiquiti, or just want to later extend your wireless coverage. Here is an image of my current networking setup taken with my potato. The SMC box beneath the EdgeRouter is the modem charter has given me, with the Asus RT-AC56R next to it on the right.


Edit: Forgot I was in /r/wireless... Even lacking wireless, with the POE (Power Over Ethernet) that the EdgeRouter provides, you can relatively easily add a ($70...) wireless access point to the thing, but then you'll be over budget if you just got the wireless Asus router. You could also just get a cheap wireless router to use with it, but if you just get the Asus you'll get a very pretty looking dual-band wireless router.

The best thing to do is to replace their router with something better. If you can't replace their router (modem router combo, I know some ISP don't allow you to change it) then you need to turn off it's wifi and plug your own better router behind it.

A very good combo to get high speed wireless is to get a wired router and a wireless access point. Ubiquiti makes excellent stuff and I highly recommend it, setup is easy and wifi is night and day compared to cheap ISP provided stuff.

Wired router : Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X
Access point : Ubiquiti Unifi AP AC Lite

Both together will be under $150 and you won't regret it.

> dual band 802.11a/b/g/n

Thanks for the detailed response drakontas, I really appreciate it. I don't think I'll be going with opening up the laptop and replacing the wireless card. I don't mind running with the wireless adapter USB.

I did some browsing on dual-compatible ones and it looks like this one is pretty good.

http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Adapter-Connection-Support-NT-WSAC/dp/B00SIYZ492/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427303958&sr=8-3&keywords=dual+band+802.11a%2Fb%2Fg%2Fn

Also "Backward compatible with 802.11 a//b/g/n products"

Also,

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-AC867-Dual-Band-USB-Adapter/dp/B00J0N0Y18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427304203&sr=8-1&keywords=3+stream+network+adapter\
Your response really helped! I'm starting t understand it a bit better now.

If you don't mind me asking, would that USB Network Adapter be the solution? It seems compact too.

I love the Asus AC68U. It has been great for me, stable, doesn't drop connections at all, but is pricey (~$200). Since you are on a 10Mb/s line, you won't notice the speed increase, but I figure the router will last me 4 or 5 years. Hopefully in 2 years you'll have a much faster internet pipe and won't have to change out the router.

The stability of the router trumps any savings on a cheaply made router.

Also, I have the exact same modem, the SB6121. It is a stable choice.

edit: The reason I upgraded from my Cisco/Linksys router was my internet speed increased to 100Mb/s but the 802.11n routing could only output 50-60 Mb/s and not nearly as stable.

So, you're on WiFi as well? What happens if you plug into your router and run via ethernet?

I'm thinking the range extender is interfering with your Wifi. (channel overlap).

It also might be worth getting rid of the extender and trying bigger antenna on the router.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-ANT2408CL-Omni-directional-Antenna-connector/dp/B004UBUE2O

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Power-Supply%C2%AE-WZR-HP-G450H-TL-WR1043ND/dp/B00DMJI9TA

You might also benefit from upgrading to something with 3x3 MIMO rather than just 2x2. The router you have now is pretty old.

I'm a fan of the Asus units right now.

I've got two of these:

http://www.amazon.com/RT-N16-Wireless-N-Maximum-Performance-single/dp/B00387G6R8

With extended antennas on them. Range is awesome.

This question should be asked in /r/HomeNetworking not here but idgaf so...

A router can be used as an access point if you can connect them via ethernet, not wireless. That would be your best option. If you can't connect the two routers via ethernet then what you're after is called a range extender. This device will pickup your current signal and extend it. Here's one to get you started: NETGEAR N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender, Essentials Edition (EX2700)


Better than a range extender would be a powerline access point like these: 500Mbps or 1000Mbps

Thanks for the quick reply!
So would something like this work?
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-300Mbps-Repeater-TL-WA801ND/dp/B004UBU8IE/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1482532251&sr=1-2&keywords=wireless+bridge

And could I connect something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-5-Port-Ethernet-Desktop-TL-SF1005D/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=pd_sim_147_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=G72XDPPB55GJ66MCEQKC&th=1
So I have multiple ethernet ports?

Or is there a more efficient way to do this? Sorry again haha, total noob here.

I didn't investigate too closely, but if you are looking for a good upgrade, the WRT600N is a MASTER at long range wireless N - and I noticed Amazon has them available starting at $55 used. It also is loaded with other features like a USB port to plug in an external hard drive for network storage. One thing I would like to correct after looking at mine is that mine does not have user-replaceable antennas unless you are willing to do modification of the hardware possibly involving soldering. Mine has insane range, it is running my parent's home-office in a 2 story 2500 square foot home with no gap in coverage anywhere on the 2 acre plot of land.

http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Linksys-WRT600N-Linksys-RangePlus-Wireless-N/dp/B000WG3ZU4

Short of that, you might want to look at a wireless repeater, or powerline networking: http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Powerline-Network-Adapter-PLSK400/dp/B006JG5S6U/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398464903&sr=1-2&keywords=linksys+powerline

They also have one that has a wired port and broadcasts wifi at the same time for $76. Wish I could be of more help but $50 is a tight budget to squeeze range into.

If you're getting a low signal, your best bet would be to buy a directional antenna and properly position it to have as few obstructions and the most direct connection to your WiFi Router/Access Point. [Here] (https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-APA-M25-directional-connector-WL-ANT-157/dp/B00R1PA9EO/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1479957653&sr=8-1&keywords=WL-ANT-157) and [Here] (https://www.amazon.com/Super-Power-RT-AC66U-WZR-HP-G450H-Nighthawk/dp/B00DMJI9TA/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479957417&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=7db+antenna+wifi+dual+band) are examples of some directional antennas. Another consideration is to connect some sort of base with an extension to the antennas so you can place the antennas on the table and level with your WiFi Router/Access Point. Also, make sure that if you have a WiFi Router/AP with external antennas that the antennas are perfectly vertical and that the antennas on your computer are exactly vertical too.

They both will work.


Modem seems good, DOCSIS 3 is def the way to go. For router, if you can spring for it I would go with this. Wireless AC is great for the home, even if you don't use it today you will see benefits eventually. Especially if you doing any kind of media sharing over wireless.

So I think I might return these UniFi AP's. They're not really doing the Zero Handoff thing and I kind of feel like I can get AC access points for the same price (with maybe less range, maybe?).

I am pretty sure that the AT&T router I haven't worked around yet sucks and is slowing everything down (can't change the DNS server!!) so I am waiting until I put this Asus router in place (tomato firmware) to see if the hotspots perform any better connected to a nicer hardware upstream.

That said, after a number of rounds with UniFi support, I'm not getting any better wifi performance and the general feeling around the compound is that our internet speeds "feel slower" after the switch to gigabit. Pretty sure the DNS servers AT&T force are a big part of the problem, but wifi sure feels snappier connected directly to the at&t thing than to the uni-fi things. (no channel collisions happening...)

I would much prefer cheap AC than draft-N.

That being said, the cheapest AC router I'm willing to spend money on still cost about $130 (http://amzn.com/B008ABOJKS) so I wouldn't use either of those solutions. I suppose ethernet over powerline like the the guy said would be the best bet.

Here is a link to a cheaper one, the search term you want to use is "ethernet of powerline" (other guy used "power"): http://amzn.com/B00AWRUICG

The thing with chromecast is it needs to have internet connectivity to work.

If you have plenty of content on a portable drive i would just get a roku or firetv (the box versions, not the sticks). Each has the ability to play directly from an external attached device (USB drive or hard drive), and will always work even if you don't have internet connectivity.

If you want a simple travel router there are tons of options, but i have this and it works great.

RT-AC66(u/r) or RT-N66(u/r)

Asus dual band 802.11AC or .11N respectively.

Can handle simultaneous dual band and multiple SSIDs per band with both the native firmware or with Tomato (Shibby).

The RT-AC66R is currently $119 on Amazon, excellent buy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008ABOJKS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419383538&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=41vOOyzq5lL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Choose model / version "Retail" for price.

Wifi radiation patterns from monopole antennas often look like a doughnut laying flat. It could be the room you're having issues with is sitting more or less in the hole of the doughnut.
Don't get a range extender, they're absolute garbage - trying to repeat a weak or unreliable wifi signal is going to throw speed into the crapper and will probably be just as spotty.
I'd suggest an Ethernet Over Powerline kit with a wifi AP on the remote end like this one on Amazon.
It's easier than running new ethernet cables and still gives you wifi on the remote end.

Hey, so I bought and installed

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01IEU7UZ0/

It's defo connecting via ac instead of n and it's using 5GHz and internet is much faster so thanks!

But- I notice that the link speed between my pc and router is only 86M. This doesn't seem very high to me. Do you know how I can improve it? Especially since fibre in my area is meant to go to 100M but I'm not going to upgrade unless I can actually use it. Do you have any advice on how to increase the link speed between my pc and the router?

I really hope you're joking.

If you're not, buy this.

TP-LINK TL-SG1005D 10/100/1000Mbps 5-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch, 10Gbps Capacity
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_7FZkub0JSQR12

Absolutely. Something like this would work great in WISP mode.

As /u/ElectroSpore says, normally you would have any problems when connecting to .11n so don't worry that the device I linked is .11n.

I have the ASUS and it works great so far.

http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-AC1750-Gigabit-Router/dp/B008ABOJKS

I'm thinking of ordering this I think it should help my situation yeah?

The ps3 and my older macbook only has wireless b/g. This is one of the reasons I haven't upgraded my router, I guess I never noticed about the speed since my ps3 was always hooked up wired. I may get homeplugs, would that help? Homeplugs dont go through the wireless network right? Just through my houses power? I found a 4 port one for about $60:
http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Powerline-Network-Adapter-PLSK400/dp/B006JG5S6U/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1405899141&sr=1-1&keywords=homeplug

Thanks!

1. Will it work even though my current Century Link modem/router is 2.4G only and does not accept ac?
   
   
2. I have this one.
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049YQVHE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   SHoudl I get another one (AC) instead?

Better to get a cheap switch to split the wired connection and then hang a cheap access point off of it. Or just run the router upstairs/mount it to the ceiling. Something.

It will work just fine for 5ghz. Here's some that say 5Ghz.. Notice how they look exactly identical?

You don't have to get that one. You just need any antenna with a RP-SMA connector. That one's just by TP-LINK and it's cheap.

Buy these:

Linksys Powerline AV 1-Port and 4-Port Network Adapter Set (PLSK400) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JG5S6U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9WDCxbMH2J90D

Plug in another AP to it for your upstairs. Make sure they are on different channels but use same SSID and password.

What is the model number of the Asus dark knight? Is it this one http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-AC1750-Gigabit-Router/dp/B008ABOJKS/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

I literally just resolved this problem myself. I live in a 6-7 apartment unit outside boston and each one has a comcast router on 2.4GHz. I can count 20 available networks and on a wireless spectrum map I couldn't distinguish one from another. From literally 5 feet away we were pulling 2-3 Mbps down and paying for 120.

I only ended up fixing it with a bust ass 5GHz router. I went with the Nighthawk AC1900 and it's solved everything -- on 5GHz channel we get 70-80 down and even on 2.4 we can get internet in the basement from the top floor and can range from 15-40 down on a less busy day.

Here is the desktop version of your link

Netgear R7000 shoud do the trick. I would not use it if he lives in an apartment though.

http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-AC1900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B00F0DD0I6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450902200&sr=8-1&keywords=r7000

http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/24043/~/how-many-clients-can-you-connect-wirelessly-to-a-netgear-router%3F

I have had a 1900 for quite awhile now and it's a bear; real fast and no issues to speak of (I am also on Comcast; I get around 180Mbps). Pick a price point and there's one for you:

https://www.amazon.com/RT-AC5300-Wireless-Tri-Band-AiProtection-Complete/dp/B008ABOJKS

Would this be step up from the Airport Extreme? http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-AC1750-Gigabit-Router/dp/B008ABOJKS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373245013&sr=8-1&keywords=ac+router

Is there anything in the lower end commercial realm that would work?