We moved recently, into a slightly larger house than before, and the Wifi in certain parts of the house blowwwwwws. Specifically, the great room where 80% of our time is spent. The router (Fios) sits in the basement on the opposite corner of the house and it's not too far, but there's a distinct, sudden signal dropoff as soon as I cross the threshold to the great room. I mean, from getting 60+Mbps to single digits.
I got a Netgear extender (N300) and that helped some, get mid 20Mbps now but I've started looking at these Mesh Wifi kits like the Luma/ Orbi/Linksys Velop, etc. They're pricy, so wondering if anybody has installed them or has any concrete feedback.
Oh, the other solution I tried was to use my Netgear R6100 dual band to push a stronger signal, from the 2nd basement that's directly under the great room. There was already Cat6e run from the router basement, so I threw a tiny 5-port switch in and the signals from the R6100 are (not surprisingly) much better. The 5Ghz band drops out a lot however, not sure if changing channels can help with that or what the cause may be, as the 2.4GHz band holds fine. Oh, and it's pushing IPs in the 10.x.x.x range I guess because I left the original router broadcasting.
Never been a fan of wifi because of this issue. My main router hooked to the cable modem is on the far north end of the house. Never could get wifi to the middle or south end. Finally ran cat 6 cables to all parts of the house and then I have other wifi routers in different parts of the house. Full blown computers all use ethernet and I have good wifi throughout the house for tablets and phones.
No idea about the mesh wifi kits. I'm skeptical because it is still wifi and wifi doesn't go through walls, floors, or ceilings very well.
https://www.ubnt.com/
Peruse that and make your purchase. We've been running them at the lake compound, shop and at the track for years. They are a bit pricey but are commercial grade and work fantastic.
If you go the way of mesh bay attention to the backchannel. TD;DR backchannel is what it uses to talk between APs. Some use their own 3rd channel and some use either 2.4g or 5g. If they don't use a backchannel your speeds will be shit.
To explain a little better in my house wifi doesn't matter. On the other end of the house I can still see the router blinking so it's not an issue for me. Now at the compound up at Caroga Lake there are 5 houses over quite a bit of distance and with the Ubiquiti gear there isn't a dead spot anywhere. Shit, we get signal when we are out on the boat. At the track we normally have better coverage than the track's WiFi and people chase us down for the password.
Quote from: Farabomb on January 06, 2017, 02:18:37 PMhttps://www.ubnt.com/
Peruse that and make your purchase. We've been running them at the lake compound, shop and at the track for years. They are a bit pricey but are commercial grade and work fantastic.
If you go the way of mesh bay attention to the backchannel. TD;DR backchannel is what it uses to talk between APs. Some use their own 3rd channel and some use either 2.4g or 5g. If they don't use a backchannel your speeds will be shit.
Ohhhhh, we have one of those here the new shop! I even asked somebody what brand/model it was & they said they didn't know - the IT people just recommended it & installed it. I tried to Google the logo but couldn't get a good enough shot, it's hanging up high in the other room.
The Linksys Velop (http://www.linksys.com/us/c/whole-home-mesh-wifi/) they just announced at CES claims to have all that backchannel business worked out, but it's first gen too so who really knows.
Quote from: Farabomb on January 06, 2017, 02:18:37 PMhttps://www.ubnt.com/
Peruse that and make your purchase. We've been running them at the lake compound, shop and at the track for years. They are a bit pricey but are commercial grade and work fantastic.
If you go the way of mesh bay attention to the backchannel. TD;DR backchannel is what it uses to talk between APs. Some use their own 3rd channel and some use either 2.4g or 5g. If they don't use a backchannel your speeds will be shit.
Well for that price it should be good! :rotf:
All of these mesh systems run about that, seems to be $250+ for a 2-Node setup, and another $125 or so for add'l nodes.
I guess that isn't that bad if they work great. A top end router will run you $300-$400 these days.
Quote from: Slappy on January 06, 2017, 03:34:15 PMQuote from: Farabomb on January 06, 2017, 02:18:37 PMhttps://www.ubnt.com/
Peruse that and make your purchase. We've been running them at the lake compound, shop and at the track for years. They are a bit pricey but are commercial grade and work fantastic.
If you go the way of mesh bay attention to the backchannel. TD;DR backchannel is what it uses to talk between APs. Some use their own 3rd channel and some use either 2.4g or 5g. If they don't use a backchannel your speeds will be shit.
Ohhhhh, we have one of those here the new shop! I even asked somebody what brand/model it was & they said they didn't know - the IT people just recommended it & installed it. I tried to Google the logo but couldn't get a good enough shot, it's hanging up high in the other room.
The Linksys Velop (http://www.linksys.com/us/c/whole-home-mesh-wifi/) they just announced at CES claims to have all that backchannel business worked out, but it's first gen too so who really knows.
I'm so done with Linksys after they screwed me over on the 1st gen AC router I bought from them after they got bought out by Belkin.
I never liked Linksys, I've always been a netgear man. I thought linksys was owned by Cisco but it seems Belkin owns them now.
Yeah, they are pricey but they are business grade. I've never been into the software side but my friend says it's robust and easy to work with. He also says it's easy to boot people off and administer the network but again, I haven't been behind the curtain.
Like Joe says you can spend a dumb amount of money on a router. I've been running the same shit one for years. I was looking into a new one but found DD-WRT and installed it and it's been running without issue for over a year now. Do I know what a quarter of the settings do, hell no but It's a LOT more stable that it was in the past. With be siting next to it, it would drop connection.
Somewhat related: now I have to get the repeater from verizon in order to get cell in my house. I've been pestering them for a free one but they seem to think it's not their fault. I would tend to agree but it was bad before but since they had to sell some of their towers I get nothing. Sadly the thing that annoys me more is that some of the stupid games on my phone glitch and that's what's making me do that. Nothing to do with communication, I enjoyed my phone not being able to connect.
Been running a Netgear N-band
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear-wireless-n-router-black/8998506.p?skuId=8998506&ref=212&loc=1&ksid=6fc8d8bc-37f0-4963-9eeb-f73592b893b7&ksprof_id=401&ksaffcode=pg112544&ksdevice=c&lsft=ref:212,loc:2
at home for years, cheap and reliable :knocks on wood:
I'm not very tech savvy anymore so i just bought the Apple Airport Extreme. Stupid name to be sure, but I get access all over the house, outside, and at the neighbors (on the side my office is). I only have a 1700 sq foot house though.
One thing I like about Apple's set up: they make it really easy to set up an invisible network. I don't like to broadcast that my network exists, even when protected with good password.
I just name my networks things like FBI_Van, Viral_plague and Seal_Team_Six and I've never had issues.
Mine is named Darth Vader.
:smiley: Name it Identity_thief
Pretty fly for a WiFi
:rotf:
Quote from: Farabomb on January 09, 2017, 07:31:17 AMI was looking into a new one but found DD-WRT and installed it and it's been running without issue for over a year now. Do I know what a quarter of the settings do, hell no but It's a LOT more stable that it was in the past.
DD-WRT is kind of amazing at un-crippling a router. I used it for years on a cheap router and it was crazy how much better it got.
I've also used Powerline networking with decent results.
Check this out. It might just be the channel you are using.
http://www.metageek.com/training/resources/why-channels-1-6-11.html
We moved and Comcrap is the best service in the area an I've had them all. Their modem delivers consistent speeds at about 110mpbs wired and they gave me a pretty strong dual band AC router built in. I had my own ASUS AC router, but it's only about half as strong, but it's connected and online because I need the wired ports. My next door neighbor is a network guy for the state and he says it's bad to have a hub on the network, but didn't say why. I could use the extra ports in the living room, and I have one hard line out there now. I'm not sure if I should invest in a switch (I have a 4 port GB hub, not currently being used) or move my AC router to the living room to extend my range and use it as a wired access point... the hard line is connected to my DirectV for on-demand, but I could use hard lines on my smart tv and blu ray too, as the wi-fi connection is always getting dropped. Any suggestions?
DD-WRT is great when there is a good stable build for your router. I've read that recent builds are iffy because the #1 guy left or something.
Quote from: Grimace on January 09, 2017, 11:45:02 AMI'm not very tech savvy anymore so i just bought the Apple Airport Extreme. Stupid name to be sure, but I get access all over the house, outside, and at the neighbors (on the side my office is). I only have a 1700 sq foot house though.
One thing I like about Apple's set up: they make it really easy to set up an invisible network. I don't like to broadcast that my network exists, even when protected with good password.
...sitting in hairdresser waiting for wife the other day. Inner-west, older, a bit hipster/offbeat/gay-lesbian area.
I like the top one.
If I've posted this before, i apologise. Worth a rerun though.
Now that could be girls have crabs, might be an amazing local seafood place or girl shave crabs where equally hirsute hippy girls shave crabs that have complexes about their overly hairy claws.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/sci_nat_enl_1141830109/img/1.jpg)
Digi, a hub is a "dumb" interconnect where as a switch is "smart". Basically a packet comes down the line and a hub will distribute it to all ports and a switch will send it only to the intended IP address. A switch will talk to the one neighbor while a hub yells it to the whole neighborhood.
Quote from: Farabomb on January 10, 2017, 08:44:09 AMDigi, a hub is a "dumb" interconnect where as a switch is "smart". Basically a packet comes down the line and a hub will distribute it to all ports and a switch will send it only to the intended IP address. A switch will talk to the one neighbor while a hub yells it to the whole neighborhood.
I mean if it is on the local network (of trusted devices) what is the harm of the hub? Unless you mean it travels back through the firewall and out to the internet which I'm pretty sure is not the case.
I agree though all I have ever bought were switches. I guess if you have a lot of devices and a lot of network traffic you might see a slow down in your home network. It really matters more in a business network where you don't want any slowdowns or sensitive traffic bouncing around the ether.
The router is the Post Office, the firewall is Customs, the mail carrier is a switch and EDDM is a hub.
Quote from: almaink on January 09, 2017, 03:30:19 PMCheck this out. It might just be the channel you are using.
http://www.metageek.com/training/resources/why-channels-1-6-11.html
That's a pretty good explanation, I don't see anything about the 5GHz band though. I read a little about interference on that and how some of the earlier model cordless phones operate on that band and can create some nasty problems with WiFi in the 5GHz range.
Oh, and since we moved I was "requested" by the Other to change our dual band names from "WuTang LAN" and "EhrmagherdWerFer" to something else. After way too much thought and input from the FB crowd I settled on:
LeafOnTheWind (for the 2GHz)
Shiny (for the 5GHz)
She has
no idea what they mean, but hasn't complained yet.
5g also doesn't have the range that 2.4 does. Again, not that much of an issue in my place but might in others.
Why does the Other care. It can be far worse like, I can hear you screw or something. I will say it's annoying that my phone will give a popup telling me what network I'm connected to. That's all well and good but you can timeout and go away. For some unknown reason I hate having tons of notifications in the bar. it really bugs me. I also hate when games notify with some loud ass noise or something. I play them while sitting on the can or avoiding talking to people. I don't need it to wake me up and scare the dog at 4AM.
Quote from: Slappy on January 10, 2017, 02:19:48 PMLeafOnTheWind (for the 2GHz)
Shiny (for the 5GHz)
Firefly references? Loved Firefly :thumbsup:
Quote from: Farabomb on January 10, 2017, 02:40:05 PMI also hate when games notify with some loud ass noise or something. I play them while sitting on the can or avoiding talking to people. I don't need it to wake me up and scare the dog at 4AM.
Grrrr I hate that too, the stupid Starbucks app sends notifications to the bar with a severely long and hard alarm... like the same as a flood warning or Amber alert. So annoying!
Quote from: Farabomb on January 10, 2017, 02:40:05 PM5g also doesn't have the range that 2.4 does. Again, not that much of an issue in my place but might in others.
Indeed. My routers 5 GHz has about half the range of my 2.4 GHz.
Technology is becomimg increasingly opaque, mainly a good thing, as mostly it 'just works', it seems.
We are on FTTN cable; not sure how fast. Not terrible, but not terribly slow, either. We've just stayed with Telstra since we got connected ((They'r big, were once the govt. telcom, but 'floated'.. about 12 years ago..from memory). Recently we received notice that they were doing stuff (upgrading, I guess) their end, and we would receive a (mandatory) new modem, which has WiFi in it.
I managed to install the the thing (no mean achievement, for me, really..), so we now have a combined modem/WiFi. With it came (unannounced), a little 'box', 'Telstra TV..powered by Roku'. :wtf: This seems to have replaced a previous Telstra box we had, for cable access, but seems easier and better featured.
The Airport is still sitting there, like an orphan.
Frailer, if it's a Roku packed into your service, that's pretty awesome. While my Roku box is packed away because I have a massive PC parked behind my TV (that I'm typing on now) It was pretty awesome when I had it attached for netflix and such. I may have to plug it back in seeing as it's got a lot of support now.
Born, one of the reasons I make sure I get a phone that has roms to to be able to shut off those damn alerts. No need to wake me up if there is an alert or a flood warning. If there is a flood that's affecting me, 1400 ft above sea level I'm going to know about it.
Sounds like it is:
Telstra TV Roku Box Review: Features and User Ratings (https://www.comparetv.com.au/review/hardware/telstra-tv-roku-box-review/)
Well, I think neighbor networks are the real cause. There's a dozen or so free apps for your smart phone that map wifi networks. I see a lot of overlap, but the channels that are free and clear of traffic aren't assignable by my router (or I don't know how to do it). We literally have (off the top of my head) at least 15 wireless devices capable of streaming. I can log in, even when they're not in use) and see them on the network (not sure if DHCP is just holding a place for them, or if even "asleep," they're communicating). I'm not a network guy, which is why I am asking the questions. I know just enough to get myself into trouble. Basically every time I watch Hulu, the first connection fails and then multiple times during a 22 minute show it loses connection. Signal strength is strong, which makes me think interference is the culprit. Hulu is the worst. Netflix will sometimes slow and get a bit choppy. Plex will sometimes lag audio so it doesn't match video. Other apps will sometimes just not connect. I confirmed network connectivity earlier today before launching vudu, and then, after selecting my movie, vudu dumped me stating no network connectivity. Hardwiring is the answer, but I only have one line, so I can make my ASUS router the Access Point and use the ports, or I can use my whatever it is (sorry - I haven't looked yet). I think it IS a switch... it looks like this one right here: http://www.staples.com/NETGEAR-5-Port-Gigabit-Switch-GS605NA/product_579084
That is a hub. Plug in the ethernet from the source and then you can run ethernet from all the other ports to other devices. That is what Farabomb said his network guy said it was bad to have them on the network. In my home I have 4 of them on the network and they all seem to work fine.
I use wired to all my devices. Netflix is pretty good but it will buffer at times. Hulu buffers a lot. I attribute that to some server or servers between me and Netflix/Hulu servers. MLB Network is a steaming pile of shit network. It buffers constantly on all devices both at work and at home. Streaming is always a crap shoot. Hell I even get buffering from Youtube at times.
Anything that Plex/Kodi/any other open source software streams from the internet is usually from overcrowded servers and bandwidth is limited. If you are going to use one of those devices get you a premium download account from one of the services like Real-Debrid. It is an unrestricted multihoster. An unrestricted downloader allows you to download instantly at the best of your internet speed any files available on download platforms such as Uptobox and many others without any restrictions. Real-Debrid cost me about $17 for 6 months. It works a hell of lot better than trying to download for free from one of the free crippled download servers.
Quote from: Joe on January 10, 2017, 06:20:02 PMSounds like it is:
Telstra TV Roku Box Review: Features and User Ratings (https://www.comparetv.com.au/review/hardware/telstra-tv-roku-box-review/)
yep, hooked up without too much trouble once we twigged to what it might be.. Wife uses it a lot more than I do...Netflix etc. But it's a far cry from a few years ago.
Like everything else, it all gets easier/dumbed down.
QuoteReal-Debrid cost me about $17 for 6 months. It works a hell of lot better than trying to download for free from one of the free crippled download servers.
Often, paying a small amount for something returns a high yield.
I have my PC hooked up on wire from the AP and even then netflix can be a temperamental bitch. A few days ago it would buffer, get to 99% and then sit there for 10 minutes. After clearing cache, rebooting AP, Router, ect. it decided to work again. I don't know what fixed it but it could have also been my flaky DSL connection.
Digi, you're on cable, correct? That's a shared line so it's possible it can be a combination of overloaded server's on the service's side as well as traffic on the local cable network. If it's a weekend or a crappy, rainy day when everyone is inside watching netflix the cable dataline can just be at max bandwidth. At least that's the excuse the cable companies give when they start throttling your "unlimited" service.
Cable internet... but I work evenings, so I'm doing all of my streaming between about 11 pm and 2 am.
Joe, I thought it was a hub too, but why does it say, "Switch," in the description?
I don't think the manufacturers call of any of them hubs anymore.
QuoteWhat is a Switch?
In networks, a device that filters and forwards packets between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer (layer 2) and sometimes the network layer (layer 3) of the OSI Reference Model and therefore support any packet protocol. LANs that use switches to join segments are called switched LANs or, in the case of Ethernet networks, switched Ethernet LANs.
What is a Hub?
A common connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.
To me the one you linked falls under the definition of the hub.
So basically a hub sends data down all lines at all times and a switch just sends data down the pertinent line? I can see how technically this makes the switch a better option, but from reading the description, I can't figure out how this thing really operates.
It may all be a moot point anyway, as the stupid mount has the tv too flush to the wall and the ethernet port makes it stick out away... unless I get an ethernet plug that's at a 90 degree angle like this: https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Gigabit-Molded-N204-010-BL-DN/dp/B005WKIR44/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484180894&sr=8-1&keywords=90+degree+ethernet+cable but it would have to be pretty low profile.
Update:
I got the Luma 3-Pack kit for my Birthday, with the intention of replacing the Fios Router + Belkin extender + Netgear Router to have just ONE seamless network. Install is stupid simple: Install first hub at the cable modem, then the 2nd unit, then the 3rd and move them around until coverage is optimal. In practice though...
Back on Pg 1 I mentioned our "dead spot" in the great room where we spend most of our evenings. First hub puts out fantastic speeds as expected, 120Mbps or better, the 2nd hop about 75 feet away on the 2nd floor it drops dramatically 20Mbps and I can't even get the 3rd hub in the great room to pick up the signal from #2. The iron wall effect kills the Wifi completely. Turns out, the Luma supports Ethernet backhaul, so in theory I can hardwire #3 but it HAS TO come off the first hub that's wired to the Fios router. (I tried a Moca adapter through coax, but no-go, it's on the wrong IP range so it can't talk to the other Lumas). Luckily, the previous owner put Ethernet in every room, now I just have to put in a switch and find the corresponding Cat5 cable in the basement. Oof.
I would love a house that's wired for cat5. Best I got is a house with one of these in it. Looks cool but I highly doubt it works.
(https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images1/1/0712/15/vintage-rca-radio-intercom-clock_1_02562d7ecd072637ceef0f54b39d7d5d.jpg)
I assume that is for some kind of sound system?
I put wired ethernet throughout the house along with wireless routers (5 of them) so I have both wired and wireless everywhere.
I never did figure out my situation. I do have Cat6e hardwired, but not neatly - I drilled hole in the wall, added a cover plate, sealed the gaps with silicon and ran lines under the eaves of the house to the various rooms where I needed hardline, and then drilled through the walls and brought it in. Part of my house is on the foundation, and part is on the slab... it's a psuedo split-level... and unfortunately where I needed the hard line, it's on the slab so running line under the house wasn't an option. My roof is very low profile, so there's basically zero-to-no crawl space in the attic so running it through the ceiling wasn't really an option either.
I was going to bring my ASUS AC66 router and use it as an access point, but I never got around to it. I do have one range extender and one Powerline connection in my network, but the Powerline is running ridiculously slow compared to my old house. My hardline averages about 115-120mbps but the Powerline operates at about 25mbps. Fortunately, I don't rely on it for constant, stable connection - it's connected to an XBox 360 and a blu-ray player.
My tv kept dropping wifi signal, but after a firmware update it got better. It got better still after I turned off the wifi broadcast signal on my redundant router. I still want to hardwire it, but there's still the issue of needing an ultra low-profile 90 degree ethernet cable for the flush wall mount.
If I can't get the Luma nodes talking efficiently, I may give Plume (https://www.plumewifi.com/how-it-works) a shot. Was reading up on it the other night, one review said it does remarkably well at consistent throughput in a setup like I've got. IT may not win any speed wars but we're not moving that much data at home, moderate streaming at best so it may just do the trick.