Continue with wireless or try powerline?

chateauneufdupape

Hi, I have a wireless netgear router (DG834GT) connected to a desktop in my study. I have another desktop on the third floor of the house. The upstairs PC picks up the wireless connection (via a USB adapter) but seems slow and can sometimes drop the connection. I also have a laptop that has a reasonable connection in most of the places I want to use it in the house, but not everywhere. The Netgear router is about 2 years old and is a "super G". If I got a new "N" router such as the Belkin F5D8233uk4 & F5D8053uk adapter, would this solve / improve the situation? WouldI need anything else with this? I have no modem, the cable from the broadband line plugs straight into the router.

I have considered using a Powerline solution/. i.e. plug one in next to the router and one in next to the upstairs pc. This won't improve the wireless for the laptop, but I can live with what I have got if it improves the upstairs connection. Any thoughts?

DatabaseError

a cheap solution may be to try a cheap PCI wireless card, as some of us think they offer better performance than USB sticks, another is to try moving the router, or its antannae (change the angle)

onzey

chateauneufdupape

Re: I have no modem

The DG834GT is a modem/router so surely you'll need another modem/router won't you?

U've_been_framed

Can you reposition the router to a middle floor? If you can, you may find that all the computers are in range. Good luck.

Leopard

If you're going to use powerline adaptors (which would probably be quite a good idea), make sure you get the 200 Mb/sec versions.

If you buy them online (or on a Buy-it-Now - but not in an auction - on eBay) the Distance Selling Regulations would give you a week to see if they work with your wiring. If you're not happy with them, you could then send them back (which you can't if you buy them in a shop).

onzey wrote: »

chateauneufdupape

Re: I have no modem

The DG834GT is a modem/router so surely you'll need another modem/router won't you?

He would only only need a wireless router: he'd use his existing Netgear as his modem.

onzey

Leopard

I was assuming the OP was looking to get the N router as a replacement for the DG834GT, hoping for increased range. If so I wanted to ensure the OP realised there was a modem in the Netgear.

chateauneufdupape

Thanks for the comments. Answering in order.

DatabaseError: I have the router near the downstairs desktop as it is fairly old PC and does not have a wireless connection. I could buy a longer ethanet cable and move the router a bit further away, so closer to the rest of the house. Moving the antena helps to go from no connection upstairs to getting a connection.

onzey: As you suggest, the DG834GT is a modem/router, BUT was not sure if I could use this as a modem and then get another router.

U've been framed: If I put the router on the middle floor, then I would need the study pc to have a wireless connection. I could get another USB adapter, but was concerned that I would not get as good a connection as I have now with it connected directly.

Leopard: Thanks for the comments on the Powerline. You also answered my thought that I might be able to use the Netgear as a modem and the Belkin as a router. Not sure how I would set this up though and would they me compatible.

onzey: I was looking to have the N router as a replacement. but thanks to you gus have realised that I would still need to keep the Netgear as a modem.

If I don't go down the Powerline route, how do I set up the N router to work with the Netgear as a modem?

chateauneufdupape

I am thinking to solve my problems simply, I could plug one of these Homeplug 1.0 Turbo into my Netgear modem/router and the second in the attic and plug it into the other desktop, thereby making both desktops wired. Then put one of these Homeplug & Wireless Combination Adapter in the lounge / hall to boost the wireless in other parts of the house where I use a laptop.

I know that they are 85mbps and not 200mbps, but do I really need 200mbps when my exchange is only 2 mbps? Is this a good solution?

Leopard

Let's dispose of the router question first.

It's possible to buy a wireless N modem router with Gigabit LAN port(s). DrayTek, for example, makes one. But they aren't cheap and many prefer, in any case, to keep the various components separate (even though doing so consumes more power). It gives you more flexibity to switch aspects of it (e.g. wireless) on and off.

If you have two devices containing routers (e.g. a modem router and a wireless router) and you want to combine them, you decide which of the two you wish to do the routing and then switch the other one to "bridge" mode, instead - which means it simply passes on to other devices the routing being performed by the chosen one.

Which of the two you select to do the routing depends on a number of factors, including, for example, which one has the better firewall. But it's usually better to let the router with the modem do the routing, so that you can switch off the wireless networking when your laptop and other wireless kit is not in use.

The reason I suggested that powerline adaptors might be a good idea in your case was because you said one of your desktops was on the third floor of the house - which might be (and currently appears to be) asking too much of your wireless network. That's the sort of situation in which a powerline adaptor can be a much better solution.

Only you can really decide what's best because only you know your house; some have thick stone walls but excellent wiring, others have thin walls but lousy antiquated wiring!

If you're going to buy powerline adaptors, I suggested the 200 Mb/sec variety because it future-proofs you more and gives you greater ability to do things other than Internet. They're much faster than the earlier ones. And, in practice, you are lucky to get half the rated speed, with any of them. It really depends on how much data you want to move around and at what speed. But if you are used to Gigabit networking speeds with Cat5e cables, a powerline adaptor rated at 85 Mb/sec is going to seem painfully slow when you want to send a large file from one computer to another and streaming video (which may be, or may become, the manner in which you record and distribute television, video and films within your home) is frankly beyond its capacity, however good your wiring is.

A 200 MB/sec powerline adaptor, with decent wiring, will comfortably and reliably outperform an 802.11b/g wireless device.

A well set up 5 GHz (only) wireless N network can out-perform even 200 Mb/sec powerline adaptors - but only within a limited range.

And powerline adaptors are secure: the signal is contained physically within the wiring of your premises.

I found this and this helpful in deciding which to buy. There's a video on the first one.

Nothing beats Cat5e (or Cat6) cable, though, for speed, reliability and security, provided that the cable itself is not subjected to damage. (anewhope's cats chew his!).

To give you an example of what's possible, we have gone Cat5e cable (plus 5 GHz wireless, when needed, for laptops) now but prior to that our setup was to have a Netgear DG834 (non-wireless) modem router downstairs, close to the master socket and let that do the routing, too. We plugged one Solwise "Piggy" powerline adaptor in near to it and another one in on an upper floor. That got the broadband signal up through the house. We connected the upstairs one to an 8-port Gigabit switch (with computers in several different rooms connected to the switch via Cat5e cables running across the loft to each room) and plugged two separate (Apple) wireless routers (one 2.4 GHz, the other 5 GHz - both operating in "bridge" mode) into the switch as well, to serve various laptops. So, as you can see, it's perfectly achievable, and very simple, to combine modem routers, wireless routers, powerline adaptors and Cat5e cables together into a network and they all work happily together.

Study the diagrams, examples and scenarios given in the first link I have given you above.

Bob63

I am a long-time fan of powerline ethernet. I use a combination of powerline and wireless from Solwise - they do a very nice homeplug wireless adaptor which allows me to run wireless devices at the other end of the house. I also set my mum up with some homeplug kit and it has been 100% reliable.

Leopard

The Solwise ones are nice: particularly the 200 MB/sec "Piggy" which has a pass-through, so you don't lose the use of your electrical socket for other devices as well. They're also thin enough to enable you to plug things into the adjacent socket on a dual-socket faceplate. Some of the others on the market hog an entire double-socket to themselves without any form of pass-through.

Its 200 Mb/sec powerline adaptor plus 4-port wireless N router looks like a nice item, too. But it contains no modem and its LAN ports are simple 10/100 "Fast" Ethernet, not Gigabit.

It's a British company - based just outside Hull - and although its kit is manufactured in China (isn't everything, these days?) it's designed for the British market and British electrical socketry and wiring.

Its support is good, too. I looked in to see them once, on my way to catch a North Sea ferry, and they were very friendly and helpful.

Our two "Piggies" are only in occasional use now but we kept them because they're still very handy for quick deployment and temporary solutions in situations that are less suited to Cat5e or wireless.

My only grouse with Solwise is that it's entirely Windows orientated and makes no provision for Mac users. All its support, software, drivers and firmware updates are Windows only :mad: . That said, its powerline adapters are simply plug-and-play, so they need no software configuration and are fine for use with Macs.