Networking Suggestions:
0So... I'm working on setting up my room for the whole Extra life marathon... (I know it's in November... but I'm working toward it :) I'm back and forth on a few things... Someone please help a little? :)
I have a really nice router It's the Tmobile version of this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1010152&gclid=CI-b9fOeosoCFdAXHwod0ywMbw&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&A=details&Q=
I am currently using Moca for the Tivo I had looked into getting this Modem (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/arris-surfboard-extreme-802-11ac-docsis-3-0-cable-modem-and-4-port-gigabit-ethernet-router-white/8855075.p?id=1218918010951&skuId=8855075) But heard really bad reviews on the wifi... It would clean up some of the cables, but at the same time Wifi is a big issue where I live (apartment where there is a lot of interference...) I thought of disabling the wifi and continuing to use the router I have, but then it's a bridge... not sure I Want to trust the modem to do the routing and Moca, still wouldn't fix this issue..
So What I'm looking for is a 802.11AC router that can function as a bridge, or a USB adapter that can run over a USB extension cord (to get outside of the room) Or possibly powerline networking. I found this that I wouldn't mind throwing in to see if it would work... (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PA4010KIT-Powerline-Adapter-Starter/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452532106&sr=8-1&keywords=powerline+networking) But... I don't want to spend more than 80 on this "fix" as it's mostly limited to the apartment that we are currently renting, and don't plan on living here for more than 3 more years, so semi permanent... I also thought of just running a long Ethernet cable for the weekend... that's always an option. (probably cheapest and most reliable, but wouldn't help a lot with the problem I have with network the rest of the year...
tl;dr
Anyone played with Powerline networking, what was your experience... Or know where I Can get a cheap 802.11AC router that has "bridge mode" or Access point to grab wifi and make it wired.
- 8 comments, 18 replies
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Don't get a modem/router combo unit. They are the worst.
Use a regular modem to your existing router and there is no need to bridge anything.
Here is the modem only version, the SB6183 and it's a great modem:
http://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-SB6183-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B00MA5U1FW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450370642&sr=8-1&keywords=Sb1683
@Ignorant I do need to bridge... The Closet I am in effectively blocks the wifi signal with the door closed... I need to get internet into my little closet. :) I brought the modem into it because I have the Modem--> Router--> moca adapter all 3 boxes very close to each other.
Outside closet full bars... inside 1-2, even on my iPhone.
It's a larger closet turned into my gaming room/office.
@sohmageek combo routers are bad for many reasons but the top two would be:
1) if one part goes bad it's all bad, can't replace just the modem or router.
2) you have zero control over the router firmware on the device, it will be uploaded by the cable company.
I haven't dealt with power line for years so maybe it's better than it was, but I'd stay clear of it if possible. Best bet would be Ethernet into the room to ether a switch or bridged router. I've heard good things of the TP-Link AC routers.
@Ignorant Not 100% true... Not totally legal to upgrade the firmware but there are ways. :) Any model number for the router with bridge support? I know I picked up some of the routers that Meh had and gave away the one that I think had bridge support as it was really big and only N (Doh!) But... I'm back and forth on trying powerline.. it's only $40 and if it doesn't work I Can return it... I keep hoping that Meh has something like a 2 pack for $15, which I could deal with the loss if it didn't work for my application... If it works well I have a mother in law that would be wanting to try it out also and see if it would help clear up some of the boxes/cables... Currently in MIL's house we have a mesh network of Airport expresses in each room for a wired port... all running off of the wireless... Very lossy way of doing it, but again the wifi doesn't make it across the entire house.
@sohmageek TP-Link AC1750
I'm currently using a ZyXEL PLA4231KIT AV500 at my house to get "wired" ethernet out to a PS3 in the garage at the opposite end of my house from the modem and router. Haven't done any specific tests, but it seems to work OK. Also using another brand at my parent's house to avoid wifi congestion for Roku streaming. Again, no specific tests but it seems to be working well for them.
Parent's house is TRENDnet Powerline 500 AV Nano Adapter Kit, TPL-406E2K. One died after a few months, but TrendNet replaced it without too much hassle.
@walarney I think that is the model I'm looking at.
I did install DD-WRT on one of the Meh routers and set it up as a bridge. Didn't solve my particular problem so didn't use it that way for long. I've got a couple of wireless travel router type things that can be configured as a "bridge" but at least one of them creates a subnet for the client, so it could access the internet but not other machines on the network. If that matter to you.
I wound up ordering some flat cable and ran it under the carpet in this case.
@walarney That wouldn't really bother me... I'm looking for internet for the Computer for streaming, if I want to print ETC there is enough to do so... it's just downloads/streams seem to cut out too much and it stops streaming.
@sohmageek At my parent's house, even though the Roku was in the room directly below the router and should have had good signal, they were still getting dropouts in their video streaming. Neighbors all had WiFi, but it didn't seem to be especially crowded. Switching to 5GHz was going to be expensive, and there wasn't an easy way to run a cable. For about $20 on sale, the powerline adapters were dead simple to install and they've had no more problems. I've had experience with voice over powerline, and communication between cab and trailer on trucks on powerline, and I've been skeptical. Significantly less pessimistic now for in-home use. I would go with that over wireless for fixed location, point to point applications.
They are using the Comcast provided modem/router combo. So that probably wasn't helping.
@walarney That was the first thing to go... I had been using Surfboard 6141--> Airport Extreme--> Actiontec MI424-WR (Moca to get wired network to the Tivo downstairs) But the Airport Extreme had some issues with the 6141 & Comcast (documented somewhere on the Comcast forums and apple forums) So I got the free router from Tmobile which is a $150-$200 router... Worked much better for the wifi signal strength... but the one room it has issues with just happens to be the room my computer ended up being in. I thought of telling the wife we have to switch closets... but she'd kill me... :) (Bedroom is slightly bigger closet, and has more storage room due to the system they installed in it.)
I thought of hooking the apple one up in bridge mode, but haven't had a lot of luck using the airport (Extreme or express) connecting to non-apple routers.
I wouldn't go with another router in bridge mode. IIRC many wireless range extenders like the Netgear WRE series will do what I think you want - be a wireless client that will bridge to a wired network. You can set it up outside the closet and run a short wire in, wiring the network inside.
Depending on your layout and if you could run the wire under baseboards you could "long term temporarily" run wire all the way to the router and keep gigabit speed. A wire is always better if possible in my book.
It may also pay off to play with the powerline stuff, but be ready to return it if it's finicky. I've heard good things and bad about them.
@djslack yes... Wireless range extenders usually are what I'm looking for but having a router that doubles as this is in what I've seen... cheaper and more robust than just an extender.
I bought some top of the line powerline network adapters when I moved to my new house... and regret it. There seems to be an (at minimum) 300ms lag in everything I do, and my connection tops at ~2mbps. At first this sounds like #firstworldproblems, but compared to what I should be getting its pretty abysmal. Running ethernet cables (properly, either in the wall or in a cable channel) would probably have been cheaper.
Invest in an awesome router. I've never met a modem/router combo that was great. Find real world review sites, like this router roundup on the wirecutter. I went all out and got their "upgrade" recommendation. Even in the farthest reaches of my yard, I get a solid wifi connection with almost 0 latency & good speeds. Most good wireless routers are part of a system as well, and you can buy range extenders & bridges as accessories that will work out of the box.
Finally, make sure you do the setup properly. Depending on your ISP/service, you may get a lot of pushback against hooking up your router. I had to fight tooth & nail with Verizon FIOS to not have them install their router, and then I had to show their install tech how to hook up a third party router (you plug into the ethernet port on the modem, and then DHCP takes care of the rest - not that anyone at Verizon will believe this until you demonstrate it). This was worth all the arguing - I get (slightly) above advertised speeds & can get real world up/down of ~10MBps.
Oh, and one crazy trick I have seen. If your apartment has wired phone lines, and is relatively modern, check the cabling. Many contractors just run ethernet grade cable instead of standard phone lines, because it is so prevalent/cheap. My brother spent $20 & a few hours working on his apartment, and now has 2 stories fully wired up for ethernet. Of course, you may run into issues with your super when you leave - but you can always put the old phone connectors back if they don't like the upgrade.
@MrGlass Don't just check that it's cat5 or cat6, check that the cabling all goes to one central place. You'll have to change jacks in the wall plates and terminate the central ends and connect a switch. Phone lines are ganged together in parallel while Ethernet is point to point. And many contractors daisy chain phone jacks even if they use cat5 wiring. If you pull off faceplates and see a jack with one cable coming and one going, your phone cabling will not work for data. But with modern construction structured wiring is becoming common, so in a newer place you may get lucky. Many structured wiring environments include data, but maybe not in apartments where corners are cut to save cost per square foot.
I've used an Actiontec branded Powerline before. One of them died literally right after the warranty period (1 year) and their support was useless. Ended up trashing it. It worked OK for what it was, but there was definitely a small delay and nowhere as fast as wired copper Ethernet. Like others have said, invest in better ranged wireless AP. Also, absolutely stay away from wireless range extenders as most of the ones on the market cut your throughput in half and devices get a bit wonky with them if you duplicate your SSID. I do have a cheap TP-Link set up in wireless bridge mode using custom Gargoyle firmware though and it works great for the 3 VoIP phones connected to it.
A. I use the TP-Link TL-PA4010KIT to connect an AP on the second floor to my matching one in the basement. (In my case, Apple gear.) It looks like pings thru the link take a couple extra ms. I recently moved the Internet connection from the 2nd floor to the basement, so I should check streaming thru the link. But otherwise, they've been solid for over a year.
B. The plural of anecdote is not data. (i.e. YMMV)
@sligett C. Google "brian's brain powerline" for some blog posts about one guy's experiences with powerline networking.
@sligett Why did you move the router to the basement? It didn't have issues with range or is it because of the AP on the 2nd floor.
@sohmageek I moved it so there would be fewer boxes of blinking lights in the office (in this case, the DSL modem).
Looks like today's your lucky day @sohmageek!
@djslack or not... If you look they've removed bridge mode from the firmware. Unless this ships with a very old firmware it won't work as meh is advertising.....
@sohmageek sorry, then. I believed @jasontoon about this being the thing you wanted without further research.