Wifi Problem

Hey Len,

I am going to translate Nick's post for you (Nick, if I get this wrong, feel free to correct me):

Nick is trying to say that even a cheap N router like a D-Link DIR-615 gave him slightly better wireless throughput speeds than his Linksys WRT54G even when connecting through wireless g adapters.

 

Got it now - thank you

 

Regardless of what type of router you use I would locate it wherever you want the best performance. In other words if you mostly use your devices on the main floor then move the router to the main floor.

Regarding the range of N type routers Vs the older B/G routers as far as I know the tests are done "line of sight". By that I mean there are no physical obstructions between the router and the devices. As soon as you add physical obstructions, such as floors and walls, the additional benefit of using an N router becomes uncertain. If you place an N router in the same location (basement) as your current router it will probably perform better, but the signal has to pass through the floor and you may not see the dramatic range/speed increase that the N standard is capable of without obstructions. You would just have to try it and see.

You won't lose any settings - plug it back in and you're good to go

 

Thanks for the replies but one thing that seems so puzzling to me is that even though my b/g router is in the basement it sits on a table and where it is located is only about 10-20 feet in total distance from where I mostly am on the 1st floor. So even though it has to go through the floor I am almost directly above it and not very far. I also mentioned earlier that an ipad2 and also a new cheap laptop had wifi problems with the signal from the 1st floor in the same spot where my 6 year old toshiba laptop with only 512k ram never has wifi issues. Well on Friday someone was over that has a near brand new Macbook Air and I figured it would blow all my devices away in terms of browsing speed. But I was surprised to see that the Air totally struggled from the same spot as the 6 year old laptop and in fact seemed even worse with the wifi pickup than the cheap new Acer. So I figure it has to be the wifi but somehow if that is the issue it does not impact the 6 year old toshiba. Why I have no idea and it I can't totally make sense of it.

Thanks.

 

One other thing; yesterday for the 1st time I used speedtest.net to check my internet speed. I did it multiple times throughout the day and for wifi my speed varied a lot from between 3-6mbps download speed. Is that pretty normal to get a a variety of measures at different times? When I used the ethernet connected directly to the router it seemed more consistent around 13 mbps download. And at what point in ratings difference is it noticeable for browsing? If someone is browsing around 3-5mbps compared to 15-20 will that be really obvious just browsing from site to site or viewing something like youtube? Or is it only more noticeable when you download a large file?

Thanks again.

 

There are other variables, such as the firmware in the router and in the laptops/iPADs that supports the B/G/N protocols. Just speculating but perhaps a new device, eg iPAD, which optimally supports the N protocol does not optimally support the G protocol? Maybe someone more in the know can speak to this?

 

A friend of mine in the Houston-area had similar issues with his Linksys WRT54G router when connecting to his wife's Ipad and Blackberry phone. When he replaced his router with a TrendNet N router that I gave him (an older model), his range issues with the two devices disappeared.

Even as a networking guy, I see things like this that still puzzle me...

 

I'm getting the courage up to replace my WRT54G with the Belkin router recommended by kdcdq. (I'm sure it's just me, but hardware upgrades rarely go smoothly for me.)

I was looking at the online instructions for the router and it talks about using their cd-rom to install the router. That's fine. But then it talks about using the cd on each of the wireless computers to configure them. Why is that necessary? I would assume I can just identify the new network from within windows on each of the wireless computers and provide the necessary security information. I'd like to avoid loading the belkin software on the three wireless computers (vista(2) and Win7(1)).

Am I correct?

 

LenC,

JRViejo's advice is excellent if you need/want pc access to the firewall inside the Belkin router and/or want to monitor the router status.

However, you don't have to install ANY of the Belkin software if you don't want to. Belkin routers come preconfigured with WPA wireless encryption enalbed and the password is part of the router's MAC address. Since you need to see if you can get your cell phone to connect to the router, this can be done quickly and easily by using the router defaults as shipped.

If you go this route, however, you have to manually login to the router to make configuration changes. This process is not difficult but it can be a bit intimidating the first time.

 

I never thought of b/g/n issue on the adapters in the devices but that sounds very plausible to me and seems to fit what I am seeing because the devices(ipad, new laptop) that have trouble with my wifi show they have "excellent" signal strength. So it does not seem to be range which I figured because other than the floor it really is less than 20 feet total, but something else than makes it hard or lousy with the connection. Thanks again.

LenC I had to laugh when I read this but if it is any consolation I am exactly the same way and that is mainly why I have asked so many probably very basic questions. Because I am so hesitant to upgrade unless I can be sure(as I can be) that is the problem. It truly does seem like no risk but sadly my experience with most upgrades is they do not go smoothly for me either. I do plan to try the N router though in the next week sometime hopefully to see if that solves everything as I hope. Thanks.

 

LenC and Roark37,

Just because you buy something doesn't mean you have to keep it. Buy your new N router at Staples, Target, or Walmart like I do; these companies have an EXCELLENT return policy. If your new router doesn't work out, just take it back. I've done it and don't feel one bit bad about doing it either.

 

I installed the new Belkin router and it's working. There was one glitch - I had to power down the modem to make it forget it was trying to connect with a Linksys router. When the router didn't initially work, I called Cablevision and they knew immediately what the problem was.

So I need some time to review documentation, but it is working (as evidenced by this posting ), and it gave my cell phone an IP address - no problem.

Thank you to kdcdq and everyone else who provided advice.

Regards,
Len

 

I was not planning to turn off my cable modem when I changed routers but is that recommended? I was planning to turn off router and then disconnect cable modem from it. Then plug cable modem into new N router and go through set up. I have Comcast though but good to know ahead of time that may be necessary. Thanks.

 

I usually turn off everything and connect it all up. Then turn on the modem until the status lights are stable, then turn on the router until it is stable and last turn on the PC. That's if you don't intend to use the software installation wizard that comes with the router. If you want to use it then turn everything off, remove the old router, connect the PC directly to the modem, turn on the modem, turn on the PC and run the router setup wizard. It will guide you through.

 

I have NEVER done a router replacement without having to reset and/or unplug the cable modem to get the new router to work properly. I have never investigated why this happens, I just know that cycling the cable modem BEFORE installing the new router works every time.

 

LenC,

If you have ANY problems with your Belkin router, feel free to PM me and I will be more than happy to help you any way I can.

On a side note, I am leaving MA in the morning and driving back to the sprawling metroplolis of Pearland, Texas; it is 1900 miles each way. I swear the roads get longer every trip. I will return in three weeks or so.

 

In retrospect, it's probably something I should have done automatically - I just didn't think of it. As I said, it wasn't a big deal - Cablevision tech support knew exactly what the problem was. The tech said the modem's memory had to be drained - otherwise it would continue to be looking for the old modem. I don't (sadly) fully understand those things.

All's well that ends well.

P.S. By the way, there seems to be a slight speed improvement with the n router even though I do not have n adapters. That wasn't the reason for the change, but it's nice to see.

 

LenC,

Increased wireless speed using g adapters connected to a N router is quite common. There are several good reason this happens:

1) The newer routers have a faster processor in them so data manipulation times are reduced.

2) N routers have more transmit power.

3) The router firmware is more "mature".

On a side note, I am back in the Houston-area safe and sound.

Speaking of firmware:
Len, have put upgraded your Belkin router to the latest firmware?

 

would the speed increase be anything more than negligible on a fast connection though? i wonder if upgrading the firmware on his old router would've solved the issue and saved him money

 

The speed increase is noticeable, but not dramatic. Out of curiosity, I will reconnect Linksys, upgrade firmware and see what happens.

Should I? Or do I leave well enough alone?

 

I was going to ask about this with the firmware also. Is it likely(or even possible) that upgrading the firmware in the old b/g router would solve the connecting issues that newer devices(ipad, new laptop) seem to have with them(or at least mine)? And how do you upgrade the firmware? Is it easy? I was thinking that except for the small cost of a new router it was possible that upgrading firmware of old was more involved than setting up a new router from scratch. Is that true?

Also I have never upgraded firmware in my old b/g router since it was installed 6-7 years ago because in all honesty I had never even heard of that until recently. Should that have been done regularly all along?

Thanks again.

 

roark37 - yeah i'd definitely keep your router's firmware updated. it's not that involved a process. what kinda router do you have?

 

LenC,

Given your history with upgrades : unless you have upgraded router firmware previously, you might me better off staying with the router firmware as shipped from/by Belkin. The upgrade process is not difficult; however, you will need to back up your router settings before upgrading the firmware. Flashing newer firmware can reset the router back to it's default setting. I would never recommend NOT upgrading a router's firmware to the latest level; after installing a new router, that is the first thing I do. There is the old "if it ain't broke then don't fix it" rule that applies in some circumstances.

Roark37,

While it is possible that upgraded router firmware MAY have fixed LenC's phone connectivity problem, I honestly doubt it. The phone in question was working connecting to the router and then quit working.

As far as router firmware upgrades in general, I check for new firmware for my router (and backup router) every couple of weeks or so and then promply upgrade the firmware to the latest level. So yes, you should have been upgrading your firmware all along. I would behove you to look at your router's firmware upgrade changelog on the Internet to see just what your router does NOT do without the new firmware installed.

Pure commentary: Bill Gates, the second richest man in the world, said that one day computers will be like toasters; all you need to do is plug them in and make toast. The whole industry is getting farther and farther from this dream every day (except for the the Ipad).