Thursday, July 25, 2013

How can I strengthen my wifi signal?

baby monitor ping on Iceprison Wraith
baby monitor ping image



Matthew


I have my modem on one end of my house, and my game system on the other. I still get a signal, though it is rather weak. I cannot move my modem due to the placement of the computer. I know that there are devices that I could purchase that could strengthen my signal, I'm just not entirely too sure which one would be best. If I could get some recommendations on what I should do, that would be great.


Answer
For gaming you would be much better off with a Ethernet connection.

Wireless signals are affected by many factors including wall density, electrical interference, directional antenna range, etc. All of these factors will affect your actual wireless range.

Just because a particular wireless router works good at one location does not guarantee that it will have similar performance in a different location due to variance in the factors listed above.

You should try to centrally locate your wireless router or gateway up high and away from dense walls and electrical and 2.4 GHz wireless interference such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, etc.

By nature, interference in wireless systems causes problems with smooth, consistent speeds.

Excessive latency (ping) can cause your online games to lag. Your ping may be 30 ms and wireless interference could cause it to spike to 200 ms or more.

The best solution would be to use a wired (Ethernet) connection between your gaming device and the router. You can run Ethernet cables up to 100 meters.

Pre-manufactured Ethernet cables are sold in common lengths such as 10, 25, 50, 100 feet.

A quality 50' Ethernet patch cable is less than $10 at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001W26TIW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=excharge-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001W26TIW

If it is not feasible to run cables you have other options such as powerline network adapters You plug one in by the router and one in the room where you need access and connect them to the devices with standard Ethernet patch cables. http://isp1.us/reviews/netgear-xavb2101-powerline-adapter/

The network signals are transmitted over your existing home electrical wiring which will not be affected by wireless interference.

However, if you absolutely need the wireless mobility there are various other ways to extend a Internet connection to areas with a weak wireless signal.

Devices such as wireless extenders that can expand your wireless range if need be. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YAYM06/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=excharge-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004YAYM06

The wireless range extender receives weak wireless signals and repeats them to extend the signal range to greater distances. Some models include 4 Ethernet ports in addition to the wireless radio.

Good Luck...

What wireless router should I get ?




Zachary


I Want great range so i can be outside and down the steeet and speeds for gaming and streaming . What router should I get. ?


Answer
A couple of points,

For serious gaming or video streaming you really shouldn't be using a wireless connection. Your best bet is a direct Ethernet connection. Ethernet is unaffected by wireless interference and will give you a rock solid, stable network connection.

Let me explain,

Wireless connections are not good for systems used for online gaming. Wireless signals are affected by many factors including distance, wall density, electrical interference, directional antenna range, etc.

All of these factors will affect your actual wireless range. As wireless connection quality varies the connection speeds are renegotiated. The WLAN connection may start at 150 Mbps and end up at less than 10 Mbps or drop entirely.

By nature, interference in wireless systems causes problems with smooth, consistent speeds. Your latency (ping) may be 30 ms and wireless interference could cause it to spike to 200 ms or more.

Latency is the delay (ping time) in milliseconds that it takes the signal to travel to the server and back. The lower the number the better, but you'll definitely want a ping time of under 120 ms or you'll have major problems with online gaming. Ideally you want less than 80 ms ping to the gaming server.

Remember, A fast wireless router or Ethernet connection does not make your Internet faster.

A router connects two separate networks and manages the traffic between them.

The router connects your local group of computers and devices known as the LAN with the Internet, commonly called the WAN or Wide Area Network.

WAN (Internet) speed is determined by your ISP and is measured in Mbps.

For example, If you pay for a 3 Mbps Internet connection, you will get 3 Mbps.

No router or Ethernet connection will change your 3 Mbps Internet speed. This connection bandwidth is shared by your entire LAN via your router.

If you have a 3 Mbps Internet plan and one user is utilizing 2.5 Mbps of the bandwidth to stream a Netflix movie that only leaves 0.5 Mbps for all of the rest of the users on the LAN.

Fast wireless routers and connections are designed to stream large files on your LAN quickly. The high speed routers permit fast transfer of files between devices connected to your LAN, however WAN speed is still limited by your ISP. The only way to Improve your Internet speed is to upgrade your plan or switch to a faster ISP.

That being said,

Wireless connections are convenient especially for mobile devices such as cell phones, iPods, tablets, laptops, etc., so most people include a wireless router in their home network.

Wireless signals are affected by many factors as I described above. 2.4 GHz WiFi connections also experience interference from microwave ovens and cordless phones which interfere with the 2.4 GHz band.

Dual band routers have multiple wireless radios enabling broadcast on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously. Using the 5 GHz band cuts down on interference from cordless phones and microwave ovens.. Not all devices can use the 5 GHz frequency. Many laptops and other devices only operate at 2.4 GHz. Thus the need for dual band routers.

You should try to centrally locate your wireless router or gateway up high and away from dense walls and electrical and 2.4 GHz wireless interference such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, etc.

Wireless routers are fairly inexpensive. http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=wireless%20router&url=search-alias%3Daps&sprefix=wireless%20ro%2Caps%2C490&tag=excharge-20

I run a ISP review site and blog, a couple of popular high power routers that my visitors have recommended are,

ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006QB1RPY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006QB1RPY&linkCode=as2&tag=excharge-20

The Amped Line which includes Wireless routers, wireless extenders, and wireless access points. http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-brandtextbin=Amped%20Wireless&linkCode=ur2&node=172282&tag=excharge-20

As far as the brand goes, the brand is not as important as the model. Some manufacturers release a good model but the next is crap. I would look at the Amazon reviews of models that interest you. Even if you don't buy from Amazon the reviews will tell you a lot about which models to avoid. Look for at least 15 or more reviews with a 4 star or better rating. Read a few and see if they sound like the particular model will work for your application.

One last warning, Just because a particular wireless router model works good at one location does not guarantee that it will have similar performance in a different location due to variances in the factors listed above.

Good Luck...




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