Maximizing Wifi Range/Speed

[Viekn]

I have Comcast Xfinity internet at 105 mbps service from them. I have a somewhat large house and the backroom where we use a lot of wifi is the furthest from the current modem/router combo that we got from Comcast. There is no option to move the router from where it is now closer to the center of the home.

I was just chatting with Comcast tech support and they suggested using a wifi range extender. My understanding of range extenders is that they cut the signal strength in half when you use them. The Comcast tech assured me that they don't. Does anyone here have knowledge about this and whether that is indeed true? I have used range extenders before and felt like they didn't really resolve my strength of connection issues. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the quality of the range extender I was using though.

The modem that we use through Comcast uses 802.11n, so I'm assuming any external router I end up using (if I do) needs to be the best at using that protocol? So for instance, if I got a router that was great at utilizing 802.11ac, it wouldn't really do much good for me?

I appreciate any help or suggestions anyone can provide.

[Whirlin]

So... first thing I would do is that if you have an Android phone, to download the Wifi Analyzer application. This can help you detect potential interference from other wifi channels in the area (if you're in a more urban setting), and give you the information to set your wifi to a channel that's not really in use.

The WiFi Analyzer also does tracking of potential strengths across both the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz networks, so you can see which has more background noise in it. Live updating of signal strength bars allows you to strategically place an extender to maximize the network based on your house's design.

As far as 802.11n versus 802.11.ac... the things to consider is that the 802.11n utilizes both the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz, whereas the 802.11.ac utilizes only the 5.8 GHz setting. While AC provides higher potential connections over the 5.8 network, it will be bottlenecked by the N's output over 5.8 GHz if attempting to extend on just the 5.8 Network.

You're best bet is to mirror the Comcast and grab an 11N extender that can use both the 2.4 and 5.8 networks as inputs, and potentially output over one or both signals, depending on the results of the wifi analyzer.

Linus from Linustechtips did a video on maximizing a network and explanation of what he did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=3&v=XUBdUJjgmQY

[Viekn]

Awesome, thanks Whirlin. I do have an Android and going to run the app now. I was looking at the Netgear EX6200 and it happens to utilize both the 2.4 and 5.8 networks, which seems to make it one of the better options. I appreciate the help.

[GS4-Seomanthe]

This is a timely thread, thanks for starting it Viekn, and for the informative reply Whirlin. Comcast sent me a letter a few months ago telling me I needed to upgrade my old modem/router to DOCSIS 3.0, so I went out and bought a new one which has been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since. The range is much worse than my old unit, and it drops signal to my streaming DVD player constantly. And my house is very small so it really shouldn't be having these kind of issues. >_<

[Whirlin]

This is a timely thread, thanks for starting it Viekn, and for the informative reply Whirlin. Comcast sent me a letter a few months ago telling me I needed to upgrade my old modem/router to DOCSIS 3.0, so I went out and bought a new one which has been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since. The range is much worse than my old unit, and it drops signal to my streaming DVD player constantly. And my house is very small so it really shouldn't be having these kind of issues. >_<
Also depends on the type of walls in your house! I've found older horsehair plaster and wood paneling DESTROYS signal strength compared to conventional drywall.

Personally I'm using a Linksys EA3500-NP, which is an 802.11n router with a nice UI...
It was the best I found find for under $200 back when I bought it... Looking across the internets, AC wasn't released at the time, and running dual-band was considered advantageous to single-band options. It's probably about 5 years old at this point, but still runs well enough.

[Allereli]

Yeah I'll be checking out the app, too. Thanks :)

[GS4-Seomanthe]

My house was built in the 70s and is the drywalliest drywall around. I am confident in this because I spackled the hell out of hundreds of nail, screw, and fist holes left by the former owner's tenants, lol.

When I get home I can post the exact model number to warn everyone away from this lousy unit.. and follow the directions for improving the signal, hopefully.

[Tisket]

My wifi connectivity story:

We sometimes lose connectivity in the wee hours. We know this because our Amazon Echo will bleat out an alert that it's reestablished contact. Then we go back to sleep.

The End.

[Tisket]

Whoever left me the gif in a rep comment is my new favorite person of the day. hahaha

Edit: I was going to share the awesomeness here but for some reason I'm having difficulty uploading it as a .gif. Curses.

[Whirlin]

Whoever left me the gif in a rep comment is my new favorite person of the day. hahaha

Edit: I was going to share the awesomeness here but for some reason I'm having difficulty uploading it as a .gif. Curses.
I signed it!

[Tisket]

Oh haha, I didn't see that. Thank you for making my forum browsing more entertaining.

[Bartlett]

My understanding of range extenders is that they cut the signal strength in half when you use them. The Comcast tech assured me that they don't. Does anyone here have knowledge about this and whether that is indeed true?

The short answer is that a wifi extender will generally cut your speed in half (not signal strength, but the speed of your connection.) It happens because the extender is sending/receiving all the data to/from your PC and the modem at the same time over the same connection. With that being said, if you were actually able to get enough signal to achieve 2/3 of the theoretical max of wireless N ( 200Mbps) you would be double your connection speed to Comcast so cutting it in half wouldn't hurt much.

In addition to Whirlin's suggestion, you could consider a powerline networking solution. I've never used one, but there are decent reviews out there and they aren't horribly expensive. If you need wifi on the other end of it you can use a router or an access point to serve the wifi and you won't lose speed since the information would go from the access point to your router/modem through the powerlines instead of the wireless connection.

Some reviews from the wirecutter website here: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-powerline-networking-kit/ I can't vouch for the site as I have never been but at a glance it appears useful.

Good luck!

[darkcipher]

I have a powerline network device that I got from BestBuy, works pretty well. Just plug into one outlet near the modem and then another one near wherever you want the signal to go.