Powerline product question need wireless expansion
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Posted by on March 25, 2008, 8:23 pm
Please log in for more thread options I have a Linksys Router (WRT54GS0) upstairs and signal is not strong enough downstairs in my house even with 14db antennas. I do not want to burn any new third party firmware in the router and adjust power output. Note I did have a Linksys WRE54G wireless extender downstairs to amplify the signal but it was problematic and did not have a strong enough or consistent signal. It has since been tossed. I would like to have wireless access downstairs for laptop use (will buy this year), and streaming audio to a stereo (via a Squeezebox unit I possess). I would like to run a connection from my router upstairs to some sort of Powerline adapter upstairs. --->>Then downstairs I would like to pick up the signal through the
electrical system via another Powerline adapter BUT I want the signal
to be wireless... What is the best bet or choices/combinations of products to accomplish this? I guess I could use Ethernet Powerline adapters on both end and perhaps plug in another AP but perhaps there is a better way to do this. Thanks in advance for all suggestions... Patty | |||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Bill Kearney on March 25, 2008, 8:30 pm
Please log in for more thread options > I have a Linksys Router (WRT54GS0) upstairs and signal is not strong
> enough downstairs in my house even with 14db antennas. Greater "dB" is not always the answer. The radio signals radiate in a pattern. With omnidirectional antenna this pattern is more or less 'donut shaped'. The higher dB antenna make that donut shape pretty flat vertically. Using one inside a house rarely buys you any improvements. What often works is to turn the antenna so it's pattern better covers the desired area. This might mean turning the antenna horizontally to turn the donut on it's side. It also sometimes helps to add a reflector as they also help to adjust the coverage area. > I do not want
> to burn any new third party firmware in the router and adjust power > output. Why? They work. > I guess I could use Ethernet Powerline adapters on both end and
> perhaps plug in another AP but perhaps there is a better way to do > this. Just run a segment of CAT5 wire. By the time you buy powerline adapters it'll no doubt be cheaper to have just run the wire. | |||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by on March 25, 2008, 8:56 pm
Please log in for more thread options > > I have a Linksys Router (WRT54GS0) upstairs and signal is not strong
> > enough downstairs in my house even with 14db antennas. >
nut
> Greater "dB" is not always the answer. =A0The radio signals radiate in a > pattern. =A0With omni directional antenna this pattern is more or less 'do= > shaped'. =A0The higher dB antenna make that donut shape pretty flat
the
> vertically. =A0Using one inside a house rarely buys you any improvements. > > What often works is to turn the antenna so it's pattern better covers the > desired area. =A0This might mean turning the antenna horizontally to turn = > donut on it's side. =A0It also sometimes helps to add a reflector as they =
also
> help to adjust the coverage area.
> > > =A0I do not want
> > to burn any new third party firmware in the router and adjust power > > output. >
> Why? =A0They work. > > > I guess I could use Ethernet Powerline adapters on both end and
> > perhaps plug in another AP but perhaps there is a better way to do > > this. >
> Just run a segment of CAT5 wire. =A0By the time you buy Powerline adapters= > it'll no doubt be cheaper to have just run the wire.
Thanks. Tried turning antenna and such, no help. Have a wireless detector as well as other things and just need to get signal downstairs with some decent strength. This is a fairly new home and I am not about to run Cat5 or have someone do it. Would have to run it outside and back in and such... And if I did that, I still need perhaps an AP on other end. Looking for Powerline alternative to make it wireless or Powerline with AP recommendations... Thanks though Patty | |||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by P.Schuman on March 25, 2008, 9:34 pm
Please log in for more thread options pattyjamas@gmail.com wrote:
>>> I have a Linksys Router (WRT54GS0) upstairs and signal is not strong
>>> enough downstairs in my house even with 14db antennas. >>
>> Greater "dB" is not always the answer. The radio signals radiate in a >> pattern. With omni directional antenna this pattern is more or less >> 'donut shaped'. The higher dB antenna make that donut shape pretty >> flat vertically. Using one inside a house rarely buys you any >> improvements. >> >> What often works is to turn the antenna so it's pattern better >> covers the desired area. This might mean turning the antenna >> horizontally to turn the donut on it's side. It also sometimes helps >> to add a reflector as they also help to adjust the coverage area. >> >>> I do not want
>>> to burn any new third party firmware in the router and adjust power >>> output. >>
>> Why? They work. >> >>> I guess I could use Ethernet Powerline adapters on both end and
>>> perhaps plug in another AP but perhaps there is a better way to do >>> this. >>
>> Just run a segment of CAT5 wire. By the time you buy Powerline >> adapters it'll no doubt be cheaper to have just run the wire. >
> Thanks. Tried turning antenna and such, no help. Have a wireless > detector as well as other things and just need to get signal > downstairs with some decent strength. This is a fairly new home and I > am not about to run Cat5 or have someone do it. Would have to run it > outside and back in and such... And if I did that, I still need > perhaps an AP on other end. > > Looking for Powerline alternative to make it wireless or Powerline > with AP recommendations... > You might try experiment with rotating one of the antennas horizontal and seeing if the pattern changes ? Like the other person said, a vertical antenna radiates like a donut sitting over the stick. What are you using with the WiFi now ? Can you walk around and see the "signal strength" ? I was thinking of using the powerline stuff for the same reason... The WiFi access point is upstairs in one extra bedroom/den, and the family room is at the diaganol opposite end of the house behind the garage. The signal is ok - but not great - BTW - in our family room we added a wireless "bridge" and small Ethernet hub to connect - TiVo + Xbox - But, if you go powerline, you could have a small hub for any local stuff, and then also add another WAP for downstairs WiFi. It might be a challenge to get both the upstairs + downstairs AP's working together ? | |||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Peter Pan on March 26, 2008, 10:27 am
Please log in for more thread options pattyjamas@gmail.com wrote:
>
> There is a Powerline adapter (low bandwidth) in my boyfriends house > which has worked form day 1 without an issue. But of course his house > is a ranch all on one floor. But I do know that the circuit breakers > are different for the 2 outlets. > > Thanks again > Patty Breakers have absolutely NOTHING to do with it (in actuality things have to be on the same circuit/leg off the TRANSFORMER, *NOT* breakers in a breaker box) Not sure how same leg off the transformer got changed to same circuit breaker, but it a lie... once again, does *NOT* have to be on the same breaker...... Suspect it has something to do with how something is wired... Power in is usually 3 wires (two hots and a neutral, hot to neutral gives you 120, and hot to hot 240.... suspect some people/electricians attempt to "load balance" and wire some circuits to one hot and some to the other, in effect that is a seperate "leg") Just an aside on which unit/speed you need.. The actual internet connection speed will determine how fast you can access the internet from anywhere (ie if the cable/dsl modem is only 8Kb max, then the low speed(cheaper) stuff that can do 14Mb is faster than you can do the internet, only need the higher speed powerline stuff if you want to transfer files locally (from machine to machine) and most computers have a max speed of 100, the 200 Mb units ONLY work at speed higher than 100 if you have gigabit ethernet stuff). | |||||||||||||||||||
