Router required - 4-6k.

[beanstalk_230]

Hi everyone

I need to buy a new router which has good range. Currently using Cisco E900 & the range is pretty unsatisfactory.

Kindly suggest a good router in the 4 - 6 k range. USB sharing / Printer sharing (HP 1020) would be an added advantage.

Thanks in advance.


Options that I was looking at:

http://www.flipkart.com/asus-rt-n15...ZEGW&ref=7a327fe4-7dc6-47b7-80f9-d6c65c01f526

http://www.flipkart.com/tp-link-tl-...GBV6&ref=7a327fe4-7dc6-47b7-80f9-d6c65c01f526

 

[vivek.krishnan]

Do take a look at the N13.B1 if you dont need GbE.

 

[blr_p]

I need to buy a new router which has good range. Currently using Cisco E900 & the range is pretty unsatisfactory.

Either put up a floor plan indicating where router is located and client with the distances involved.

Or tell us in words, how many walls in between, how thick they are in inches.

Also mention what apps you need to use and their bandwidth requirement.

Am not so impressed with USB sharing in routers, prefer to stick any external USB HDDs to my laptop that is ethernet connected to the router.

 

[beanstalk_230]

Following is the rough snapshot of the location of the router & the other rooms. Changing the location of the internet connection (i.e. location of the router) would be a hassle so cannot do that.

Therefore range is very important.

A member in another forum has suggested TP Link WGR 3600 http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-WDR3600 . Any local reviews or pointers?[DOUBLEPOST=1372256881][/DOUBLEPOST]Recently E900 has become so unstable that there are nearly 5-8 disconnections in a day. Was planning to take it to the service guys since it is still in warranty.

 

[blr_p]

How far is distance A & B ?

I find it curious you get weak signals in locations X & Z

Has the E900 lost its signal over time, did you ever get better signals in locations X & Z.

It seems you have to get across 2 walls in nearly all locations how thick are these walls (6 inch or 11 inch).

What purpose is wifi for ? basic web browsing or more.

how much bandwidth do you require at the client end ?

Which wifi clients will you be using apart from that Note2 of yours ?

Do take a look at the N13.B1 if you dont need GbE.

He may require a couple of them by the looks of it.

He needs a 10-15 dB boost on the first floor and a 20-25dB boost on the ground floor.

 

[blr_p]

A member in another forum has suggested TP Link WGR 3600 http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-WDR3600 .

You don't want this model because your present router gives you better signal in location D.

Think of Location C (-50dBm) as 1 wall away, D (-70dBm) is two walls and F (-90dBm) is three walls. In your case its performance between locations D & F that matter. As you can see your E900 struggles, the N13 is better and the Belkin is the best.



The linksys E1200 uses the same radio chip as your E900.
The tp-link 3500 uses the same chip as the 3600

The Belkin will give a good boost but it costs Rs.7.5k. This could be used with your existing E900 setup as a repeater.

Or failing that 2xN13's which come up to ~Rs.5k

Need more info to decide which is the better choice. I don't know whether its possible to get the coverage you want without a repeater.

 

[beanstalk_230]

How far is distance A & B ?

I find it curious you get weak signals in locaitons X & Z

Has the E900 lost its signal over time, did you ever get better signals in locations X & Z.

It seems you have to get across 2 walls in nearly all locations how thick are these walls (6 inch or 11 inch).

What purpose is wifi for ? basic web browsing or more.

how much bandwidth do you require at the client end ?

Distance A & B is around 20-25ft

E900 as stated in my last post has been giving nearly 5-8 disconnections everyday. When used @ ground floor any download (eg. updating safari, itunes) also gives disconnection. Wifi resets & in 20 secs things are back to normal. I looked on the internet & disabled features like WMM etc which could have been hampering the throughput but to no avail. Seems like I will have to do a hard reset to check the status again. WIll do it tomorrow.

Walls are all 11inch & at some locations the walls can be counted as 3 or more due to the positioning of stairs in the open area.

Purpose - Internet browsing & downloading > Data transfer through wifi btw 4 pc/laptops & few mobiles & Remote Desktop Conn usage.

Bandwidth - Not sure.

Have used 1 N13 in the past (Burnt due to elec fluctuation therefore rejected under RMA) before switching to e900. I think I might be comfortable with 2 of them since TP Link has warranty issues which need to be sorted out. Had a word with the TP Link distributor in Lucknow regd the same.

You don't want this model because your present router gives you better signal in location D.

Think of Location C as 1 wall away, D is two walls and F is three walls.

The linksys E1200 uses the same radio chip as your E900.
The tp-link 3500 uses the same chip as the 3600

The Belkin will give a good boost but it costs Rs.7.5k. This could be used with your existing E900 setup as a repeater.

Or failing that 2xN13's which come up to ~Rs.5k

Need more info to decide which is the better choice. I don't think its possible to get the coverage you want without a repeater.

Even I am inclined towards 2 x N13 option which gives me a backup in case 1 fails. And I do not think dual band & gigabit is really gonna help me any way as such.

What specific information do you need?

 

[blr_p]

Purpose - Internet browsing & downloading > Data transfer through wifi btw 4 pc/laptops & few mobiles & Remote Desktop Conn usage.

Bandwidth - Not sure.

How big is the data you want to transfer over wifi ? As this can take a long time depending on location in your house.

Downloading can be done in the room where the router is situated via a wired connection.

Browsing if its youtube means you need about 2-5Mbs anywhere which should be possible.

RDP can be done even over dialup so that's not an issue.

Have used 1 N13 in the past (Burnt due to elec fluctuation therefore rejected under RMA) before switching to e900. I think I might be comfortable with 2 of them since TP Link has warranty issues which need to be sorted out. Had a word with the TP Link distributor in Lucknow regd the same.

Do you remember how good the signal was with the N13, to the rooms where you had problems.

For instance how good was it in the two room across on the first floor and in the rooms directly below on the ground floor.

What about in rooms X & Z on the ground floor ?

Trying to see whether a repeater is required at all or not here.

Even I am inclined towards 2 x N13 option which gives me a backup in case 1 fails. And I do not think dual band & gigabit is really gonna help me any way as such.

Its not the dual band or gigabit but the power of the 2.4ghz transmitter on that belkin. The 5Ghz is not good and the router itself is pretty avg in terms of features. Best avoided if possible.

I think 2xn13 is better because you already have experience with it and support with a repeater config is available here.

 

[beanstalk_230]

How big is the data you want to transfer over wifi ? As this can take a long time depending on location in your house.

Downloading can be done in the room where the router is situated via a wired connection.

Browsing if its youtube means you need about 2-5Mbs anywhere which should be possible.

RDP can be done even over dialup so that's not an issue.

Do you remember how good the signal was with the N13, to the rooms where you had problems.

For instance how good was it in the two room across on the first floor and in the rooms directly below on the ground floor.

What about in rooms X & Z on the ground floor ?

Trying to see whether a repeater is required at all or not here.

Its not the dual band or gigabit but the power of the 2.4ghz transmitter on that belkin. The 5Ghz is not good and the router itself is pretty avg in terms of features. Best avoided if possible.

I think 2xn13 is better because you already have experience with it and support with a repeater config is available here.

Usually the data transferred are media files (usually movies et al ~ .5-1.5GB)

N13 signal was a bit lower than this router if I remember correctly coz in location Z it would detect the signals at 1 or 2 locations in the room. Rest of the room there was no signal. E900 does turn up on the network but very feeble though browsing with occasional hiccups is possible nothing more. All in all e900 range is around 10-15% better than N13 but nothing great to boast of.

e900 lately has had stability issues which is pretty surprising from a company like Cisco. 1 restart a day or 2 is usually required.

Another option that I have is to buy 1 n13 & try it in the repeater mode with e900 and see if that works??

P.S. My N13 was a Ver b1. Guess this one is different. http://www.snapdeal.com/product/asus-rtn13u-wirelessn300-router/531058?pos=10;25 Any pointers where I can buy n13 b1 cheap?

TP WDR 3600 Link priced at a very tempting 3650. http://www.snapdeal.com/product/tplink-n600-wireless-dual-band/1490732?pos=56;63

 

[blr_p]

Have used 1 N13 in the past (Burnt due to elec fluctuation therefore rejected under RMA) before switching to e900.

The only thing that should have burnt out due to fluctuation is the power adapter. The router itself runs on rectified DC. If you still have the unit try with another adapter that has similar output. And this time around put it on a UPS.

The other possibility is you had a grounding problem and a surge came through the ethernet cables and fried the ports or even the router itself.

I remember correctly coz in location Z it would detect the signals at 1 or 2 locations in the room. Rest of the room there was no signal.

Can you tell me what sort of wifi client you are using in location Z. Is it a laptop, desktop and what sort of wifi adapter does it have. Because replacing with N13 isn't going to improve the reception in this location unless that signal is boosted somehow.

All in all e900 range is around 10-15% better than N13 but nothing great to boast of.

Interesting, at location D the N13 & E900 should be similar but would have thought going to location F the N13 would have been better. Anyway the difference between the two models appears to be slight from your experience.

e900 lately has had stability issues which is pretty surprising from a company like Cisco. 1 restart a day or 2 is usually required.

If the firmware it runs has been stable then try with another power adapter. Otherwise its a hardware problem with the router. Replace if you can under warranty.

Another option that I have is to buy 1 n13 & try it in the repeater mode with e900 and see if that works??

That's an option if you cannot get your exisiting N13 to work. Your snapdeal link looks like a good price. From your statements above it would seem a repeater or better still a wired AP is required to get a signal in the ground floor rooms.

Changing the location of the internet connection (i.e. location of the router) would be a hassle so cannot do that.

Is it possible to run an ethernet cable from your router room on the first floow to location x or r1 on the ground floor and to location r2 ? This way you could place an access point there and boost the signal to the ground floor rooms without incurring a 50% cut in bandwidth that a repeater would impose.

location r2 gets a low signal any way and even if it were a N13 the result would only be marginally better.

What i'm saying is repeaters won't help much because the signal they get is too weak to be of any use. Have to use wired access points.

 

[beanstalk_230]

The only thing that should have burnt out due to fluctuation is the power adapter. The router itself runs on rectified DC. If you still have the unit try with another adapter that has similar output. And this time around put it on a UPS.

The other possibility is you had a grounding problem and a surge came through the ethernet cables and fried the ports or even the router itself.


Can you tell me what sort of wifi client you are using in location Z. Is it a laptop, desktop and what sort of wifi adapter does it have. Because replacing with N13 isn't going to improve the reception in this location unless that signal is boosted somehow.


Interesting, at location D the N13 & E900 should be similar but would have thought going to location F the N13 would have been better. Anyway the difference between the two models appears to be slight from your experience.


If the firmware it runs has been stable then try with another power adapter. Otherwise its a hardware problem with the router. Replace if you can under warranty.


That's an option if you cannot get your exisiting N13 to work. Your snapdeal link looks like a good price. From your statements above it would seem a repeater or better still a wired AP is required to get a signal in the ground floor rooms.


Is it possible to run an ethernet cable from your router room on the first floow to location x or r1 on the ground floor and to location r2 ? This way you could place an access point there and boost the signal to the ground floor rooms without incurring a 50% cut in bandwidth that a repeater would impose.

location r2 gets a low signal any way and even if it were a N13 the result would only be marginally better.

What i'm saying is repeaters won't help much because the signal they get is too weak to be of any use. Have to use wired access points.

Location Z has laptops usually. Phones do not even detect a signal.

Anyways e900 adapter seems to have given up. This forced me get an Asus n10e from office & I am really surprised with the output. Signals are around -80dbm instead of -90dbm. Seems that antennae actually works. No disconnections since the time I have connected.

what if the repeater receives around -60dmb strength?

I think I would prefer going with Asus again. Options:
Rt-N12 LX - 1700
RT-N13 B1 - 2900
RT-N15U - 4700

Need to buy a new one soon. hopefully by tomorrow.

 

[blr_p]

Location Z has laptops usually. Phones do not even detect a signal.

I think you might need to get a hi-gain usb adapter to hook up anything in location Z.

Anyways e900 adapter seems to have given up. This forced me get an Asus n10e from office & I am really surprised with the output. Signals are around -80dbm instead of -90dbm. Seems that antennae actually works. No disconnections since the time I have connected.

Your E900 is better than the 10e. So if you think the 10e was better then your e900 has problems. How old is your e900 btw ?

what if the repeater receives around -60dmb strength?

Good but where will you place it to get that level of signal ?

I think I would prefer going with Asus again. Options:
Rt-N12 LX - 1700
RT-N13 B1 - 2900
RT-N15U - 4700

Need to buy a new one soon. hopefully by tomorrow.

Forget the n12lx its got a lousy chip like the 10e.

As for the diference between n13 & n15 see this. Those linksys models have the same 2.4ghz chip as the n15 and there is not much difference at all.

Go with just one N13B1 for now. Locally it should be available for less than 2900. Then tell us what signal levels you get in the places indicated in your s-note sketch.

Try and use that 10e to repeat and tell us what you got.

Surprise finding of this thread is that you think the e900 is better than the n13 b1 for range. pricewise its similar. The reason the n13 gets pushed here is because of the additional 3rd party firmware option.

 

[beanstalk_230]

I think you might need to get a hi-gain usb adapter to hook up anything in location Z.


Your E900 is better than the 10e. So if you think the 10e was better then your e900 has problems. How old is your e900 btw ?


Good but where will you place it to get that level of signal ?


Forget the n12lx its got a lousy chip like the 10e.

As for the diference between n13 & n15 see this. Those linksys models have the same 2.4ghz chip as the n15 and there is not much difference at all.

Go with just one N13B1 for now. Locally it should be available for less than 2900. Then tell us what signal levels you get in the places indicated in your s-note sketch.

Try and use that 10e to repeat and tell us what you got.

Surprise finding of this thread is that you think the e900 is better than the n13 b1 for range. pricewise its similar. The reason the n13 gets pushed here is because of the additional 3rd party firmware option.

e900 - 6 months old. Another issue that I would like to share with everyone here is related to Cisco / Linksys warranty. I bought the device from Flipkart & their CC tells me that since FK is not an authorized seller according to their website they would not honour the warranty. I have excalated the matter with FK guys along with the copy of the chat. Waiting for their reply. Hope this helps others who are in a lookout of Cisco routers esp from online retailers apart from the one's mentioned on their website. I might later take it to Accel since I have heard that they are the authorized service support guys for Cisco.

Will place the repeater in the open area & test various locations.

Regd the N13 & N15 I guess gigabit & looks are different. Rest is nearly the same. I'm not sure whether N10e would act as a repeater. Moreover even if the range is better I would never ever recommend anything Cisco. Any idea where I could get n13b1 a bit cheaper. Snapdeal does not have b1 specifically.

 

[blr_p]

Go to your local shops or is that not an option. I hardly ever deal with these online sites because the local guys are very competitive.

And your snapdeal link is the B1, only difference is B1 has support for 3G modems which a user review down the page confirms. I don't think its possible to buy a n13u only model any more. You can always call up snapdeal and ask them to confirm it.

i don't think its normal for a e900 to to have problems in just 6months. You also lost an N13 earlier. So that's two routers down. I suspect you have grounding problems so get a electrician to check the sockets in the room where the routers are placed.

 

[beanstalk_230]

Ok guys the final update. Got a replacement e900 after writing down to flipkart. They fwded a toll free no. where I filed the complaint and was issued RMA no. Took a print of the same to the Accel guys (Seagate, Transcend et al) Got the new one in 15 days. Completely sealed.

e900 is working as the primary router. N13u as the repeater. Attached a usb drive in the n13u in repeater mode and I can confirm that it works. Have to test a printer which would make n13 an unbeatable device for the price. Got it for 2.4k from snapdeal. Fk has it listed for 2.2k now. Best deal imo.

Asus n10e is really good for the price. Very very stable. Not even once did I have to reboot it in these 15 odd days and costs around 1k. Surprisingly at the location where I have put the N13 as the repeater e900 seems to have -10dbm gain over n10e but in the corner rooms n10e has a better reach and e900 struggles. Anyways thanks a lot everyone for helping me out with the issue at half the cost.

P.S. @ blr_p - Buddy you deserve a special mention here since you were the guide at every single step. Thanks for being patient throughout the search.

Regards

 

[blr_p]

Have to say that was an inspired choice for repeater positioning, and you did it with one less intervening wall than what i suggested earlier. Of course now you cover the whole ground floor and are still only 15 ft away from the E900

How did you mount the N13 in that location , is it on some small shelf high up on the ground floor wall ? In which case your USB drive is attached to it as well.

Asus n10e is really good for the price. Very very stable. Not even once did I have to reboot it in these 15 odd days and costs around 1k. Surprisingly at the location where I have put the N13 as the repeater e900 seems to have -10dbm gain over n10e but in the corner rooms n10e has a better reach and e900 struggles. Anyways thanks a lot everyone for helping me out with the issue at half the cost.

You're saying the 10e worked better than the e900 ?

Since no tests were done at SNB with the 10e's realtek chipset, we'll keep this in mind for the future.

Course if only the 10e had a repeater function then you could have just got another.

What security encryption did you use between base station e900 & repeater n13 ?

 

[beanstalk_230]

Have to say that was an inspired choice for repeater positioning, and you did it with one less intervening wall than what i suggested earlier. Of course now you cover the whole ground floor and are still only 15 ft away from the E900

How did you mount the N13 in that location , is it on some small shelf high up on the ground floor wall ? In which case your USB drive is attached to it as well.

You're saying the 10e worked better than the e900 ?
Since no tests were done at SNB with the 10e's realtek chipset, we'll keep this in mind for the future.
Course if only the 10e had a repeater function then you could have just got another.
What security encryption did you use between base station e900 & repeater n13 ?

Did it through Wifianalyzer & your advice. Got the strongest connection at that point hence chose it. It was practical & also is nearly 3 feet above the ground (downside is that it is surrounded by 9" walls + pop design on 3 sides) Still works for me coz now I am able to receive good signal in every room. Transfers through repeater at (signal strength -55-58dbm) hover b/w 1-2mbps between 2 laptops whereas earlier getting signals was a pain.

Security Encryption - WPA2 Personal.

10e had a better range no doubt about that. e900 works better if the no. of walls/obstructions are less b/w devices which was pretty high in my case. Then coming to the price ~ 10e 1k & e900 2.2k. People can make their choices according to the scenario in place.

 

[blr_p]

Did it through Wifianalyzer & your advice. Got the strongest connection at that point hence chose it. It was practical & also is nearly 3 feet above the ground (downside is that it is surrounded by 9" walls + pop design on 3 sides) Still works for me coz now I am able to receive good signal in every room. Transfers through repeater at (signal strength -55-58dbm) hover b/w 1-2mbps between 2 laptops whereas earlier getting signals was a pain.

Security Encryption - WPA2 Personal.

Ok, so you put the repeater in an alcove.

Is 1-2mbs throughput adequate for your requirements ? good enough to browse the web or do a print job but not much more.

WPA2 is the best you can get between repeater & base station.

10e had a better range no doubt about that. e900 works better if the no. of walls/obstructions are less b/w devices which was pretty high in my case. Then coming to the price ~ 10e 1k & e900 2.2k. People can make their choices according to the scenario in place.

Would be interesting to see how the N13 compares with the 10e. Is there any way for you to compare the two ?