Suggest a modem or router

B

benryu

Adept
I recently purchased a Asus DSL N10E (probably 8-10 months now). Its working brilliantly and the only issue is the range of the wifi modem.

Looking for suggestions to cover my entire house (around 1000sq ft) and to also reach ground floor (modem in the first floor and signal to reach almost below where the modem is placed).

I could say spend max 2500rs.

Update - I have BSNL 1mbps unlimited plan. The modem is currently plugged to my desktop and rPi.
Mobiles and tablets access via wifi.
When I am at home primary usage is playing online, casual surfing and watching videos. When I am not at home I use the rPi for downloading.

Currently the wifi signal doesnt reach to the other side of my house (2 walls in between). Also the signal is very weak in the ground floor. My laptop can connect but not constantly. On mobile its even bad rarely catches signal.
 
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benryu said:
I recently purchased a Asus DSL N10E (probably 8-10 months now). Its working brilliantly and the only issue is the range of the wifi modem.

Looking for suggestions to cover my entire house (around 1000sq ft) and to also reach ground floor (modem in the first floor).

I could say spend max 2500rs.
Click to expand...

Mention connection type,primarily internet uses etc.
 
I have a Asus RT-N10E(same model without ADSL modem) and the range is pretty good(~1100sqft single elevation). I have placed the router in one corner of the house and still get good(60-70%) signal in the other corner of my house. Check the placement of the router first and try to experiment a bit with it to see if you can get coverage on the other floor. N10E has pretty powerful antenna and I have no issues getting connection even in my garage which is directly below my house.
 
i suppose even if you buy a new router and place it at the same location as your present modem, you won't get to utilise the best reach out of it. i also had my modem and router placed earlier as you have now, but the range was less than satisfactory. i then got the wiring extended internally (telephone, ethernet, power), and placed the modem and the router in almost the middle of the house, on an elevated platform, and after a few tests with router-placement and antennae-angles, i set them up at their place, and now i get almost equivalent signal-strength all over my home (but its a single-story home). do try to explore your options in such a manner even if you buy a new router. TP-Link's TD-W8968 (v3) or W8961D (w/o a USB port; and again, v3) could be two options, as well as Asus N12E, the elder sibling to your current modem; although do check a few reviews before buying any one, as i don't have a personal experience with either of these. there must be a few reviews available on some forums and tech-portals, which a google-search would reveal. a D-Link 2750U is also on sale here, but am not sure if that's worth recommending or not, due to this.
 
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benryu said:
@axis.meister Since the modem is connected to my desktop and rPi on ethernet ports and with the telephone I dont have any other suitable place to put it.
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Where exactly is it placed in your house. If its at one end then it does not have the power to cross two walls. A central placement of the router will meet your requirements without getting another. This is an assumption since nobody knows how your house is laid out.

n10 has 5db antennas which is quite powerful for a budget router. At the price range you mentioned you wont find anything better unless you up your budget and then quesiton is how much. 2x-3x more cost will only double range and add unwanted features just to avail of a more powerful transmitter.
 
Kilroyquasar said:
i suppose even if you buy a new router and place it at the same location as your present modem, you won't get to utilise the best reach out of it. i also had my modem and router placed earlier as you have now, but the range was less than satisfactory. i then got the wiring extended internally (telephone, ethernet, power), and placed the modem and the router in almost the middle of the house, on an elevated platform, and after a few tests with router-placement and antennae-angles, i set them up at their place, and now i get almost equivalent signal-strength all over my home (but its a single-story home). do try to explore your options in such a manner even if you buy a new router. TP-Link's TD-W8968 (v3) or W8961D (w/o a USB port; and again, v3) could be two options, as well as Asus N12E, the elder sibling to your current modem; although do check a few reviews before buying any one, as i don't have a personal experience with either of these. there must be a few reviews available on some forums and tech-portals, which a google-search would reveal. a D-Link 2750U is also on sale here, but am not sure if that's worth recommending or not, due to this.
Click to expand...

Like @Kilroyquasar and @blr_p has suggested here, you should see if you can place the router better to use the range. N12E as suggested has dual 5db antennae hence it could help, but try the positioning option first.

Alternately, if you are stuck with the router on one corner of the house, you can try the "windsurfer" method(basically a parabolic reflector). Just search on youtube for "windsurfer wifi extension", wouldnt cost you much more than time.
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

If i am getting a router I can place it centrally and that way it will reach the other side. But i need to go one floor down straight below where the router will be placed.

My friend has got a D-Link 2750U and he gets signal in his entire house and even on the ground floor.
 
Don't get a router, first position the one you have already in a better position. Th eone you have is good to get across one 11 inch wall. If your walls are not as thick make that two walls.
 
Have you considered buying a repeater or a used router with antennas and supporting dd-wrt to act as a repeater. I am using a linksys e900 router as a repeater with dd-wrt on it. Please beware, using dd-wrt will void warranty.
 
Wireless distribution system. If you have a tplink router, you can visit their forum or call their helpline which will be helpful to you. Actually it is extending the range of your base router by connecting it wirelessly to another router in repeater mode which is kept near the location of your client. But I am not sure whether this will work fine with other brands.
Hope this helps
 
Also please don't bother about dd-wrt stuff, as you might brick the router if you aren't aware of what you are doing. Just buy a repeater and use it. I am not sure about the brands or the quality of service of these repeaters as I am only used to moding good routers as repeaters. Someone might suggest you something good. In any case many good routers provide bridge mode which can be used to extend the range. Just not sure if 2.5k routers have this option in them.
 
Increase your budget and get a more powerful router/access point, since the signal isn't penetrating the floor even around your base router, i.e. a repeater might not help with that.
 
Update - Bought a TP Link W8968. Wifi no longer needed at ground floor. Weak signal at end of house.

Have got the v3 which has the left dummy antenna. Will switching to a higher dBi antenna extend the range? Also, faced freezing issue within 12 hours of setup. Will test for a few days.
 
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