Router in basement, gaming on 3rd floor, help!

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F8 iS RiPPiN

F8 iS RiPPiN

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Aug 18, 2013
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Hey guys!
I'm putting together a brand new gaming rig to replace my ancient Dell Dimension E521, and wanted to make sure I have good enough connectivity to actually play my games online!

At the moment, I'm using my Dimension E521 with an old Belkin N1 USB Wireless Adapter to catch my router's signal from all the way in the basement (3 floors down). As you could imagine, the signal is horrible & frequently drops for anywhere from a few seconds to half an hour.

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So to make sure I'm gaming with the best connection possible - what are my options?

I've checked out wireless repeaters / extenders, but by repeating the signal, I assume they cut your bandwidth in half, which doesn't seem like a good idea for gaming.

A wired connection all the way to the basement isn't an option.

What can I do to get a solid connection up here?
 
Solution
kushvyas
That is the trade you have to make if you cant go for powerline or ethernet connection.
The Thing is Range extenders and repeaters are the same thing in most cases. The only way to get a repeater that does not cut the bandwidth in half is to use a repeater with 2 radios. It still in effect cuts the bandwidth in half but since you have 2 time the radio it balances out
BUT It tends to be tricky to run radio signal vertically the devices are designed to output most their power horizontally.
What you can do is If the powerline adapters work in your house you will get much better performance that any repeater. If you need wireless on the far end you would plug the AP into the powerline extender and treat the powerline extender as a...
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kushvyas

kushvyas

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Aug 11, 2013
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That is the trade you have to make if you cant go for powerline or ethernet connection.
The Thing is Range extenders and repeaters are the same thing in most cases. The only way to get a repeater that does not cut the bandwidth in half is to use a repeater with 2 radios. It still in effect cuts the bandwidth in half but since you have 2 time the radio it balances out
BUT It tends to be tricky to run radio signal vertically the devices are designed to output most their power horizontally.
What you can do is If the powerline adapters work in your house you will get much better performance that any repeater. If you need wireless on the far end you would plug the AP into the powerline extender and treat the powerline extender as a ethernet cable. It will still work better to not have the AP at the end unless you absolutely need wireless. Powerline systems work in most houses but be sure you can return them there are houses that due to strange wiring they refuse to work.

I would only use a repeater as the last option. Games already have problems with just a single wireless connection and now you have in effect 2 along with the additional complexity of a repeater.
 
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Titan
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May 18, 2007
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My general opinion on WiFi gaming: don't do it if occasional DCs bother you. If possible, you might want to relocate the router from the basement to 1st or 2nd floor.

Alternately, you might want to look at powerline networking, HPNA or MOCA.

If you are serious about gaming though, relocating your computer and/or router somewhere you can run a cable between them would be best.
 
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F8 iS RiPPiN

F8 iS RiPPiN

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Aug 18, 2013
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Thank you for the great response! (Your avatar is distracting lolol)

Wow, I have actually never heard of powerline adapters, these things look pretty great. I might have to try those out sometime to see if they work.

So to simplify it, if powerline adapters work in my home, I just plug one into an open outlet, and run an ethernet cable from my tower to into it, and do the same in the basement with the router? If I haven't mixed anything up or made an incorrect assumption, that sounds awesome.

Thanks again.
 
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F8 iS RiPPiN

F8 iS RiPPiN

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Aug 18, 2013
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Thank you for your reply as well!

Unfortunately, moving either the router or computer isn't much of an option. My grandfather handles the wireless network in my home, and he has some complex router setup with a nice jungle of ethernet cables and other wires down there.

I can deal with occasional d/cs, but of course it isn't preferred. :)

Powerline looks to be the way to go (until I move out and get a simple wired connection, of course!).
 
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