Low signal and 1 MBps speeds - N300 router - Changing router transmit power doesn't make a difference - Strange! Please help.

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The Tiger

The Tiger

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Aug 30, 2013
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I have just bought a Dlink DSL 2750U router. I have the desktop computer connected with it through Ethernet and my laptop (Atheros N WiFi with the newest drivers installed) is connected via Wi Fi.

When the laptop is just next to the router, the file copy process from the desktop to the laptop, gives 10 MBps (80 mbps) which is very acceptable for a 150 mbps connection.

Now, when I take the laptop to my worktable downstairs, which is just two brick walls to cross for the signal, the signal falls to 2 bars (poor) and the speed falls to 1 MBps (8 mbps) which is very, very unacceptable for a proper dual antenna N300 router.

I made two parabolic reflectors with precise calculation. That increased the signal strength by a bar, and the speed by a small margin.

The strangest thing is that, when I decrease the router transmit power to 20%, the signal strength stays the same as 100%. The speed too stays the same.

What is happening? Please advise.
 
Solution
The Tiger
Thanks a lot for your answers! I just went to the roof and saw that my neighbourhood has 5 other networks (which I never knew existed). That explains it partially.

But what is incredible is that, I tried reversely connecting my laptop's WiFi antennae's coax cables to the WiFi adapter. AUX where it's supposed to be Main and Main where it's supposed to be AUX. And voila! The signal strength increased by a bar and the speed by 4-5 times! Now I get 12 MBps (96 mbps) next to the router, which is the maximum speed of the Ethernet, itself, and 4-5 MBps (32-40 mbps) at my worktable!

Thanks everyone, for taking the time out to help. :)
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2x4b

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Oct 28, 2013
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Walls and floors can be weird. I get a stronger signal from my neighbour's router than from my own.
I finally gave up and bought some Powerline networking equipment. That worked really well for me.
 
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The Tiger

The Tiger

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Aug 30, 2013
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Thanks for the answers. But why isn't the transmit power affecting the signal? 20% to 100% - all gives same signal and speed at my worktable. Is there some problem in my laptop's Wi Fi transmit power?
 
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RealBeast

RealBeast

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Sep 13, 2010
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Most of the time, I find that transmit power is already at the maximum allowed and that you really don't have the ability to change it on consumer quality equipment.

Moreover, the transmit power that is relevant to receiving a wireless signal for your laptop is the transmit power from the router (not the receiving laptop), which is undoubtedly already set to 100%.

 
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B

bill001g

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Aug 9, 2012
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Your problem could easily be the quality of the signal rather than the strength. If you have interference even a very strong signal will run slowly because of errors. Now of course signal strength does help reduce interference since it can overpower the interference.

I would run inssider and see how congested your neighborhood is. Remember if you try to run 150m or higher you are using 2 channels which greatly increases your chance to be competing with other devices. Sometime running a single 20mhz channel will out perform some of the fancy dual channel mimo implementations.
 
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The Tiger

The Tiger

Honorable
Aug 30, 2013
222
2
10,715
Thanks a lot for your answers! I just went to the roof and saw that my neighbourhood has 5 other networks (which I never knew existed). That explains it partially.

But what is incredible is that, I tried reversely connecting my laptop's WiFi antennae's coax cables to the WiFi adapter. AUX where it's supposed to be Main and Main where it's supposed to be AUX. And voila! The signal strength increased by a bar and the speed by 4-5 times! Now I get 12 MBps (96 mbps) next to the router, which is the maximum speed of the Ethernet, itself, and 4-5 MBps (32-40 mbps) at my worktable!

Thanks everyone, for taking the time out to help. :)
 
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