Looking for Router Basis

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seevee

Reputable
Mar 17, 2014
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4,510
Looking for basic router set up things.... a few questions:

Understand AC is the newer technology, and N is older but pretty good. If my device (computer, bluray) is only N compatible, does the AC router have any benefit? Can one up grade their computer for AC compatibility and how do I know what my computer will use?

How do I understand how to set up the 5.0 and 2.4 bands and the channels in each? Is there a reason not to use auto, and specifically set one channel? Is there a way to tell what channels are interfering and can one "deselect" them or what is the best way to deal with that?

As for power, the unit I'm thinking seriously about Asus AC68U, has power set at 80watts. Is there a big reason to raise that (200 max) and what are the disadvantages?

My big issue is that my building is three floors and need better range to reach 2 BluRay players and a laptop on a different floor. Thoughts?
 
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If you are looking for a new router you might as well go 802.11ac unless the extra cost is a large factor.

You will get similar coverages from most routers all router have issues going vertically because of how the antenna is designed. You will likely get better coverage on the 2.4g radio anyway since it penetrates walls and floors better. Since 802.11ac only runs on 5g you may not be able to use it but that does not mean 802.11n on 5g would work any better. It is purely the radio frequencies ability to get though the walls and unfortunately there is not enough radio bandwidth to run 802.11ac on 2.4g.

You can only try wireless in your house and if it does not work well the you need to find another solution to try to improve...
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techgeek

techgeek

Splendid
Apr 11, 2004
5,297
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Ok first off you are correct, AC is better than N. Some AC routers (ASUS) do perform better in N than some N only routers.

As far as upgrading for AC compatibility, I am assuming you are referring to your laptop. The answer is yes to this question, but you'll have to purchase a USB AC wifi adapter. Then disable the adapter in the laptop.

I manually select which channel my routers broadcast on. I use a couple programs on my Galaxy Note 2.0 to do a site survey. I find what channel other nearby routers are on and pick a channel that's not congested. You can also download programs that do this for your laptop. I find the best way is to scan close to the furthest device away from the router. This is going to be your worst case scenario, and set your router up for that device. Since you have two bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), you'll need to scan both. The nice thing about 5GHz is, not many people are on it yet, so setting up the 5GHz band is usually pretty easy. Where I am, there isn't a single 5.0GHz router close enough to pick up.

As for adjusting power, I have found that adjusting power (on routers that have this function) to something higher than the default has very little impact. One reason is that it doesn't change the weak signals coming from your devices and it's a two way street. It's great that you can send a stronger signal to your connected devices, but if the router can't pick up the return signal, it won't help. I've also read that in some instances increasing the signal power can have adverse affects. Particularly with devices that are close to the router.


 
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bill001g

Titan
Aug 9, 2012
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If you are looking for a new router you might as well go 802.11ac unless the extra cost is a large factor.

You will get similar coverages from most routers all router have issues going vertically because of how the antenna is designed. You will likely get better coverage on the 2.4g radio anyway since it penetrates walls and floors better. Since 802.11ac only runs on 5g you may not be able to use it but that does not mean 802.11n on 5g would work any better. It is purely the radio frequencies ability to get though the walls and unfortunately there is not enough radio bandwidth to run 802.11ac on 2.4g.

You can only try wireless in your house and if it does not work well the you need to find another solution to try to improve it.

Just be aware the main benefit to 802.11ac is that it can run faster BUT if all you do is surf the web it makes no difference since even old 802.11g routers are faster than most peoples internet connections.
 
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techgeek

techgeek

Splendid
Apr 11, 2004
5,297
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29,965
Thanks bill, I should have mentioned that. The 5.0GHz band can't penetrate hard structures as well as 2.4GHz. However that said, in some cases AC can work better depending on the router / receiver combo and their particular antenna configuration. MIMO tends to be better implemented in AC routers, so if in the right location with the supporting hardware, you can if your lucky get a good signal bounce from hard structures. Not guaranteed, but possible.

As for his blu-ray players they are likely to be 2.4GHz anyway.
 
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