i have a twc arriss modem/router is it better to add a wireless router to the arriss and turn off the wireless in the arriss the arriss is located in the basement and has a desktop hardwired into it and i am trying to use the wireless on the 2nd and 3rd level of the house but everyday its a challenge to get my laptops to get a signal and online can anyone help me with suggestions i have a new dlink 300 router i could add
tri level wireless network
- Thread starter slammer12
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- Mar 16, 2013
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The basement is the absolute worst place in the house to propagate a WiFi signal from.
Your best solution would be a hardwired Access Point somewhere upstairs, or closer to the center of the house.
Yes, running the Cat5e will be a pain, but for results, that would be the best way.
Your best solution would be a hardwired Access Point somewhere upstairs, or closer to the center of the house.
Yes, running the Cat5e will be a pain, but for results, that would be the best way.
- Mar 16, 2013
- 171,779
- 18,136
- 184,590
Right. Most routers propagate the signal horizontally...more or less a donut shape. Going vertically, you get a bad signal, as you have seen.
That is why a hardwired access point that is upstairs somewhere would be the optimal solution.
That is why a hardwired access point that is upstairs somewhere would be the optimal solution.
a cheap option to get a better signal upstairs is place your modem / router in a large metal salad bowl. This will act to focus the radio signals upward. Imagin if you will your router sending out a signal in all directions like a ball that grows larger, all parts of the signal that go down, are waisted. By placing your modem / router in a large metal salad bowl, the waisted part of the singal is redirected upward to the upper levels of your home. I used to work for comcast as a tech and had a unrelated service call to a customs home in the same situation as you. When I went to the modem to check cable rf levels his arris modem was sitting in a large salad bowl and im like wth? He told me why and, then I went to the upper level with my hand held and had great signal, he then removed the bowl and my hand held could not even get enough signal to open a web page, I was amazed.
You have to get very lucky for this to work and get the router at the optimum focal point. All these hacks with aluminum foil and satellite dishes and pringles cans are all old outdated information. They assume that wireless still only uses a single antenna and only 1 data stream. MIMO has made it almost impossible to even change the antenna with larger ones since the spacing of the antennas are critical to proper performance. I used to recommend people use direction antenna and point them upward to solve this issue but now if you do that pretty much might as well turn the mimo features off on the router.
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