Seeking Help In Upgrading Home Network

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jrb2201

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Nov 7, 2013
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Hello - this forum has been a terrific resource and I thank all for their time and willingness to help. I've searched around on existing posts to see if I could find someone else having the same questions as I am facing but none matched my exact situation, so here goes....

Over the past few years, I've tried to build a home network on the cheap or "value" but have grown tired of the unreliability and connectivity issues; plus, it's been a while and I'm probably due for some newer technology. My house was built in the 90s and wired with Cat-4 with a patch panel in the basement where the coax comes in for the modem. I have a (non-wireless) router connected to the modem which feeds the patch panel serving 3 wifi routers (basement, main, upper) and a wired connection in the home office. House is a decent size (~5,000 sf) so I guess I was concerned about wifi range covering the whole house - hence the 3 access points.

Current Equipment:
Modem: Motorola SB6121
Router: TP Link R-860
Wireless Routers: TP Link WR841N (Basement, Upper); Linksys EA3500 (Main); TP Link WA860RE extender (upper)

I have ensured that the routers are on different channels but am having connectivity issues, dropped signals, etc....plus, I think a recent storm may have created an issue with at least one router. I am seeking advice to upgrade to take advantage of the high speed I'm paying Xfinity for and have a more dependable network. If I can keep some of the equipment, great; but I'm not opposed to scrapping it all and starting over. Budget is approx $200 - 300.

Thank you in advance - I hope the information supplied is sufficient to assist.
 
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kanewolf

kanewolf

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May 29, 2013
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You probably know that your Cat4 cable is only spec'd for 10Mbit. That cabling really needs an upgrade to take advantage of 100Mbit+ Your router is only 100Mbit capable. The last firmware update for that router was 2011 if you have the V5 version or 2009 for the V4 .... A 21st century router would help.

If the dropped connections are when you are walking between areas, that is "normal" with consumer grade WIFI. Seamless roaming is difficult to do.
 
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C

ComputerSecurityGuy

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Mar 30, 2015
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So, Cat4 will support some odd and elderly 100mbit standards but nothing new. So, this is what I would do:
1. Replace the Cat4 with Cat5e/Cat6a or power line adapters if you don't want to replace it.
2. Replace the TP-Link R-860 with a wired router like this, which will handle things a bit better than a home router.
http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1460300739&sr=8-4&keywords=Wired+router
3. Swap out the now unused TP-Link with the access point, or do some larger scale shuffle if you want.
4. Yes. Use different channels- 1,6,11 are the best. It doesn't matter as much for 5gHz.
5. You should be good by this point.
 
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J

jrb2201

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Nov 7, 2013
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10,510


Thank you for the response. I was aware that my existing cabling had its limitations, but I wasn't hip to the metrics. Router and wifi access points are definitely old firmware, so I'll give them an upgrade before I start spending money.

To your comment on the drops, it is not limited to roaming from signal to signal - my laptop is about 10' from the one on the main and it still goes in and out. But you raise a point that perhaps is the question I should have asked: given the better routers available than what I'm sporting, could it be possible to get whole house coverage with just one newer router used as an access point? Again, house is about 5,000 sf across a basement, main and second floor. No concrete or plaster walls. If, so any recommendations?
 
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J

jrb2201

Honorable
Nov 7, 2013
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ComputerSecurityGuy: Thank you for your response as well and I did NOT mean to down vote your answer - incidental click.

I'm not inclined to re-wire because it's out of my skill set and more money than I care to spend at the moment. I'll look into Powerline. If upgrading firmware doesn't make a noticeable difference, I'll check out the router you suggested - thank you for the succinct tips.
 
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