Router with particularly strong WIFI

[Mud]

The storm the other night seems to have killed a lot of my network equipment. The setup was:

BT openreach modem (for fibre-optic sky broadband) --> sky hub --> powerline adapters --> Asus RT-N56U

...with various bits connected to the routers through cables, and each router running its own WIFI network. There were also additional powerline adapters for PCs. I think most - if not all - of my powerline adapters are now dead, and at least one of the ports on the sky hub. Sky say they won't replace the sky hub unless I sign another contract, and I think it would be a combined modem/hub now.

I have thick stone walls (old cottage), hence the multiple WIFI networks. Is there a router that is likely to be able to cut a lot of the complication and get a single WIFI network everywhere in the house? Or one that works properly with range extender boxes (whatever the clever name for those may be!)? The budget is as little as I can get away with, but if that's £150 or so for a reliable network then so be it. I don't like buying crap

Thanks in advance

 

[Mud]

Interesting, reading now

 

[Mud]

UAP-AC-LR looking like the likely jobber.

 

[Mud]

Any particular reason for the LR?

If you're battling with thick walls I'd prefer more standard power access points and spread them around to cover the area.

I figured the LR isn't much more, and if it doesn't prove adequate I can order a second unit.

Don't sign a new contract - instead tell them you are thining about leaving and they will give you a new hub and a reduction on the cost per month. Failing that ECi/r modem £6-12 used (ebay/gumtree), RT-N56U as router using Padavan firmware (free), extract your u/p via wireshark (it's a 5 min job) and the rest of budget on an Unifi based AP positioned centrally to give maximum coverage. If you don't want or need AC speeds then consider the older versions, coverage is still rock solid and 2.4Ghz has much better penetration than 5Ghz.

I'll have to read and google my way through some of that, but sounds like great advice. The bugger with my house is it's a twin gable roof, so there's always going to be a wall to go through if it's a single WIFI jobbie, even high up.

 

[Mud]

No need to apologise, I can exercise google-fu once I know the right direction - very helpful thanks

I ordered a unifi LR, will see how I go from there. Thankfully most devices support WIFI (smart TV, amazon fire box, tablets, etc.), so that may be most of the battle. I will supplant the sky hub for the N56U as you describe

It's sad that I'm excited over the incoming wifi jobbie

 

[Mud]

Will report back with how the unifi copes...the walls are mostly about 2 foot thick stone!

 

[Mud]

The unifi AC LR seems to get me ~+10dBm over the sky router (says my phone WIFI analyser app), which is unfortunately not quite enough...I knew I was being optimistic with a single unit though, so I will order another (and work out how to send a tidy cable through/around one of the major walls).

 

[Mud]

Yep, first world problems

 

[Mud]

I know you've probably gone down the alternative route suggested by now but I can't recommend the Netgear D7000 router enough to be honest - I swapped my old TP Link W9800 router and the improvement in the WiFi strength in my house is incredible imo!

It has something called "beamforming" - not sure if that's what's making the difference but whatever it is was well worth the upgrade for me as I'm now getting full signal and speed in parts of the house where before I was struggling to connect!

I'm a bit committed now, and have a second unifi incoming

I may be doing the unifi a disservice saying it's only 10dBm more than the sky hub - I think I'm getting a weird self-interference. In the screengrab SKY is the sky hub, TALKTALK is next door's, and MUD is the unifi...but the second colour on channel 7 is also MUD. The second (unnamed) hump on channel 7 varies depending where in the house I am, and goes away completely when there are no walls inbetween me and the unifi. If I change the unifi's channel the unnamed hump changes channel too.

 

[Mud]

Erm, just to separate the humps...if 1/6/11 is better I'll change it. My networking knowledge is limited.

The sky router will get swapped for the N56U soon - I've got the Padavan firmware on it now, just haven't got the sky login on yet. Will kill that WIFI (or at least limit to 5GHz only to allow me to talk directly to the router using my surface pro).

I'll investigate the guest network, but in the unifi setup I said I didn't want to make a guest network.

edit: googled 1/6/11, changed accordingly.

 

[Mud]

As it's an AC I'm assuming you have both 2.4 and 5Ghz running as MUD? 2.4Ghz is slower but has better penetration through solid objects and obstacles, 5Ghz is quicker but weaker.

I think I'm on 2.4GHz only at the moment; must RTFM but get the impression from the menus I'm not currently outputting on 5GHz...it also doesn't show up on any devices as 5GHz.

 

[Mud]

Got my second LR installed...and to be honest I may need a third for the living room. In for a penny...

Daft question - I've currently got the unifi jobbies on channels 6 and 11, if I get a third then I'll be using most of the available 2.4GHz bandwidth just on my network...is this the normal state of things with these arrays of WIFI units, or should I be putting them on the same channel?

 

[Mud]

Can't you just leave them on auto and let them sort it out? I think that's how I configured them in the past without any problems.

Could try and see what it does, although I have the luxury of only 1 immediate neighbour so can lock it in. The question is a bit academic perhaps, just wondering if these WIFI arrays are greedy so to speak.

 

[Mud]

Hijack away - all I can add is the unifis are doing a great job for me in a demanding application

 

[Mud]

What did you do to get Ethernet to the Unifis in the end? I'm in a similar situation but running Cat5 isn't practical.

I trialled the location for the second unifi on the end of a long cable, and have just drilled a 10mm hole (and crimped my first RJ45 connector) to tidy things up

I may hide it under a deep frame, but it is far less offensive looking than I'd suspected.

 

[Mud]

I didn't want it looking like a giant smoke detector, and I really didn't want to mess with the ceilings right now...I like it though

E: should also say the ceilings are extremely low, so losing even a little height can be a problem.