Coytee Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Have the new satellite internet. It's been a fantastic choice given my other choices (maxing out about 56K with ISDN or a cell phone hot spot thing) Anyways, the Cisco / Linksys E1200 router I have doesn't seem to have the coverage. My wife likes to take her Ipad to the living room or upstairs bedrrom (router is in basement and I've got no options for that) The satellite installer said D-Link was his first choice, especially with the satellite. Fine by me. I see there are 2.5 KHz or 5 KHz available. (I might have the raw info wrong but the point remains) Bottom line, I'm looking for a router that has strong coverage and can go through multiple floors verses one that can't go as strong. I'm not worried about security per se' because I live in the boonies and other than the wife's cousin who lives next door, nobody lives within a half mile. Forget price (unless over $500) Options are?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 (edited) No brainer. Get a Linksys WRT54GL from Amazon and install WRT-DD mini. Also get a Linksys HGA7T 7dBi High Gain Antennas to replace the one it comes with. WRT-DD installation wiki for the WRT54GL router. NEWD_MINI build generic 12548 Eko Build Edited December 6, 2013 by mustang guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 I had that same router, it was good even out in the yard. Mine went out though and i bought a cheapie Trendnet model and it works almost as good, almost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I had the Linksys years ago. I did not do the hot rod mods and it never worked very well. Poor coverage across the house. I also went with a trendnet Type N router and now have full coverage as well as a gigbit router. Check the reviews on Newegg. Everything has Type N nowadays. Here is a link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100010076%2050001935&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=RATING&PageSize=20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRONic Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 (edited) If you aren't good with doing the hot rod mods... any inexpensive router (or wireless access point) installed on your first floor set in repeater mode will do. Edited December 7, 2013 by iRONic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 (edited) I've been going through routers and so far my D-Link N-Type router has been the most reliable, and the three antennas gives me better coverage - or at least it feels that way. They're all dipoles so the only nulls are directly above and below the axis of the antenna. Looks like they have a newer version available now too: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127215 http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DIR-665-Gigabit-Selectable-802-11n/dp/B00407VXKU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1369943735&sr=1-1&keywords=dir-665 Linksys has been my worst experience thus far....both software interface and hardware performance. My last Linksys only lasted for one year before it died. I'm now 3 years on my D-Link. The one before the Linksys was a Belkin and that lasted 2 years. Btw, another option that you might consider is running your Ethernet over your AC cables: http://www.howstuffworks.com/power-network.htm My dad just installed a network like this for his data center at work and hasn't been having any problems. I forget which system he went with, but he did a ton of research when I told him I was skeptical of the bandwidth he'd be able to achieve. Anyways, if you can't find a decent router, you might be able to use your AC cables to connect to an access point that you install upstairs? Edited December 7, 2013 by DrWho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I installed a few of the latest Apple Extreme base stations and they are very good. They are also compatible with the next generation 802.11ac. The new design has multiple antennae for better coverage. Optimal placement is key. I've also found that extenders are not very good just get a second station and extend with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Let me clarify something. The WRT54GL is THE ONLY Linksys router you should consider. I have had many Linksys, Dlink, and even Cisco 2300 series routers. If you wish to do a little reading, go here and read the reviews. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190 There are over 3,900 reviews, and this little jewel rates 5 stars. Don't believe me, just read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMiRA Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I ditched that very same linksys and went to a dual band gaming Cisco. Ditched that and went to apple AirPort Extreme. Couldn't be happier with the performance and it will cover 5000+sf without a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 +1 for apple! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 I ditched that very same linksys and went to a dual band gaming Cisco. Ditched that and went to apple AirPort Extreme. Couldn't be happier with the performance and it will cover 5000+sf without a problem. This is what I'm after.... Large coverage area. My thinking is if it will cover 10,000 sq ft then it will cover my house better than one that covers 2,000 sq ft. (Made up numbers to convey the logic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete H Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I have a Linksys EA6500 and I have no complaints. I get great coverage on both floors and when I go out to the shop (about 100' from the house) I still have great coverage, much better than the Netgear that I replaced. I haven't used it for streaming yet as I'm in the process of getting everything set up with the new home server so I can't comment on that yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I ditched that very same linksys and went to a dual band gaming Cisco. Ditched that and went to apple AirPort Extreme. Couldn't be happier with the performance and it will cover 5000+sf without a problem. This is what I'm after.... Large coverage area. My thinking is if it will cover 10,000 sq ft then it will cover my house better than one that covers 2,000 sq ft. (Made up numbers to convey the logic) That actually sounds great. As with any router you choose, you can always use extenders (in this case, another AirPort Extreme) to cover dead spots or add coverage upstairs, on the patio, deck or yard. Although the device may cover 10,000 sq ft, as with any radio signal, that depends on the construction of your home. If you have trouble there, connect the different base stations with ethernet patch cords. One problem many have is vertical coverage. I don't know how the antennae are positioned inside this unit, but _if_ you experience deteriorated performance on your second floor, run an ethernet upstairs and install a second AirPort up there. Chances are, one base station will do the whole job if positioned properly. Most think positioning a router centrally to all areas where you want coverage. I don't. I believe the station should be positioned closest to where it will be used most. This position will be permanent. Then if you want better coverage in the bedroom or something, you can install an extender. Remember the that another base station(s) won't pick up much better than any other device. Place extenders closer to the primary router, so the radius is extended. As with everything I say, these are my opinions from experience. They work for me, but others may have suggestions which are better than mine. My initial recommendation seemed to be shot down quickly by many, although I seriously doubt they had the GL version of the router. I actually have 2 crappy WRT54G's on the shelves. I also doubt they had WRT-DD loaded with the TX power increased, or that they had a high gain (+7db) set of antennae. What the GL doesn't have is N class. It will only provide 300 Mbps. As that is 3 times fast ethernet, and about 1/3 a Gb, it has been more than enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRONic Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I ditched that very same linksys and went to a dual band gaming Cisco. Ditched that and went to apple AirPort Extreme. Couldn't be happier with the performance and it will cover 5000+sf without a problem. This is what I'm after.... Large coverage area. My thinking is if it will cover 10,000 sq ft then it will cover my house better than one that covers 2,000 sq ft. (Made up numbers to convey the logic) My initial recommendation seemed to be shot down quickly by many, although I seriously doubt they had the GL version of the router. Speaking for myself... I wasn't shooting down your recommendation, mustang guy. I was simply posting what worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Went to best buy today after going into town. Bought a Netgear AC1900. He showed me a repeater. I asked, if the Ipad is having trouble getting a signal at this location (couch in living room) won't the repeater perhaps have a similar issue? He thought it might so I asked which one, starting from the top, had "the biggest engine" (output signal) and if it works great and if not, it might work better than the unit I had. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 The Linksys is a great router, I set up one of these at Johnny 5's. I placed it in the attic at his main property, and we have good coverage to the second house on the 1 acre lot. The router repeaters I have tried are lousy, I wouldn't bother with them again. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 The Linksys is a great router, I set up one of these at Johnny 5's. I placed it in the attic at his main property, and we have good coverage to the second house on the 1 acre lot. The router repeaters I have tried are lousy, I wouldn't bother with them again. Dave Yup placement is key!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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