N vs G Range with G devices
in [Wireless Internet]
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From: Bill on 17 Jun 2008 06:33 Thanks in advance for any help. I'm currently using an 802.11g wireless access point. The devices in my house that connect to it are all 802.11g. I am having some signal issues in parts of the house. I know I won't get faster speeds, but is there any advantage to using an 802.11n device as the access point in terms of range, if all the devices are 802.11g? Thanks again
From: seaweedsl on 18 Jun 2008 11:05 No, I don't think an N router operating in G mode will offer any advantage. In fact, may reduce your current options if it doesn't have removable antennas. Instead, why don't you go ahead and give us a description of your router model and the various devices that connect to it. Describe your house layout and where the problems are. There is almost certainly a good solution using G, perhaps with a higher gain antenna (or reflector) perhaps adding a second AP connected by cable or powerline networking to your existing router. Steve
From: Bill on 18 Jun 2008 20:25 Thanks very much for the help. I have an older, brick, plaster-walled house. There are two stories and a finished basement. I have a Linksys BEFSR81 router in a room on the second floor into which the Comcast cable comes and my main desktop PC lives. This room is wired to 2 bedrooms on the second floor, one room on the first floor, and the main living area in the basement. In one of the bedrooms on the second floor, I have a Linksys WAP54G with the 7dB antennae. I put the WAP in a bedroom because the room with the cable has a ton of electronics. The room on the first floor has not been good for the WAP because it's built on a concrete slab and really is apart from the rest of the house. That room has the family computer, wired to the BEFSR81. I have 2 daughters in college who use their laptops when they are home for breaks and the summer. They work in a room on the first floor that gets good, but not great, signal. I'd like to get better signal in that room. On the first floor, just below the WAP, I have a TiVo and a music device (SquuezeBox) that essentially plays music from the internet. I don't use it to connect to a music server in the house. I also have an iPod Touch and a cellphone with wifi that I like to roam with. We have an outside porch and I get no signal there. In addition to better signal for the kids' laptops, I'd love to be able to get signal on the porch. I have tried the Linksys range expander. It worked well for signal to the laptops (but not the outside porch), but kept disconnecting from the WAP. I kept having to reset it. Thanks very much for any suggestions. On Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:05:52 -0700 (PDT), seaweedsl <seaweedsteve(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >No, I don't think an N router operating in G mode will offer any >advantage. In fact, may reduce your current options if it doesn't >have removable antennas. > > Instead, why don't you go ahead and give us a description of your >router model and the various devices that connect to it. Describe your >house layout and where the problems are. > >There is almost certainly a good solution using G, perhaps with a >higher gain antenna (or reflector) perhaps adding a second AP >connected by cable or powerline networking to your existing router. > >Steve
From: mlrodrig on 19 Jun 2008 10:49 > I know I won't get faster speeds, but is there any advantage to using > an 802.11n device as the access point in terms of range, if all the > devices are 802.11g? Definitely not. Indeed, as 802.11n APs has a natural coverage advantage (due to technology) vendors are building them with an average output power lower than traditionally found 802.11g AP (not a rule, but it is for sure a tendency). So replacing your G AP with N AP will - very likely - reduce your 802.11g devices coverage range.
From: Bill on 19 Jun 2008 13:30
You are absolutely correct. I tried it, just for kicks. My results were worse with the N router and I returned to my all-G setup. Thanks for the response. On Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:49:49 -0700 (PDT), "mlrodrig(a)gmail.com" <mlrodrig(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> I know I won't get faster speeds, but is there any advantage to using >> an 802.11n device as the access point in terms of range, if all the >> devices are 802.11g? >Definitely not. Indeed, as 802.11n APs has a natural coverage >advantage (due to technology) vendors are building them with an >average output power lower than traditionally found 802.11g AP (not a >rule, but it is for sure a tendency). So replacing your G AP with N AP >will - very likely - reduce your 802.11g devices coverage range. > |