Router upgrade recommendations, coming from Vodafone Ultrahub

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Jp576

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#259955 1-Nov-2019 21:29

Hey guys first post here. Not a complete noob but don't know too much either about networking. I have read through the stickys and other threads related to routers, aps etc but they sound a little too complicated to me especially when it comes to seperate wireless access points.
I am on fibre100 with Vodafone and will be changing to fibremax/1000 soon and am looking to upgrade the ultrahub router/modem with something better preferably around the $300 mark if that's possible?
A bit of background:
The Ultrahub router has worked reasonably well for us over the last year with drop offs and slow downs from time to time. I can game (ps4) via wifi without any noticeable lag. My brother and his family stay in the subdivided house behind us and we all share the internet. The range drops of quite a bit over there but YouTube etc is still usable from the living room and side closest to our house. My nephew has a ps4 which is where the problem is. He can get online but has a lot of lag and i know wifi extenders are no good for that and i don't think powerline adapters will work either as we're on 2 seperate power connections.
Also Ethernet cable to the back house isn't really an option.
Here's a Google map pic of our houses.

As you can see it's not a massive area.

The measurement is from where the router is to where the ps4 is.

All in all there are probably 10-15 devices connected to the wifi.

Also we have landline over fibre so I'm guessing will need a router that can accommodate that?

And would i still need to use the Ultrahub router or are there all in one options that can replace the current router which i would prefer as there's limited space on the shelf where it's currently sitting.

Have asked in stores and all they seem to do is point to the most expensive ones.

Any recommendations?

TIA

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#2347413 1-Nov-2019 21:40

Personally I would just run lan cable using PVC tubing to the other house and connect it to a wireless access point or router to provide better local WiFi and lan ports for devices, will be more stable and better going forward. You could also look at powerline but given it's 2 buildings most likely won't work as they may be on different power boards/fuses.

Generally asking in stores for anything IT related won't provide the best of advice especially at retail stores like Noel Leeming and the like.

Hammerer

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#2347414 1-Nov-2019 21:46

What lNomNoml said.

LAN cabling all the game systems is the best path. You can spend all sorts of money and use all sorts of wireless devices but they'll never work as good as cabling. So why is cabling not an option?

https://www.pcgamer.com/au/heres-how-playing-on-wi-fi-hurts-your-game/

Jp576

19 posts

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#2347416 1-Nov-2019 21:48

lNomNoml:
Personally I would just run lan cable using PVC tubing to the other house and connect it to a wireless access point or router to provide better local WiFi and lan ports for devices, will be more stable and better going forward. You could also look at powerline but given it's 2 buildings most likely won't work as they may be on different power boards/fuses.

Generally asking in stores for anything IT related won't provide the best of advice especially at retail stores like Noel Leeming and the like.

This will be my last resort. Would this be possible using the ultrahub router?

lNomNoml

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#2347418 1-Nov-2019 22:10

Jp576:
lNomNoml:

Personally I would just run lan cable using PVC tubing to the other house and connect it to a wireless access point or router to provide better local WiFi and lan ports for devices, will be more stable and better going forward. You could also look at powerline but given it's 2 buildings most likely won't work as they may be on different power boards/fuses.

Generally asking in stores for anything IT related won't provide the best of advice especially at retail stores like Noel Leeming and the like.

This will be my last resort. Would this be possible using the ultrahub router?

Yeah mate, need to consider it as your first option, have the ultrahub at the main house, run a ethernet cable like CAT6 under the main house and in a shallow trench in PVC tubing to protect it against the environment, the simplest, quickest distance between the two houses, then under the second house and up into a second router/access point of your choice (preferably in the middle or where most devices need coverage), I can't recommend one you will need to get someone else at geekzone to answer that for you.

You can get special ethernet cable rated for outdoor use but it's expensive last time I looked.

Hammerer

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#2347419 1-Nov-2019 22:16

What lNomNoml said, again.

If you needed more than one cabled connection in the other house then just add a Gigabit switch like this one.

There are a lot of topics on problems with Wifi and lots of recommendations and instructions on using cabled Gigabit ethernet which will always be better than wifi particularly for gaming e.g. https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=81&topicid=226335&page_no=1#1928151

sbiddle

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#2347439 2-Nov-2019 07:26

Expecting WiFi coverage inside another building is simply not a realistic expectation.

If you want WiFi coverage in that building you either need to cable a cat6 run between both properties (which if they're on different power phases as you say is technically not the best option - fibre is), or invest in a wireless bridge between both properties which could easily work from windows, and then put another access point in the other building. Those quite simply are your two options.

cyril7

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#2347440 2-Nov-2019 07:28

I too would recommend a wireless bridge, the 60ad ones are very good.

Cyril

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Tinkerisk

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#2347441 2-Nov-2019 07:40

I'd install an 1Gb/s optical fibre link.

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cyril7

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#2347445 2-Nov-2019 08:02

A 60ad link will give you full GigE with <1mS added latency, and no spade left the garage

Cyril

Tinkerisk

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#2347646 2-Nov-2019 17:48

cyril7: A 60ad link will give you full GigE with <1mS added latency, and no spade left the garage

Cyril

How easy is it to upgrade to 10Gb/s (or 100Gb/s) later on?

timmmay

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#2347653 2-Nov-2019 19:01

Tinkerisk:

cyril7: A 60ad link will give you full GigE with <1mS added latency, and no spade left the garage

Cyril

How easy is it to upgrade to 10Gb/s (or 100Gb/s) later on?

640kbps should be enough for anyone... but really, 1Gbps internet connection should suffice for quite a long time. I "only" have 100Mbps and it's more than enough.

Tinkerisk

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#2347655 2-Nov-2019 19:12

timmmay:

Tinkerisk:

cyril7: A 60ad link will give you full GigE with <1mS added latency, and no spade left the garage

Cyril

How easy is it to upgrade to 10Gb/s (or 100Gb/s) later on?

640kbps should be enough for anyone... but really, 1Gbps internet connection should suffice for quite a long time. I "only" have 100Mbps and it's more than enough.

Sorry, but "mindblowing" 16Mb/s once was "more than enough" as well. The subject is bandwith, not speed.

cyril7

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#2347656 2-Nov-2019 19:14

If he does fibre he needs a spade and physical labour, if he uses a wireless link he needs less.

Its a home not a dat centre, 1Gig should be fine for the near future.

Cyril

Tinkerisk

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#2347658 2-Nov-2019 19:21

More wireless is like more people talking within a room. The more talk, the harder is a conversation - and no one wonders why it is like that.

Spyware

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#2347660 2-Nov-2019 19:27

Tinkerisk:

More wireless is like more people talking within a room. The more talk, the harder is a conversation - and no one wonders why it is like that.

Analogy doesn't really apply when dealing with 60 GHz point to point.

Spark Max Fibre using Mikrotik CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+, CRS125-24G-1S, Unifi UAP, U6-Pro, UAP-AC-M-Pro, Apple TV 4K (2022), Apple TV 4K (2017), iPad Air 1st gen, iPad Air 4th gen, iPhone 13, SkyNZ3151 (the white box). If it doesn't move then it's data cabled.

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