A better home router?.. Or 'extend' coverage of my current one...?

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › A better home router?.. Or 'extend' coverage of my current one...?

Starplay

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#82215 24-Apr-2011 18:49

At the moment I have a TP-Link TD-W8901G that is just used as a 'dummy' access point... It is connected to a modem that connects to the internet and dishes out the DHCP leases.

The only problem I have is that at one end of the house the signal strength is usually around 50% (and its not that far from the access point, maybe about 30m but there are a couple of walls - nothing major) but nothing can actually get any internet access... It only connects with limited activity... As soon as you leave the room the signal works perfectly and you get full internet access.

Am I best to:

1) Replace it with a better router
2) Put a better antenna on it
3) Bridge it to another access point down the other end of the house

For options 1 and 2 some suggestions would be good.

Or for 3... Would I be best to grab another access point (router) and put it down the other end of the house (about 2m away from the room) as I have some spare cat5 out in the garage somewhere that I could run under the house and pop up in the cupboard outside that room. As I would rather cable it in rather than bridge it wirelessly.. If this is the best option, im not 100% sure on how to link another router into the TD-W8901G... I have done it before with other routers... but not with a modem/router... So might need a little help on setting it up if so...

Thanks

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#462010 24-Apr-2011 19:37

Hi, do your very last option with a cable linking the two. Simply disable the DHCP in this new router/AP and leave that to the current primary router. Dont connec the new router via its WAN port (should it have an ethernet WAN port) but use one of its LAN ports.

Just one question, why are you not using the 8901 as the modem and primary router, what is the current device you are using as a modem.

Cyril

Starplay

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#462018 24-Apr-2011 20:19

cyril7: Hi, do your very last option with a cable linking the two. Simply disable the DHCP in this new router/AP and leave that to the current primary router. Dont connec the new router via its WAN port (should it have an ethernet WAN port) but use one of its LAN ports.

Just one question, why are you not using the 8901 as the modem and primary router, what is the current device you are using as a modem.

Cyril

Will I need to configure the new router and the 8901G to be bridged together... so that they broadcast as one SSID and you can roam between the two... Or will connecting them as above do this or will I have two different SSID's? - One at each end of the house... If possible I would prefer to be able to join the two and have it as one network covering the larger area. (Its just that im not too sure how to set the 8901G to do this - will have a look once I have got a hold of another router... unless someone here knows).

I suppose i should have mentioned why im not using the 8901G as the primary device... - Its because I cant get ADSL and have wireless... So the Ubiquiti gear acts as the modem and does the DHCP and comes in on an ethernet cable... So only need the router to simply make it wireless.

samsam

167 posts

Master Geek
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#462024 24-Apr-2011 20:57

Giving them both the same SSID and they should switch automaticly

Starplay

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#462025 24-Apr-2011 20:59

samsam: Giving them both the same SSID and they should switch automaticly

Awesome... Thanks.... And obviously the same password?... And on the same chanel?

Starplay

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#462031 24-Apr-2011 21:07

Oh.. I forgot to ask in the last reply if it would be fine to use another modem/router as the other access point but just use the lan port on it and not for its ADSL use... like the 8901G is being used... I cant see why not, but i thought that I would check that its fine with you guys first... Thanks

cyril7

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#462037 24-Apr-2011 21:24

Hi, so the UBNT WISP radio, I presume it has a NAT router enganged so multiple PCs can have internet access from it.

Assuming that is the case then yes you can use an old ADSL/modem/router/AP as the 2nd WiFi AP just connecting via one of its LAN ports, just ensure its DHCP server is off, only one DHCP server per network.

Cyril

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Starplay

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#462041 24-Apr-2011 21:58

cyril7: Hi, so the UBNT WISP radio, I presume it has a NAT router enganged so multiple PCs can have internet access from it.

Assuming that is the case then yes you can use an old ADSL/modem/router/AP as the 2nd WiFi AP just connecting via one of its LAN ports, just ensure its DHCP server is off, only one DHCP server per network.

Cyril

Yes - my WISP's UBNT radio has the NAT router activated and also the DHCP server... So more than one computer can have internet access from it.

Awesome... Will have a hunt around as im sure I have an old wireless ADSL modem/router around somewhere that I can use. And ive found the cat5 I thought I had - its a 50m piece so its plenty long enough.

Will make sure I turn the DHCP off as the UBNT gear has it activated like you said.

Thanks for all of your help :)

samsam

167 posts

Master Geek
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#462052 24-Apr-2011 22:38

use the same password, but i would put them on diffrent channels, as far apart as you can if you want the best reception. This will basically fill the spectrum so is a bit greedy

timmmay

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#462057 24-Apr-2011 23:38

I tried using a second router as a repeater, wap, and to provide my TV/PS3 with a network connection. I found it slow and unreliable, using 802.11G, both routers running dd-wrt. In comparison the wired network I then installed is fast and reliable.

cyril7

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#462085 25-Apr-2011 08:28

Hi, leave the UBNT's DHCP active, ensure its off in both other APs, best to leave the NAT and DHCP in same device.

So just to clarify how it should all work, UBNT has WAN uplink to WISP, it has NAT and DHCP for your whole network. UBNT's wired port connects to your TPlink modem/router via one of the LAN ports, its DHCP server is off. The 2nd AP connects also to one of the TPLinks LAN ports and also has its DHCP off. Both these APs have same SSID and password to allow roaming. Both these APs have nothing connected to their DSL WAN ports, they both act as layer2 bridges, ie all LAN ports and the WiFi interfaces of both APs are on the same layer2 ethernet LAN.

Ideally the admin interface IP address's of both APs is in the same subnet as administered by the UBNT's DHCP (but not in the DHCP range or use two address up near the top that it will never get to) for ease of management.

Cyril

cyril7

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#462090 25-Apr-2011 09:35

Oh, and one other point, put both APs on different channels ideally 5 or more channels apart, before you set the channels turn the APs off have a scan on your laptop to see what else is about and use channels that avoid others, if they are weak signals then dont worry so much but you must place your own that you can both hear quite clearly 5ch apart.

Cyril

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Starplay

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#462272 25-Apr-2011 20:56

Ah... Thought I had a router lying around... Its not a modem/router like I thought... But just a plain router.. Which is good because its all I need... Its a Dlink DIR-600 so will be perfect for the job.

Now its just a matter of finding the time to crawl under the house and hook it all up one weekend...

Thanks for all of your help.

Starplay

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#469106 14-May-2011 17:40

So I finally found the time to start running the cat5e under the house for this... And had a thought as I was passing where one of the phone lines head up into the house... Would be a good idea to run the cat5 into the same place as the phone line runs up?.

The reason being is that shortly my isp is going to start offering voip services and thought that with the router being down one end of the house, where there would be one phone connected to the voip. I would want another phone down the other end of the house connected to the voip as well. Would it be a good idea to run the cat5 into the cupboard where the phone comes up and put a switch in there that the phone could connect to... and then from that switch, carry on with the cable to the other access point for the internet.

The only thing im not too sure of is if the line running back for the voip needs to be hooked up to something different than directly to the modem / router.... and if so would this cause the other ap not to work as it would then not be connected properly.Or will the voip line need its own run of cat5... or is there something I can plug it into before it connects to the cat5 to make it work.

So.. I was planning to do this:

UBNT->TPLINK Router->Dlink Router

But I was wondering if this would be possible / the best way of doing it:

UNBT->TPLINK->SWITCH->Voip phone & Dlink router

Thanks

timmmay

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#469171 14-May-2011 22:43

I put a cable to where my phone would go when I had cabling put in, it terminates near my router so I can work it out later. It will plug either directly into the router, or into another box beside the router.

Starplay

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#469235 15-May-2011 10:42

timmmay: I put a cable to where my phone would go when I had cabling put in, it terminates near my router so I can work it out later. It will plug either directly into the router, or into another box beside the router.

What im wanting to know is if on that same run I can have both the data for the wireless AP and the voip line... on the one cable?

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