Router questions

[MrJim]

I was stumbling through Staples and saw that routers now come in N and AC. I have an N I bought back when they were still kind of new. I use it wired for two computers and wireless for the laptop, Roku, and iPod.

Now when I do speed tests on the laptop I get all the speed I'm paying for. Would I benefit at all with upgrading my router to an AC? The laptop isn't a gaming unit and I don't have much problem with streaming content for the Roku.

ALSO: These units you plug into the wall to help boost/carry the wifi signal---would these be of any benefit and does anyone use them?

Thanks

 

[Cute Tink]

You only get the benefit of the higher speed if both the devices are capable of using that higher speed. If your laptop cannot connect at the AC speed, then I don't think you will see a difference in performance.

I bought my newer router to have this speed, because I was hoping it would last me a while, but only my phone can actually use it and I do see a performance difference, but that could be that my phone is higher speed too. I'll have to test it more thoroughly.

 

[MrJim]

You only get the benefit of the higher speed if both the devices are capable of using that higher speed. If your laptop cannot connect at the AC speed, then I don't think you will see a difference in performance.

I bought my newer router to have this speed, because I was hoping it would last me a while, but only my phone can actually use it and I do see a performance difference, but that could be that my phone is higher speed too. I'll have to test it more thoroughly.

Interesting~I've never tried a speed test on my iPod Touch now that I think about it. I don't know if the laptop can connect AC~it's almost 2 years old I think though it works so well that was the reason I finally replaced my old mac...I'd spend mornings on the laptop downstairs while wifey was sleeping then when I come upstairs to do "serious" work I got to wishing I was still using the HP laptop because of how fast it is

 

[Sketcher]

802.11ac was published in Dec 2013. If your laptop is older than that, I doubt it supports it.

 

[MrJim]

802.11ac was published in Dec 2013. If your laptop is older than that, I doubt it supports it.

Cool thanks

 

[Qyöt27]

Unfortunately, some devices (as far back as 2011 if Wikipedia is to be believed) were based on draft specifications of AC, so if it's older than its ratification this past January, it may be based on a draft rather than the final spec.

When I first heard about AC (about a month and a half ago), I'd read the final spec wasn't expected until 2015. I guess that was wrong.

We were unlucky in that when we switched back to Roadrunner a few years ago, it was about a year before N was finished, so they gave us a G router. I didn't really care since I used an Ethernet cable, but then my Ethernet card started to die a couple months ago and I replaced it with a USB2.0 wireless adapter (well, technically, I replaced the Ethernet card with a SATA host card, but that's not what I meant). And so now the wireless limitations of G vs. N are very relevant to me. Not just in terms of Internet bandwidth, but for our home network. If we had AC-capable devices, I'd be pushing for that, but we don't...yet.

 

[EphesiaNZ]

Also remember that advertised wireless speeds are half of what is stated - why?

Because wireless transmissions are half-duplex hence, the speed is split between transmit and receive signals. Cabled CAT5/6 connections are full-duplex meaning a 1000mbps connect is 1000mbps in both directions. A wireless router with an advertised speed of 1000mbps will only do 500mbps in each direction.

Another scam of the IT industry, along with advertised storage capacity of hard drives etc...

 

[Peacemonger]

I was stumbling through Staples and saw that routers now come in N and AC. I have an N I bought back when they were still kind of new. I use it wired for two computers and wireless for the laptop, Roku, and iPod.

Now when I do speed tests on the laptop I get all the speed I'm paying for. Would I benefit at all with upgrading my router to an AC? The laptop isn't a gaming unit and I don't have much problem with streaming content for the Roku.

Most people only use WiFi as a means to get on the Internet. And if your Internet Speed tests give you what you're paying for, it wouldn't be worth the money to upgrade to AC at this point. So if your Internet is 50 Mbps, the difference between your WiFi being at 450 or 600 Mbps (a newer N router) or AC being 1900 Mbps won't necessarily give better Internet speeds. If you transfer files locally between computers in your home or have a file server or media server, you'll see better performance. But that's internal (local) vs. external (Internet).

ALSO: These units you plug into the wall to help boost/carry the wifi signal---would these be of any benefit and does anyone use them?

Those devices are marketed as "range extenders" and they're technically just repeaters. Sure, they'll work as advertised, but the way repeaters work in radio communication is they will cut your wireless network speed in half yet again. Like EphesiaNZ said, WiFi advertised max speeds are theoretical and half-duplex. A range extender (repeater) would cut that in half.

I'd use them as a last resort. I'd try getting a strong wireless router first or positioning it more in the center of your home or higher up towards the ceiling. And experiment with the antenna positioning (if it has external antenna). I personally wouldn't buy any range extender.




Some Tips

If you have an Android device, install WiFi Analyzer. Apple iOS doesn't allow any WiFi apps.

For PC/Mac, try inSSIDer (but it's $20 now). It lets you visualize the channels and which nearby networks everyone is on, so you can choose a channel that has less noise.

1) 2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz band. Most WiFi (802.11, 802.11b, 802.11g, early 802.11n) only used the 11 channels on the 2.4GHz band, and it gets crowded. Your next door neighbor and yourself might both be using Channel 6, hurting both performance and speed for everyone.

If you have a dual-band Wireless N router (and your devices support it), I've had WONDERFUL results by switching everything over to only using 5GHz, and I turned off 2.4GHz (or kept one SSID running just for an old printer that only does 2.4GHz). No one in my neighborhood is really using 5GHz, so it's nice and quiet. Plus there's a LOT more channels available, and the channels are wider.

2) 20 MHz channels, 20/40 MHz, 40 MHz. How "wide" your channel/signal is affects your overall throughput. Since the 2.4GHz band only has 11 channels (I'd use 1, 6, or 11 so they don't overlap, but neighbors are clueless), there's no room for 40MHz wide channels, and it's kind of impolite. As a courtesy, I keep my 2.4GHz WiFi at 20 MHz width, and my 5GHz WiFi at 40MHz width so there's more oomph.

Wireless AC only supports 5GHz band, and it also supports 80MHz and 160MHz wide channels, which is how it gets those huge speed increases. But if your iPod, laptops, etc. don't support the latest AC, it's not worth the money to upgrade your router.

I'm personally waiting a couple more years since my N router meets my needs.