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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: Hyde on Sun, 07 July 2013, 21:31:53
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Well I currently have a Apple Airport Extreme router at home on the main floor. The issue is, when I use my desktop in the basement, I'll constantly getting dropped signals. Weird part being my cellphone wireless and laptop wireless works perfectly fine.
So I read up about it some people say because the wireless antenna is too close to computer case sometimes the computer case absorb/block wifi signals. Also since computer case is on the floor it doesn't get as good signal as laptop/cellphone since it sits above the desk at a better location for signal.
So I'm considering a few options:
1) Buy a network adapter with a cord that connects with a high gain antenna that sits on the desk. (seems like cheapest solution, about $25)
2) Buy a wireless repeater/extender. (I heard the consequence is that it halves the speed, about $50)
3) Buy a wireless access point. (I'm not too sure about this since it sounds like it might be kinda tedious to setup all the network settings, and I'm not exactly pro at this and it's typically expensive $60-$100)
What do you guys think? Also seems like all the network adapter with external giant antenna usually come with USB connection. I've heard PCI Adapters are better though. What are you guys' thought on this?
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Make a cantenna (http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448). Just don't eat your Pringles near your keyboard or the keyboard gods will cry.
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I would say go with choice number one out of what you provided. Wireless repeaters cause a lot of issues if you are just repeating crappy signal. If you can put a wireless AP in your basement, then you might as well run some cable, buy some crimpers and RJ-45s, and just hard wire your PC. Especially if you do a lot of stuff that is sensitive to latency like voice or video, I can't stress enough how much better a wired connection is. Wireless really sucks, especially if you have tons of neighbors who also use wifi, because there are only really 3 usable ranges out of the 12 channels you can choose, and it is really easy to get interference. Microwave ovens, baby monitors, bluetooth devices, neighbors with strong signals, etc., all can cause you headaches. Back in the day everybody kept their stuff at the default of channel 6, but nowadays most people know to change it to a less utilized end of the spectrum like channel 1 or 12. Another free option would be to move your wireless router to a better location somewhere in the center of your building, especially if you can put it in a hallway or somewhere similar that minimizes the number of walls the signal needs to pass through.
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Make a cantenna (http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448). Just don't eat your Pringles near your keyboard or the keyboard gods will cry.
lol my friend told me about it before, but it's kinda ghetto and I also run into the complication where my current PCB adapter has 3 antennas. =______=
Maybe I'll just go as quickcrx702 said and get a high gain antenna and call it a day lol.
Thanks for the suggestions guys ! :D
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Quick pretty much said it the way it is. The cantenna is fun to play with but only works well in the 2.4GHz range.
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Absolutely go w/ a wired connection if at all possible. For wifi on my property I have several APs dispersed w/ the same SSID, riding the same VLAN, but on different channels. The wifi clients that I use (linux wicd, android phone, mac osx) don't have any probs jumping from one AP to another. What type of bus does your computer have? Also, 802.11g/n (OFDM) has 4 usable channels; 1, 5, 9 and 13. . Ref: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/NonOverlappingChannels2.4GHzWLAN-en.svg You could also try the ethernet over power option.. Although, I've heard mixed reviews so YMMV.
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Why do you use Wifi to a desktop computer in the first place? Wire it up!
Alternatively, get a second Wifi router for your basement and wire that up.
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If you have an external antenna try this (since it's close to free)
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I've used ethernet over powerline adapters for years for gaming with 0 problems, (except for them all melting after a lightning strike). There is a slight drop in speed though. I'd get 122 Mbps plugged directly into the router, and 80 Mbps using the adapters.
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If it's you're own house (not renting) pay someone to wire it up. Guaranteed cure for all wireless problems, now and in the future.
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I switched my desktops from 802.11n wi-fi to powerline adapters;
With PC No. 1, it improved reliability and speed.
On PC No. 2, which traditionally got very good Wi-Fi performance, it is a push if not a slight backpedal in performance. However, it did free a PCI-E slot (vital considering I had a GPU which took three slots) and avoids the other-OS hassles of finding wi-fi drivers and utilities.