Need new wireless router and wireless card?

[Eric_Cartman]

My roommate and I upgraded our internet package to 50/15.

He got a very big speed improvement, but I got nothing.

The modem is in his room, we are just using the cable company's modem and router box.

It is wireless N and I have a USB Wireless N card, but for some reason I'm only getting about 15mbps download when I do speed tests.

Shouldn't Wireless N be easily capable of handling the full 50mbps?

I have a wireless N300 card and the router is also Wireless N300, and it says I'm connected at 150mbps.

Why aren't I getting over 15mbps?

I've tried everything I can think of to get better speeds.

Do I just need a better router and wireless card?

If so, which are good?

 

[Deleted member 110753]

Hi,

I have a wireless N300 card and the router is also Wireless N300, and it says I'm connected at 150mbps.

2 possible cases:
- your adapter is only one stream but that means it's not N300.
- your router uses only a 20MHz channel bandwidth, try to force the 40MHz.

 

[remixedcat]

What rotuer do you have and also what modem... if you only have docsis2.0 you'll need a DC3.0 or better to take advantages of speeds higher then 15mbps. (note: some ISPs tell yah 20Mbps)

 

[RCoon]

Why not PowerLine adapters instead? Cheaper than a new router + new wireless card.

 

[remixedcat]

and I'm willing to sell two amped pla2 homeplugs for 45 bucks.

 

[Aquinus]

What rotuer do you have and also what modem... if you only have docsis2.0 you'll need a DC3.0 or better to take advantages of speeds higher then 15mbps. (note: some ISPs tell yah 20Mbps)

I doubt that's the case. You may have missed the very first part of the post.

My roommate and I upgraded our internet package to 50/15.

He got a very big speed improvement, but I got nothing.

It could be drivers. I was over at a friend's house and his internet was going dead slow but only on his laptop. I never did find out what was going on with it. Not that this is your problem, but his laptop also felt very sluggish but I didn't spend enough time on it to figure out why. I would make sure that the rest of the computer you're using is already in good working order first. Try plugging in with a cable to see if this is still a problem. Try to rule out the wireless first.

 

[Eric_Cartman]

This is our modem, provided by the cable company: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825390001

This is the wireless router we have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124412

This it the wireless adapter I have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166056

It could be drivers. I was over at a friend's house and his internet was going dead slow but only on his laptop. I never did find out what was going on with it. Not that this is your problem, but his laptop also felt very sluggish but I didn't spend enough time on it to figure out why. I would make sure that the rest of the computer you're using is already in good working order first. Try plugging in with a cable to see if this is still a problem. Try to rule out the wireless first.

I've tried the v1.0 and v1.1 driver from Rosewill's site.

There was no difference.

I took my computer in my roommate's room and connected it directly to the router and I got the same internet speed he was getting, which is what we are paying for.

I moved it back in my room using the wireless and I'm back to 15mbps downloading.

I'm pretty sure it is the wireless, but not sure what I should do to fix it.

The setup I have now should be able to handle the speed, it is supposed to give 300mbps!

 

[remixedcat]

Try this alternate driver based on the chipset that the wlan adapter is based on: http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...peID=3&GetDown=false&Downloads=true#RTL8188SU

Source: https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Rosewill_RNX-N180UBE

 

[Caring1]

Does the wireless speed improve when used in his room, the wall may interfere with the transmission.

 

[Jetster]

Run a cable. Are you paying anything for the service?

Is the router dual band get a better adapter N900 N450

powerline adapter

 

[Aquinus]

I took my computer in my roommate's room and connected it directly to the router and I got the same internet speed he was getting, which is what we are paying for.

I moved it back in my room using the wireless and I'm back to 15mbps downloading.

Does the speed get better using the wireless closer to the router? The channel you're running on could have a lot of interference from other networks. I would try changing what channel the wi-fi is running on with the router.

Sometimes depending on the medium the wi-fi has to travel through, the signal will degrade or get distorted. Many metals will absorb RF signals.

 

[Jetster]

Wireless sucks unless you have high end AC router. Even if your running just 802.11 N the speed is faster with the new routers.

 

[Aquinus]

Wireless sucks unless you have high end AC router. Even if your running just 802.11 N the speed is faster with the new routers.

5Ghz N is tolerable and works fine for me. It lets me use all of my 119Mbps of internet goodness. I would still expect any wireless to work better than 15Mbit, that's 802.11G like speeds.

Side note: 5Ghz signals attenuate a lot faster than 2.4Ghz because it's a higher energy wave. If you live in a city in a tall building, you're probably in essentially a metal cage that aborbs wi-fi signals.

Side note #2: Is this a tower? Are you certain the wi-fi signal doesn't have to travel through your computer case before getting to the router? In a straight line, what does the signal have to travel through between the two? I had a friend who had cruddy performance because the wi-fi adapter was on the back of the PC. Putting it on the front solve the problem because the case absorbing the signal was no longer a factor.

 

[Eric_Cartman]

Try this alternate driver based on the chipset that the wlan adapter is based on: http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...peID=3&GetDown=false&Downloads=true#RTL8188SU

Source: https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Rosewill_RNX-N180UBE

Made no difference.

Run a cable.

Not an option, our rooms are on opposite sides of the living room.

We rent, so we can't drill holes in the walls, and running a cable across the living room would be a eye sore.

Are you paying anything for the service?

Of course, my roommate and I split the bill.

Is the router dual band get a better adapter N900 N450

The router is 2.4GHz only, that is why I'm thinking of upgrading the router and my adapter.

What are some good routers and USB adapters?

powerline adapter

I thought about this, but the building is an old apartment building.

I'm not sure how well they would work.

Does the speed get better using the wireless closer to the router?

Maybe a little, but not enough.

The channel you're running on could have a lot of interference from other networks. I would try changing what channel the wi-fi is running on with the router.

Sometimes depending on the medium the wi-fi has to travel through, the signal will degrade or get distorted. Many metals will absorb RF signals.

I use an app on my phone to scan all the channels and picked the one with the least networks.

But being an apartment building, every channel has multiple networks on it.

The 5GHz side is empty though, so maybe I can get away with just upgrading to a better Wireless N router that offers 5.0GHz?

Wireless sucks unless you have high end AC router. Even if your running just 802.11 N the speed is faster with the new routers.

Do you think a new N router would give me a speed boost?

5Ghz N is tolerable and works fine for me. It lets me use all of my 119Mbps of internet goodness. I would still expect any wireless to work better than 15Mbit, that's 802.11G like speeds.

So you think upgrading to a Wireless N 5.0GHz router and adapter would help?

What do you suggest, any good ones you have experience with?

Side note: 5Ghz signals attenuate a lot faster than 2.4Ghz because it's a higher energy wave. If you live in a city in a tall building, you're probably in essentially a metal cage that aborbs wi-fi signals.

Side note #2: Is this a tower?

It is an old 4 story apartment building.

Brick outer walls, and normal drywall and I believe wood internal walls.

I don't think the building is new enough to have metal studs.

Are you certain the wi-fi signal doesn't have to travel through your computer case before getting to the router? In a straight line, what does the signal have to travel through between the two? I had a friend who had cruddy performance because the wi-fi adapter was on the back of the PC. Putting it on the front solve the problem because the case absorbing the signal was no longer a factor.

No, I bought that particular adapter because it comes with a base so I could move the adapter around.

I've tried moving it to several different locations and it doesn't really help.

Now it is sitting on top of my desk, as close to my bedroom door as possible.

 

[remixedcat]

What's your home budget? I'd get a N900 or N600 netgear and put DDWRT on it or OpenWRT or Tomato on the cheap side or get an ASUS and put merlin firmware on it.
I did use a nighthawk netgear at someone's house I was at kinda recently and it's pretty nice, actually. We all had decent throughput and the signal strength was really nice. I think it was the R7000?? the one with 3 antennas.

If you need a high end setup : Meraki Z1 and some APs to expand coverage.

for adapters I'd get edimax ac600 for a lil ac600 class nub and those are like 12-22 bucks
and for a larger adapter I'd get the netgear A6210 I have both of those adapters and they work great. I got the netgear one for like 45 on sale but it's around 80-100 now tho

 

[Aquinus]

Do other wi-fi devices on the network go faster?

 

[Liquid Cool]

Have you updated to the latest firmware on the router? Quite a few people in the user comments on Newegg mentioned it was necessary. Kelly S. also mentioned being on Channel 6 at 40MHz to get hers running at full speed.

Next...the adapter you're using. I like Rosewill adapters, but in the past, I've tried the one your currently using and couldn't get it to connect over 150mbps no matter what I did. I had better luck with this one here.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=33-166-046

Although...I usually have much better luck on pci-e x1 adapter cards. I'm currently using this one and it runs like a scalded dog.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141631279285?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

It say's PCI, but it's a pci-e adapter. Very good quality for what you're getting. Intel also makes a decent unit.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Centr...794?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d2c9fc07a

The intel adapter above I've seen sell for $25-$28, just noone has them on ebay now. They also have a dual band model with a 6235.

Going to these pci-e x1 adapters has completely solved my wi-fi problems. Especially when booting from linux.

Best,

Liquid Cool

EDIT: I'm not too familiar with these wall adapters other than the basic concept of how they work...I'm wondering how well they'd operating in an older apartment building. Do/Don't they have to be on the same line to operate at full speed?

 

[Deleted member 110753]

May be this driver is better : RTL8188SU

 

[Eric_Cartman]

What's your home budget? I'd get a N900 or N600 netgear and put DDWRT on it or OpenWRT or Tomato on the cheap side or get an ASUS and put merlin firmware on it.
I did use a nighthawk netgear at someone's house I was at kinda recently and it's pretty nice, actually. We all had decent throughput and the signal strength was really nice. I think it was the R7000?? the one with 3 antennas.

If you need a high end setup : Meraki Z1 and some APs to expand coverage.

for adapters I'd get edimax ac600 for a lil ac600 class nub and those are like 12-22 bucks
and for a larger adapter I'd get the netgear A6210 I have both of those adapters and they work great. I got the netgear one for like 45 on sale but it's around 80-100 now tho

I'd probably be willing to spend $150-175.

Do other wi-fi devices on the network go faster?

The only other devices on the wireless are our two smartphones.

Have you updated to the latest firmware on the router? Quite a few people in the user comments on Newegg mentioned it was necessary. Kelly S. also mentioned being on Channel 6 at 40MHz to get hers running at full speed.

Yes, the router has the latest firmware.

Next...the adapter you're using. I like Rosewill adapters, but in the past, I've tried the one your currently using and couldn't get it to connect over 150mbps no matter what I did. I had better luck with this one here.

Our internet is only 50Mbps, so even a 150Mbps connection should be enough.

I'm thinking of buying this router: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320091

And this network card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704133

What do you all think?

Will this likely solve my issue?

 

[Jetster]

150Mbps will obviously not be enough. Buy an AC router not a N. Even though you don't use AC you will get better speeds. The new routers are that much better.

If you guys are splitting the bill then you should be splitting the speed. Sounds like getting a proper router is the only way

 

[remixedcat]

If you get the asus put merlin firmware on it. It's much better.

 

[Liquid Cool]

I agree with remixedcat's opinion on Merlin. Very stable stuff. Every one of these routers I have set up...I've never heard back from the people I'm set them up for. All of them have been rock solid with Merlin.

Cartmann...you could just purchase the card first and see if it solves your problems....then look at a router if needed.

I'm still using N300 and I don't plan on upgrading for years. A) My D-Link Dir-655 is rock stable and b) I don't have a single device that can take advantage of speeds higher than 300. It's handling 15 devices perfectly. Including an Amazon Fire TV/Amazon Fire Stick/Oooma combo.

Best,

LC