G and N Router Questions

jammy_c

jammy_c

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James
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Hey Guys, I have Virgin's 10MB Broadband, and in the same room as the free netgear router, the signal is 100% and the speed is around 9.8mb/s on my wife's laptop. However, upstairs (and in the opposite corner of a 1950s house), the signal is around 2 25-30% and speed is more like 5-6mb/s. Will purchasing an N-Router improve my signal to the computer? Cheers! :cheers: p.s. - I can't move the router as it has to be at the main input to the property, not just a phone point like normal BB.

Cheers! :cheers:
J

I should also add that i'm running a "g" PCI card in my machine, although the speed of it is much quicker than the router.
Will I also have to upgrade to an "n" Wireless card?
 
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I bought a Belkin wireless extender for my home ofiice as I had some walls in the way and two stories of floors it works fine much cheaper than a router I think. Daft thing is the signal from the extender is stronger in the room behind the router not sure why.
 
Virgin cable are updating all their router/dongles to 'N' spec for free.

Give them a ring
 
Dunno about the walls and signal strength but I have wireless N router from o2 and an older Canon wireless printer that is not N standard and it works fine, so guess you would not need to update the card. :)
 
Wireless G will manage 54Mbit/sec, so will handle 100% of the 10Mbit/sec of your virgin bb. The question is whether the signal strength is good enough to give you 10Mbit/sec throughput. Seemingly not according to your tests upstairs... Changing routers will change things, but it is difficult to predict how. Wireless N won't necessarily improve wireless G, but it may give you a better performance as it has a different implementation. It also might give you less performance, or, more probably, no change... Moving everything to N is likely to give better performance though.

What is likely to give you better performance but quite cheaply is to change the antenna. If your router has a detachable antenna, try replacing it with a high gain version. You can get them for less than £10, so isn't a big cost to try.
 
I have an old cottage with solid walls 18-24" thick, moving to a N router solved all my low signal problems. You could then use the old router as a wireless repeater an boast your signal in between
 
Wireless 'n' technology should give a better signal strength in theory and greater range, but to benefit you would have to switch your computers PCI network card to an "N' spec one. Otherwise the router will just run as if its a 'g' router in backwards compatibility mode. As someone said Virgin media now supply Netgear Home Hubs (modem and router combined) OR D-LINK router both of which are 'n' spec. Call them and you may well blag a free upgrade.
 
You could also try changing the channel on your current router, and do a scan to see if there any interfering networks in your neighborhood.

There is no guarantee that an N router will improve things, but Virgin seem quite good as giving away free N routers so I'm sure you could give them a call and complain about your current router having just died !
 
neil_g said:
personally i would say its more likely to be things like walls reducing the signal. if you cant move it i would look at powerline adapters and/or wireless extenders.
Click to expand...

Wireless N router should in theory give you better signal as long as your devices are also wireless N capable. I would however recommend going with powerline adapters. You can get wireless room extenders which work off the powerline system and give you a second wireless connection point in a specific room with currently low wireless signal.

The major problem is older style houses have walls that kill wireless so there's no guarantee that a wireless N system would improve your signal strength.
 
CHPhotography said:
Wireless N router should in theory give you better signal as long as your devices are also wireless N capable. I would however recommend going with powerline adapters. You can get wireless room extenders which work off the powerline system and give you a second wireless connection point in a specific room with currently low wireless signal.
Click to expand...
neil_g said:
personally i would say its more likely to be things like walls reducing the signal. if you cant move it i would look at powerline adapters and/or wireless extenders.
Click to expand...

can you point me in the right direction of some of these products?
I assume this is the sort of thing you're talking about:
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/powerline-home-networking/727_7090_70097_xx_xx/xx-criteria.html?gclid=CPSxtMmytaUCFRBO4QodWWHRYg

:thumbs:
 
Cheers for all your help guys! I'm going to be on the phone to virgin in the morning and kick up that my signal is pants and i NEED an N-router, see if that improves anything, then go from there. :)
 
well, some progress today...
Although I spent 15mins arguing with the guys at Virgin Media wether I was eligiable for the router or not (and WE decided that I was right, in the end ;) ). I have been told that i should change the settings on the current modem first to see if it makes any difference.

The guy talked me though the change and managed to select a different router channel (11 rather than 6) and the signal went up a bar and he got me to do a BB speed test whilst I was on the line. it hit 9.96mb/s. can't really complain at that.

Still think I might call up tomorrow and request an N router if it's free. (only if you are on the L or XL packages btw).

Will that help me stream video and music from my PC to my PS3 without the interruptions? my PS3 is currently ethernet'd to the router as they sit next to each other, but always keeps cutting out when trying to stream video.
Maybe it just doesn't appreciate Dexter like the wife and I.. :lol:
 
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