OT: Wireless Modem Routers

essex-commuter
essex-commuter Posts: 2,188
edited October 2013 in Commuting chat
I'm not techy. Thought that would be a good way to start!

I'm currently using the modem/router that was supplied by my ISP (TalkTalk). It works OK but the signal is not that strong, also my connection drops now and then (I know thsi may not be the router).

Would buying a new router help? I'm assuming that a cheap looking router supplied free by the ISP can't be that good?

For info my modem/router is plugged direct to the master (only) socket in my house. I have a Buffalo NAS plugged into it as well as a Sonos bridge.

Been looking at a NETGEAR DGN2200. Would that serve the purpose? Didn't want to spend a fortune, and it seems to get good reviews. Price is £50.

Ta guys.

Comments

  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Groundhog day?

    Or was that someone else?

    My memory hasnt been the same since my accident.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • daviesee wrote:
    Groundhog day?

    Or was that someone else?

    My memory hasnt been the same since my accident.


    Don't think so! I've asked for advice on NAS drives when I wanted storage for the Sonos but can't remember discussing routers! I'll have to do a search.
  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    It works OK but the signal is not that strong

    You mean the wireless signal? For a cheap solution you could try finding a new home for it (higher / lower / next to a window). Them wifi signals do funny things. There are also range extenders but I've no experience of them.
    also my connection drops now and then (I know this may not be the router).

    You could try contacting support at Talk-Talk. Good luck with that, I had a three month outage over Christmas with BT Engineers digging up roads and Orange passing the buck. It started working again when they sent me a new router so, no, all routers are not the same even if they are the same model.

    It might be easiest to change ISP as they generally ship out routers FoC when you sign up (+ all the other discounts you can get; cashback, vouchers etc - have a look at http://www.topcashback.co.uk/) (If you're not a member get someone to refer you extra cashback will be accrued.)
  • Does it have network ports on the back? If it does then you have options in regards to your wireless signal.
    e.g. I have a sky router - you can't replace them as they are locked down to your connection.

    So I bought a couple of Devolo homeplugs, one of which is a WiFi adapter, which I put in my living room, and connected the other one upstairs to the router with a network cable, so I now have a wifi access point behind the TV downstairs :)

    If you're happy with the location of your router you can buy an access point and plug it in.
  • bucklb
    bucklb Posts: 296
    Assuming that the "real" problem you're having is the wireless part of the router then you may want to look down the Access Point route, which is what I did (as a Sky customer my options were limited)

    Sorry if this is teaching you to suck eggs, but just in case:
    Your talk-talk box is doing a number of things. It's a modem (to connect to the internet), it's a wi-fi sender/receiver and it's also a router (decides where each message is meant to go). You can lighten its load by letting another device worry about the wi-fi, while it does the modem/router stuff

    You can get an access point (I used a wa901nd, http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WA90 ... B002YETVXC) that basically plugs into your router and with a small amount of config will take over the wi-fi job. I've actually got mine set up so that the sky router offers wireless b/g and the wa901nd is set as wireless n only.

    I approached the whole thing with considerable trepidation, but it was surprisingly simple. There's a lot of stuff on the internet that helps hugely too.
    ________________________
    So it goes ...
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    Take a step back chaps before buying new kit. The most common cause of dropout is another router in the vicinity on the same channel number (frequency). You can go into your settings and change the default channel number to something different. You might need to try this a couple of times in case there are more than one conflicting routers nearby.

    Google for your router make + model + change channel number - that should point you in the right direction. Or give the manual a go. RTFM often solves things. :)
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    You've probably already done this, but just in case, have you checked for interference with other wifi signals? There's a free download called (iirc) Inssider, which shows you the signal strengths of all the local wifi signals. Running this on a laptop (carry it around the house) will show you whether you could pick a better wifi channel (via router configuration) to avoid conflicting with your neighbours' wifi signals.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • Interesting comments re channels. Will look into this tonight. Thank you.
  • It might sound silly but if it's one with an aerial then you could point it towards your location or put a cone of silver foil behind it to "boost" the signal.

    On the other hand if it's the actual connection that's dropping out you'll need to speak to your provider. Prepare for questions about test sockets and where you have it, length of wire etc. I had that with Sky and it was the router that had died which I found when I plugged my older one back in. :x
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    It might sound silly but if it's one with an aerial then you could point it towards your location or put a cone of silver foil behind it to "boost" the signal.
    Unlikely to work, in practice; aerials are a bit more complex than that. A TV (Yagi) aerial is highly directional along the long axis, but even then the dipole itself (the bit that does the real work) is positioned perpendicular to the direction of the transmitter.

    The monopole on most wifi routers should be designed to be as omnidirectional as possible; if there is an optimum orientation, it's more likely to be perpendicular to the direction of your computer. The dimensions and positioning of an effective foil reflector will be critical, and in practice it will probably do more harm than good.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Sorry.
    I was thinking of this one......
    viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12922405&hilit=routers

    May help.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    For those on Sky ADSL thinking their limited in their options for routers - you're not - you can put in whatever router you like ... Google is your friend (or go to Skyuser.co.uk and search their forums!) ...

    Fibre is a little different though and for now you are limited in what you can use - although this is changing ...
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    In your mind think of the signal as doughnut shaped splodge located on the axis of the pokey little aerial on the router, and adjust its angle so that your device sits within it. Did this for the kids' bedrooms upstairs and it worked exactly as planned.
  • It has no aerial.

    It looks worth about £1.20 but I guess that shouldn't matter.

    (not my username and password by the way!)
    b337383.JPG
  • mtb-idle
    mtb-idle Posts: 2,179
    daviesee wrote:
    Groundhog day?

    Or was that someone else?

    My memory hasnt been the same since my accident.

    That was me looking for a modem for my old mum.

    Yes, ISP ones are cheap and don't give a very good signal. I bought one for circa £50 and it works a treat.
    FCN = 4