Pete - how's the signal booster working?

[disneydreamgirl]

Pete - You'd mentioned receiving an internet signal booster for your wireless connection on one of the recent podcasts and I'm curious if it is working well. If so, which one is it? We are in the need of something similar as the addition to our house rarely allows us to link wirelessly.

 

[k5jm]

Pete - You'd mentioned receiving an internet signal booster for your wireless connection on one of the recent podcasts and I'm curious if it is working well. If so, which one is it? We are in the need of something similar as the addition to our house rarely allows us to link wirelessly.

,

Anytime you use a wireless bridge/repeater, you also loose half of your bandwidth. If the repeater is rated to transmit at 54mb then it will only repeat at 24mb per second. Not big unless you are doing file transfers inside your local network. There is also the possibility of creating intererfence. In 802.11g, there are only 3 non-overlapping channels. The repeated channel and the home channel are best spread between channels 1 and 11 (in the US). The best use of Wireless is to use 802.11a witch has 12 to 24 non-overlapping channels and is not overpopulated like 2.4ghz.

<---geek

 

[DiRTyBuNNy]

,

Anytime you use a wireless bridge/repeater, you also loose half of your bandwidth. If the repeater is rated to transmit at 54mb then it will only repeat at 24mb per second. Not big unless you are doing file transfers inside your local network. There is also the possibility of creating intererfence. In 802.11g, there are only 3 non-overlapping channels. The repeated channel and the home channel are best spread between channels 1 and 11 (in the US). The best use of Wireless is to use 802.11a witch has 12 to 24 non-overlapping channels and is not overpopulated like 2.4ghz.

<---geek

Was it that or was it a higher gain antenna? I guess for some reason that's what I took from what he was saying...but alas...only Pete knows for sure..

--DB

 

[OKW Lover]

,

Anytime you use a wireless bridge/repeater, you also loose half of your bandwidth. If the repeater is rated to transmit at 54mb then it will only repeat at 24mb per second. Not big unless you are doing file transfers inside your local network. There is also the possibility of creating intererfence. In 802.11g, there are only 3 non-overlapping channels. The repeated channel and the home channel are best spread between channels 1 and 11 (in the US). The best use of Wireless is to use 802.11a witch has 12 to 24 non-overlapping channels and is not overpopulated like 2.4ghz.

<---geek

I find that 802.11n on 5 GHz works well!

 

[k5jm]

I find that 802.11n on 5 GHz works well!

As long as it is on 5ghz it will rock!!

 

[disneydreamgirl]

What language are you speaking!!!!

I'll have to reread your posts couple of times before I understand what you wrote.

I am the geek that is grateful for our IT department each and every day!

 

[disneydreamgirl]

Yeah...read a few more times ...not sure it helped!

 

[dpuck1998]

,

Anytime you use a wireless bridge/repeater, you also loose half of your bandwidth. If the repeater is rated to transmit at 54mb then it will only repeat at 24mb per second. Not big unless you are doing file transfers inside your local network. There is also the possibility of creating intererfence. In 802.11g, there are only 3 non-overlapping channels. The repeated channel and the home channel are best spread between channels 1 and 11 (in the US). The best use of Wireless is to use 802.11a witch has 12 to 24 non-overlapping channels and is not overpopulated like 2.4ghz.

<---geek

yea, I was just going to say that...ohh and what he means is, it will be slower, but most likely still fine for most internet surfing.

 

[doconeill]

In English...

There are two radio frequency ranges designated for wireless ranges designated for short-range "domestic" usage: 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

Most systems use the 2.4GHz range - including a lot of wireless phones, etc. which makes the range pretty crowded and noisy. Not all 2.4GHz systems play nice with each other either.

5GHz is getting to be a bit more common, but is still pretty empty. The equipment is a bit more expensive though.

Each of these ranges is divided into "channels" (a smaller range of frequencies of the whole) as well, with all devices that want to communicate with each other agreeing on a channel. In the 2.4GHz range though, the channels overlap each other, shifting only a few MHz from adjacent channels. This means that transmissions on channel 1, say, interfere at the radio level with channels, 2 and 3.

In the U.S., only 11 channels are allowed (2 more can be used with certain limitations). With each channel overlapping the two lower and two higher channels, only channels 1, 6, and 11 can co-exist without interfering with each other. This does not mean you can't share the spectrum, however, with other networks on the same or adjacent channels - but they will interfere with your total throughput.

There are also 4 "Wi-Fi" protocol standards now out there. All of them begin with the numbers "802.11" which is the section and chapter of the standards, and then there is a letter defining the "section" that defines each. Most are simply referred to as "Wireless-X", with X being the letter. They are A, B, G, and N (other letters refer to other standards that are not necessarily protocol related).

Wireless-B is the most widely adopted. It operates at 2.4GHz and gets throughput up to 11Mb/s.

Wireless-G is an improvement of Wireless-B, which boosts the speed to 54Mb/s for G-capable devices and keeps backwards compatibility, although mixing B and G devices in the same network reduces effective throughput of the network.

Wireless-A operates at the 5GHz band (and was more recently licensed in the 3.6-3.7GHz band) with throughput of 54Mb/s, but was never widely adopted. It had issues in indoor situations as well. You generally won't find this built-in to laptops, etc.

Wireless-N is the latest. It works at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and uses multiple input and output streams via different antennas (MIMO) to increase throughput as high as 150Mb/s.

OK, not really English.

 

[k5jm]

In English...

There are two radio frequency ranges designated for wireless ranges designated for short-range "domestic" usage: 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

Most systems use the 2.4GHz range - including a lot of wireless phones, etc. which makes the range pretty crowded and noisy. Not all 2.4GHz systems play nice with each other either.

5GHz is getting to be a bit more common, but is still pretty empty. The equipment is a bit more expensive though.

Each of these ranges is divided into "channels" (a smaller range of frequencies of the whole) as well, with all devices that want to communicate with each other agreeing on a channel. In the 2.4GHz range though, the channels overlap each other, shifting only a few MHz from adjacent channels. This means that transmissions on channel 1, say, interfere at the radio level with channels, 2 and 3.

In the U.S., only 11 channels are allowed (2 more can be used with certain limitations). With each channel overlapping the two lower and two higher channels, only channels 1, 6, and 11 can co-exist without interfering with each other. This does not mean you can't share the spectrum, however, with other networks on the same or adjacent channels - but they will interfere with your total throughput.

There are also 4 "Wi-Fi" protocol standards now out there. All of them begin with the numbers "802.11" which is the section and chapter of the standards, and then there is a letter defining the "section" that defines each. Most are simply referred to as "Wireless-X", with X being the letter. They are A, B, G, and N (other letters refer to other standards that are not necessarily protocol related).

Wireless-B is the most widely adopted. It operates at 2.4GHz and gets throughput up to 11Mb/s.

Wireless-G is an improvement of Wireless-B, which boosts the speed to 54Mb/s for G-capable devices and keeps backwards compatibility, although mixing B and G devices in the same network reduces effective throughput of the network.

Wireless-A operates at the 5GHz band (and was more recently licensed in the 3.6-3.7GHz band) with throughput of 54Mb/s, but was never widely adopted. It had issues in indoor situations as well. You generally won't find this built-in to laptops, etc.

Wireless-N is the latest. It works at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and uses multiple input and output streams via different antennas (MIMO) to increase throughput as high as 150Mb/s.

OK, not really English.

That would have been my mid-size version

I advocate 802.11a or n for most installations because it is very empty. You might require more Access Points but you will have a better Signal-to-noise ratio.

 

[cocowum]

,

Anytime you use a wireless bridge/repeater, you also loose half of your bandwidth. If the repeater is rated to transmit at 54mb then it will only repeat at 24mb per second. Not big unless you are doing file transfers inside your local network. There is also the possibility of creating intererfence. In 802.11g, there are only 3 non-overlapping channels. The repeated channel and the home channel are best spread between channels 1 and 11 (in the US). The best use of Wireless is to use 802.11a witch has 12 to 24 non-overlapping channels and is not overpopulated like 2.4ghz.

<---geek

This is definitely a posting violation! You owe Christy a new pair of shoes...and a bag.

 

[Sphyrna]

I find that 802.11n on 5 GHz works well!

It depends on distance and obstacles though. My n router can do both 2.4 and 5 GHz and I noticed I get a stronger signal and higher throughput on 2.4 GHz. 5 GHz doesn't go through walls and stuff as well. My router is in the basement and my PC is on the 2nd floor.

 

[k5jm]

It depends on distance and obstacles though. My n router can do both 2.4 and 5 GHz and I noticed I get a stronger signal and higher throughput on 2.4 GHz. 5 GHz doesn't go through walls and stuff as well. My router is in the basement and my PC is on the 2nd floor.

5ghz does not penetrate walls. It looks for cracks and holes in any surface to spread its signals. A shut door will stop a 5ghz signal

 

[dpuck1998]

5ghz does not penetrate walls. It looks for cracks and holes in any surface to spread its signals. A shut door will stop a 5ghz signal

But like marsupials.....its fast!!

 

[Bornteach]

We have slipped into an episode of The Big Bang Theory!

 

[OKW Lover]

Wow - this thread as really gone high-tech.

Just curious if anybody besides Mike & I are also Hams. Several of you sure talk RF fluently.

 

[doconeill]

Wow - this thread as really gone high-tech.

Just curious if anybody besides Mike & I are also Hams. Several of you sure talk RF fluently.

Not me (I did once have a CB radio) but I believe DFiL was a licensed ham, and he has occasionally brought his 2 meter and played with it while here...

 

[wdwscout]

5ghz does not penetrate walls. It looks for cracks and holes in any surface to spread its signals. A shut door will stop a 5ghz signal

Boy, I wish I had known that before I bought the new dual band n router.
It's actually much worse. I still have to use the 2.5 band to get anything outside of the basement.

So- here's the question. My router is in the basement. We are OK with wireless on our laptops anywhere in the house (some areas are of course better than others- but it works). But what I wanted was for our bluray player to be able to get a better signal. After switching from a g router to the n- it won't get ANY signal now.

What options do I have to make the signal better on other floors in the house?
I was hoping to hear that whatever Pete bought made this happen- and I would run out and get one too. But maybe that's not what I want?

 

[Sphyrna]

Wow - this thread as really gone high-tech.

Just curious if anybody besides Mike & I are also Hams. Several of you sure talk RF fluently.

My friends and family have called me a ham, but I don't think that's what you were asking!

 

[Sphyrna]

Linda,

An alternative to wireless you might want to consider is Powerline Networking. They're adapters that plug into your wall outlet and have a regular ethernet network jack on them. You would need 2. One would plug into a wall outlet by your router and you'd connect a network cable from it to your router. The other would plug into a wall outlet by your blu-ray and you'd connect a network cable to it. The standard has matured and is faster now, going from 85 to 200 and now up to 1000 Mbps.