Advice needed, best wireless setup in 120m2 apartment?

[dokterdok]

Hello all,

I'm looking for advice to improve my wireless networking setup in my 120m2 apartment.

Issues today:

• My ASUS RT-AC87U signal isn't strong enough to provide reliable 5Ghz Wi-fi in my bedroom and dining area (see plan, light green areas). By unreliable I mean loosing signal (typically on my iPhone), or slow speed (low-def Netflix streaming, while I have a 250Mbps line).
• I'm getting an optical fibre plug installed later this week with 1Gbit/s (UL and DL), and there's no way I can fully benefit from it with my current setup.

To give you a bit clearer idea, here's my floor plan. My cable modem is located where the router is (red star).

Legend: The green color coding shows the 2.4Ghz signal strength (measured by my roomba, the darker the better). The light green areas more or less coincide with poor/non-existant 5Ghz signal.

Questions:

• What is the best setup in terms of coverage AND speed, that doesn't require an optical/ethernet backhaul? Should I consider a mesh network, such as Orbi, Velop, etc.? My concern is that it will improve coverage, but slow down speeds.
  
• Where shall I ask the electrician to install the optical fibre plug, assuming he leaves me a choice? I was thinking about installing it elevated in the closet between the bathroom and room 2, where I have an available electrical plug.
• Or shall I just suck it up and wait for 802.11ax routers that are supposedly coming out later this year?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Klueless]

What an awesome awesome diagram! Roomba? You mean a vacuum cleaner helped you with that?

You're currently having trouble keeping up with a 250 Mbps service but you're upgrading to a Gbps service? Wow, you are certainly an ambitious young man! I've a couple suggestions but I'm a novice so take what I say with a grain of salt : -)

I was thinking about installing it elevated in the closet between the bathroom and room 2, where I have an available electrical plug

As soon as I hear "closet" I think of walls and doors which might compromise any gain you get by relocating closer to the center of your apartment.

... suck it up and wait for 802.11ax routers that are supposedly coming out later this year?

AX might speed things up a bit but since it still runs over 5GHz I wouldn't count on any gains in distance/range?

... that doesn't require an optical/ethernet backhaul?

If you think an electrician can install an optical plug in your closet doesn't that imply someone might be able to run an Ethernet cable or two?

Should I consider a mesh network

I'm too lazy to look up back haul speeds but if you like what you read it might be an option.

Random thoughts ...

• For testing locations you might consider temporarily reconnecting your current router to a long power cord and a long Ethernet cable and walking it around your apartment trying out various locations.
  • Considering the open layout of your living room, kitchen, dinning room and patio the living room wall along room 2 might be a contender?
• WiFi analyzers are great for getting a lay of the land but, ultimately, it all comes down to how fast you can move the data.
  • Internet speed tests are a good start. Unfortunately you will be capped at your current service speed (250Mbps). On the plus side when you drop below 250 Mbps you will know where decay falls below "acceptable"
  • Better would be to measure speed between two PCs/laptops. Start with both on Ethernet and then move one to wireless, test, move it further, retest, etc.
• Compare client performance. If one client does well and another performs poorly from the same location you might need to consider upgrading the WiFi adapter on the client device.

Whatever you do, create a chart and record what you learn or you won't remember it later : -)

 

[coxhaus]

Bathrooms are hell on 5GHz signals. I have 3 bathrooms down the center of my house where 5GHz will not pass through but 2.4 GHz will. I don't think a few feet more will make much of a difference as far as moving your connection.

If your plan is for 1 GHz then I don't think running Ethernet over a power wire will work. You probably are going to need a CAT5e run to the other side for full bandwidth. And maybe more.

The only way I got 5GHz to work in my house is stagger 5GHz APs around which all need Ethernet back hauls. I don't have a gig internet connection so some of my 5GHz is not full signal but it works better than 2.4GHz.

 

[dokterdok]

Huge thanks for the feedback!

What an awesome awesome diagram! Roomba? You mean a vacuum cleaner helped you with that?

Yes! Wi-fi connected Roombas now have a beta feature that tracks your 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi signal strength. Quite neat, I wish it could do the same for 5Ghz. The reason I'm switching to fiber is because it's cheaper than my current cable connection, so why not try to use it as well. My new ISP covers the apartment fiber installation price.

If you think an electrician can install an optical plug in your closet doesn't that imply someone might be able to run an Ethernet cable or two?

Great tip. I will ask the electrician in advance, see what he suggests. I just want to avoid turning my apartment upside down to do this. In case setting up a backhaul to the other side of my apartment is too difficult (= costly), I may get away with a small ethernet backhaul that crawls in the spaces between the closets in the center (see new diagram, thoughts welcome). But that's only if the electrician can install the fibre plug there. Then I'd need to study what type of AP/mesh device(s) to get. A lot of ifs

You probably are going to need a CAT5e run to the other side for full bandwidth. And maybe more..

Yep, that's what I'm afraid of...

 

[coxhaus]

Huge thanks for the feedback!


Yes! Wi-fi connected Roombas now have a beta feature that tracks your 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi signal strength. Quite neat, I wish it could do the same for 5Ghz. The reason I'm switching to fiber is because it's cheaper than my current cable connection, so why not try to use it as well. My new ISP covers the apartment fiber installation price.


Great tip. I will ask the electrician in advance, see what he suggests. I just want to avoid turning my apartment upside down to do this. In case setting up a backhaul to the other side of my apartment is too difficult (= costly), I may get away with a small ethernet backhaul that crawls in the spaces between the closets in the center (see new diagram, thoughts welcome). But that's only if the electrician can install the fibre plug there. Then I'd need to study what type of AP/mesh device(s) to get. A lot of ifs

Yep, that's what I'm afraid of...

I think I did not grasp the full picture. I like this picture and it will probably work since the bathroom is your problem and you end covering both sides of the bathroom. This looks like the best solution to me. The far end of room1 could have an issue with 5GHz since you are going through 2 walls. The patio will need to be 2.4GHz as 5GHz does not go through outside walls very well. But overall it looks like a working plan to me.

 

[Klueless]

Gigabit fiber that's cheaper than broadband says me coming from 6 Mbps DSL, wow, do I live in the wrong town! And a router in the kitchen? You must be single : -)

... overall it looks like a working plan to me

and I look forward to hearing what happens next.

Wired APs; lots of choices. I have a Netgear EX6150 range extender (not a recommendation, just happen to have one and it works) that can be configured as a wired AP. On the plus side it's only about the size of one's hand, plugs directly into an outlet and costs less than a hundred. On the downside it tops out at about 500 Mbps.

 

[degrub]

If you have existing RG6 coax, you can take advantage of bonded MOCA2 modems to extend your ethernet to the back half and add an AP to fill in the 5 GHz gaps rather than a new CAT 5e drop.

 

[Fyodor]

Second the MoCA suggestion, if available.

 

[dokterdok]

Update: I got my optical telecommunication socket installed.
Aaaaand I had no choice on its installation location, but lucky enough (I guess?) it got installed in the closet, exactly I where I pointed it on in my second diagram.

If you have existing RG6 coax, you can take advantage of bonded MOCA2 modems to extend your ethernet to the back half and add an AP to fill in the 5 GHz gaps rather than a new CAT 5e drop.

I didn't know that was possible, thanks for the tip! But no plans to use MoCA so far as the cable sockets are too far away from the OTO socket, in different rooms. And it looks like I will need to do some backhauling work anyways.

But first, I'll make some tests with my existing router before looking into backhauling, and will see how well this new location and connection will affect speed. I'll report back here.

And a router in the kitchen? You must be single : -)

Married actually, but I should be able to get away with it by nearly hiding the AP in a small spot near the ceiling.

 

[dokterdok]

Hi guys,
Below is a before & after wireless signal strength comparison (2.4 Ghz).

Before router relocation:

After moving the router in a central closet:

A few rapid takeaways from testing my fresh 1 Gbps fibre connection and new router location

• Wireless speed and coverage with a single central router is good enough for now. I now get around 400 Mbps in my bedroom or corners of my apartment with wireless AC (with my iPhone X), while I used to have spotty connection or nothing when the router was in the small room. When I stick my iPhone or MBP in front of my router, I can reach about 550 Mbps (802.11 ac), which therefore seems to be the limit of the wireless protocol/hardware that I have. Investing in new hardware to get a marginal speed bump wouldn't be worth it to me.
• Curiously, wireless speed is faster with my iPhone X than with my MacBook Pro (13" Touch bar, late 2016). I never exceeded 450 Mbps with my MBP but reached up to 550 Mbps with my iPhone X, which seems strange to me. That's with 802.11 ac.
• Open question: could the ASUS RT-AC87U be limited by its CPU? When I'm testing speeds with a LAN connection (CAT 6a cable), I can reach 880 Mbps, and get a roughly 20-30Mbps speed increase when disabling the router's firewall. I see 90-99% CPU usage when doing speed tests too on my router, too. Other factors might be at play though, like the USB-C -> Ethernet adapter from Belkin.

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions!

 

[Klueless]

Sounds like a most pleasant surprise. Your wife must be very pleased ... no router in her kitchen!

 

[System Error Message]

110m2 and 1Gb/s WAN, i've been trying to find that but its barely available and unaffordable where i am. My current apartment is half of that.

Wireless placement is the first step to a good wifi setup.