Hi Everyone,
My home is completely wired with everything leading to a patch panel in the basement. All those drops go to a Dlink DGS-1024D gigabit switch which connects to a Dlink DIR-825 router and onto the modem.
My problem is this patch panel has a steel door which when close, to make everything look neat and tidy, kills my wireless strength. With the door open, my signal strength is about 70~80% on the 2nd floor with my tablet (Asus Transformer). When the door is closed, that drops to 30~50%.
I could move the router out of the panel but that would require new wiring and I do plan on putting a NAS in the patch panel space as well. So I would like to avoid this option as I like a having everything all together.
There are antenna extension cables, but would they work with dual band antennas? I've found two so far:
TP-Link TL-ANT24EC3S
$10 each, has an IL of 2.2dB, but is only rated for B/G
Amped Wireless APC10
$30 each, has an IL of 1.7dB, rated for N.
The APC10 is 3x the price, but has better specs. Would the TP-link work just as well as they're both just a wire, or is there substantial difference between them?
I've emailed both companies about working with dual band antennas, Amped only said it will work with the 5GHz band, nothing about both at the same time. I've heard nothing for TP-Link.
Another option is to look at an access point on the second floor. With 3m/10ft of cable though, I could place the router's antennas at the ceiling of the basement which could improve the strength even more.
Your thoughts?
Thanks,
Mark
My home is completely wired with everything leading to a patch panel in the basement. All those drops go to a Dlink DGS-1024D gigabit switch which connects to a Dlink DIR-825 router and onto the modem.
My problem is this patch panel has a steel door which when close, to make everything look neat and tidy, kills my wireless strength. With the door open, my signal strength is about 70~80% on the 2nd floor with my tablet (Asus Transformer). When the door is closed, that drops to 30~50%.
I could move the router out of the panel but that would require new wiring and I do plan on putting a NAS in the patch panel space as well. So I would like to avoid this option as I like a having everything all together.
There are antenna extension cables, but would they work with dual band antennas? I've found two so far:
TP-Link TL-ANT24EC3S
$10 each, has an IL of 2.2dB, but is only rated for B/G
Amped Wireless APC10
$30 each, has an IL of 1.7dB, rated for N.
The APC10 is 3x the price, but has better specs. Would the TP-link work just as well as they're both just a wire, or is there substantial difference between them?
I've emailed both companies about working with dual band antennas, Amped only said it will work with the 5GHz band, nothing about both at the same time. I've heard nothing for TP-Link.
Another option is to look at an access point on the second floor. With 3m/10ft of cable though, I could place the router's antennas at the ceiling of the basement which could improve the strength even more.
Your thoughts?
Thanks,
Mark