Has anyone changed the antennas on their RT-ac68u router?

[RedBatman89]

I'm asking since I read some old forums about buying larger antennas to help increase signal range and some noticed performance and while others didn't. Which ones are considered the best or does it not really matter.

 

[jim769]

I'm asking since I read some old forums about buying larger antennas to help increase signal range and some noticed performance and while others didn't. Which ones are considered the best or does it not really matter.

Dont waste your money many have tried with very little difference or in some cases worse performance then the stock antennas.

 

[4Leaf]

I'm asking since I read some old forums about buying larger antennas to help increase signal range and some noticed performance and while others didn't. Which ones are considered the best or does it not really matter.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DMJI9TA/?tag=snbforums-20

I tried these antennas I sent in the link and they were completely not worth the money when compared to the orignal Asus stock antennas that came with my RT-N66R. I had no wireless range improvement at all and the wireless throughput was terrible when compared to the stock antennas that come with the RT-N66U.

However, this is just my experience. My router is also not capable of being moved to the best spot it could possibly be in either, without things being really complicated. Perhaps, more signal amplification could also mean more signal interference as well, if your router is not located in the best spot it could be in one's house.

I would stick with the stock antennas and save my money, if I were you.

 

[watusi]

FYI, I got the 12db version for my RT-AC87. Difficult to try, because these things are monsters, and need some support. I intend to put the router in a closet closer to the center of my condo, and there I will be able to tape or bracket them to the wall for support.

I took it apart, and it's a collinear array with a separate "reflector" at the top. (It breaks in two, and then there is also a removable top part. The top element is not physically connected to the rest.)

The bottom section has (that I can see) some metal cylinder, I assume an R/C network, just above the break, an inch of wire, a coil wound in the wire, another (RC network?) another coil wound in the wire, (about an inch between each coil and trap) and about 3 inches of wire at the top.

I presume the little metal cylinders are dual-band traps.

This ought to provide the indicated gain, from what I remember of antenna design. Keep in mind it will probably not be suitable for a multi-story house. Nor am I sure how the beam-forming stuff will act with non-standard antennas.

It's not BS, it's a "real antenna", as far as I can tell, and one with gain. Just keep in mind that the gain comes at the expense of vertical spread.

(Unlike the decorative "stubby antenna" I got for my Mini-Cooper AM/FM radio. In fact, it's no antenna at all - simply not connected! It's a cute stubby "antenna" that just covers the stud on the standard antenna base...)

 

[dlandiss]

Since both the router and the client transmitted powers will self-adjust, signal-strength testing will only be useful if conducted over a long enough distance that both devices are forced to run at full power. At close range the transmitted power will automatically adjust downward if the higher-gain antenna provides a better signal than necessary.

When conducted at long range, the "9dBi" antennas show me about 5dB better signal. Since the stock antennas are said to be 2dBi I should get 7dB increase in theory, but the missing 2dB are within my measurement variability.

It is difficult to test antennas without a wide-open space (a 5-acre field would be great!), or a enclosed lab with RF-absorbing walls. Any difference in transmitter or receiver positions, even a few inches; or any change in nearby reflections; can easily cause several dB change in the measurements.

 

[watusi]

I relocated my AC87 yesterday, to a more central location. At the same time, I was able to experiment with the 12db antennas, because now it is on a shelf in a closet, next to a wall that I can tape the antennas to (they can NOT be supported by the connector! They are ridiculously huge!)

And, more importantly, I have a shelf low enough that I don't have to cut a hole in the ceiling for them!

I only look at s/n, which is a much better indicator than signal strength.

My conclusion is the same as others have reported earlier: I get better performance with the supplied, lower-gain antennas.

I have a certain reference location that matters to me (my living room sofa - it's where I browse on my iPad.) So, I make comparisons in that location, and then check other locations to make sure they have decent coverage as well.

On 5gHz (2.4 is rough due to neighbors or if the microwave is on) it hovers around 30db s/n, which is good enough to get realistic throughput to the Internet on SpeedTest of close to my 100mbit/sec Internet connection, and I see 700-800mbit/sec connection speed. This is what I had hoped to accomplish.

Swapping antennas, the performance is degraded rather than enhanced, and I lose a few db of s/n consistently - maybe as much as 5-6 db.

Possible issues:

- Those antennas are "big ears". They are going to pick up more interference. My iPad doesn't have a "big mouth" at the other end. I have some evidence of this being an issue, as the speed graph is broken-up with the big antennas, suggesting that the iPad is having trouble being heard. Once it gets the channel, then a burst goes through, then after that it's a faint voice in the distance again...

- The Quadtenna algorithms might be tuned to work with the stock antennas (duh) and really isn't expecting antennas with different gain.

The relocation got me to about what I was hoping for by getting this router in the first place. I've gone from 10mbit/sec. from my mobile devices on Speedtest to 100mbit/sec. I can fully utilize my Internet bandwidth on those devices.

I doubt it will keep up with the next speed bump from Cox, though. But, then again, how fast is fast enough? This is probably enough for any kind of mobile device use.