Help updating home network

[logan115]

Hi All,

I found this forum about a week ago and have spent a few nights reading the forum and various articles to try and educate myself on what's currently out there - but to be honest I think the more I read the more I confuse myself so I'm hoping some of you can help point me in the right direction.

Here is what we currently have :

• Comcast internet (blast 105), with their rented gateway (Arris TG862) that we're basically stuck with since we use them for phone as well.
• Cisco Valet M20 that I bought about 4 years ago, link to similar unit below
• (http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...et-m10-wireless-hotspot-reviewed?limitstart=0)
• Both of these are located on the main level

Devices that use Wifi

• 3 smart phones
• 3 tablets
• Desktop computer
• TV located 15 feet from gateway that my wife occasionally uses wifi for Hulu/Netflix
• Xbox One and TV in the basement

After running some speed tests with the desktop wired to the gateway, I'm seeing speeds of roughly 115/12. In the basement thru wifi these numbers drop to about 15/3. It's just enough for me and my son to use the Xbox, but we do lose connections about once a night or experience some pretty bad lag and why I started to look into upgrading to try improve the connection in the basement.

For the cable, it's split when it enters the house with one line going to the main level TV, the split again to continue on to the modem, and the other line coming out of the splitter goes into the basement DVR.

Ironically, there's not much of a difference in performance between the Arris and the Valet which are set up as separate networks, and I also don't see any big changes one way or another if I leave them both on at the same time.

As much as I'd like to run an ethernet cable and I know from reading here that it's the best option, but just may not be practical given our set-up (and my wife's hatred for exposed wires).

So a few questions :

I think only using the Comcast gateway as a modem and putting it into bridging mode, then using my own router could be better than using the gateway as a router too, and think that upgrading the router should bring some benefits.

What router would you recommend ?

Homeplugs - these sound great, but seems like it's hit or miss and I'll just need to try it out and see how it works. As I'm only getting 115 mbps now, is there any reason to go beyond looking at AV500 type homeplugs ?

MoCA - with the set-up I have, would using MoCA plugs work ? Signal would have to travel from the gateway and through 2 splitters before going into a 3rd splitter in the basement so that I could have one line go into the DVC and another into the Xbox or AP in the basement.

Sorry for the long, rambling first post, but very interested in getting views from the experts here.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

 

[System Error Message]

For that internet bandwidth any fast MIPS or any ARM based router will work well for you. It really depends on what other features you want from the router and how much skill you have in configuring it.

 

[logan115]

For that internet bandwidth any fast MIPS or any ARM based router will work well for you. It really depends on what other features you want from the router and how much skill you have in configuring it.

In terms of skill in configuring the router I would say it's rather low as I've never really done anything other than the basic set up stuff.

 

[logan115]

Would the Archer C5 fit the bill ? Not opposed to moving up the food chain but given that I'm only getting 115 Mgbps and don't see it going above 150 for the foreseeable future I don't want to pay for performance/speed levels that I realistically won't ever come close to seeing from my ISP.

 

[System Error Message]

tp-link uses the slower clocked versions of the CPU so if you go with tp-link go with their models that use an ARM CPU (or advertised as dual core). I know hardware acceleration is what gives more bandwidth but it is not always reliable or available depending on the features you use such as firewall and QoS. The ARM based AC routers have better wifi chips so if you can afford one do try.

There are flat ethernet cables and you can hide them and run them under doors. If you're using homeplug, even if you dont have that fast internet you can use LAN incase you ever get yourself some networked storage.

 

[logan115]

Not married to any special brand, and price-wise would like to keep it under $125 or so. If there are any specific models you'd recommend that's great, otherwise I'm assuming I should just look at the Router Rankings for AC 1200 - 1900 and grab one of the top performers.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[System Error Message]

the rankings would help and checking if the routers have the features you want. Just make sure to avoid d-link and you'll be fine.

 

[logan115]

Picked up a Netgear R6250 yesterday and made some changes to my previous set up. Put the Comcast gateway (Arris 862tg) into bridge move - took 3 different techs at Comcast to get this done but eventually it was right. For those that are going to do this and may stumble upon this post, the issue they had with mine was that once you put that gateway into bridge mode you cannot hardwire it straight to another device, it has to go thru the router - this was/is something that the first two techs didn't know but literally the first thing Level 2 support asked me about.

Anyway, with the new router the performance is much better, in my trouble spot (basement) where I was previously only seeing speeds of 15/3 I'm now getting anywhere betweet 35-50/15-23 with a few oddball low readings occasionally popping up that thankfully don't seem to repeat. At closer ranges the results are just crazy - about 10-15 feet from my router where I used to get downlink speeds of maybe 40-50 Mbps, I'm now seeing 100+. This is against the hardwired speeds of 120-130 Mbps I get running a speedtest on my desktop.

So this is clearly a pretty big upgrade, and the results that I'm seeing downstairs seem to be similar to what's in the R6250 review here http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...gear-r6250-smart-wifi-router-reviewed?start=3 in the 2.4 GHz downlink throughput chart for the roughly 40-50 dB range.

While this is a great improvement, I'm thinking that I may use the info above as my new benchmark and look to upgrade to a little stronger router, comparing the charts of the Netgear 6250 against a few other models to find one that doesn't drop as substantially as quickly. Realize it's not apples for apples but should at least give me a feel for the potential performance, and if spending another $30-50 adds another 30 or so Mbps down there it is money well spent and gives me a little cushion for adding additional devices down the line.

Any views on buying Asus, Linksys, Netgear refurbs ? Seem to be some crazy good deals on those and may be a way for me to really upgrade without breaking the bank.

Will try to post some of the other options I'm looking at, but if anyone has any recommendations I'm happy to hear them.

Chris

 

[logan115]

May also play around with some homeplugs in the next few weeks to see how that works as a means to add another AP on the other end of the house where I use my laptop when I occasionally work from home.

Sadly, I think I catching the bug of wanting to really upgrade my home network....

 

[System Error Message]

about refurbs, ive had some actually arrive dead and it is annoying with motherboards when you have to send it back. If you buy a refurb, make sure you check it is working before buying.

Common problems affecting consumer routers are firmware and PSU so if something goes wrong its usually one of the 2.

 

[logan115]

Thank you very much for your help. The 5 GHz signal is pulling around 60 Mbps and even before that last night with the 2.4 in the mid 30s the Xbox seemed a little bit quicker and didn't lag like before - but sadly I'm still a horrible gamer that was getting destroyed by kids that weren't even born when the first Xboxes and PlayStation's came out.

 

[sfx2000]

about refurbs, ive had some actually arrive dead and it is annoying with motherboards when you have to send it back. If you buy a refurb, make sure you check it is working before buying.

WIth refurbs, generally speaking, buying them from the OEM direct is usually pretty safe - with a certain outfit based out of the Bay Area, I've had better luck with them on refurb gear than from the retail shelves, believe it or not.. and perhaps much to do with how they re-certify (everything is tested) vs. production where only random samples get that level of testing...

 

[sfx2000]

• Comcast internet (blast 105), with their rented gateway (Arris TG862) that we're basically stuck with since we use them for phone as well.

• Cisco Valet M20 that I bought about 4 years ago, link to similar unit below

• (http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...et-m10-wireless-hotspot-reviewed?limitstart=0)

• Both of these are located on the main level

Since you're renting from them, contact Comcast and get them to upgrade your Modem/Gateway - they now offer quite a few Moto/Arris Telephony Gateways with dual-band 11ac support...

http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/

Problem solved...