RT-AC88U wireless coverage issues?

[grepcomputers]

I've been troubleshooting some wireless and networking issues in my apartment; keeping in mind it is a 350 sq. ft. studio in Manhattan so small space to cover coupled with huge amounts of interference from other WiFi networks.

I've been going back and forth between the Asus RT-AC88U and the Netgear Nighthawk R8500. I'm running the alpha3 Merlin firmware on the Asus router and the stock 1.0.2.54_1.0.56 firmware on the Netgear.

I have a bunch of Belkin WeMo WiFi remote switches so I need good 2.4GHz coverage.

With the AC88U the 2.4GHz signal coverage fluctuates continuously by around 30dBm, and that is when I have line of site to the router.

With the R8500 the 2.4GHz signal stays steady at a higher level than the highest the AC88U manages. The 5GHz signal is also stronger. Running speedtest.net tests backs this up (ISP is 100Mbs down 10Mbs up) The routers are tested from the same location and installed in the same location.

The firmware on the ASUS router is definitely better but the wireless coverage on the Netgear absolutely blows it out of the water.

I'm running pretty much stock config on the AC88U, is there some configuration setting I am missing that will stabilize the 2.4GHz coverage?

 

[pete y testing]

I'm running pretty much stock config on the AC88U, is there some configuration setting I am missing that will stabilize the 2.4GHz coverage?

have you tried setting the ch number manually eg choose between ch 1 6 or 11 depending on which of those has the least amount of interference from other wifi transmissions you may also want to set the channel bandwidth to 20 mhz only as this will also help minimize interference from other transmissions

i have a few wemo switchs here and they work pretty well with the 88u here

 

[grepcomputers]

Channel was #6 while I was testing. Didn't narrow the channel bandwidth though. It just seems like it doesn't handle interference very well; it can't overpower it.

Maybe I'll try channel #11.

 

[TexasFlood]

I had to both find the clearest channel (through trial & error) and set it to 20MHz, as well as position the router as centrally as possible, all that, to get good coverage in my house. To relocate the router, I got a couple 25 foot flat cat 6 cables from Walmart, ran them under a carpet so I could put the router on top of some furniture against a wall more central to the house, while being careful to keep out away from the return air venting path in that wall. The second Ethernet cable goes back to my desk to a small gigabit switch for anything I need to plug in there, such as a printer.

 

[grepcomputers]

I guess I assumed anywhere in a 350 sq. ft. studio apartment would be "central" based on the advertised coverage of this router.

If I had the right screws to wall mount this sucker that would make life a lot easier.

Out of curiosity what is the "ideal" height for WiFi routers with antenna like these? What is the radiation propagation pattern from the antenna? Or is this a nonsense question due to the beamforming feature?

 

[RMerlin]

Propagation is doughnut-shaped around the antenna. So, the side of the antenna must be facing the area to cover, NOT the tip of the antenna. On a single floor, most time the best is to keep them all straight up.

The height is only a matter of clearing the furniture, making it easier for the signal to propagate (if you draw an imaginary straight line of sight between the antenna and the device to connect.)

(and it it were April 1st, I would tell you that the heavier the data packet, the faster the packet drop to the floor, hence the need to mount it as close to the ceiling as possible. But it's not April 1st yet. )

 

[grepcomputers]

I've uploaded a screenshot of what the 2.4GHz channel is doing. What I don't get is why it isn't just a flat line like with the Netgear R8500.

Regardless I have switched the channel, changed it to 20MHz, and optimized the positioning of the router (though it could use a bit more positioning). If I take my laptop right next to the router it still spikes up and down like in the graph, the spikes just go much higher.

 

[TexasFlood]

Could just be as simple as the method used to plot the graph. Merlin might know better.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[grepcomputers]

Using inSSIDer Office on a laptop running an Intel dual-band AC 7260.

 

[TexasFlood]

Using inSSIDer Office on a laptop running an Intel dual-band AC 7260.

My bad, was thinking you were using the router tools. Shoulda read more carefully. Got nothin.

 

[john9527]

If you are hiding your SSID, try allowing the SSID broadcast....

 

[Deleted member 22229]

When i use WiFi analyzer from my android phone all wifi signals that the phone picks up change like that. With RF the variables are almost endless. Being almost a 10 year ham operator you get use to propagation it changes constantly.

 

[grepcomputers]

Not hiding SSID. Tried using a different tool and saw the same behavior. This tool scans and recommends a channel and it kept hopping between 1, 6 and 11 which suggests it is something to do with the surrounding 2.4GHz signals.

However the 5GHz signal is relatively flat, and the Netgear R8500 has a relatively flat 2.4GHz signal, which is what is confusing to me. Why those and not this?

Still, I suppose the metric that counts is does all my stuff stay connected well, not signal graphs. I just like something objective rather than subjective.