Short term AP/Range Extender

[utamav]

I live in a 800 sq. ft. apartment and currently have a RT-AC68U that connects to 2 HDD which serve as a NAS. The router was kept in the living room and it served me well without any WiFi issues. Because of all the cables and the HDD clearly visible in the living room, I decided to move my RT-AC68U in the closet diminishing the radio power.

I have 2 ethernet connections in my living room. I happen to have a RT-N12 and DAP 1522, with which I made a 2.4Ghz and a 5Ghz (DAP 1522 only supports 2.4Ghz or 5 Ghz) wired backhaul AP. Unfortunately the DAP is really old and not living up to the performance.

I eventually want to move over to Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X and use their UniFi APs but I want to do that after I buy a house so that I know what all I want. So for the time being, I am looking for something to replace my DAP 1522 with something under $50. Preferably a dual radio AP/Range Extender. Any suggestions on what might fit the bill?

 

[utamav]

Since there is no reply let me update my questions.

1. Does setting up a router in AP mode or using an AP (like Ubiquiti Networks UAP-AC-LITE-US) always reduce the WiFi bandwidth in half when the STA (device) is latched on to the AP?
2. Is there a way to avoid this, at least on a router connected as an AP?

 

[thiggins]

Retransmitted packets use twice the airtime if they are retransmitted on the same channel. Newer dual-band extenders use "cross-band" techniques to receive on one band and transmit on the other. This can minimize retransmission overhead IF you are using a dual-band client and IF the required radio isn't busy servicing other traffic when the packet needs to be retransmitted.

These extenders will cost more than $50. NETGEAR extenders usually support cross-band.

An Ethernet-connected AP doesn't have a retransmission penalty because the packet goes through Ethernet to get to the closest AP.

 

[utamav]

Retransmitted packets use twice the airtime if they are retransmitted on the same channel. Newer dual-band extenders use "cross-band" techniques to receive on one band and transmit on the other. This can minimize retransmission overhead IF you are using a dual-band client and IF the required radio isn't busy servicing other traffic when the packet needs to be retransmitted.

These extenders will cost more than $50. NETGEAR extenders usually support cross-band.

An Ethernet-connected AP doesn't have a retransmission penalty because the packet goes through Ethernet to get to the closest AP.

Would this be different is the AP only supports 100 Mbps physical link? I have a D-LINK DAP1522 connected as a wired AP to my router (1000 Mbps) but only gives me 50% bandwidth on wireless STAs.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[thiggins]

50% of what? If wireless throughput is above 100 Mbps, what do you think happens if you put a 100 Mbps limit in the transmission chain?

 

[MichaelCG]

If you want under $50, go search Craigslist or eBay for used RT-N66U or RT-AC66U. They are dirt cheap, decently fast WiFi, and perfect for short-term use like this.

1.) If using Repeater mode, your WiFi bandwidth in general will be roughly half.
2.) If using wired AP mode, your WiFi bandwidth will be limited by the weakest link in the chain
-- this could be the 100Mbps Ethernet
-- this could be an older WiFi tech like N
-- this could be dirty airspace
-- this could be using 2.4GHz vs 5GHz

As long as the AP is wired, not on a conflicting channel with clean airspace, and the wireless technology is the same, there should be no penalty at all to using multiple APs.

 

[Easy Rhino]

i'm a little late here, but how is the wireless performance if you just leave the 68U in the closet and have everything connect to it... with no extra access point at all?

The speed might be better than a wireless extender or a wired one with only 100mbps ethernet.

 

[utamav]

i'm a little late here, but how is the wireless performance if you just leave the 68U in the closet and have everything connect to it... with no extra access point at all?

The speed might be better than a wireless extender or a wired one with only 100mbps ethernet.

Sorry for the late response.

Thank you guys. I think the problem was DAP 1522. I bought a Ubiquiti EdgeMax router and use AC68U as AP and now I get the same speeds as provided by the ISP.

To answer your question about AC68U in a closet, it'll depend on a lot of things. How far is your closet, what are the doors made of etc.

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