Why Time Capsule works and Trendnet TEW-639GR doesnt?

[PETERECHS]

I was curious to see if the collective wisdom of this group can help me figure out why my network setup works perfectly with the Time Capsule Generation 1 (which I know is recalled) but not the 639GR (H/W version 1). Is there something inherently different in the implementation of 802.11n between these two units? Something with the chipsets?

Here is my setup:
I have my DSL modem in one room connected to the Time Capsule. The TC is configured for 802.11n only. Then I have a D-Link 1522 acting as a bridge between the Time Capsule and a DAP-2553. (The reason I have it setup this way is because there is a large, thick fireplace on one side of the room the TC is in, and there is still a lot of house to cover on the other side of the fireplace)

The 1522 is no more than 30 feet away from the TC with a direct line of sight to it. And with this configuration everything works beautifully.

However, if I just swap out the TC for the Trendnet 639GR, and don't change anything else, coverage through the 1522/2553 becomes very spotty - with lots of dropouts.

On the 639GR I tried to mimic the settings of the Time Capsule, and it still seems to be flaky. If I use the 639GR, should I need to change settings on either the 1522 or 2553?

 

[thiggins]

Sorry, but without a diagram I lost track of what is connecting to what.

I would not force N only. I would set all APs, routers, bridges to their default mixed b,g,n modes and 20 MHz bandwidth. Also use WPA2/AES security.

 

[PETERECHS]

simplified diagram

Here is the current arrangement that I have:
DSL Modem -> Time Capsule -> Dlink-1522 ->Dlink 2553
(works perfectly)

Here is the configuration I would like to have:
DSL Modem ->TEW-639GR -> Dlink1522 -> Dlink 2553
(Spotty coverage)

When the Time Capsule is set to 802.11n only, everything works perfectly. I assumed that the 639GR would behave in the same way when setup for 802.11n only also. All other devices in both configurations are b/g/n compatible.

 

[thiggins]

Thanks, that helps.

Why are you replacing the Time Capsule if everything is working ok?

Again, I'd leave all units in b/g/n mixed mode, WPA2/AES, 20 MHz bandwidth.

I'd then take the 2553 out of the picture and just see if the problem is with the 639GR - 1522 link.

What are your channel assignments and are you using 5 GHz between the 1522 and 2553?

 

[PETERECHS]

I want to replace the Time Capsule because of the design flaw that prompted the recall. The boy scout in me just wants to be prepared.

For the TC, I am using auto select for the channels.

For the 639GR, I tried auto select, but found that forcing it to channel 11 gave me the "best" results.

The link between the 1522 and 2553 is ethernet, with the 2553 using auto select for the channel and b/g/n mixed mode.

I have connected my laptop directly to the 1522 via ethernet and that seems to work fine. I guess I could try swapping the arrangement of the 1522 and 2553.

I'll try mixed-mode on everything to see if that works.

After that, I guess I could just return the 639GR - Maybe because of this lousy performance is why they upgraded it to hardware v2.

I still wonder though why one router has this problem and another doesn't, especially given that one has external antennas and one doesn't.

Thanks for the suggestions. If the mixed-mode works, I'll report back later tonight when I get home.

 

[thiggins]

External vs. internal antennas doesn't really matter. Could just be a bad router.

I would set the channels and not use auto-select. That can cause frequent channel changing, which can cause disconnects. Set the main router to 1, 6 or 11 and whichever one you have at the "end of the line" (currently the 2553) to a different channel.

 

[PETERECHS]

Working much better now

So here is the latest update -

I swapped the order of the 1522 and 2553 and everything works fine again. That along with the suggestion of assigning specific channels and mixed mode seems to have done the trick.

So in summary, here is how it now looks.

DSL -> TEW-639GR ->(channel 11) Dlink2553 ->(Channel 1) Dlink1522 (as Access Point)

All routers/AP in b/g/n mixed mode.

Thanks for the suggestions Tim.
Peter

 

[thiggins]

Glad it worked out for you. Enjoy!