Wireless Coverage Comparison

[gragnous]

I'm current running an Asus RT-N66U with Merlin (376.45) as my router. For wireless APs, I'm using two Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 flashed with dd-wrt.

I originally bought the N66U because of its high rankings for wireless coverage, but I've found the G54s provides better bandwidth at greater distances. Obviously, I'm not after n300+ type wireless throughput but the 2.4GHz throughput of the N66U quickly drops to unusable. So, I disabled the N66U radio and reinstalled the G54 as a AP. At the same distances, the G54 is still providing good usable bandwidth.

The N66U is my 3rd router since converting the G54 to a straight AP. Previously, I had a RT-N16 (now dead) with dd-wrt, Netgear wdhr3700 v2 (now dead) with dd-wrt and now the N66U with merlin. All were admirable as routers, but the wireless coverage of those routers was weak compared to the G54.

The G54s are going to give out eventually and I would also like to get better coverage out in the yard. So I was considering the Ubiquiti UAP-LR to replace my old G54s. After reading the reviews though, I'm not convinced that the wireless coverage of the Ubiquiti will be any better than the ASUS or previous routers.

I guess I'm looking for some advice about how to maximize wireless coverage with a decent bandwidth. Or, whether I should expect noticeably better coverage from the Ubiquiti then the ASUS.

 

[azazel1024]

In Kerbal Space Program the solution to the inability to get in to orbit or the inability to attain the dV you need to MOAR BOOSTERS.

In the wireless world the solution is almost always MOAR ACCESS POINTS.

There are some differences between access points, most assureadly. However, in most cases, the difference between one decent one and another is not going to be that extreme, especially for range (in most cases). So if you have issues with coverage with one, you'll probably have issues with coverage for another, within reason. So if you need better throughput at range and/or greater range, more access points to cover the area is the solution.

That is interesting that you are having issues with the N66u 2.4GHz coverage. Out of curiosity, was this like with like testing? Or was this the N66u versus two G54s positioned around your house? Especially considering you are comparing a an 802.11 MIMO AP versus an 11g product, I'd expect you to have better range and speed with the N66u.

Or are your clients only 802.11g (if so, that would certainly explain it).

The G54 also has one honking big antenna and supposedly a "powerful amp" in it, which I butt-ume means it is butting up on the FCC limits, which the N66u probably is not.

I'd personally go with more newer access points. I personally have one on my first floor kid's play room on one side of the house (N600), I have one in my basement office at the exact opposite end of my house (router, AC1750) and I have an N300 AP in my garage with the antennas poking through the wall outside just under the eves to provide outdoor coverage for my backyard.

Gives me good to excellent coverage over my entire property inside and out and I don't think I have lower than about 30Mbps anywhere inside my house or my backyard, even with my 1:1 11n clients.

With my laptop with its 2:2 11ac card in it, I think the minimum speed I have anywhere in my house is around 80Mbps.

Typical speeds, much higher (other than my outdoor AP, because it only has 10/100 ports, so it caps around 90Mbps at best, but it provides that kind of throughput to my laptop over 3/4ths of my backyard).

 

[gragnous]

Thanks for the reply. All my active devices are 802.11n or ac.

Yes, I originally used the N66U as a AP to replace one of the G54s, in hopes of getting even better coverage with newer technology. The N66U was barely usable as an AP. I tried updating firmware, and flashing with merlin, but it didn't help. Ended-up reinstalling the G54. I'm now running the N66U as my router with radio disabled and G54 nearby as a AP. I may end-up moving that G54 to another location (that I think will give me better coverage in the yard), and re-enable the radio of the N66U.

I used various signal analyzers, like inSSIDer and others, to verify signal strength and channel interference. I understand your point about more is better, but it sounds like I shouldn't get my hopes up to find a newer AP to replace the G54s

 

[stevech]

Don't forget that WiFi is a two-way medium.
There are TWO coverage patterns:
From WiFi router or AP
From WiFi client device.

Drawn as fried-egg diagrams, predicted or measured, the two differ greatly.

A thousand watt WiFi access device deals with only one coverage (exaggeration ).

People just look at one half of the problem when observing coverage. There are few tools that show the signal strength received by the access device to get the other half of the story.

 

[azazel1024]

Could be too that you have a defective N66u. They are supposed to have awesome speed and coverage, and if an 11g AP is beating it in performance, I think there is something significantly wrong with it.

 

[stevech]

11g would often beat 11n if the 11n is using, for that client, a top speed (modulation mode).

Lower the speed/bandwidth, longer the range, in general.

 

[azazel1024]

That would generally be an issue of the client not properly stepping down the MCS rates though as range increases.

 

[timerider]

I just registered to follow this thread as I have a similar issue.

The Asus RT-N66U it´s brillant on the 5Ghz band. But useless on the 2.4Ghz, the range sucks

I tried several firmware combinations, and I had some better results with the Merlin SDK5 series. I have a specific place on my house that the coverage is borderline, with luck I could manage 10-20 Mbps on the 2.4Ghz. But sometimes the Asus got stuck to 1Mbps or less.

I went back to the default provider router-modem (BT HomeHub 5), and the performance is not that bad, specially is quite more stable on the 2.4GHz channel, with a consistent 10/20 Mbps without drop off, but less stelar performance on the 5Ghz band.

So, I´m looking into options to round up the performance in both bands. So 2.4Ghz it´s important at the same level of 5Ghz.

MOAR AP, yes, could be an option, but I don´t think is justified regarding the size of my house. I only need a decent coverage (That the BT HH5 is providing now), but just better performance and reliability.

Did I mention that I need IGMP proxy as well?

Do you think that the (for example) AC66U could improve the poor N66U 2.4Ghz performance?