Help Me Figure out My Network. Cat6, Multiple Wireless N, Cheap AC Router?

outlander on 22/09/2017 - 21:23

Hi all

I live in a house on a long block. Its single story, double brick, and the Optus cable modem/router I'm currently using barely reaches to the ends of the house, and where it does the connection is flakey and slow. My original plan years ago, back in the days when wireless N was the hot thing, was to wire up the house with cat6 for ultimate speed and future proofing. Now I'm older, and have found my ambition exceeds my time and money, not to mention skill, and the thought of pulling 300 meters of cord through a dusty cramped roof doesn't carry the same appeal it once did. Not to mention the great strides in data throughput of wireless technologies, exceeding gigabit? I wouldn't have believed it was possible then but a lot of things have changed I guess.

The question is, do I continue with this idea of setting up a wired network, or do I go full on wireless? And if I'm going wireless, do I get multiple access points of last years tech, possible second hand, or go for a cheap AC router. I know the numbers look great, but it seems to me like all they're doing is doubling down on existing technology, adding more antennas and consuming more of the bandwidth. It may work super fast if your standing next to the router, but I have my doubts about the difference it makes when theres 10 meters and 1m of brick between it and you :P

I'm not the big datahog I used to be. I mostly stream stuff now, same as the 3 other users in the house, but I would like to setup a security camera grid in the future, which could generate some intense traffic.

Opinions? For anyone whose upgraded to AC, did it make that big a difference for you over long distances, and how quickly does the throughput fall off over those long distances.

Computing

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 22/09/2017 - 21:38
    +1

    This Lifehacker article basically answers most of your questions. https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/06/how-to-build-a-wi-fi-n…

    This point is very important.

    Wi-Fi networks can only stretch so far from even the most powerful wireless router on the market — and 802.11n on the 2.4GHz band does generally stretch a little further than 5GHz on 802.11ac, which is useful for long-range wireless smart home gadgets — and it's generally a pain especially if you're living on a house with more than one level or with an especially long floorplan.

    This means that even if you bought a kickass Wifi router with amazing gigabit wireless AC, it may not still be enough to cover your entire floorplan (a large 2 storey house, for e.g)

    Wifi AC standard gives you faster speeds, but at a great disadvantage of lesser penetrating range. The higher the radio frequencies, the less it can penetrate through a wall. In most cases, you will find yourself defaulting to good-old Wireless N for devices on the fringes of your network, while devices in line-of-sight can use Wireless AC at full strength.

    Follow this article to read about mesh networks.

    • outlander on 22/09/2017 - 23:40

      Thanks, I'll give that a read. The mesh networks might be stretching the budget a bit, although multiple access points is basically the same thing. I actually had an idea for using mobile phones as inside security cameras, in which case they could theoretically act as access points, but I think that might be getting too ambitious.

      • scrimshaw on 23/09/2017 - 02:43
        +2

        I would go powerline but mileage will vary depending on the internal wiring of your house. Still worth a shot as powerline adapters are not particularly expensive and if they don't work you can always sell it to somebody else.

        other than that I would try Ubiquiti AP's starting at around $100 for a single AP, though you'll still need to find a way to connect it to your router using ethernet.

  • baronseng on 22/09/2017 - 22:54
    +1

    You can also try this.

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Tenda-PH15-1000M-Wireless-Ro…

    this is a powerline kit with a wifi extender, so you use your power socket as cat6 and use the wifi extender as access point.

    I haven't used one myself but this fix should work well without laying cat cables.

    • outlander on 23/09/2017 - 11:50

      I tried powerline 10 years ago, and the speeds where shocking. My wiring is pretty bad so I don't know it would cope well.

  • tebbybabes on 23/09/2017 - 02:30
    +1

    Probably not what you were hoping to hear, but the trouble of hardwiring is soooo worth it. I did it and kept thinking I should have done this sooner. If I move homes, it'l definitely be done again.

    We do have wifi but only mobile devices are on it. Every single PC, TV, VOIP phone, printer is hardwired. Excellent reliabilty and network diagnostics have been exponentially simpler.

    • outlander on 23/09/2017 - 11:49

      Yes I think the same way, but its still a lot more work. What do you do that justifies a wired network?

      You make a good point regarding reliability. I don't want to go back to the days of resetting network adapters every time I want to use a computer.

      • tebbybabes on 23/09/2017 - 15:13
        +1

        Nothing special at all. Just home use. It started in the era of the PS3 where it's wifi adapter was pretty piss poor even if I had a good network. It was also the random complaints from family member when the wifi connection would drop out. I investigated powerline adaptors and at that time they were a bit more exxy than they are now, roughly $120 a pair, if I remember right. And reading up on them I figured they're weren't 100% reliable anyway and their speeds were always a fraction of what was advertised and the fact that they'd take up a GPO on each end made me veer towards hardwiring.

        Happily, found a networking guy who charged me less than $400 for all the 5 runs in my house as long as I helped him during the install. Turned out price competitive with powerline adaptors and they are now set and forget and trouble free. Come to think of it, it's actually cost less than upgrading routers, or mesh networks. I suppose I could also spruik the fact that the house is hardwired if I ever sold it down the line.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/09/2017 - 08:54
    +2

    1) If you can stretch your budget a bit, WiFi mesh would solve your problem. Many brands and configurations, easy to setup, Google for specifics.
    2) Ubiquity: any mixture of WiFi and hard wired connections, reliable boxes, flexible configuration, easy to expand, realistic prices. However it requires some networking knowledge to setup (but helpful forums).
    3) If you want to do it cheaper, and can solve aesthetics of hiding the Ethernet cables, nothing beats hardwiring. Ask a friend to help with installing wires?

    For (2) and (3) consider PoE (Power over Ethernet), which allows to connect remote boxes without worrying about power bricks (just one Ethernet cable transfers signals and power). Again, Google for specifics.

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