No longer singing the wireless router blues!

[Pilgrim]

My DLink DIR-655 wireless router has driven me nuts for months.  My setup point is on the far end of the house from where I use my laptop the most, and it put out JUST enough signal (about two bars out of 5) to connect, but the bandwidth was miserable and the connection incredibly slow.

I even tried a signal repeater/exender, but I could never keep the Internet access on the repeater functional for more than 24 hours.

Finally, I did searches for a router with more range and found the ASUS RT-N66U, aka: "The Dark Knight".  How theatrical.  



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320091

This router has a $20 rebate at present, which motivated me to spend more money than I'd prefer on a router...but it paid off.

I got it working this evening, and the signal is 5 full bars on my laptop (twice the signal strength), with excellent bandwidth - video is streaming and web pages are loading fast.  This beastie has more range and signal strength than any other consumer grade router I have tried.

If anyone else has wireless range problems, this router is worth checking out.  It's dual band at 2.4 and 5 GHZ, and setup is pretty easy (once I got past a error notice that I had to logout another user before I could login to the router for setup).

[Dave W]

Those are heavy duty specs, all right. I've never had any problems with my lesser Netgear N-type though.

[gweimer]

I'll have to keep that in mind.  My 2Wire router seems to have killed my wireless capability, so I'm running on Ethernet.

I have an ASUS laptop that has been just great for the year I've had it.

[the mojo hobo]

I've had good luck with this high gain USB adapter TP Link TL-WN722N, and you can buy it with your $20.00 rebate

[Pilgrim]

I've had good luck with this high gain USB adapter TP Link TL-WN722N, and you can buy it with your $20.00 rebate

Downright thoughty of you, but no longer needed!   

[Pilgrim]

One more observation - I experimented placement of the router and now have it elevated so that it's sitting a bit higher than the tops of my dual monitors.  I discovered that when I sat it on the desktop with my monitor between it and my most common use area, I lost about 20% of the signal strength.  It appears that wireless devices don't like having a slab of electronic devices (like a 20" monitor) between them and the router.

[Highlander]

The force is strong in this one...

[daan]

I'm sure it's way too late for this now, but when you set your network up, make sure to name it something like "FBI Surveillance Van #35".

[Dave W]

I'm sure it's way too late for this now, but when you set your network up, make sure to name it something like "FBI Surveillance Van #35".

[Pilgrim]

I'm sure it's way too late for this now, but when you set your network up, make sure to name it something like "FBI Surveillance Van #35".

Interesting idea, and I like it!

But there is a grand tradition here....the network's name is one Mark could guess:  GOCOUGS.

[the mojo hobo]

I'm sure it's way too late for this now, but when you set your network up, make sure to name it something like "FBI Surveillance Van #35".

It's much more important to set up encryption with a strong passphrase just in case your neighbor is using your network for illegal activity. The FBI's SWAT teams will raid the home where the router resides.

[Dave W]

It's much more important to set up encryption with a strong passphrase just in case your neighbor is using your network for illegal activity. The FBI's SWAT teams will raid the home where the router resides.

I'm amazed how many open residential networks there are. And password-protected ones where the users have never changed the router's stock password.

[Pilgrim]

I'm amazed how many open residential networks there are. And password-protected ones where the users have never changed the router's stock password.

Of course, I have avoided both of those errors.  Incidentally, I live in a neighborhood with a lot of CSU faculty, HP professionals and business owners.  I can detect as many as six wireless networks around my home, and not one is open - all are encrypted. 

[dadagoboi]

Of course, I have avoided both of those errors.  Incidentally, I live in a neighborhood with a lot of CSU faculty, HP professionals and business owners.  I can detect as many as six wireless networks around my home, and not one is open - all are encrypted. 

I live in a neighborhood full of trailer trash, none of whom has been past the 8th grade and all the networks are encrypted.  Plus I bet we have more guns than your neighborhood.

[Highlander]

Someone round my way has named their router "Pretty fly for a wifi"...