Neil Richmond is trying to use Wi-Fi 'n' at 5GHz instead of the usual 2.4GHz but the signal is weak and his PC drops the connection
I have a Linksys WAG320N router connected wirelessly to a Linksys WMP600N PCI adapter in my desktop PC. Both are dual band using the 802.11n standard. Many of my neighbours use the 2.4GHz band so I decided to move to the 5GHz band, which no neighbour uses. The problem is that the signal from my router (downstairs) to my desktop (upstairs) is so weak that I sometimes lose the connection. I cannot move the equipment and prefer to remain wireless rather than resort to HomePlugs. I have searched for 5GHz 802.11n range extenders and high gain aerials and found none. Have you any suggestions?
Neil Richmond
It is true that the 802.11n version of Wi-Fi allows you to use either the usual 2.4GHz or the 5GHz waveband, or both, and there are reasons why you might want to try 5GHz (which is already used by 802.11a). The main reason is that there are so many other devices using 2.4GHz – including your neighbours' computers, and things like microwave ovens – that you have a very slow Wi-Fi connection. Another reason is that you have switched to a very fast internet service and your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection is a bottleneck. You might well notice this if, for example, you were trying to stream HD videos.
If you don't have a problem, then I would generally not recommend using 5GHz. If you do have a problem, then I wouldn't recommend using the Linksys WAG320N router in most cases because it only has one radio, not two. In other words, you can run it at 2.4GHz or 5GHz but not both at the same time. Most Wi-Fi devices – such as laptops, internet radios and digital picture frames – will only operate at 2.4GHz. Presumably you don't have any other Wi-Fi devices, because if you're using a WAG320N at 5GHz to connect to your desktop PC, they won't work.
Although 5GHz is technically faster, this may not show up in real-world performance. The 5GHz signal may have about half the range of 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, or less. Worse, 5GHz has more trouble penetrating solid objects such as walls and floors, as you have found. Wi-Fi "range extenders" only seem to work at 2.4GHz, so there may not be much you can do about this, though you might get better performance from a different router.
I have not tried a WAG320N myself, and it received generally favourable reviews. However, PC Advisor measured the speed at between 27Mbp and 52Mbps at 10 metres and said: "Subjectively, we found 5GHz operation of the Cisco Linksys WAG320N to give a very slow feel to internet connections at 10m distance". It added: "Cisco's specifications … suggest that at '270Mbps' the Linksys WAG320N has half the reception sensitivity than at '130Mbps'; which itself is only one-quarter its sensitivity at '54Mbps' operation."
Rather than buy another 11n router, I'd suggest you either install an Ethernet cable or change your mind about the HomePlug system. You say you can't move the router or the desktop PC, so there is no real reason to use Wi-Fi. A good quality Ethernet cable will by far outperform Wi-Fi in your situation, and be more reliable. If you live in an area where the Wi-Fi spectrum is really overcrowded, it will also help your neighbours.
If you can't install a cable, then I think you should try a pair of HomePlug adaptors. These plug into power sockets, and send your internet service over the house's mains electricity cables. In my experience, using somewhat old 85Mbps Solwise HomePlug Turbo devices, this system works very well. Many companies now offer 200Mbps versions, such as the Netgear XAVB2501 Powerline AV+ 200. Some have launched 500Mbps devices, such as the Solwise 500AV and the Netgear Powerline AV 500. The AV models are "optimised for streaming high definition media".
The main arguments against HomePlug use concern radio interference, and the Radio Society of Great Britain has been campaigning against the use of PLT (Powerline Telecommunications). The RSGP says that home powerline devices have the same failing: "Radio spectrum pollution which causes significant disruption to radio reception in the area of the device." All I can say is that the ones I used had no discernible effect on radio reception in my house.
With Wi-Fi and other data communications systems, the real data throughput (including overheads) is never going to match the quoted "link rate", and it can be a lot lower. For example, you might get 22Mbps from a 54Mbps Wi-Fi connection. I would expect you to get at least twice that from 200Mbps AV HomePlugs, though it does depend to some extent on the quality of your mains wiring. Again, I haven't tried this myself, but I would expect a pair of 200Mbps AV HomePlugs to handle the speed of an "up to 40 meg" broadband connection such as BT Infinity.
You can also buy HomePlugs with built-in Wi-Fi, so you could use a HomePlug downstairs to provide a Wi-Fi signal upstairs. A device such as the Solwise HomePlug Wireless N Extender 9 PL-200AV-PEW-N) should enable you to get a good Wi-Fi network upstairs, though presumably at 2.4GHz – the spec doesn't say. This wouldn't help you, of course, but other readers may find it useful.
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/askjack/2011/jul/28/wifi-internet-problems
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