Router with particularly strong WIFI

Mud

Mud

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The storm the other night seems to have killed a lot of my network equipment. The setup was:

BT openreach modem (for fibre-optic sky broadband) --> sky hub --> powerline adapters --> Asus RT-N56U

...with various bits connected to the routers through cables, and each router running its own WIFI network. There were also additional powerline adapters for PCs. I think most - if not all - of my powerline adapters are now dead, and at least one of the ports on the sky hub. Sky say they won't replace the sky hub unless I sign another contract, and I think it would be a combined modem/hub now.

I have thick stone walls (old cottage), hence the multiple WIFI networks. Is there a router that is likely to be able to cut a lot of the complication and get a single WIFI network everywhere in the house? Or one that works properly with range extender boxes (whatever the clever name for those may be!)? The budget is as little as I can get away with, but if that's £150 or so for a reliable network then so be it. I don't like buying crap ;)

Thanks in advance :)
 
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Any particular reason for the LR?

If you're battling with thick walls I'd prefer more standard power access points and spread them around to cover the area.
 
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Don't sign a new contract - instead tell them you are thining about leaving and they will give you a new hub and a reduction on the cost per month. Failing that ECi/r modem £6-12 used (ebay/gumtree), RT-N56U as router using Padavan firmware (free), extract your u/p via wireshark (it's a 5 min job) and the rest of budget on an Unifi based AP positioned centrally to give maximum coverage. If you don't want or need AC speeds then consider the older versions, coverage is still rock solid and 2.4Ghz has much better penetration than 5Ghz.
 

Mud

Mud

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Any particular reason for the LR?

If you're battling with thick walls I'd prefer more standard power access points and spread them around to cover the area.

I figured the LR isn't much more, and if it doesn't prove adequate I can order a second unit.

Don't sign a new contract - instead tell them you are thining about leaving and they will give you a new hub and a reduction on the cost per month. Failing that ECi/r modem £6-12 used (ebay/gumtree), RT-N56U as router using Padavan firmware (free), extract your u/p via wireshark (it's a 5 min job) and the rest of budget on an Unifi based AP positioned centrally to give maximum coverage. If you don't want or need AC speeds then consider the older versions, coverage is still rock solid and 2.4Ghz has much better penetration than 5Ghz.

I'll have to read and google my way through some of that, but sounds like great advice. The bugger with my house is it's a twin gable roof, so there's always going to be a wall to go through if it's a single WIFI jobbie, even high up.
 
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Apologies, I tend to rattle off an answer without a detailed breakdown so let me explain :)

ECI/r and HG612 are the white VDSL modems BT OpenReach used to install, they let you use a cable/dumb router such as the N56U which has no inbuilt modem with a VDSL connection. If you get one then you can use your existing RT-N56U to replace the Sky hub, this will be the cheapest option if Sky aren't playing ball. Legally speaking they have an obligation to ensure equipment is functional for the duration of any rental agreement but in this case your in 'act of god' territory and while i've got history for insisting that a company prove god exists and winning, it's not worth the agro over something you can fix for a few quid.

In order to get your N56U working on Sky you'll need to do a little work, firstly a modem as above, then you need to install a 3rd party firmware on the N56U such as Padavan's (see here). Sky don't provide the username and password like most ISP's do so you need to extract the details from your existing Sky hub, fire up a PC or laptop with Wifi and connect it to the Sky Hub, download a program called WireShark (see here) so you need to use a computer with wifi and a program called Wire Shark to extract them from the existing Sky Hub, it's very easy to do and takes only a few minutes (Hint: How to get your SKY Username and Password from a SKY-HUB SR101 or SR102 on Youtube or one of the many similar video's). Once that's done you enter them into the appropriate sections on the N56U and it should work.

For the twin gable i'd still take the chance on a single Unifi AP, if it doesn't give you the coverage you need then you can always add a second in the other side and the great thing is they support seamless handoff so devices will switch to whichever has the best signal. The only potential issue is they need a cable running to them and at some point you need to plug in a PoE (Power over Ethernet) injector to power them. Personally I have the bog standard Unifi AP's but the Pro and AC's support faster speeds.
 
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Mud

Mud

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No need to apologise, I can exercise google-fu once I know the right direction - very helpful thanks :)

I ordered a unifi LR, will see how I go from there. Thankfully most devices support WIFI (smart TV, amazon fire box, tablets, etc.), so that may be most of the battle. I will supplant the sky hub for the N56U as you describe :)

It's sad that I'm excited over the incoming wifi jobbie :o
 
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No need to apologise, I can exercise google-fu once I know the right direction - very helpful thanks :)

I ordered a unifi LR, will see how I go from there. Thankfully most devices support WIFI (smart TV, amazon fire box, tablets, etc.), so that may be most of the battle. I will supplant the sky hub for the N56U as you describe :)

It's sad that I'm excited over the incoming wifi jobbie :o

It's the networking sub forum, it looks like a UFO and it glows green, what's not to get excited about? Don't bin the Sky hub (or attack it with fire much as it probably deserves it), if they ever need to trouble shoot on the line they'll expect you to have it to hand and if you get lightening again it's handy to have a spare.
 

Mud

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The unifi AC LR seems to get me ~+10dBm over the sky router (says my phone WIFI analyser app), which is unfortunately not quite enough...I knew I was being optimistic with a single unit though, so I will order another (and work out how to send a tidy cable through/around one of the major walls).
 
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I know you've probably gone down the alternative route suggested by now but I can't recommend the Netgear D7000 router enough to be honest - I swapped my old TP Link W9800 router and the improvement in the WiFi strength in my house is incredible imo!

It has something called "beamforming" - not sure if that's what's making the difference but whatever it is was well worth the upgrade for me as I'm now getting full signal and speed in parts of the house where before I was struggling to connect!
 

Mud

Mud

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I know you've probably gone down the alternative route suggested by now but I can't recommend the Netgear D7000 router enough to be honest - I swapped my old TP Link W9800 router and the improvement in the WiFi strength in my house is incredible imo!

It has something called "beamforming" - not sure if that's what's making the difference but whatever it is was well worth the upgrade for me as I'm now getting full signal and speed in parts of the house where before I was struggling to connect!

I'm a bit committed now, and have a second unifi incoming :)

I may be doing the unifi a disservice saying it's only 10dBm more than the sky hub - I think I'm getting a weird self-interference. In the screengrab SKY is the sky hub, TALKTALK is next door's, and MUD is the unifi...but the second colour on channel 7 is also MUD. The second (unnamed) hump on channel 7 varies depending where in the house I am, and goes away completely when there are no walls inbetween me and the unifi. If I change the unifi's channel the unnamed hump changes channel too.

Screenshot_2016-02-11-16-07-02.png
 
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Any reason why you're using channels 7 and 12? You'd expect 1, 6 and 11 to be in use.

When you get the second UniFi connected up make sure you disable the wireless on the Sky router. If you still need the additional coverage then get a third UniFi.

Any chance the mystery signal is a guest network option?
 

Mud

Mud

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Erm, just to separate the humps...if 1/6/11 is better I'll change it. My networking knowledge is limited.

The sky router will get swapped for the N56U soon - I've got the Padavan firmware on it now, just haven't got the sky login on yet. Will kill that WIFI (or at least limit to 5GHz only to allow me to talk directly to the router using my surface pro).

I'll investigate the guest network, but in the unifi setup I said I didn't want to make a guest network.

edit: googled 1/6/11, changed accordingly.
 
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As it's an AC I'm assuming you have both 2.4 and 5Ghz running as MUD? 2.4Ghz is slower but has better penetration through solid objects and obstacles, 5Ghz is quicker but weaker.
 

Mud

Mud

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As it's an AC I'm assuming you have both 2.4 and 5Ghz running as MUD? 2.4Ghz is slower but has better penetration through solid objects and obstacles, 5Ghz is quicker but weaker.

I think I'm on 2.4GHz only at the moment; must RTFM but get the impression from the menus I'm not currently outputting on 5GHz...it also doesn't show up on any devices as 5GHz.
 
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