|
As explained in the definition for Wi-Fi, it is wireless networks in the office and home that have freed computer users from sitting in a single location tethered to a cable in order to browse web sites, download videos and make internet telephone calls. However, Wi-Fi may have become the victim of its own success. You may notice that your connections time out, downloads are slower, VOIP telephone calls are dropped and the range of the network isn’t as great as it once was. This is usually because many more devices are now on the network which are attempting to use the same bandwith to do more and more things. Not just computers, but also iPhones, game machines, telephones, televisions, set-top boxes, or any other device with an ethernet port.
You are now probably reaching a point where this conflict has become noticeable and are pondering how to fix these problems. Fortunately, fixes are available, although there will be some thought and expense involved.
First, lets look at the signal strength and coverage of the network itself. If you’re still using an older wireless router that is set to the 802.11b or 802.11g standard, you may want to consider upgrading the router to the latest wi-fi standard, 802.11n, which transmits data at twice the speed of the “g” routers and five times faster than the older “b” routers.
If the problem is with the range of your network (e.g. it won’t make it to the back bedroom or the second floor), you should consider purchasing a repeater that will extend the existing router signal. Linksys sells a range expander for it’s “g” routers for under $100. Hawking Technologies sells range extenders for “b” and “g” routers for about $60, and for “n” networks for around $100. You could also consider the portable Mi-Fi wireless hotspot that will allow up to five simultaneous connections. Or a signal amplifier, perhaps combined with a good directional Wi-Fi antenna, if the problem is with the original signal. If the original signal is weak, this will amp it up and may permit it to be extended with a repeater or you may not even need one. Finally, you could use an extra router, if you have one around, or an access point, to extend the network. But you have to know what you’re doing - you must be cabled, have DHCP disabled in the second router, and have an IP address that’s different from the first box.
Before doing so, you might want to make sure (by going to the manufacturer’s web site) that you have the latest edition of the router’s firmware (the software that controls the router’s operation), which can also make a big difference on your older router.
If your problem is that your network is handling too many devices, you may have to upgrade the series of the router. Because the 2.4GHz band used by the older wireless networks can support only three non-overlapping simultaneous connections (this includes smartphones, microwaves, cordless phones and bluetooth devices), you are severely limited. Similarly, if your neighbor is using a 2.4GHz network, it may also be competing for the use of the airwaves on that frequency. The result if what’s known as “channel overcrowding”. Someone is bound to get knocked off the network. The upgrade to a 5GHZ “n” network, on the other hand, will allow you to support a dozen non-overlapping channels. If you have lots of older equipment and don’t want to upgrade the entire network, try adding an “n” wireless access point (such as Netgear’s WNHDE111 5GHz draft-n access point (only about $59) and see if it reduces wireless congestion. Also, you can switch the channel on your router to a less used one. If you’re technically proficient, there are sniffer programs out there that’ll show you who is near you and the channels they are using, so that you can avoid them and move to the less-traveled road.
Keep in mind that, when upgrading to the “n” series router, it can transmit on two frequencies, either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band, or both. When possible, it’s best to use the 5GHz range because there is less interference on it, but both the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz ranges are nearly the same. While the single 2.4GHz frequency routers are less expensive ($75-$125), it may be more cost effective only if you’re not having severe problems with downloads or dropped connections. Dual band routers are probably worth the $150-$200 price tag.
However, saving money by purchasing an “n” series router that doesn’t use the multiple antennas that make 802.11n so fast and far reaching would be a big mistake. If possible, stay away from Belkin’s N150 Enhanced Wireless Router (at $50) or the Linksys WRT110 Range Plus-N Wireless Router ($65). You’ll probably be disappointed. A better choice would be the Linksys WRT400n (About $129) or the Linksys WRT610 (at about $179).
Of course, in order to optimize the significant increase in both range and speed using the “n” router, you would have to upgrade all of the equipment on your network to the “n” frequency, and not just the router. This means the network card (“NIC”) in your computers and printer servers and any other network equipment. Otherwise, the network will connect at the speed of the slowest equipment being used. Luckily, most of the newer computers, especially the laptops, come with built-in 802.11n capability.
You can also consider the idea of a wired connection to some or all of the computers in order to increase speed and range. Almost any wired connection will be considerably faster than a wireless one (100mbps wired vs. 54mbps wireless on the average).
You could think about a powerline network or a “hybrid” powerline network. A powerline network uses the electrical wiring in your home or office to create a network. You plug the LAN port of your router into an adapter which is then plugged into a wall outlet. You can then plug additional adapters into any other wall outlets to connect any other network device. Most adaptors have built-in lights showing the link rate of the connection in the particular outlet, i.e. red, yellow or green, so you can determine the best place to plug it in. In addition, you can create an access point for a wireless network by connecting a Wi-Fi access point to a powerline adapter plugged into a wall outlet (or use a single device such as Zyxel’s PLA-450, at about $100).
Powerline products have been around for over a decade. The newer technology is far better than the original. It has 500Mbps capability, versus the 75 and 200Mbps for the older models, which can provide real-world transfer rates of 70 - 80Mbps in one direction and more than 100Mbps in both directions at once, as the result of built-in gigabit Ethernet ports. The best technology is the HomePlug AV, which not only resists interference from other electrical appliances and devices, such as hair dryers, cordless phones, cell phone chargers, microwaves, washers and dryers and refrigerators, but runs about as fast as 802.11n.
Vendors like Netgear (AV 500 Model XAVB5001 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Kit) and Trendnet both offer a network kit with two starter adapters for about $150. No doubt, Cisco, Belkin and D-Link aren’t far behind. Remember, the entire network must use the same speed adapters, otherwise the transmission rate will revert to the slowest adapter on the network. But when it works, not only does the speed rival a wired network, but if you create a “roaming” network (the SSID is the same for each piece of equipment), mobile clients such as phones and laptops will simply connect to the access point with the strongest signal. And you have the design flexibility to put various items of equipment, such as printers, storage drives and video players, in rooms that you want them in and that have high transfer rates, particularly for streaming video.
The only true way to use the powerline network is to try it out. It doesn’t always work if you have a home or office that has completely separate electrical circuits (as where additions were constructed onto the original structure), or modifications have been made to the electrical system, particularly where zones are established. Make sure that if you purchase one of these network systems, you can return it if it doesn’t work as intended.
Of course, nothing beats the speed and reliability of a wired connection. Some of the newer homes come with wired ethernet. Smart homes come wired with monster cable, which can accommodate many types of connections in the same outlet. A type of coaxial cable technology known as MoCA claims to be best for streaming multimedia for those homes which already have cable wired throughout (Netgear’s MCAB1001 MoCA starter kit, with two adapters, at about $200).
The solution to your network issues depends on the nature of the problem itself. It may not always require establishing an entirely new technology throughout the network.
|
