G+_Eddie Silva Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 need some networking help. I was going to route coax and ethernet to my desk, which does not have any connectivity other than the wifi router (in bridge mode) providing internet. I hit a snag in the attic, I realized my desk is under a non-accessible part of my roofline. So, Im looking for a solution to help evenly distribute wifi throughout my house. I currently have two apple ac wifi routers, one attached to my cable modem and one on my desk providing internet to all my devices on my desk. This is all in the second story part of the house. The router and modem combo is loaded in an adjacent room to where my desk is. I have set up a 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz network but I'm not 100% clear on how apple differentiates between the two different networks since all devices can see all of my wifi networks. There are a lot of people in my neighborhood on the 2.4Ghz band. What would be the best option to help evenly distribute wifi to my upstairs and downstairs devices? Downstairs devices are not showing very good connectivity. I figured it could also be the congestion on the 2.4 band but ever since I moved my router and modem from my first floor, I've had connectivity problems on the first floor. Moving everything back is not an option. any suggestions? Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Steven Atkinson Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Would power line Ethernet like these help? Disclaimer I'm not in the US so don't know how you typically wire your houses for power. Also these are an example I don't know if dlink makes good ones or if others are better. http://us.dlink.com/product-category/home-solutions/connect/powerline/ These could allow you to put more access points in areas currently with poor coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Routing between floors can be a real challenge. If you get plenum rated cable, you could (still not recommended) run it through a return air duct which typically covers both floors. As Steven Atkinson? suggested, power line network adapters are worth trying. I've never owned one myself so don't have any tricks to make the most of them. It might also be worth trying a set of APs that can mesh. A lot of us in the network community have used and recommend the Ubiquiti WAPs. I haven't used Apple wifi routers, but the way it sounds the 2.4 and 5 GHz share the same SSID. That probably leaves it up to the client network device to choose which it prefers. As for 2.4GHz saturation in your neighborhood... If you have an Android device check out WiFi Analyser. It's a fantastic tool that will give signal strengths of all APs in the area. Try to chose a channel that's has the least interference (preferably one of the three non-overlapping channels: 1, 6, 11). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Carl Elton Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Not sure how much you want to spend but you can go with Open-Mesh http://www.open-mesh.com/ and choose the AP's that work for you and start your own mesh network. Check on Amazon for better pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Eddie Silva Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Ive thought about power line but that was back when the modem was on the first floor and everything else was on the second. Now that the modem is on the second floor maybe I can get it to work. I have a netgear power line adapter I can try. If that works ive been looking at the linksys power line adapter. Any recommendations as to which power line adapter works best? Ive also thought about the air duct route too. I have wall rated cable now, I though about running it via the recessed lights I have above my desk (taking the light out and trying to run the cable. Open mesh... that is where you buy the three pack of network devices and they distribute a "blanket" of wifi throughout the house? I saw the video on amazon for some of those.. they look intriguing, I already spend money on the apple gear (although a few years ago) and they still work. the only thing id have to really add is another airport extreme... maybe ill just do that now thinking about it. i was trying to get a direct modem connection at my desk, fax line for my printer, and wifi everything else. thanks everyone for the help. any other suggestions please keep them coming. I'm open for any input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dan Murray Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I've been really happy with my Trendnet 500 and 1200 AV2 powerline adapters. No problems with multiple video streams or anything. I used them to get access to a difficult office and upstairs for a second access point. My only concern is that they're not very secure. The box says everything is encrypted, but new adapters join automatically so it would be easy to plug one in to an outside outlet and join the network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Mr BDC Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Ethernet over power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Dan Murray I've wondered about the security on those.. If I'm not mistaken, don't they work by sending radio frequencies over the power line? If that's the case, someone even on the same transformer as you might be able to snoop. But there's no reason they couldn't use security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Eddie Silva Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 I'm trying the power adapters I have but they are not working well. I've got 30Mbps down off wifi. With the power adapters connected to my modem then to my computer at my desk, hard wired I get speeds cut in half, around 15-23Mbps. I wonder if all powerline adapters are the same? Mine are netgear adapters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jason Marsh Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Powerline Networking will be dependant on the quality of your home's wiring, as well as whether the two adapters are on the same leg of the split-phase power in your home. Have a look at your breaker box, noting the position of the breaker(s) for the two branches your PL adapters are on. From there you can determine whether they're on the same leg, and make adjustments, such as moving one side or the other to a different outlet that would put both sides on the same leg. Newer PL adapters are supposed to be better at working across legs, but I haven't seen much in that regard. I've had three different sets in my home, used another couple pairs at customers' homes, and one thing is an absolute: you will never get anywhere near the advertised speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jason Marsh Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Ben Reese In theory someone on the same transformer could connect to your PL network, but I doubt it's all that effective in practice. Most will have a utility that allows setting a different key than the default, so one should be able to secure against that sort of attack. Eddie Silva I have no experience with Apple routers, but if they're anything like most of the mainstream equipment, one should be able to bridge them over one band and use the other band for client devices. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Jason Marsh excellent point about the 2 legs of the breaker panel. And on that topic, the two legs aren't split left and right, but alternate A&B down vertically. For testing, you might try an outlet in the same node as the first and/or try multiple other rooms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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