New Netgear wireless n-router is a wimp! (a saga)

[Juan handed]

I picked up a wireless router for a friend and brought it home to test before I set it up at his place.I set it up at my place and unplugged and disconnected my own wireless router.I used the setup CD to configure it to my laptop
while connected to the new wireless router with my Ethernet connection.I have a cable modem and I followed Netgear's prompts as far as the connection and booting process they recommend.

I have a few month old HP laptop with a b/g wireless card,not n.
My friend has the exact same laptop as well.

I initially connected to the interenet wirelessly by removing the ethernet cable and connecting to the wireless router.Everything OK,so far so good.

Then I take the laptop downstairs in the house where I usually use it (wirelessly) and have trouble connecting to the internet.Signal strength reads 'low'.I try running the repair on it thru windows and I keep coming back with the 'low' signal.I take it back to the room where the wireless router is and the signal is 'excellent'.Internet works OK.Go back downstairs and lose the signal again.Try letting windows repair it and still have'low' signal.I shut down the computer,re-boot and get the same.I go upstairs and connect my first router and go back downstairs and everything is fine.Run a pingtest and find I have a 5% packet loss,which is the typical test result I get on my old wireless router.


So today,I hook up the new Netgear router again.I hook up via ethernet cable and run a Pingtest.I get 0% packet loss.Then I hook up to the wireless,about 5 feet from the router and run Pingtest and get a 0% packet loss.I then go in the next room,about 20 feet away run Pingtest and the results are all over the place...some tests come back 0% packet loss,some tests 30% packet loss and everything in between.Finally I lose connectivity altogether.

I repeat the process and get the same results.

Meanwhile the 6 year old D-link router(b/g only) works fine anywhere in the house,although with a consistent 5% packet loss.

The wireless-n routers are supposed to have superior signal strength even with b/g card devices.

What should I do next?

 

[berry120]

I've never used this router personally, but I've seen some that have the ability to change the power settings - you might want to have a browse around in the settings to check whether there's anything there that looks like it might help.

If that doesn't work though, why not connect the two together? You should be able to use a straight ethernet patch cable between the two (if that doesn't work then you might need a crossover cable, but these days you rarely do) and use the wireless for b/g on the old router and use the wireless for n on the new router. Not the neatest of solutions, but hey it gives you a few more ethernet ports and should give you the best of both worlds.

 

[rime123]

try placing it quite high up and away from devices like printers and wireless phones. You could also buy a high gain transmitter which you plug into the back of the router:

Try different channels also on the router settings.

 

[Juan handed]

I've never used this router personally, but I've seen some that have the ability to change the power settings - you might want to have a browse around in the settings to check whether there's anything there that looks like it might help.

If that doesn't work though, why not connect the two together? You should be able to use a straight ethernet patch cable between the two (if that doesn't work then you might need a crossover cable, but these days you rarely do) and use the wireless for b/g on the old router and use the wireless for n on the new router. Not the neatest of solutions, but hey it gives you a few more ethernet ports and should give you the best of both worlds.

I didn't even think about patching the two routers together,I didn't know that could possibly work....However....

....The n routers are all supposed to be backwards compatible with g,it shouldn't be necessary and from everything I can gather the n routers will still give superior signal strength and range even with b/g devices (but not the superior data transfer speeds).

try placing it quite high up and away from devices like printers and wireless phones. You could also buy a high gain transmitter which you plug into the back of the router.

Try different channels also on the router settings.

Actually the old router is on the floor upstairs about 1 foot from a metal filing cabinet (but not surrounded).It works fine.

I placed the new n-router in the same spot,then elevated it,then moved it over a few feet with no change in signal strength.

I changed channel settings away from the default a few times with no help.

 

[rime123]

Not sure if this is much more help but here is something i found:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/wirelesstips.aspx

 

[berry120]

I didn't even think about patching the two routers together,I didn't know that could possibly work....However....

....The n routers are all supposed to be backwards compatible with g,it shouldn't be necessary and from everything I can gather the n routers will still give superior signal strength and range even with b/g devices (but not the superior data transfer speeds).

It depends what it's superior too - you certainly won't get n range / signal strength with the b/g devices as well as the speed, though yes I agree it should probably be as good as the old one. I don't think it should necessarily be better though - and there's every possibility it's just not as good!

The solution of combining the two together should work if you set them up properly - I agree it's not as nice as having just the one running, but at the end of the day if you can't get it going it's a free solution!

 

[Juan handed]

It depends what it's superior too - you certainly won't get n range / signal strength with the b/g devices as well as the speed, though yes I agree it should probably be as good as the old one. I don't think it should necessarily be better though - and there's every possibility it's just not as good!

The solution of combining the two together should work if you set them up properly - I agree it's not as nice as having just the one running, but at the end of the day if you can't get it going it's a free solution!

However...there is more to the story....
...I am testing the unit out,prior to installing it at my friend's place.He actually lives in the 1st story of a 2 story house.People on the 2nd story have a cable modem and told him he is welcome to use it for his wireless router for free (they will probably make use of it also).My old router is also located one floor above where my laptop is usually used,so I thought it would be no problem.I also figured if this new router had superior signal strength I might get one for myself (I am not happy with pingtest results with the old router).

As you can see,I want this to be a "set it and forget it" type of thing.

AND,we have identical laptops,so my tests should be true to his.I like the n-router also for it's future compatibility.

 

[jmacavali]

I wouldn't say his results will be the same. The only way to know how it will be in his house is to take it there and set it up. It's possible there is something interfering with it at your house (and perhaps the old one isn't having the interference). I'd take it there and try it before you just give up on it.

PS. What kind of router is your old one? You might have said already but I missed it or forgot...lol.