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Dogen posted:Much like everything else Apple, it costs more, is slower (well, maybe this is unfair to other apple products, but generally the airport line has less favorable throughput on wireless, doesn't support jumbo frames etc.), and less customizable, but it JUST WORKS. Which is pretty important in home networking gear. Yep. I can stream Netflix while talking on Ooma without issue. That's good enough for me.
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Feb 21, 2012 01:54
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Have had very few complaints about Airport Extreme routers over the years. Great find.
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Feb 21, 2012 03:37
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Dogen posted:less favorable throughput on wireless Are you sure about that?
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Feb 21, 2012 20:22
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NOTinuyasha posted:Are you sure about that? Well, I'm basing that on a smallnetbuilder article from not too long ago. As it is, I don't think there's a lot of difference to the end user unless you are copying a ton of huge files all the time.
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Feb 21, 2012 22:27
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I posted some time ago about having a NAS directly connected to my PC via gigabit ethernet while my PC uses wireless. I've turned on Internet Connection Sharing in Windows 7 but it doesn't seem to be working. In Control Panel > Network & Internet > Network Connections, the LAN says 'Unidentified Network' How can I get this setup working?
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Feb 22, 2012 01:20
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Is your NAS expecting a DHCP-assigned address? I'm not sure the Windows 7 PC will do that. You might need to set up a static IP on it.
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Feb 22, 2012 01:22
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Yeah, that's what I thought. Moving the NAS downstairs so I can plug it into the router. Will fiddle around with settings there.  EDIT: Nope. Still displays 'Unidentified Network', even though I could access FreeNAS' web interface just fine from router. Have set a static IP. Odette fucked around with this message at 01:50 on Feb 22, 2012 |
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Feb 22, 2012 01:32
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Tried setting up a bridge instead? Sometimes ICS just doesn't work.
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Feb 22, 2012 03:00
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Going to buy a gigabit switch tomorrow, easier that way. Thanks anyway!
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Feb 22, 2012 03:11
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I've been having a shitload of trouble recently and I'm beginning to lose my goddamn mind here. I live in an old house with three other people. We have a cabled Zyxel P-660R-D1 router from the ISP. We can't do anything about that, because it's tied to our plan. We used to have an old D-Link DI-524 router hooked up to it as an access point, but it was limited to /g and slow. Also, the signal was bad enough that I could never reliably connect to it, while the three others could, so I had to resort to tethering most of the time. I looked around and got a D-Link DIR-615(H1) to replace it. Problem is that, while I can now connect, it keeps kicking us off randomly, all of us, for short periods of time. I'm the go-to computer wiz in the house by virtue of being the only male and having a slight interest in computers, so naturally they're getting peeved that I can't magically fix it. I loving hated networking when it was all coax cables and I'm not getting any fonder of it now that it's wireless magic airbeams. I thought I had fixed the problem yesterday by fidgeting with the setup a little. I corrected the router's clock, set it to WPA2-PSK-, AES- and /n-only, and reserved spots for each computer's MAC. The problem persists. What I'd like to do is set it up so we can all be connected reliably, preferably at high speeds. I don't really care about protection beyond a passkey. Any helpful thoughts?
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Feb 22, 2012 14:50
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SplitSoul posted:Any helpful thoughts? So many things could be going wrong, but I'd start by making sure you have the latest firmware installed. You can find that out by heading over to D-Link's support page for your router.
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Feb 22, 2012 15:41
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Vaginal Engineer posted:So many things could be going wrong, but I'd start by making sure you have the latest firmware installed. You can find that out by heading over to D-Link's support page for your router. It's running v8.00, but there's apparently a v8.01 out. I'll give that a shot. In the meantime, are there any obvious things to try if that doesn't help? Could we be booting each other off when it's assigning IPs, for example? Assume that I'm a total mongoloid when it comes to this stuff, because I basically am.
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Feb 22, 2012 16:21
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Edit: Also at posting.
SplitSoul fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Feb 22, 2012 |
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Feb 22, 2012 16:27
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SplitSoul posted:It's running v8.00, but there's apparently a v8.01 out. I'll give that a shot. One thing to note, always use a wired connection when updating firmware. The obvious things to try are unplugging everything and plugging back in as well as checking if you have any devices (microwave, cordless phone, etc.) that might be causing interference (check if your drops are associated with the use of such devices). Another thing you can try if you have a bunch of networks in your area is to download this and then change to a channel where the interference is smallest. (Wherever you access the advanced wireless settings on your router, there should be an option to change the channel.) If none of this works you can try installing the custom firmware DD-WRT. The process will sound a little intimidating and you could totally brick your router, but the next recommended step after this is to buy a new router, so you might as well try.
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Feb 22, 2012 17:25
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I would be very grateful if someone could take a look at my problem here. I will try to explain as good as network novice can: The problem: -The connection between my iMac and Airport Extreme is very very slow. -Loading webpages takes a long time. -I can not play BF3 or SW Old Republic and even World of Tanks sometimes due to lag. -Copying files to and from the iMac to the NAS or anything else takes a long time. -Problem exists both in OS X and Windows Vista (through bootcamp). My gear: -An Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS) router connected to the modem. -An 2010 iMac connected to the Airport Extreme by wireless 5Ghz .n-net. (15-18' away with open doors) -Several other items connected to the router by wireless 2.4-5Ghz g & n-net. (Ps3, iPhone, Macbook) My setup: -The AEBS router is connected to the modem by ethernet cable. -The NAS is connected to the router by ethernet cable. -The router has a guest-network for visitors. Seldom more than one or two connected to this at any time. -I have set the AEBS router to have both a 2.5 and 5 GHZ net. -I have set the AEBS router to "Configure IPv4 with DHCP" (What is this?) -I have set the AEBS to "Share a public IP-adresse" (What is this? Should this be distribute a series of IPs?" -I do not understand NAT. This just sais "Activate NAT-portsomething". Troubleshooting: -Restarted both router and modem. -I have ran tests from the ISP to my modem, which reports no faults on the modem. -I have updated the firmware on the Airport Extreme to 7.6.1 -When I download larger files from the internet through the modem and directly into the NAS I get the full 10-12 mb speed I pay for. -When I copy a large file from my iMac to the NAS over the wireless it peaks at 12 mbit/s. -When I test I make sure no other items are either turned off or active. I hope someone has some hints or tips on how to solve this. I'm sorry if I've spelled some settings wrong as it's all in another language and I had to translate it to what I think it would say in english. EDIT Reposted this problem in Haus of Techsupport instead as it might be a bigger/different problem. iSimian fucked around with this message at 10:25 on Feb 23, 2012 |
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Feb 22, 2012 23:08
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How do I install DD-WRT/Tomato on a WNR3500L? There's a billion guides out there and I really don't want to brick my router. EDIT: Installed. I have a problem with my network at the moment. I have a main PC connected via ethernet to a WRN3500L (at 10.0.0.1), which has my NAS server. That router does not have access to the internet. If I want to get on the internet, I have to disable the ethernet in Windows 7 and enable the wireless adapter which connects to a different router downstairs. How can I have access to both of these at the same time? EDIT2: Or should I just try client bridging through the WRN3500L? Odette fucked around with this message at 09:29 on Feb 23, 2012 |
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Feb 23, 2012 08:46
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Is there a "go to" place for structured cable? I am getting ready to retrofit cat6 throughout my house (2 story, probably 8 drops) and I started out thinking that I'd just pull some cat6 through where there is existing RG6, but when I started thinking about the actual mechanics of it, it would be better to just buy a spool of 1xRG6 with 1xCat6. I don't have enough room in the pre-drilled in-wall headers and footers (have to go through both for the second story drops) to get anything larger through. So is there a "best" place to buy structured cable? VVV That's what I'm finding, doesn't look like 1xRG6/1xCat6 is really common. I've used 2xRG6/2xCat5 before, and that's much more common, but far too big to fit through my existing runs. Looks like I may end up bundling them manually. meatpimp fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Feb 23, 2012 |
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Feb 23, 2012 14:17
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At this point in time, honestly I would not do structured cabling. They charge you a premium (thinking you're that a contractor that is just going to pass the cost on to the customer) for it, and coax as an in-house delivery method seems to be going away. U-verse, for example, can be deployed exclusively over CAT5 or better. If you do want to run coax and cat5 bundled, i would probably buy separate spools and bundle them or even better run them separated by a foot or two. That way you can get the best deal on coax, or at least not overpay for crap coax.
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Feb 23, 2012 14:22
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I have a Motorola SBG6580 with firmware 3.3.0 which was given to me by Road Runner when I upgraded my service. It's a total piece of poo poo and reboots itself over and over when I saturate the upload, support can't figure it out, they replaced it and it still happens. This model apparently has firmware issues all over so I want to replace it with my own DOCSIS 3.0 modem. I don't care about price and it needs to be able to operate as a bridge. Any suggestions?
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Feb 23, 2012 14:36
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Vaginal Engineer posted:The obvious things to try are unplugging everything and plugging back in as well as checking if you have any devices (microwave, cordless phone, etc.) that might be causing interference (check if your drops are associated with the use of such devices). Another thing you can try if you have a bunch of networks in your area is to download this and then change to a channel where the interference is smallest. (Wherever you access the advanced wireless settings on your router, there should be an option to change the channel.) I've tried unplugging, resetting and all that a bunch of times. There also aren't any obvious sources of interference, nor does it appear to be tied to the use of the microwave in the next room. I get a few other home networks and routers on the list of available ones, but they'd have to be situated in other buildings and their signal strength is very low. Like I said, the old router worked pretty flawlessly in the same exact spot, I just couldn't connect to it reliably myself, probably due to a weaker signal and having a brick wall in the way. I'll give the channel switching a try. I'm almost positive the problem is due to it being set up incorrectly, but I suppose its firmware could be total poo poo compared to the old one's even though it's the same brand. Was my earlier IP assignment hypothesis impossible, by the way?
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Feb 23, 2012 14:55
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SplitSoul posted:I'll give the channel switching a try. I'm almost positive the problem is due to it being set up incorrectly, but I suppose its firmware could be total poo poo compared to the old one's even though it's the same brand. I can't imagine what about it being set up incorrectly would have the symptoms you're describing. However, lovely routers or lovely firmware frequently have these symptoms. For example, one thing that could be going on is that your router is overheating or just having trouble under load. Wireless networking is incredibly fickle, which is the inspiration for the thread title. Your IP hypothesis is unlikely, since the whole purpose of the router is that it handles that stuff nicely. You could also try putting it back to basically default settings (no password on wireless, no MAC filtering, etc.), but it probably won't work.
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Feb 23, 2012 17:28
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Can anybody recommend me a wireless access point? (I'm using pfSense with a SuperMicro board as my router) The device that uses the wireless 95% of the time is my iPad 2 and I will be buying an iPad 3 (most likely) when it's released. The other devices are: PS Vita (just purchased) iPhone 4S (5% of the time) iPhone 4 (rarely uses wireless) Nintendo Wii (barely ever used what-so-ever) I'm thinking I want an 802.11n 2.4 GHz device with dual-band (for older 802.11g devices but I may not even need that) I'd also like decent range even though my current house is fairly small but I'll be moving soon. The Apple Airport Extreme sounds nice especially since the iPad is really the only wireless device I use. Right now I'm using a Ubiquiti NanoStation Loco2 but it seems to have terrible range...
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Feb 23, 2012 17:29
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If you have the money and don't want to get balls deep in tweaking network configuration stuff, the Apple AEBS is a pretty reliable piece of hardware.
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Feb 23, 2012 18:07
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Oh, I don't mind at all messing with networking configuration. My router is pfSense running on a SuperMicro board in a 1U rack case and my switch is a Dell PowerEdge 24-port managed switch... (I only mention this to let you know I enjoy messing with the smaller enterprise grade equipment) Is there something better than the Apple access point but more difficult to configure or something?
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Feb 23, 2012 19:07
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I meant more in the sense that you don't have as many options to play with, which some people seem to want. Personally I have been very happy with the performance of my dual band AEBS.
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Feb 23, 2012 20:33
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Does anyone know if I can get a NS5 Loco and configure it to act as a Wireless N access point? I think I can by just turning off some AirMax feature but I'd like to know for sure before I buy it. And can I use it with my NS2 Loco that I already have installed, set to the same wireless specs, to create a full 802.11/b/g/n network on both 2.4ghz and 5ghz??
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Feb 24, 2012 02:00
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Vinlaen posted:Oh, I don't mind at all messing with networking configuration. I run a Mikrotik RB751 and have exactly zero complaints with it; the wireless signal goes clear into another building easily. The web interface configuration isn't really that complex, there are just more features than you would ever need. You should get the G version if you care about gigabit ports - I'm pretty sure either way it's cheaper than an AEBS.
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Feb 24, 2012 02:10
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Vinlaen posted:Right now I'm using a Ubiquiti NanoStation Loco2 but it seems to have terrible range... Isn't this the small version of the Nanostation with an integrated semi-directional antenna? Their product names are so confusing but if it's the one I'm thinking of then I can't see any reason to use that as an AP for a home setup. For what it's worth I have a Picostation M2 HP which is omni-directional and it covers my entire flat with full bars everywhere, and has never cut out or needed rebooting. Gism0 fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Feb 24, 2012 |
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Feb 24, 2012 03:14
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How feasible do you see it being to obtain a ~3.2 mile (give or take a few hundred feet) connection with latencies sub 300, minimal packet loss, and just general reliability? Without giving too much detail, I have a structure at one end that is approximately 120 feet high. The other end is my home. A distance calculator via google maps indicated that it was 3.212 miles. There are four "obstructions" that could potentially interfere. 1.) 800 feet away from the tallest point is a rise in the landscape. The rise is approximately 70 feet (treeline). Given the slope of 120 feet over 3.12 miles, this should not interfere at all, but I am not certain. 2.) A manufacturing plant is approximately 4600 feet from my home. It has a few smoke stacks but they are >15 degrees from LOS. Smoke/manufacturing plant stuff may interfere with my signal. 3.) The signal will pass over water (a substantial river) twice. Approximately 15 percent of the distance is over water. I read somewhere that water + wifi is bad. 4.) There are standard city power lines in my back yard. I read that power lines and wifi was bad. Given the 0.3 degree slope, I do not foresee any obstruction. The power line is 50-60 feet away from my home. If I mount the m5 20 feet in the air, it would require a 11.* degree slope to hit the line. Given that we're using a 0.3, the antenna will be pointed 10 feet below the power lines at intersection. Is 10 feet enough? At the aforementioned tree line, I'll still be 30ish (guess) feet above the tallest of the trees. Option 1: 2x Ubiquiti Bullet M5. 2x Ubiquiti POE's. 2x 5ghz Parabolic grid antenna. Option 2: 2x Ubiquiti Nanobridge M5. For Both: 1000 ft UV Cat5e from Monoprice. I'll be using DD-WRT'd Linksys routers on both ends. Essentially, I want to be able to connect to my home network from a remote location. The availability of internet in the (tallest) location is nill and I have 35 meg internet at my home. If I could sustain a ~15 meg throughput with little/no loss, I'd be happy. I'm tired of paying Verizon 50 bucks a month for 5 gigs of bandwidth. Possible?
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Feb 24, 2012 08:06
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It's doable, you will need to aim antennas carefully. You have about 120 dB of path loss over a ~5100 meter run at 5 GHz in free air. Napkin math: the Nanostation you posted will do 23 dBm (200 mW) output power. Stack that up with the 22 dB you get from the antenna, minus connector loss and you've got about 45 dBm. Pull the 120 dB path loss off and you have signal levels of -75 dBm. It'd be marginal. You may need to get something with a little more gain or power. The other setup would be better - 26 dBi antenna + 25 dBm source = 51 dBm, minus the 120 dB for path loss, gives you about -69 at the receiving end - better, but still not great. It should sustain a link, though. Cabling losses and all of that will take those numbers down a bit, too. The downside is that antenna beamwidth (literally the angular width of the most powerful signal it emits or receives) is inversely proprtional to antenna gain. So that 26 dBi antenna, if its gain is accurate, is going to be a bit of a laser. You're going to need to aim these very accurately at both ends. Doable, but it will take a team to aim them (one person at each antenna with radio or conference call, one person at a computer watching signal strength at each end also on radio/conference). Unfortunately this is one of those situations right on the cusp between "you can do this yourself" and "you might need to get a Dude out there". If you want to experiment and have the ability to return some of the gear and upsize if needed, go for it - it will be a fun project. Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 10:47 on Feb 24, 2012 |
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Feb 24, 2012 10:43
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Jonny 290 posted:Napkin math. With the cat5e, would it not be lossless already? The amount of coax cable is (I think) 4 inches. That is why I chose POE adapters, to avoid the loss. That would suck if it is not lossless.
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Feb 24, 2012 11:25
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No, you're spitting data over cat5, that's not the issue. At 5 GHz, signal loss is _extremely_ high in even short runs of cable and connectors. You should expect that each connector in the chain chop off, oh, 0.1 to 0.5 dB of signal. Even that short run of cable has 0.1 dB or so of loss in it. Plus, the connections at each end of that cable, from the coax itself to the connector, have a small bit of loss. I mean all told it's probably hacking like 1 dB off of your signal strength, but just be aware of it.
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Feb 24, 2012 11:59
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Jonny 290 posted:No, you're spitting data over cat5, that's not the issue. Hell. That's good to know. Thank you.
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Feb 24, 2012 13:00
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I never remember how this works but Jonny seems like a smart guy, but shouldn't you try and figure out the fresnel zone for the projected link too? I can't picture off the top of my head exactly how close those smoke stacks or trees are to the direct line of sight, but if you're pushing the limits of your radios as is the added interference might be enough to kill the link?
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Feb 24, 2012 18:25
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The smoke stacks, at intersect, are approximately 60 feet from direct LOS. There are no trees that break LOS, but the signal does pass over a few. Googling how to figure out the fresnel zone. I'm unfamiliar with how to do it. Edit: Elevation at the desired point is 730 ft. Elevation at home is 633 ft (613+20). Tallest intersection is 626 ft, approximately 1 lateral mile from my home (In that damned plant). Fresnel zone clearance at radius is in between 16-17 feet. I'm thinking that I'll either need to put a WHOLE lot more power to this, to decrease the fresnel zone radius, or I need to switch to 2.4ghz, and hope that it is not overcrowded. Edit2: Actual height of structure (according to google earth) is 682. Home is 640. This leaves a 0.142 degree slope. Given the new calculation, I believe that I will have >60% FZ impedance.  gently caress.
Ration fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Feb 24, 2012 |
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Feb 24, 2012 18:50
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2.4 ghz should have less loss in cabling and through the air as long as there isn't a lot of moisture in the air. I don't know where you live, how often it rains, or what comes out of that smoke stacks, but I don't know if blasting 2.4 ghz through pillars of steam is going to help unless it's much more powerful. You won't have to worry much about overcrowding with your laser-like antennas attenuating everything not directly in their LoS. What is the fresnel zone for 900mhz? And just because there's poo poo in your zone doesn't mean it's harmful. That's why I was hoping someone who knew this poo poo better would chime in. Ninja Rope fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Feb 24, 2012 |
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Feb 24, 2012 21:27
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Ninja Rope posted:What is the fresnel zone for 900mhz? The 5GHz shot with parabolics should work fine. It's going to be fussy to align but the info you've given indicates a decent LOS. 2.4GHz will have a bigger fresnel zone, be more susceptible to water interference, have half the available bandwidth and is likely to be crowded as poo poo. Happily, both equipment types are pretty dang cheap for a simple point-to-point shot. Here's hoping the 5GHz stuff works right out of the box.
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Feb 25, 2012 01:10
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I'm considering getting a router to replace my old WRT54GL running Tomato. The WRT54GL does what I need, but I've had it for at least 3 years so I'm starting to worry about it crapping out soon and I'd like to upgrade my network to N speeds. Here's what I'm looking for:
Based on the OP and skimming through the thread, it looks like the Linksys E3000 and the Netgear WNDR3700 would both fit my needs. Is there another option I've overlooked? If not, since the E3000 seems to have some possible overheating issues, I'm assuming the Netgear would be the better choice of the two?
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Feb 25, 2012 01:11
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chizad posted:I'm considering getting a router to replace my old WRT54GL running Tomato. The WRT54GL does what I need, but I've had it for at least 3 years so I'm starting to worry about it crapping out soon and I'd like to upgrade my network to N speeds. I just replaced that exact setup with an Airport Extreme and I'm liking it a lot so far.
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Feb 25, 2012 09:57
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chizad posted:... I have an E3000 and I'm not too happy with it. Heat is definitely an issue as I've had to prop it up to assure decent airflow underneath the router but it still gets hot. I haven't noticed any lock-ups yet, but performance isn't the best to be honest and I can't imagine that all that heat is good for the equipment. As I've also heard good things about the Netgear, I'd suggest trying that. I also use Devolo powerline adapters with good/decent performance to link my HTPC to the rest of my network.
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Feb 25, 2012 12:08
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