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WiFi Indulgence
WiFi Indulgence
I have switched Internet providers to Spectrum. They provided a modem (with phone support) and a separate wifi router (at my request two boxes, no extra charge to do so but $5/mo for the wifi router. Acceptable to me.). Tests out at 100Mb/sec. But their wifi router is not all that fast internally and signal strength is just barely adequate in my front room. So ... I have a cat5 wire running from this WiFi Router located in the back room to the front room. There I have a switch to allow connections to the TV and other devices. I only want to use the wifi on devices that are not close to or able to use a wired connection. Before all of this I purchased an access point and also a supposed high power internally fast wifi router. Both on hand in the box unopened. The access point is not the same brand as the Spectrum WiFi router if that matters. Now the questions: If I connect the access point to the cat5 in the front room can I use it ? What do I need to do to set it up ? Will it have the same SSID ? OR If I connect the fast wifi router to the cat5 in the front room can I use it ? What way would I set this up ? To set it up I need to isolate it from my LAN and plug directly into a laptop to adjust the SSID etc, correct ? The following I really do not know how to do I am just repeating the high level stuff I heard about. So I may be back for more detailed instructions. a) plug it in and use the SSID and password as exists in the fast wifi router. i.e. use a different SSID that the Spectrum setup. b) redo whatever needs redoing in the fast wifi router and the spectrum wifi router to get the same SSID and password ? What do I need to do ? Block certain IPs on the Spectrum and block the Spectrum used IPs on the fast router ? What else ? Really I am asking what is the best solution to get wifi in the front room that is a strong signal ? I have three wifi security cameras there that I want active. Thank you in advance. |
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#2
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WiFi Indulgence
On Fri, 31 May 2019 08:01:25 -0700, Wiffer
wrote: Posted to 4 Windows groups? Seems excessive... WiFi Indulgence I have switched Internet providers to Spectrum. They provided a modem (with phone support) and a separate wifi router (at my request two boxes, no extra charge to do so but $5/mo for the wifi router. Acceptable to me.). Tests out at 100Mb/sec. But their wifi router is not all that fast internally and signal strength is just barely adequate in my front room. So ... I have a cat5 wire running from this WiFi Router located in the back room to the front room. There I have a switch to allow connections to the TV and other devices. I only want to use the wifi on devices that are not close to or able to use a wired connection. Before all of this I purchased an access point and also a supposed high power internally fast wifi router. Both on hand in the box unopened. Sounds like you want an access point in the front room. My choice would be to use your WiFi router for that purpose and return the dedicated access point. A WiFi router can fill multiple roles, while an access point is usually just an access point (while usually costing more). The access point is not the same brand as the Spectrum WiFi router if that matters. Doesn't matter. Now the questions: If I connect the access point to the cat5 in the front room can I use it ? What do I need to do to set it up ? Will it have the same SSID ? If you decide to use the access point, you'll need to check to see what its IP address is. You'll need to make sure it doesn't conflict with anything already on your LAN, and obviously you'll need to make sure it has an address on your LAN. If it's in a different subnet or it has a conflicting address, you'll need to change it. Use an address that's outside of your current DHCP scope, if applicable. You'd connect the access point to a port on your current switch. You'll either use its default SSID, a totally new SSID, or the same SSID as your existing WiFi router. There are pros and cons to each scenario, but all three will 'work'. Be sure to set the proper security protocol (at least WPA2) and WiFi password. Note that the WiFi password is not the same thing as the administration password. OR If I connect the fast wifi router to the cat5 in the front room can I use it ? What way would I set this up ? That would be my choice. You'd log into the router first and set its IP address as described above. You'd disable DHCP, since you don't want this device to hand out IP addresses. You'd set the SSID as described above, as well as the security protocol and password. Once configured, you'd connect an Ethernet cable from your existing switch to a LAN port on the WiFi router. Leave the WAN port unused. To set it up I need to isolate it from my LAN and plug directly into a laptop to adjust the SSID etc, correct ? Correct, and if it has a default address that's on a different subnet, you can let its DHCP server assign an IP address to the laptop, but you'll be disabling DHCP once you connect. If you need to change its LAN admin IP address, be prepared to manually change your laptop's IP address to once again be in the same subnet. You'll temporarily lose your connection until you update your laptop's address. Really I am asking what is the best solution to get wifi in the front room that is a strong signal ? I have three wifi security cameras there that I want active. Are they motion sensing or always on? If always on, that's a lot of wireless data being flung into the air. Pay close attention to which WiFi band (2.4GHz vs 5GHz) and which channel(s) you're using. |
#3
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WiFi Indulgence
In article , Wiffer
wrote: WiFi Indulgence I have switched Internet providers to Spectrum. They provided a modem (with phone support) and a separate wifi router (at my request two boxes, no extra charge to do so but $5/mo for the wifi router. Acceptable to me.). Tests out at 100Mb/sec. But their wifi router is not all that fast internally and signal strength is just barely adequate in my front room. So ... Really I am asking what is the best solution to get wifi in the front room that is a strong signal ? I have three wifi security cameras there that I want active. the best solution not use the isp provided wifi access point at all and instead use a single mesh system for the entire house. put nodes wherever you want the best signal, including in a window if you want to cover the front or back yards. you will then be able to move around from room to room or even outside, while your devices seamlessly hand off between nodes as needed. it's easy to set up and use. the downside is that mesh systems can be a bit expensive. another option, depending on the layout and design of your house as well as cabling preferences, a single centrally located wifi access point that's cabled back to the isp's modem might also work. trying to get the isp's wifi access point to work with a second one from a completely different manufacturer without any issues is not going to be a fun experience, nor will it result in a particularly good setup. |
#4
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WiFi Indulgence
On Fri, 31 May 2019 12:02:50 -0400, nospam
wrote: In article , Wiffer wrote: WiFi Indulgence I have switched Internet providers to Spectrum. They provided a modem (with phone support) and a separate wifi router (at my request two boxes, no extra charge to do so but $5/mo for the wifi router. Acceptable to me.). Tests out at 100Mb/sec. But their wifi router is not all that fast internally and signal strength is just barely adequate in my front room. So ... Really I am asking what is the best solution to get wifi in the front room that is a strong signal ? I have three wifi security cameras there that I want active. the best solution not use the isp provided wifi access point at all and instead use a single mesh system for the entire house. put nodes wherever you want the best signal, including in a window if you want to cover the front or back yards. you will then be able to move around from room to room or even outside, while your devices seamlessly hand off between nodes as needed. it's easy to set up and use. the downside is that mesh systems can be a bit expensive. I read a bunch of mesh reviews recently and came away with the distinct impression that this technology needs to mature a bit more. Poor performance (low throughput, high latency) seemed to be fairly common. I like the concept, but it doesn't seem to be ready. Do you any specific examples that you like? I'd like to go back for a second look. another option, depending on the layout and design of your house as well as cabling preferences, a single centrally located wifi access point that's cabled back to the isp's modem might also work. trying to get the isp's wifi access point to work with a second one from a completely different manufacturer without any issues is not going to be a fun experience, nor will it result in a particularly good setup. Other than the very latest, possibly beta, stuff, WiFi standards are well baked. I've not seen any interoperability issues in forever. It's a non-issue. |
#5
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WiFi Indulgence
In article , Char Jackson
wrote: Really I am asking what is the best solution to get wifi in the front room that is a strong signal ? I have three wifi security cameras there that I want active. the best solution not use the isp provided wifi access point at all and instead use a single mesh system for the entire house. put nodes wherever you want the best signal, including in a window if you want to cover the front or back yards. you will then be able to move around from room to room or even outside, while your devices seamlessly hand off between nodes as needed. it's easy to set up and use. the downside is that mesh systems can be a bit expensive. I read a bunch of mesh reviews recently and came away with the distinct impression that this technology needs to mature a bit more. Poor performance (low throughput, high latency) seemed to be fairly common. I like the concept, but it doesn't seem to be ready. Do you any specific examples that you like? I'd like to go back for a second look. i don't know what you've read, but like anything, mesh systems range from good to bad and everywhere in between. also, things change quickly, so what might have been a not great version 1 is a good version 2 (and in some cases, the opposite). most mesh systems use a dedicated 5ghz backhaul, separate from the 5ghz for devices, so there should be little to no impact on bandwidth or latency. the ones that don't have a dedicated backhaul are generally not good. personally, i like synology, which can work standalone or mesh. that means it's a few more steps to link secondary units than a dedicated mesh system (nothing complex, just link them), but it also means that it's not required. either way, it's a *very* capable and feature packed router. another option, depending on the layout and design of your house as well as cabling preferences, a single centrally located wifi access point that's cabled back to the isp's modem might also work. trying to get the isp's wifi access point to work with a second one from a completely different manufacturer without any issues is not going to be a fun experience, nor will it result in a particularly good setup. Other than the very latest, possibly beta, stuff, WiFi standards are well baked. I've not seen any interoperability issues in forever. It's a non-issue. setting up a single ssid using multiple access points from different manufacturers, especially using both 2.4 *and* 5ghz bands, rarely works well, or at all, and can even be an issue with the same company in some cases. having all the same make also means there is no blame game should there be a need for support. |
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WiFi Indulgence
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#7
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WiFi Indulgence
On Fri, 31 May 2019 13:51:45 -0400, nospam
wrote: In article , Char Jackson wrote: most mesh systems use a dedicated 5ghz backhaul, separate from the 5ghz for devices, so there should be little to no impact on bandwidth or latency. the ones that don't have a dedicated backhaul are generally not good. personally, i like synology, which can work standalone or mesh. that means it's a few more steps to link secondary units than a dedicated mesh system (nothing complex, just link them), but it also means that it's not required. either way, it's a *very* capable and feature packed router. Thanks, I'll take another look at reviews of the technology, especially Synology. setting up a single ssid using multiple access points from different manufacturers, especially using both 2.4 *and* 5ghz bands, rarely works well, or at all, and can even be an issue with the same company in some cases. You're obviously using some undisclosed criteria when making that claim so if I declare it to be nonsense, which it is, you'll disclose the additional criteria which perhaps makes it true to some degree, in some edge case. I don't enjoy playing that game. Bottom line is that most of the WiFi spec is well baked, and Ethernet is fully baked. There are no interop issues and there haven't been for over two decades. I've set up many dozens of systems myself and my colleagues have set up many hundreds more, all with zero interop issues. Anecdotal, yes. Here in the newsgroups that I subscribe to, I've *never* seen anyone reporting interop issues. Likewise for the networking websites that I keep an eye on. Whatever problem(s) you've had may have been of your own making, or perhaps due to defective equipment. It helps to know how to troubleshoot it. having all the same make also means there is no blame game should there be a need for support. Another non-issue. |
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WiFi Indulgence
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#9
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WiFi Indulgence
In article , Char Jackson
wrote: most mesh systems use a dedicated 5ghz backhaul, separate from the 5ghz for devices, so there should be little to no impact on bandwidth or latency. the ones that don't have a dedicated backhaul are generally not good. personally, i like synology, which can work standalone or mesh. that means it's a few more steps to link secondary units than a dedicated mesh system (nothing complex, just link them), but it also means that it's not required. either way, it's a *very* capable and feature packed router. Thanks, I'll take another look at reviews of the technology, especially Synology. both the 2600 and 2200 can work as mesh or standalone, plus synology's user interface is a big step up from the usual webui crap that everyone else uses. the 1900 is decent by itself, but it won't do mesh. setting up a single ssid using multiple access points from different manufacturers, especially using both 2.4 *and* 5ghz bands, rarely works well, or at all, and can even be an issue with the same company in some cases. You're obviously using some undisclosed criteria when making that claim so if I declare it to be nonsense, which it is, you'll disclose the additional criteria which perhaps makes it true to some degree, in some edge case. I don't enjoy playing that game. the criteria is that it's less work if everything is from the same company, especially if they directly support what you're trying to do. simple example: if one router supports 2.4 & 5ghz with the same ssid and the other does not, you're going to have a bitch of a time to get it all working. Bottom line is that most of the WiFi spec is well baked, and Ethernet is fully baked. There are no interop issues and there haven't been for over two decades. I've set up many dozens of systems myself and my colleagues have set up many hundreds more, all with zero interop issues. Anecdotal, yes. Here in the newsgroups that I subscribe to, I've *never* seen anyone reporting interop issues. Likewise for the networking websites that I keep an eye on. just because you haven't had problems doesn't mean nobody else will. Whatever problem(s) you've had may have been of your own making, or perhaps due to defective equipment. It helps to know how to troubleshoot it. nope, and i do. having all the same make also means there is no blame game should there be a need for support. Another non-issue. it can be for a lot of people. |
#10
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WiFi Indulgence
In article ,
Jason wrote: I would suggest to the OP that he purchase a decent modem that's on the Spectrum list of approved models. The monthly rental for Spectrum's will cover the cost of a much better one in less than a year. Check out mid-priced Motorola models. I'm very happy with mine. that too. |
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