What are /r/wifi's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Hey,

• Qualcomm QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Adapter has a 1x1 antenna configuration with 1 spatial stream, which translates to Max PHY rate of 433Mbps on 80MHz channel width when the device is closest to the modem/router and connected to 5GHz band.
• If the device is connected to 2.4GHz band on 20MHz channel width when closest to the modem/router, then Max PHY rate will be 72Mbps (802.11n standard, as 802.11ac only supports 5GHz band).
• Seems like you are using Internet Speed Test that shows up when you search "Speedtest on Google". I'll recommend to try Speedtest Ookla app for Windows 10/11 to test speeds and please share your results. Also, you can try Fast.com (Netflix) to test speeds.
• Please use the below steps to identify your wireless adapters Link speed/PHY rate and share the value please. Whatever your WiFi link speed value is at any give time, the actual throughput(speed) on WiFi is up to 50% of link speed.
  • Open Settings
  • Click on Network & Internet
  • Click on Status
  • Under the "Change your network settings" section, click the View your network properties option.
  • Under the "Properties" section, find the network adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
  • Determine the connection speed in the Link speed (Receive/Transmit) field.

Looking forward to your response. Thank you.

could you do two things for me:

1. check on your phone if you see those SSIDs as well

2. get something like netspot and send me a screenshot of its output (you can dm it to me if you are concerned about your privacy).

500 feet is pretty far for Wifi. If I were in your situation, I would (with the home owner's permission) install a wireless bridge. It would certainly take some work since you would have to run an ethernet cable from the inside of each building to the outside. Also you would have to attach a pole to the house and for the trailer you would have to install a pole in the ground to mount the bridge devices at each end.

You could use a pair of these to make a wireless bridge for $130:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1348249-REG/ubiquiti_networks_lbe_5ac_gen2_us_litebeam_ac_gen2_airmax.html?ap=y&smp=y

Here's a common type of pole to attach to a house: https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-DS-2000-Universal-Antennas-Diameter/dp/B00068YUN4/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=satellite+pole&qid=1599254751&sr=8-3

Unfortunately, getting this configured correctly would require some computer network knowledge.

Let me know if you have more questions, or would like more details about how to set this up. I work with the wireless device I mentioned above every day, so I could instruct you on how to set them up to work.

"I am supposed to have download and upload speeds of 100 mbps"

Not sure where you live and who your provider is, but I'm going to guess that should you look closely at your service contract, it probably says something about "Upto" such and such a speed.

Next as you have stated that your WiFi is slower than your Ethernet and that is correct. There are a lot of factors involved in using WiFi and your speed will take a hit because of them.

Are you using a WiFi router provided by your Internet provider or did you purchase your own?

Are you using the 5Ghz or 2.4Ghz radios on your router?

Have you run any bandwidth tests on your connection, both from a hardwired computer AND from a portable device using the same test parameters to the same testing sites?

Make sure that your router is NOT set to Automatic when choosing a operating channel, you should manually select: 1 / 6 or 11.

You should install an app on your mobile device to see what other WiFi networks are in your area and then choose the channel for your router based on the least used channel that the app finds. Personally I use: https://lifehacker.com/see-how-bad-your-wifi-situation-really-is-with-wifi-ana-1826534324

Some simple things to check: Test using different sites (speedtest.net, fast.com), use a wired connection to your router when testing. Other things you can try. Power cycle your modem and router.

Yes, a hard limit of 90-100 is often a sign that the cable is not capable of gigabit or is compromised and the ports have reduced speed. Changing to a good CAT5e or greater cable is recommended. Avoid the cheap imports for longer runs (20ft+) They cheap out on the copper.

Yes (for the most part) - this can be done by flashing the device with DD-WRT or OpenWRT (or their variants).

Keep in mind that you may run into problems with devices that are expecting to connect to a router that complies with the regulations you mention. There are much better methods of improving wifi performance compared to bringing the device outside its compliance levels.

Is something like this cheap enough? It is a simple wireless access point (not a router). You plug it in to your ethernet cable, configure the wifi and go. It has additional ports to plug wired devices in to.

Probably not worth the expense to get a Wifi-6 router for just one computer; there are plenty of quality Wifi-5 routers available, you will just have to ensure to place whatever you have or buy in the proper location to get the best coverage.

And if you do look for a new router and you want to go with a Wifi-5 router, make sure to look at models that are at least AC1750 rated or better, for example a TP-Link Archer A9 would make a good selection and is relatively inexpensive.

KuWFi 2-Pack 300Mbps Wireless Outdoor CPE Kit Point-to-Point Wireless Access Point 2.4G WiFi Bridge Supports 1KM Transmission Distance Solution for PTP/PTMP (Pre-Program) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F821KRW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_VRKBYG80GV9TQ8XWZAT6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

that is the bridge i’m using. i have tried using a google wifi point and now a netgear router with the same results. i’m not really sure anything to troubleshoot at the moment.

Make certain you purchase outdoor rated Ethernet cable.

I strongly recommend adding an Ethernet surge protector on at least one end of the cable.

Example:
https://www.amazon.com/APC-PNET1GB-ProtectNet-Standalone-Protector/dp/B000BKUSS8/

As for the office end of the cable, I recommend a WiFi Access Point.
https://www.amazon.com/aruba-Instant-Wireless-Access-Point/dp/B07W7CBKZG/?th=1

If you also have devices with an Ethernet port built in, you can also add an Ethernet switch. You would connect the long run cable to the switch, and use another shorter ethernet cable to connect the switch to the WiFi Access Point.

I usually buy a local data SIM. It's much cheaper than paying for data roaming. Then I pop it into this, and it works pretty well. https://www.amazon.com/E5577Cs-321-Hotspot-globally-Unlocked-ORIGINAL/dp/B011YM0OXU I don't understand why you can't connect a VPN on hotel networks though. Any idea?

" Which WiFi should I get? "

Are you asking about which Wifi Router to get?

Because not knowing a lot of information, we can only suggest that you look at Wifi Routers that are in the AC1750 classification OR better.

The TP-Link Archer A9 would be a good model to start with for a reference on what features to look for.

https://smile.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1900-Smart-WiFi-Router/dp/B07NF3K74H/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Archer+A9&qid=1608344446&sr=8-2

Example:

Linksys Velop AC2200 Tri-band Whole Home WiFi Intelligent Mesh System, 2-Pack, Easy Setup, Maximize WiFi Range & Speed for all your devices https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSSUG2H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EZ49BbFQWT880

There are lots of them. just search mesh wifi on Amazon. But I would highly recommend Ethernet over any wifi solutions

I would recommend getting a separate modem and router. For the modem, I would recommend the Motorola MB8600, and for the router, I would get any Wi-Fi 5 router with good range (don't get a Wi-Fi 6 router, wait for Wi-Fi 6E). The TP-Link Archer A7 AC1750 would probably be fine.

The process you mentioned is one way of doing it, though the process is not exactly intuitive. Look in to travel routers like this one from TP Link

Short of getting your landlord to supply you each with your own VLAN/subnet, you may just be best off making sure your devices are secure and password protected. I'd Google "how to secure my [device name]?", where [device name] is Roku, Apple TV, Ring doorbell/camera, etc...

T-Mobile is Notorious for traffic shaping. For this reason only I wonder if you’re being throttled that way.

Sign up for a free trial VPN (like NordVPN or PIA). Try to watch Hulu live on your computer... then try with the VPN app on and compare speeds.

If everything works out you should look into putting something between your google WiFi and MoFi device. So all the house traffic will go through the VPN.

Like this:

GL-AR750 Travel AC Router, 300Mbps(2.4G)+433Mbps(5G) Wi-Fi, 128MB RAM, MicroSD Storage Support, OpenWrt/LEDE pre-Installed, Power Adapter and Cables Included

Pay $4/mo for Private Internet Access VPN and install their software that sets up an "Internet kill switch" that keeps bits from flowing when the VPN disconnects. Then your stuff will be totally encrypted and they won't be able to touch it.

Security is exactly the same.

You can either use the same SSID (the network's name) and password for both APs or use separate ones if you want to be able to choose between networks. Using the same SSID used to be a bit better since devices didn't switch between networks automatically for a small era in WiFi's history. Nowadays your cell phone will switch to the strongest network on its own so having different SSIDs should be better since you could switch manually if your device got stuck on the farthest AP. You could also register a single SSID on a device that will never need to use the other AP.

About omnidirectional APs, you'll get the option to wire the antenna with a coaxial cable to an indoor station. Don't. It's better to get a longer ethernet cable and plug the antenna straight into the AP than extending the antenna connexion which is a lot more prone to signal degradation.

For an omnidirectional AP, I'd recommend a Bullet coupled with an antenna that looks like that. You'll have to choose between 5ghz and 2.4ghz. 5 is faster and gets less interference from neighbors but it has less range. 2.4 has more range but is slower and noisy neighbors will wreck its performance. Other models may offer both frequencies.

To support that many you really need an enterprise network. The setup and configuration can get pretty complicated. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention hiring a consultant. You have a lot of decisions to make regarding what kind of experience you want to deliver versus how much you want to spend. You also have a lot of fine tuning to deal with interference, antennas, and positioning these to reduce noise.

Anyway, this might be a good thing for you. Wifi has two frequencies, 2.4 GHz and 5GHz. 2.4 GHz is the most popular among mobile devices, but there are only three separate channels. Put two access points on the same channel and you will have issues, unless they are really far away from each other. With 5GHz, there are plenty of channels to choose from, 8 if you bind a few together for more throughout (which I would recommend). With what I listed above, these access points do both so you really have 6 different radios running. If you set them correctly with the channels they won't interfere with each other at all. You may also want to get the PoE injector so you don't have to run tons of power cables.

That may get you started thinking...

as /u/ixforres said - you'll need several WiFi AP's (not routers, you only need one of those). You can buy routers and put them in AP only mode, or you can just buy AP's. This three pack would serve you well.

Run Cat-5 to the location for each AP and uplink them to your router. Assign the same SSID to all of them, and spread out the channels. Use only 1/6/11 for 2.4ghz. In broad terms, put your router wifi on channel 1,the next ap on channel 6, next 11 and the last on ch 1 again - such that the two channel 1's can't "see" each other, or if they can it's as weak as possible.

For 5ghz sequential channel numbers don't overlap - they screwed up on the 2.4 when designing it.

It's the only way you're gonna get good coverage.

this cable is in no way specialized, especially not for wifi. You can get any universal adapter (something like this one), as long as it accepts 110V input (which will be nearly all of them sold in your country) and outputs 12V (most of them have a way to set the output voltage). The output amperage should be equal to or higher than 2A.

You have not shown the barrel plug, but i highly suspect it's the wildly common one. So there's a good chance that you have a compatible adapter in your home already, for some small electronics appliance. as long as the voltage matches, the amperage is not smaller and the connector fits, you're good to go.

They make Ethernet adapters for streaming stick devices.

Here is the one we use.

• amazon.com/dp/B07N2ZHFY9/?coliid=I3OTXUDPJXAANF&colid=DCKELH4Q08N2&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Amazon sells one specifically for the Firesticks, BUT, it limited to 100Mb Ethernet, while the one above is can hit 400Mb+ (assuming gigabit connection).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-WPA4220KIT-Powerline-Broadband-Configuration-UK/dp/B01LXOZ4EN?psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=finbarmason-21&linkId=e71d4b0099af4c307e34e73426565589&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

this is a rlly good wifi booster that i use and its cheap as well

Without knowing the size and layout of your place, I wonder if you couldn't get away with a slightly different setup. I'd look at the Asus aimesh.

https://www.amazon.com/RT-AX92U-Pack-Performance-Tri-Band-Routers/dp/B07RBBX5ZW

You put one at the modem, and the second i would put upstairs and see if you get enough wifi coverage that way.

> extender

That's your problem.

Get an external antenna base for your wireless card and get the antennas in a location that isn't buried behind your PC.

Try to move your router to a central spot in the home if possible. Don't hide it in a cabinet or behind a TV- get it up and free of obstruction.

Make sure you have the latest drivers- I think the TX50 uses the Intel AX200 chipset. Search intel for the latest AX200 drivers. Don't use the TP-Link drivers.

It's not surprising. WiFi is subject to interference that a wired connection is almost always immune to. The cause of this could simply be that you have a neighbor streaming an HD movie.

I recommend getting an app that shows you nearby WiFi networks and signal strength such as WiFiman:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ubnt.usurvey&hl=en_US&gl=US

Use that to find out which WiFi channels are in use and adjust the channel settings on your WiFi router to use a channel that is not in use by your neighbors.

This can be done with a WiFi Router or an Access Point.

https://www.amazon.com/aruba-Instant-Wireless-Access-Point/dp/B07W7CBKZG

Also you should add an Ethernet Switch and run an Ethernet cable to every device that has an Ethernet port. Game consoles, PCs, smart TVs, streaming devices.

What router are you using? If it's 2.4GHz only, then getting a 5GHz capable card isn't going to do much good.

If you get a new card, get something with an Intel ax200 or ax210 chipset as well as something with a detatched antenna base like this- https://smile.amazon.com/Fenvi-Wireless-AC-2030Mbps-802-11ac-Miracast/dp/B07DMDZ888

The detatched antenna lets you get the antennas in a location that is less obstructed than behind your PC.

Also, if you get an Intel-based card, download drivers directly from Intel. The drivers (and/or links to download drivers) that come with the cards are crap.

https://www.amazon.com/SpeedTalk-Mobile-Unlimited-Talk-Text/dp/B08HW1L5TB/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Unlimited+Data+SIM+Card&qid=1662578748&sr=8-3

I think this wifi to ethernet adapter can help. But if your extender got an ethernet port now. You can try wire connecting first. Wire connecting is much more stable than wifi.

Wireless Bridge Kit

https://store.ui.com/products/ubb-us

https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-Wireless-RBwAPG-60ad-wireless-duplex/dp/B077992GG3

You could trench a fiber-optic cable between the buildings.

If this because your PC doesn't have WiFi you could try a USB WiFi adapter.

Something like the link below. A big antenna will generally work better than the tiny adapters that don't have a visible antenna. Also try to get a name brand, there are many unknown brands that may not have support.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-usb-wifi-adapter-pc/dp/B08D72GSMS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2R33BJTEUGMZQ&keywords=usb+wifi

So you can either use a regular Wifi Access Point.

Or

You can use a normal Wifi Router, but configure it for Access Point mode.

Or

You can use a Wifi Extender device, but configure it for Access Point mode.

Here are some examples of Wifi Access Point devices. (Please note; I have no personal experience with any of these devices and have not read any product reviews, these are simply devices that I think will work in OP's situation.)

• amazon.com/dp/B07L1QMDKF/?coliid=IWYVQ11WFL53P&colid=DCKELH4Q08N2&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Now while this device looks like a common Wifi Router, it is only a Wifi Access point that happens to include extra wired Ethernet ports and I think this would probably work best, because you get the stronger Wifi signal plus extra added Ethernet ports all in one device.

• amazon.com/dp/B01MR90E3A/?coliid=I25TFYFY3U5PBR&colid=DCKELH4Q08N2&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it This is a Wifi Extender device and typically I make it a point to not recommend them, but this one supports the Wifi Access Point feature that you are wanting; not all Wifi Extenders support the Access Point feature, so you will have to review the product description before buying just to be sure.

And for normal Wifi Routers to use them for Access Point mode, you will have to look at the product manual to see how to configure the settings and to see where to connect the cables. But it is a feature that almost any generic Wifi Router should support in one way or another. Just make sure to use an actual Wifi Router and not some combination Wifi Router + Modem device.

Get a travel router. Connect it to the hotel wired or wireless network, then have all your devices connect to it. Also works well for devices that can't handle hotel/dorm captive portals.

A VPN would mask your public IP, essentially re-routing your traffic through a proxy.

I would also recommend testing out a different router and calling your ISP as I wouldn’t say it’s LIKELY that someone is attacking you, but getting a vpn might rule that out. Try NordVPN for example.

Some adapter like this: https://www.amazon.com.au/DSL008-Splitter-Telstra-Certified-Tel1192/dp/B078WJQFMH/ref=asc_df_B078WJQFMH/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341791758641&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9684222667897754565&hvpone=&hvptwo=&a...

Mesh would only be better because the system coordinates the config automatically. If you figure out the correct settings you don't need this.

Make sure all the APs are set up to use exactly the same SSID name(s), preshared key, and authentication standard. Plan your channel use to avoid overlapping - in the 2.4 GHz spectrum use only channels 1, 6, and 11 and use the same channel for the two APs that are furthest apart. There is less overlap in the 5GHz spectrum. Definitely avoid greater than 20Hz channel width with 4 access points. Use a tool like WiFi Analyser to look at the signal strength of each of your channels close to each access point and in the places where you commonly connect. Depending on how far apart your APs are you likely want to set the radio power lower to avoid your devices changing their minds about which AP to connect to, especially where the crossover points are likely to be where you spend more time rather than just pass through.

Honestly, given some time and experimentation you are likely to do a better job of this manually than a mesh system or many "prosumer" controller managed systems.

Get a better USB WiFi adapter.

Maybe this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MRVJY1G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

or maybe

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-usb-wifi-adapter-pc/dp/B08D72GSMS/ref=sr_1_4

The ethernet connection for each new access point has to connect to your main modem/router. Make sure that the ethernet connections work and that they are connected to where the modem is.

If you have confirmed that each ethernet connection goes from one room to the room with your router and is functional, the only other thing you have to do is set the wireless network name and password on the Access Points to be the same as the one on the modem/router.

Here's a slightly less expensive model of Access Point.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Beamforming-Multi-SSID-TL-WA1201/dp/B08SBXVSF3

> Maybe I'm better off with a mesh-system?

Mesh systems are easy to set up but they compromise on performance to extend the range of the network. Since you are in a multi-dwelling unit, there is very likely to be a lot of usage of WiFi, which means that it's likely the performance will be compromised even further.

Sorry I'm so late in responding. Fair enough. (I'm being facetious here.) Please come and figure out what is wrong. Just for the heck of it I tried the free version of ProtonVPN and got the same result. Initially a good speed and then at some point drops to a pitiful crawl. The only thing I stream is an occasional Youtube music clip so I'm not using much data. I just have no idea what it is. But I'm just grasping at straws. We've got a 4 year university at my town. Maybe I can get one of the CS students to come over and see if they can figure it out. By the way, I"m going to cross post to the r/isp and see what they say. Thanks.

I did mean wi-fi booster, sorry! Link Ran an ethernet cable from it to fix the issue. Internet is still oddly slow even hardwired to the booster which is odd but it's stable. 80mbps atm versus other devices 450mbps+.

I never knew that those channels did that, thank you!

I did not try putting the TPlink in bridge mode because then I'd only be able to use the ethernet ports right? I did try hooking up my laptop with a Cat6 cable directly to the TPlink (in both router mode and access point mode) but that has a few caveats. First, I'm using a USB 3.0 to ethernet adapter, and my laptop is 6 years old at this point so it only has 1 USB 3.0 port. I was not able to get more than 250Mbps with the direct USB-to-ethernet connection, and that is also when I tried connecting my laptop directly to the Verizon 5G modem via ethernet as well. I did try all 3 of my USB ports but results were all the same.

I did upgrade my laptop's wifi to the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 card, but it still only has the two antenna hook ups (main and aux) as the one it replaced. Speeds did get faster after the upgrade and both my laptop and iphone 12 are consistent in speeds when I'm hooked up to the different routers/bands. They both max out at ~750Mbps when connected to the TPlink and they both break 1Gbps when connected to the Verizon 5G router.

amazon is your best friend

TPLTECH Router Adapter Replacement for Comcast Xfinity Motorola/Arris Surfboard Netgear Linksys Asus TP-Link Docsis Cable Modem WiFi Wireless Router UL Listed 6.8Ft Power Supply Cord https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVJ256D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PZ2MYR2QE1JSF6DZA5AK

This would work perfectly for your situation:

TP-Link AC750 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router(TL-WR902AC) - Support Multiple Modes, WiFi Router/Hotspot/Bridge/Range Extender/Access Point/Client Modes, Dual Band WiFi, 1 USB 2.0 Port https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01N5RCZQH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_80A57FE440WMHV66H2BV

Yeah, you might look into getting antenna extension cables, so that you can move your antenna up higher, etc.

Here are a couple of examples.

These are actual extension cables - amazon.com/dp/B07X2YNM5R/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?pd_rd_i=B07X2YNM5R&pd_rd_w=k8Kbj&pf_rd_p=0c758152-61cd-452f-97a6-17f070f654b8&pd_rd_wg=s58pI&pf_rd_r=6VP9RAPK62G0NKMK8BMM&pd_rd_r=9df68f4b-a80d-43c2-bee6-96c79cfcde34&s=pc&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNTlRQ1A5MDFOQUkwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODAxNzg4M1YyVlk2Rk9JMk4ySCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzQ2MjI4MTY4UVdUNEVUREZRUSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

These are extension cables with an antenna base array as part of the setup. - amazon.com/dp/B00RKB9UVW/?coliid=I34PFHIVZMZN28&colid=DCKELH4Q08N2&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Something like the above examples might fix your reported problems, but you would need to verify what kind of antenna your Wifi adapter uses to make sure you get a compatible extension.

NETGEAR Wireless Access Point (WAX214)| WiFi 6 Dual-Band AX1800 Speed | 1 x 1G Ethernet PoE Port| WPA3 Security | Create Up to 4 Separate Wireless Networks |Ceiling and Wall Mount https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08NSM2GBJ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_ET80BRM7XVVSC0GDGBCR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

> I have 3 IT certifications

3 IT certifications and you don't know that the wired Ethernet spec cable limit is 100m - 300 feet?

https://www.amazon.com/Maximm-Cat6-Ethernet-Patch-Cable-Yellow-High/dp/B08M8J245C/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2ZTA09N320VKK

And standing next to a WIFI access point minimizes the potential for interference and gives a better indication of it's true speed capabilities, and reduces variables.

And you never said how far your PC was from the router anyway, so if any of those certifications included training on how to write a problem report, you should demand your money back.

And your attitude won't get you any more help anyway.

> And second I wanna play online games with it

So you are trying to give WIFI to a device that doesn't have WIFI but does have USB? And you are sure you have WIFI available where the device is? Assuming you are reasonably close to the real WIFI router the cheapest USB WIFI thing you can find will probably work. Generally the bigger the antenna the better it will work.

Like this:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-usb-wifi-adapter-pc/dp/B08D72GSMS/ref=sr_1_18_sspa?crid=SCH2ZIP4BZ14

or from eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133779735157?epid=26040774587

Tp-link and everyone else are coming out with new less-expensive wifi 6E routers in the next couple months, so personally I'd wait for those if you want the best performance. If your fiber company is anything like mine, anything would be an upgrade over the stock router, so if you have to get something in between time without spending too much maybe one of these?

How much wifi signal is around you? If you have a cellphone check out WiFi Analyzer. Might be as easy as changing the channels on the devices.

> our router gets 15Mbps at the most

Hopefully this means internet speed not LAN speed.

BPL might be worth a look for your situation. They are around $100 last time I checked.

It’s really hard to recommend routers and sometimes you have to try to find one that ticks some boxes but not all.

This router is often recommended on BTs forum for those on a budget.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08DVGFRXW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tplinkwifi-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B08DVGFRXW&linkId=2ba8acb63e2f5c32e3353af3f5206076

It’s very basic and might not have the coverage of the BT router but that’s reflected in the price.

I’ll come clean and let you know I’m kind of involved in a voluntary way with Netduma. They do a range of routers under the Netgear Nighthawk gaming routers. There is the XR500 which is a wave 2 WiFi 5 router and the XR1000 WiFi 6 router. They also have their own router the R2 which is a wave 1 AC router but it’s wifi is not as good as the other 2 options. All these have great QoS and the ability to see and chose the server you want to play depending on the game. That’s unique to them too.

There’s also others like Asus but I don’t know their routers that well to be honest.

My main network is Unifi which to be honest is nothing to right home about but that will soon be replace.

Is your property large or modest?

Yeah those reviews are all complete nonsense. If you have the adapter installed and enabled and the correct drivers, its then up to your router being configured correctly as far as channels and channel width etc to get the most perormance for your situation.

That being said, I would 100% return the usb stick and buy a proper replacement internal wifi card like this if you want the best performance.

Usually they all end up meeting up at one location joined together with one or more splitters.

A MoCA 2.0 bridge kit should be able to achieve 200mbps quite well.

You will need one MoCA adapter for each room where you want a network connection.

Example product:

https://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-MoCA-Network-Adapter-Ethernet/dp/B088KV2YYL

you probably just need to do something like this http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/19249/how-to-assign-a-static-ip-address-in-xp-vista-or-windows-7/ as a work around anyway

that is the place to check anyway to make sure it matches with how your network is setup

There can be number of reasons. So did you check again from other speed test sites like https://fast.com or speed test from google?

Are you connected wirelessly or via lan?

It can be temporary so check all these, and provide details if still happening.

>My device is only around 1 year old, A Dell G5000.

If I'm not wrong this is a Dell G5 Gaming Desktop, correct? If not, can you please clarify?

I'll recommend a few things to try before we conclude that "Qualcomm QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Adapter " is bad here and needs replacement.

• From the screenshots you shared, seems like you are running Windows 10 or is it Windows 11? Also, which browser are we using for running speed tests?
• Also, what is the speed of your internet plan?
• What smartphone you have and what is the speed test result on it when using Fast.com or Ookla Speedtest app when you are in the same room as the modem/router?
• Have you checked Dell's website to make sure you are running the latest driver for "Qualcomm QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Adapter"?
• Also, what is your comfort level of running Windows in Safe Mode with Networking mode, as well as booting your computer from a bootable Linux USB stick?

Looking forward to your responses. Thank you.

Hi techtein and thank you for your detailed response. I used Fast.com and I got around 60-65 mb/s on average, and I my link speed says this "433/433 (Mbps)" without quotes. I am now wondering if its possible to replace my wifi chip. Suggestions? Thank you again.

P.S. I was using ethernet attached to extender before with the 200 mb/s speeds but I vaguely remember also getting much higher speeds connected to the main wifi wireless.

https://www.speedtest.net/result/9284298033

These are the results from my speedtest done seconds before the writing of this comment. I apologize if I posted in the wrong sub, but I am getting pretty irritated with this issue so I could be reacting rashly. I have attempted to to download using other services such as the xbox app and battlenet app and the speeds are the same (usually within a range of 800 KB/s to 2.4 MB/s). If there is a better place to ask this question I would appreciate some directionm.

Thank you for taking the time to respond

Sounds like maybe it is using WDS? Try a powerline Wifi extender.

This is the one I have, though it's a few years old: https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Powerline-802-11ac-Gigabit-PLW1000-100NAS/dp/B01B5CTRGE/ref=sr_1_1

Yup. A device like this would work. Or just go on Amazon and search for repeaters/extenders/mesh wifi. The more expensive stuff with dedicated wireless backhaul will perform better, but if your internet service is slow, it wont help there.

Not sure of how much more help I will be able to offer.

But if you can provide the exact Brand Names and model numbers of your phone and your Wifi Router, then maybe someone here can look and see what might be the problem.

Also, you might look into installing a Wifi Network scanning app onto your phone and see what channels the Router is broadcasting on and other settings.

For Android/Google Play devices, I like using - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en

This would work.

Yup I agree with you that you've probably narrowed it down to a bad switch. It's never happened to me with those basic kind of dumb switches where I got a dud, but anything is possible. Look at my amazon history, I've bought 4 of these ones and 1 of these and they all have normal gigabit 940Mbps lan throughput and the full 500 for my internet.

A good next troubleshooting move would be to buy one of those off of amazon and give it a go and return it if you have the same issue, then you'd know its not your wires or your switch and possibly some issue with your ap.

Also this is the switch that I have. It’s fairly cheap, but is a better one needed?

TP-Link 5 Port Gigabit Ethernet Network Switch | Plug and Play | Desktop or Wall-Mount | Plastic Case Ethernet Splitter | Fanless | Traffic Optimization | Unmanaged (TL-SG1005D) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_82ZJ1K7VRBQHDT7HRV3Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I am telling you it is not 5 gHz capable, or rather GSMarena is. Having had the same internet provider does not mean nothing has changed on the wifi side. could you check in your WiFi routers configuration page if 2.4 GHz WiFi is enabled?

thank you for yor explanation, it helped a lot. If you see three different WiFi names on your phone this just means that he has put up three different networks. they might very well merge together and leave the house as a single connection, therefore a single account (in the sense that only one internet bill is being issued to that household).

Now why would one do that? Maybe there are different access points distributed over the house to increase coverage and they are named differently to make it easier to connect to the right one in a given location. Maybe they operate at different frequencies to balance the load of the clients. maybe there is one that passes trough a vpn to bypass geoblocking to acces foreign netflix. I am not saying this is what is being done, but there are certainly legitimate reasons for there being three networks. If you want to get to the bottom of it, i suggest you install inSSIDer (for Windows) and check if all the networks are indeed the same strenght and channel. maybe even send me a screenshot. if this does not satisfy you you can use ekahau heatmapper (for windows) to map out the apartment and find out where the wifi devices are located. If you have done that and need help interpreting the results, feel free to post here

so since you don't understand what those numbers actually mean;

what is your actual problem?

Like; if you didnt know how to go to speedtest.net or fast.com; would you still have made this post?

is any of your equipment malfunctioning?

Did you read the contract yet?

What? Is? Your? Problem?

Do any of your routers allow you to separate the 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz frequencies?

WiFi

The below Speedtest is what I just got from my iPhone connected to my 5ghz

https://www.speedtest.net/result/i/3541585568

Can you confirm that your WiFi devices at the time of testing were definitely on 5ghz?

I have a gaming computer which I usually test on. I have tested my wifi speed with my computer and on my phone. Both I tested with https://www.speedtest.net/ (Ookla.)

With WIFI My phone and computer tested roughly the same (only off by 1 or 2 Mbps) on download and upload.

I also tested with ethernet and it went up dramatically from like 9 Mbps to roughly 70 Mbps.

I knew that I would get way higher with ethernet, but I have to drag a cord through the hall to get it to my computer witch is not practical. So that is why I was wondering if a newer router would get me a higher speed with WIFI.

I'm really not knowledgeable on any of this, just doing some basic research before making any decisions. This is one of the routers I was considering, and it's listed as tri-band 802.11ac. No mention of .11ax anywhere in the data sheet, so that's what threw me off.

And thanks for confirming the RJ ports aren't a possible solution. I skimmed over some things about people converting their ports, but didn't get deep into it because, like I said, it's not something I was interested in tackling any time soon.

I appreciate the help.

> There is no tri-band in 802.11ac

This is correct, though there are tri-radio APs/routers out there that have multiple 5GHz radios. If you really wanted to get in to semantics, you can call the UNII-1/2/2a/3 divisions of 5GHz "bands"...

Some of these tri-radio units have the ability to use a dedicated radio for mesh backhaul. Arris makes a unit like this, but sadly the software on it is a hot mess (you need an android or iPhone app to configure, you have to create an Arris account, you can't change the internal IP address range, and the list goes on...). It's sad because these could be an awesome solution for home mesh.

What about this one?

https://www.amazon.com/GL-iNet-GL-E750-OpenWrt-WireGuard-Installed/dp/B08JP7YWPR/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?keywords=OpenWrt+Router&qid=1636853009&qsid=145-6977648-8692353&sr=8-15&sres=B01JOXW3YE%2CB07GBXMBQF%2CB07ZQ4VJM7%2CB01FJ4S9JK%2CB0779...

Another option might be a Raspberry Pi or a Pi Zero with a battery hat (a Pi Zero would need a USB Ethernet dongle or a Ethernet hat)

https://www.amazon.com/Pisugar-Portable-Lithium-Raspberry-Accessories/dp/B07RC649ZC

you'd of course need two wifi cards to let you connect to the two networks simultaneously. then you'd also need some sort of bonding tech. you could roll you own, but if you are not too inclined on doing that speedify offers such a service.

Have you looked into the cheaper netgear wifi routers that you can hack and replace the core OS with a more powerful OS? For some reason wrt5 comes to mind. You can do some pretty robust stuff on a $50 router that you can only do with an expensive Cisco router

Edit: DDWRT https://dd-wrt.com/

Who is your internet through, what is the make and model of the modem/router your ISP issued you?

What is the make and model of the extra router you bought?

reason I ask is the router you bought could be used with your modem/router as your WiFi AP. In some cases your bought gear may have better features that the ISP issued gear especially if your walmart router has external antennas = more range.

So what you would do is turn off the WiFi in your modem and use the WiFi from your walmart router. Turn off DHCP server in your walmart router so your modem handles that (you dont want IP storms).

A side note: The Walmart router could also be upgraded with custom firmware to make it do things that the high tier commercial grade routers do also..

Look at DD-WRT and in their router database put in your walmart routers model number and see if it's usable.. https://dd-wrt.com/support/router-database/

You could, but it's easier to just put an AP in. Not a router mind you. Many routers however can be put into AP only mode.

Software like this: http://www.mhotspot.com/ can do what you want. Never used this one myself though.

"bars" are arbitrary, and change between device manufacturers. What matters is a number called RSSI, which stands for received signal strength indication. Those numbers represent how well your device can hear your Wi-Fi access point.

RSSI is a negative scale, starting at zero and going down. To get a usable Wi-Fi signal you usually want to be above -70 or -75. Something in the -60s is good, -50s is better and -40s or above is usually too high.

If you're using windows, you will need some Wi-Fi analyzer app to be able to view the actual RSSI number. There are a bunch of options, but I like Netspot. With a Wi-Fi analyzer you'll also be able to see which channels are in use around you, and other Wi-Fi information.

Oh, and Netspot has a good article on what RSSI is and what it means.

I think you have it backwards: https://www.netspotapp.com/help/noise-level/

Other 802.11 devices are considered interference, noise is any non 802.11 RF on the same channel.

What OP should really be looking at is channel utilization at the AP.

Edit: unless ruckus defines noise difference it then Aruba or CWNP.

Can you see what the actual channel utilization is inside the ruckus UI? Noise is the consistent background level of RF, if another wifi AP is utilizing the RF it will cause utilization, but my understanding was that would not count as Noise?

Also if you have consultant noise at -83, depending your adapters receive sensitivity it might consider the channel busy the entire time, and can only send data much less often then it could if there is no noise. A wifi device will only transmit when it considers the channel clear, so if you have consistent noise above a certain threshold when the devices tries to send, it will wait for its next opportunity.

See here: https://www.netspotapp.com/help/noise-level/

Other WiFi networks are not considered noise, but rather interference.

Netspot makes a free heatmapper which is decent at triangulating WiFi sources. If you have a laptop running MacOS or Windows and about 15-30 minutes to walk through the house you can probably find where the signal is originating.

https://www.netspotapp.com/netspot-windows.html

According to my contract I should be getting 100 mpbs.

I've done a couple tests on the internet before using my wifi connection and got quite a bit less. I've never done a comparison with being plugged like you suggested so I did one just now on. I did it on fast.com. Wired into the modem, I got 91 mpbs (When I asked for additional info it gave me this - Latency 6 ms, Loaded 14 ms, upload speed 84). I tested with the router on a couple times and and got 59 (for additional info - Latency: Unloaded 14 ms, Loaded 25 ms - upload 83 mbps) but even the test took longer, with one time I tried even timing out and suggesting I wasn't connected at all. So I think the router is definitely the problem....

Please note the Speedtest or fast.com test your connection to a particular server on the Internet. So that doesn't always give the entire story. You need to know what the connection speed of your PC is to your AP.

Open CMD and run this command - >netsh wlan show interface

What does it say in these sections?

Radio type : 802.11ac

Receive rate (Mbps) : 1300

Transmit rate (Mbps) : 877.5

Signal : 82%

These will tell a lot about your issue on the PC.

netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid
Will let you see all the SSIDs available and what channel they're using.

Unless you've given out your passphrase, you shouldn't see the odd devices. You should change your passphrase to get rid of the other devices. MAC filtering will only slow down honest people as it's really easy to spoof the MAC on many device types. And, uh, don't put the new passphrase on the fridge. LOL!!

If you're paying for the service and they aren't you should make sure any Ethernet cable plugged in to your box is your cable. Think of your bandwidth as a water pipe. You can only push so much water through that pipe at a time. The more things trying using that pipe, the less water each device can push through. So yeah, the more devices connected and using the bandwidth, the less each gets.

​

> But is there a way to get the actual password?

Reset the wifi password by restoring the defaults. reconfigure a new WiFi password when you reconfigure the APs.

> The hex is 64 characters long and it's WPA2.

You aren't going to crack that:

• https://howsecureismypassword.net/

> Or is it just possible to see the password directly on the XP laptop like you can on Windows 7/8?

You are entering into the realm of hacks and quacks on this one. There is no safe and secure way to do what you want on WinXP. Proceed with caution.

Its going to be way easier to ask them to set a new password for you. Someone is going to need to know it sooner or later anyways.

i highly doubt that a VPN would fix anything. but there are plenty of VPNs out there with free trials, why dont you just try it? Might i suggest Proton VPN?

Would it be possible for you to install some equipment in a location that can reach the base station's signal better than your PC can?

Probably something you forgot was connected or 1 device has a virtual interface adding an extra Mac. Use the tool linked below to lookup the manufacturer of each MAC address. Warning, sometimes results are of a parts supplier to the company who made the full product - Fairly common with cheap laptops.

https://www.wireshark.org/tools/oui-lookup.html

Extenders suck. If you have the network cable in place, buy an actual wireless access point (not a router - Wi-Fi only like this). Configure it with the same SSID and password as the Wi-Fi on your router.

Have you considered any of the various thin and flat Ethernet cables that are designed to be easily hidden along baseboards and moldings?

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Ethernet-Cable-White-Flat/dp/B07GZL9BDX

Cell phone radio signals travel in line of sight. They can also be reflected. If the metal building is in the line of sight from you to the cell tower, it will block the signal. And since the metal building also can reflect cell signals, the signal from a distant tower could be reaching you instead of from a closer tower. Reflections from the building, along with direct signals from the same tower that is being reflected, could be reaching you but slightly out of sync. The phone is confused by all the signals until you get far enough away AND force it to re-think what tower it is using. I would suspect turning airplane mode on then off (forcing a re-detection of cell towers) might do the same thing as restarting the phone.

Basically you have the same problems as if you were on a city street surrounded by tall buildings.

You could try a cell phone booster. Get one with a directional outside antenna, mount the antenna as high as possible, and point it directly at a tower you have line-of-sight to. There are apps that will map out what towers are around you, and I think some will even map which one you are using.

Something like this, but be sure it is compatible with your carrier and the type of service in your area:

https://www.amazon.com/Verizon-Booster-Repeater-Amplifier-Extender/dp/B09DV297RP

If nothing else get some WiFistands and some cheap lighting tripods and move the APs to more optimal locations during testing. Or even use one of these kits with a spare AP to lower your client/ap ratio as a temporary setup (given you have a spare network jack).

OK, now I'm confused. I'll try again.

The EAP265HD will work with the TL-POE4824G, a 802.3at or a 802.3af compatible injector.

The EAP660HD will work with a 802.3at PoE injector or a 12V power brick, presumably one like this (i am not endorsing this product, brand or store, it is just the first image that popped up that i thought might help explain)

The EAP660HD will most likely suffer catastrophic failure if you try to power it with the TL-POE4824G.

I hope this clears it up.

Does WiFi work in your room, such as on your phone? Have you considered a $25 WiFi USB dongle? A large external antenna works best, and you can move it around to get a better signal with a USB extension cable.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-usb-wifi-adapter-pc/dp/B08D72GSMS

These cover up to 4k sq ft and include the filtering, screen time and down time controls that you need. Only £99 for the 3 pack which I have running in my home. I have 3 kids, each of their devices are assigned to their profiles, I can view their internet history and pause their internet access when I’m bored and want to entertain myself :)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NH1J543/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_VJY0W85DYW6NDK67SF7M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

If you are insisting on WiFi over a cellular hotspot, you could either use a travel router with an external battery pack, a lot of them run off USB power.

This is what I use in hotels, it can be configured a lot of different ways, it comes with OpenWRT: https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-ar750s/

Or build your own with a Raspberry Pi in a case with a battery. There are a number of cases that hold the Pi and a battery.

https://www.amazon.com/PI-TOP-DIY-Raspberry-Internal-Integrated/dp/B08N6B8M1H/ref=sr_1_6

Battery + LTE/5G + WAN is going to be tough to find in a single package. I don't know of one, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

The Netgear Nighthawk M5 has a LAN port, battery and 5G backhaul, but no wired WAN port.

Cradlepoint has a number of offerings with both LTE and wired WAN, but no battery. Ruckus has a similar offering in their M510 AP.

I found this on Amazon though it seems like kind of a hack solution.

At that distance, you need a very directional antenna. An extender won't cut it. You could get a pair of directional antennas and put them on off-the-shelf access points, but the price would be no different from the dish APs I linked above.

Just an FYI, Unifi has a horrible return policy. Try getting it from Amazon so you can try it out. This could be a good kit and it even includes the surge protectors.

I could be wrong, but I think the only difference for Intel comes down to the m.2 form factor that is used (M.2 2230 vs M.2 1216). Most of the other manufacturers of the full size pcie cards just adapt the Intel m.2 to pci-e and include antenna leads to the back of the slot (see the older MSI Dual Band AX 200 for reference). You could just pick up the Intel card and pop it into an empty (and compatible keyed) m.2 slot on the motherboard if you already had antenna leads, but unfortunately I don't believe Intel has a desktop kit for the AX210 like they did for the AX200.

This just went on sale, do you think this one is good?

Motorola MB8600 DOCSIS 3.1 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0723599RQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?tag=slicinc-20&ascsubtag=2357b788fa4411ebba7f02d4353d21bf0INT&smid=A1JCDPLP2335KA&psc=1

"NordVPN ~~experts~~ Marketing warns..."

This is about the FUDiest PR I've read in a long time.

Know what also encrypts a users PII? SSL via HTTPS. Use a decent browser that will warn you when submitting info unsecured.

I am wondering if this might meet your needs. TP-Link Omada AC1200 Wireless Gigabit Outdoor Access Point | Business WiFi Solution w/ Mesh Support, Seamless Roaming & MU-MIMO | PoE Powered | SDN Integrated | Cloud Access & App (EAP225-Outdoor) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07953S2FD/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glc_fabc_D3BNCD144J3DMW8NTCB6