802.11n, not ready yet

Hello,

I posted here my woes with my D-link setup a few days ago, and I thought
I managed to solve my problems, but I did not.

I short: I bought a D-Link DIR-655 router, a DWA-547 (PCI) NIC, and a
DWA-645 (PCMCIA) NIC.

I thought I was smart to use the latest NIC drivers and use the Wireless
Zero Config, but in the end I removed that "new and improved" driver and
installed the older version from the install CD, along with the provided
D-link Wireless Connection utility.

That seemed to work, at least in short range, but as range increases,
problems appear. On boot, the laptop with the DWA-645 usually finds the
network and associates at 300Mbps, the signal being "good" to "very
good". Without moving the computer, the connection is sometimes dropped,
and attempts to reconnect fail. Taking out the NIC and replacing it in
the same or the other PCMCIA slot sometimes fixes the problem
immediately, sometimes not at all. Either the network is found and no IP
is received, or no network is seen at all (mine or the neighbours').

Replacing (hot-swapping) the 802.11n NIC with the older DWL-650G gives
me a 54Mbps connection with a excellent strong and steady signal
anywhere in the house, even on a different floor.

Moreover, when in the same room, the 300Mbps with excellent signal and
WPA2-PSK encryption allows continuous transfers up to 30Mb/sec from a
wired computer through the router, but as range increases, this drops
quickly, with frequent interruptions. Again, the DWL-650G gives me
steady 6-10Mb/sec where the 802.11n adapter is almost unusable.

All in all, I am not too happy with the 802.11n setup, and I am giving
it another chance with the new D-link "extreme N" PCMCIA adapter I
ordered from a friend in the USA a few days ago (not available in
Europe?), but otherwise I am going back to the DWL-4300 router and
108Mbps cards, that gave me full satisfaction up to now.

Lorenzo

Unlike you, I've having a great experience here (but have the newer
draft N pccard and expresscards). I suspect it may partialy be the
difference between the US and European router firmware.

On Wed, 09 May 2007 09:33:29 +0300, Lorenzo Sandini
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I am giving
>it another chance with the new D-link "extreme N" PCMCIA adapter I
>ordered from a friend in the USA a few days ago (not available in
>Europe?)
--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
Expert Zone & Vista Community Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

Hi
Unfortunately I can not offer a solution, just an opinion.
http://www.ezlan.net/faq#MIMO
Jack (MVP-Networking).

"Lorenzo Sandini" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hello,
>
> I posted here my woes with my D-link setup a few days ago, and I thought I
> managed to solve my problems, but I did not.
>
> I short: I bought a D-Link DIR-655 router, a DWA-547 (PCI) NIC, and a
> DWA-645 (PCMCIA) NIC.
>
> I thought I was smart to use the latest NIC drivers and use the Wireless
> Zero Config, but in the end I removed that "new and improved" driver and
> installed the older version from the install CD, along with the provided
> D-link Wireless Connection utility.
>
> That seemed to work, at least in short range, but as range increases,
> problems appear. On boot, the laptop with the DWA-645 usually finds the
> network and associates at 300Mbps, the signal being "good" to "very good".
> Without moving the computer, the connection is sometimes dropped, and
> attempts to reconnect fail. Taking out the NIC and replacing it in the
> same or the other PCMCIA slot sometimes fixes the problem immediately,
> sometimes not at all. Either the network is found and no IP is received,
> or no network is seen at all (mine or the neighbours').
>
> Replacing (hot-swapping) the 802.11n NIC with the older DWL-650G gives me
> a 54Mbps connection with a excellent strong and steady signal anywhere in
> the house, even on a different floor.
>
> Moreover, when in the same room, the 300Mbps with excellent signal and
> WPA2-PSK encryption allows continuous transfers up to 30Mb/sec from a
> wired computer through the router, but as range increases, this drops
> quickly, with frequent interruptions. Again, the DWL-650G gives me steady
> 6-10Mb/sec where the 802.11n adapter is almost unusable.
>
> All in all, I am not too happy with the 802.11n setup, and I am giving it
> another chance with the new D-link "extreme N" PCMCIA adapter I ordered
> from a friend in the USA a few days ago (not available in Europe?), but
> otherwise I am going back to the DWL-4300 router and 108Mbps cards, that
> gave me full satisfaction up to now.
>
> Lorenzo
>
>

The N standard is still very new, so experiences vary, unfortunately.
Also it is *way* more complex than G. It will take the industry some time to
do it right, and for the Wi-Fi alliance to prepare .11n certification tests.

Regards,
--PA

Thank you all for your support and suggestions.

I am quite happy with the router, it's the NICs I am blaming. When using
the older DWL-650G (108Mbps, not MIMO !!!), the signal is strong and
steady, and data transfers from a wired computer to the wireless laptop
are as good as can be expected. As the same spot the 802.11n card only
picks a weak signal, or the signal is rated "good", but transfers are
painfully slow or irregular. Still waiting for my DWA-652...

Jack, on the link you suggested, the section on n-draft starts with
"pre-N Wireless (Aka MIMO)". I thought MIMO was something also intended
for 802.11g networks, allowing some more bandwidth, but not a synonym
for pre-N ?

Does anyone have a good link about the antennas on common wlan routers ?
Structure, how the signal intensity is measured, etc... ? Just out of
curiosity...

Lorenzo





Jack (MVP-Networking). wrote:
> Hi
> Unfortunately I can not offer a solution, just an opinion.
> http://www.ezlan.net/faq#MIMO
> Jack (MVP-Networking).
>
> "Lorenzo Sandini" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Hello,
>>
>> I posted here my woes with my D-link setup a few days ago, and I thought I
>> managed to solve my problems, but I did not.
>>
>> I short: I bought a D-Link DIR-655 router, a DWA-547 (PCI) NIC, and a
>> DWA-645 (PCMCIA) NIC.
>>
>> I thought I was smart to use the latest NIC drivers and use the Wireless
>> Zero Config, but in the end I removed that "new and improved" driver and
>> installed the older version from the install CD, along with the provided
>> D-link Wireless Connection utility.
>>
>> That seemed to work, at least in short range, but as range increases,
>> problems appear. On boot, the laptop with the DWA-645 usually finds the
>> network and associates at 300Mbps, the signal being "good" to "very good".
>> Without moving the computer, the connection is sometimes dropped, and
>> attempts to reconnect fail. Taking out the NIC and replacing it in the
>> same or the other PCMCIA slot sometimes fixes the problem immediately,
>> sometimes not at all. Either the network is found and no IP is received,
>> or no network is seen at all (mine or the neighbours').
>>
>> Replacing (hot-swapping) the 802.11n NIC with the older DWL-650G gives me
>> a 54Mbps connection with a excellent strong and steady signal anywhere in
>> the house, even on a different floor.
>>
>> Moreover, when in the same room, the 300Mbps with excellent signal and
>> WPA2-PSK encryption allows continuous transfers up to 30Mb/sec from a
>> wired computer through the router, but as range increases, this drops
>> quickly, with frequent interruptions. Again, the DWL-650G gives me steady
>> 6-10Mb/sec where the 802.11n adapter is almost unusable.
>>
>> All in all, I am not too happy with the 802.11n setup, and I am giving it
>> another chance with the new D-link "extreme N" PCMCIA adapter I ordered
>> from a friend in the USA a few days ago (not available in Europe?), but
>> otherwise I am going back to the DWL-4300 router and 108Mbps cards, that
>> gave me full satisfaction up to now.
>>
>> Lorenzo
>>
>>
>
>

According to D-Link, the draft N DIR 655 is Draft 2.0 N compatible
with the 1.03 firmware (press release yesterday) and I'm checking to
see if the Atheros driver on Windows Update from 5/6 is the
corresponding piece for the DLink draft N NICs. DLink has stated
that this gear will be 3.0 upgradeable (which remains to be seen of
course, but so far, so good). It is a risk diving off the edge, no
question.

On Wed, 9 May 2007 11:25:18 -0400, "Jack \(MVP-Networking\)."
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Unfortunately I can not offer a solution, just an opinion.
>http://www.ezlan.net/faq#MIMO
>Jack (MVP-Networking).
--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
Expert Zone & Vista Community Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

Pavel A. wrote:
> The N standard is still very new, so experiences vary, unfortunately.
> Also it is *way* more complex than G. It will take the industry some time to
> do it right, and for the Wi-Fi alliance to prepare .11n certification tests.
>
> Regards,
> --PA
>
The 802.11n standard is not quite a standard yet. From the IEEE, status
of the 802.11n project:
http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/1...tgn_update.htm

March 2007, Orlando, Florida, US
TGn Draft 2.0 was approved in the working group letter ballot that was
authorized at the London interim meeting.

Of the 325 eligible voters in this ballot group, 231 voted affirmative,
46 negative, and 28 abstained. This resulted in a 94.2% return ratio,
exceeding the 50% minimum requirement, and a 83.4% affirmative vote,
exceeding the 75% necessary to affirm a draft.

Work now proceeds to the resolution of the 3076 unique comments (1635
technical, 1441 editorial) that accompanied the vote on draft 2.0. It is
expected that the comment resolutions will be completed by September at
which time TGn Draft 3.0 will be prepared and released for a
recirculation ballot.

--
Lem MS MVP -- Networking

To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer

"Lem" wrote:
> The 802.11n standard is not quite a standard yet.

Yep, you're right. We developers believe that the standard
is "almost" closed and nothing keeps us from delivering products -
but there is a true saying that devil is in details....

The users currently have a choice of a. exorcising
these devils in the privacy of their home, b. take the hardware
back to the store... Guess what they prefer.

--PA

Braving the warnings about the 1.03 firmware being only for the US
version of the DIR-655, I upgraded it and restored the settings from a
backup without any problem.

I notice a few differences here and there, such as the ability to more
specifically select the mixture of standards (b/g/n), and the choices of
encryption TKIP and/or AES.

On the DHCP server page, there are apparently new options for
configuring NETBIOS, and an anti-spoof function in the firewall page. In
the advanced wireless settings, L2 isolation can be checked to
associated wireless clients from communicating with each other. I also
noticed the Windows update about the DWA-645 card and applied it, what
do I have to lose anyway ?

All in all, absolutely no difference. With the router upstairs and the
laptop downstairs in the worst spot, I get a 300Mbps with "good" signal
but lousy 1MB/sec with the wireless "n" card, while the "g" card gives
an excellent 54MBps 3-4 MB/sec steady. Go wonder.

Lorenzo



Barb Bowman wrote:
> According to D-Link, the draft N DIR 655 is Draft 2.0 N compatible
> with the 1.03 firmware (press release yesterday) and I'm checking to
> see if the Atheros driver on Windows Update from 5/6 is the
> corresponding piece for the DLink draft N NICs. DLink has stated
> that this gear will be 3.0 upgradeable (which remains to be seen of
> course, but so far, so good). It is a risk diving off the edge, no
> question.
>
> On Wed, 9 May 2007 11:25:18 -0400, "Jack \(MVP-Networking\)."
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Unfortunately I can not offer a solution, just an opinion.
>> http://www.ezlan.net/faq#MIMO
>> Jack (MVP-Networking).
> --
>
> Barb Bowman
> MS Windows-MVP
> Expert Zone & Vista Community Columnist
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
> http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

Don't know what the answer is since my experience is so different.
Is it possible the card is defective?

On Thu, 10 May 2007 22:37:49 +0300, Lorenzo Sandini
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>All in all, absolutely no difference. With the router upstairs and the
>laptop downstairs in the worst spot, I get a 300Mbps with "good" signal
>but lousy 1MB/sec with the wireless "n" card, while the "g" card gives
>an excellent 54MBps 3-4 MB/sec steady. Go wonder.
--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
Expert Zone & Vista Community Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/