Anyone recommend a router?

My friend lives in an old Victorian house in London. It has three floors and
a basement. They are using a Belkin F5D 7630-4A router and are constantly
getting dropped connections and wireless in only two floors, none on the top
floor or in the basement. It is a few years old. He is looking to buy a new
wireless router but before doing so would like some recommendations on a
home router that has a signal strength that will reach all floors through
thick brick walls, a big ask I know! Anyone any ideas?
Thanks
Tony

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:48:44 +0100, "Tony Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>My friend lives in an old Victorian house in London. It has three floors and
>a basement. They are using a Belkin F5D 7630-4A router and are constantly
>getting dropped connections and wireless in only two floors, none on the top
>floor or in the basement. It is a few years old. He is looking to buy a new
>wireless router but before doing so would like some recommendations on a
>home router that has a signal strength that will reach all floors through
>thick brick walls, a big ask I know! Anyone any ideas?
>Thanks
>Tony
>

Maybe add a (wired) access point to the top floor? If wiring is
completely out of the question, try a repeater to extend the range of
the wireless.... might have to try several locations. Also,
directional antenna might help.

--
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

Thanks for those suggestions Charlie Any ideas? on a good router?
Tony
"Charlie Hoffpauir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:48:44 +0100, "Tony Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>>My friend lives in an old Victorian house in London. It has three floors
>>and
>>a basement. They are using a Belkin F5D 7630-4A router and are constantly
>>getting dropped connections and wireless in only two floors, none on the
>>top
>>floor or in the basement. It is a few years old. He is looking to buy a
>>new
>>wireless router but before doing so would like some recommendations on a
>>home router that has a signal strength that will reach all floors through
>>thick brick walls, a big ask I know! Anyone any ideas?
>>Thanks
>>Tony
>>
>
> Maybe add a (wired) access point to the top floor? If wiring is
> completely out of the question, try a repeater to extend the range of
> the wireless.... might have to try several locations. Also,
> directional antenna might help.
>
> --
> Charlie Hoffpauir
> http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:34:48 +0100, "Tony Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>Thanks for those suggestions Charlie Any ideas? on a good router?
>Tony

I actually don't think the brand matters a lot. I have a Linksys
WRT54G that I use to network my computers (wired and wireless) and a
Netgear WGR614, refurbished that I bought for $15 to network my
(wired) Tivos, and they both seem to operate fine in both wired and
wireless. The service thch that repaired my transmitter for my
Hughesnet service said that the Linksys was a much better router,
though.

--
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

Thanks Charlie
"Charlie Hoffpauir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:34:48 +0100, "Tony Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>>Thanks for those suggestions Charlie Any ideas? on a good router?
>>Tony
>
> I actually don't think the brand matters a lot. I have a Linksys
> WRT54G that I use to network my computers (wired and wireless) and a
> Netgear WGR614, refurbished that I bought for $15 to network my
> (wired) Tivos, and they both seem to operate fine in both wired and
> wireless. The service thch that repaired my transmitter for my
> Hughesnet service said that the Linksys was a much better router,
> though.
>
> --
> Charlie Hoffpauir
> http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

Tony Williams wrote:
> My friend lives in an old Victorian house in London. It has three floors and
> a basement. They are using a Belkin F5D 7630-4A router and are constantly
> getting dropped connections and wireless in only two floors, none on the top
> floor or in the basement. It is a few years old. He is looking to buy a new
> wireless router but before doing so would like some recommendations on a
> home router that has a signal strength that will reach all floors through
> thick brick walls, a big ask I know! Anyone any ideas?
> Thanks
> Tony
>
>

Charlie's suggestion of a wireless AP on the top floor connected by
Ethernet cable to the main router is the most reliable way of achieving
coverage. See this write-up from MS-MVP Jack:
http://www.ezlan.net/Distance.html

Alternatively, Buffalo makes a wireless router, the WHR-HP-G54, that has
a built-in signal amplifier. I assume this is available in the UK.
Here's a US mailorder link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162134

The fallacy I see with this device is that communication must be 2-way
-- it does you no good if the wireless adapter in your computer can
"hear" the transmission from the router if the transmitter in the
computer's adapter is so weak that the router's receiver can't "hear"
its corresponding transmissions.

Buffalo touts some of its adapters for use with the above router, but
but I can't find anything that suggests that the adapters themselves
have an RF amplifier.
http://www.buffalo-technology.com/te...gy/high-power/

Most of the "name brand" home WiFi device manufacturers (Linksys,
Netgear, DLink, Buffalo, Belkin) have models that are supposed to extend
range. Generally, you need to buy both the router and the adapter from
the same manufacturer and in the same "family." Read the descriptions
carefully, including footnotes and asterisked comments.

Finally, most of the name brand also have "pre-N" or "draft N" devices,
which refers to the yet-to-be-ratified 802.11n standard. These devices
also are supposed to be faster and longer range, but also will only give
these advantages when paired devices from the same manufacturer are
used. Further, they are not "guaranteed" to comply with whatever
finally becomes the 802.11n standard. Barb Bowman, a frequent MS-MVP
poster here, often recommends the D-Link DIR-655 Draft N router.

It's difficult to know if any of these solutions will help in your
particular environment without actually buying them and trying them out.

--
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

Hi
I would start with one unit of this, and then if needed add more units
either with cables, or forming a WDS Network.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buffalo-AirS.../dp/B000E1R3C8
Why? http://www.ezlan.net/buffalo.html
Jack (MVP-Networking).

"Tony Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> My friend lives in an old Victorian house in London. It has three floors
> and a basement. They are using a Belkin F5D 7630-4A router and are
> constantly getting dropped connections and wireless in only two floors,
> none on the top floor or in the basement. It is a few years old. He is
> looking to buy a new wireless router but before doing so would like some
> recommendations on a home router that has a signal strength that will
> reach all floors through thick brick walls, a big ask I know! Anyone any
> ideas?
> Thanks
> Tony
>

Thanks Lem really useful tips
Tony
"Lem" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Tony Williams wrote:
>> My friend lives in an old Victorian house in London. It has three floors
>> and a basement. They are using a Belkin F5D 7630-4A router and are
>> constantly getting dropped connections and wireless in only two floors,
>> none on the top floor or in the basement. It is a few years old. He is
>> looking to buy a new wireless router but before doing so would like some
>> recommendations on a home router that has a signal strength that will
>> reach all floors through thick brick walls, a big ask I know! Anyone any
>> ideas?
>> Thanks
>> Tony
>
> Charlie's suggestion of a wireless AP on the top floor connected by
> Ethernet cable to the main router is the most reliable way of achieving
> coverage. See this write-up from MS-MVP Jack:
> http://www.ezlan.net/Distance.html
>
> Alternatively, Buffalo makes a wireless router, the WHR-HP-G54, that has a
> built-in signal amplifier. I assume this is available in the UK. Here's a
> US mailorder link:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162134
>
> The fallacy I see with this device is that communication must be 2-way --
> it does you no good if the wireless adapter in your computer can "hear"
> the transmission from the router if the transmitter in the computer's
> adapter is so weak that the router's receiver can't "hear" its
> corresponding transmissions.
>
> Buffalo touts some of its adapters for use with the above router, but but
> I can't find anything that suggests that the adapters themselves have an
> RF amplifier.
> http://www.buffalo-technology.com/te...gy/high-power/
>
> Most of the "name brand" home WiFi device manufacturers (Linksys, Netgear,
> DLink, Buffalo, Belkin) have models that are supposed to extend range.
> Generally, you need to buy both the router and the adapter from the same
> manufacturer and in the same "family." Read the descriptions carefully,
> including footnotes and asterisked comments.
>
> Finally, most of the name brand also have "pre-N" or "draft N" devices,
> which refers to the yet-to-be-ratified 802.11n standard. These devices
> also are supposed to be faster and longer range, but also will only give
> these advantages when paired devices from the same manufacturer are used.
> Further, they are not "guaranteed" to comply with whatever finally becomes
> the 802.11n standard. Barb Bowman, a frequent MS-MVP poster here, often
> recommends the D-Link DIR-655 Draft N router.
>
> It's difficult to know if any of these solutions will help in your
> particular environment without actually buying them and trying them out.
>
> --
> 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

Thanks Jack
Tony
"Jack (MVP-Networking)." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi
> I would start with one unit of this, and then if needed add more units
> either with cables, or forming a WDS Network.
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buffalo-AirS.../dp/B000E1R3C8
> Why? http://www.ezlan.net/buffalo.html
> Jack (MVP-Networking).
>
> "Tony Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> My friend lives in an old Victorian house in London. It has three floors
>> and a basement. They are using a Belkin F5D 7630-4A router and are
>> constantly getting dropped connections and wireless in only two floors,
>> none on the top floor or in the basement. It is a few years old. He is
>> looking to buy a new wireless router but before doing so would like some
>> recommendations on a home router that has a signal strength that will
>> reach all floors through thick brick walls, a big ask I know! Anyone any
>> ideas?
>> Thanks
>> Tony
>>
>
>

Radio waves are radio waves. They all use more-or-less the same power
because it is a "standard" and is regulated by the FCC. The brand should
not matter much although Linksys tends to have performance problems with FTP
transfers,..but then that has nothing to do with the wireless component.

Dipole antennas do not transcieve well vertically,..they are built to work
horizontally. You might improve it somewhat by turning one mast so it is
horizontal and leave the other one vertical. Other than that you need to
just add more WAPs,...perhaps a WAP on two of the floors with the "router"
on the floor it is on. Connect the WAPs to the "router" via hardwire.


--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------

"Tony Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> My friend lives in an old Victorian house in London. It has three floors
> and a basement. They are using a Belkin F5D 7630-4A router and are
> constantly getting dropped connections and wireless in only two floors,
> none on the top floor or in the basement. It is a few years old. He is
> looking to buy a new wireless router but before doing so would like some
> recommendations on a home router that has a signal strength that will
> reach all floors through thick brick walls, a big ask I know! Anyone any
> ideas?
> Thanks
> Tony
>