My neighbor has her own internet

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kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

My neighbor has her own internet

Post by kevm14 »

Yes, newsworthy. The Cox van showed up and she now has added internet to her TV and phone. I took my trusty Linksys WRT54GL back (the second one).

I was supposed to close on my house on 12/30 but I didn't tell her that got pushed off to 1/16. Interesting that she close today to get her own internet.

I'll probably retire my primary WRT54GL some time after I move and get something with at least N.
Bob
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Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:36 am

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by Bob »

I'll be interested in hearing what you select for a router. I have been thinking about replacing mine for a while.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by kevm14 »

Well the good news is N is extremely mature so I should be alright no matter what I select. However, AC is still fairly new and fancy, and I don't have any devices that support it. And even if I did, having AC on something like a smartphone is totally pointless, imo. Where I may have to be picky is if I end up relying on wireless for my desktop PC. I think I want to put my computer in the bedroom at Stony but I may not want to fish coax or Ethernet up there.
Bob
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Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:36 am

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by Bob »

I am thinking I need to replace my WRT54GL with something else soon. I had to relocate the router from the baby's room, which was the most central place in the house.

Is this overkill? Will it help my range issues compared to the WRT54GL? http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band ... 006QB1RPY/
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by kevm14 »

From an Amazon customer review:
So lesson #1 here is to immediately install the newest firmware available at the Asus website THE MOMENT you unbox your and plug in your router. The firmware update went smoothly after I got the router reset to factory setup and working again, and now it's been working flawlessly for a month.

OK, second weak point - the router, as far as I'm concerned, comes from the factory improperly configured. That is, the default settings in the router hamper its full and proper operation.
I usually go to Newegg and sort by customer rating and go from there.
Adam
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:50 pm

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by Adam »

I have an RT-AC66U. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833320115

Yes the AC is overkill, but it was one of the few options 2 years ago that had 1G ports and dual-band radios that wasn't a total piece of junk. Runs out good, needs firmware update out of the box, although newer ones probably ship with newer firmware. I just checked mine and there is another firmware update available. At least they support it.

Honestly, any N-class router with 1G ports will be such a huge upgrade for you.
Adam
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:50 pm

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by Adam »

Also, the range is good. The 5GHz range is lower than the 2.4GHz range because physics, but compared to the WRT54G I installed at my parent's house the range is much better (from a distance/number of walls perspective).
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by kevm14 »

I'm kind of excited to replace my router. Bought it in May 2007. It was $62. Can't beat that. Greater routers have failed in a much shorter time. Mine still works but I've already verified it's limiting the performance even on wired connections so when I move, I'll upgrade. Not earlier, in case I go to FIOS and end up with some kind of nonsense box that already has a router, which is likely.

I would guess Bob will beat me to it anyway.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by kevm14 »

I do have a spare WRT54GL. I could back up my settings and flash them over to the other one and see if that's the issue. At least to hold me over.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: My neighbor has her own internet

Post by kevm14 »

Tried it. No change. Tried without a router (straight to modem). No better. Lesson learned: if I am getting less than 30-31Mbps, it's not the router's fault. Good old WRT54GL.

Original speed test this evening yielding my complaints:
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4117518791

Won't even stream 1080p youtube.

Connected my spare WRT54GL with identical configuration flashed: http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4117547106
No better.

Straight to the modem: http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4117552719

Back to the backup router just for good test practice: http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4117556868

And back to the original router that I started with: http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4117562805

Time to bitch at Cox.
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