[SOLVED] Best wifi router for my situation (from list)

[Dasa]

Hello guys,

I am thinking of buying a cheap wifi router to boost my signal range as cables are out of the question and I am confused as I have newer models that claims to better than older ones and I have older high power models that worked well as High power (high power wifi adapter saved my life), I can't tell if older high power router is better than a newer model non-high power routers or not, for the models mentioned of course (only concerned with the models I have here).

Here is what I have:

My main PC (furthest from router) wifi adapter: TP-link TL-WN7200ND (high power USB adapter 150Mbps)
My main PC OS: win7 32bit but will be changing to win 10 64bit in a month
Other clients: 2-3 mobiles with very light use and a second PC with light use and 360p youtubing sometimes
My router is a 4G modem/router: Huawei B612-51d (ISP firmware has no option to change wifi channel, I own the router)
The distance: Distance between main PC and router around 100 feet (30 meter) (everything else comes in between)
Obstacles: 2-4 reinforced concrete walls with and a narrow corridor (2 walls if you consider wifi going through corridor but wifi is not centered to corridor but close)
My internet speed: 20-40 Mbps ping to ISP 12-18 (depending on location and time), might upgrade to fiber 100Mbps in 6+ months.

Problems:

1. Signal quality has spikes (dips) reaching -83 dBm but average is -60 dBm (max 53 minimum 83) (see attached pic1)
2. No wifi reaching mobile phones at the end of the distance (100 feet) and week signal middle of the way
3. Lots of neighbors (see attached pic2)
4. Cat5/6 cable to reach half way is out of the question
5. 4G router works best at current location (not best speed but best ping to foreign servers, ping to ISP is the same, no clue why)
6. Limited budget but I have no problem buying the most expensive on my list

Goal:
Reaching better and more stable dBm at main PC and allowing phones to connect there.

Required:
Connecting a second router to 4G modem/router through short Cat cable through WAN port and use second wifi router signal to cover home after disabling wifi in ISPs router

Available options:
TP-Link C6 - AC1200 ($45)
TP-Link TL-WR941HP ($44) (High power)
Tenda AC7 ($41) (New Tech)
TP-Link TL-Archer C60 - AC1350 ($39)
TP-Link TL-WR841HP ($34) (High power)
Tenda AC6 ($34) (New Tech)
TP-Link TL-Archer C50 - AC1200 ($30)
Tenda F9 ($28)
TP-Link Archer C20 - AC750 ($26)
TP-Link TL-WR940N ($26)



Pic1:

Pic 2: (my router from main PC, furthest, with high power adapter)

 

[kanewolf]

Based on the competing WIFI you show, you won't get good performance. Have you tried powerline network adapters?

 

[bill001g]

The older routers to a point run better in poor conditions. This has nothing to do with power really. It is they are using a simpler data encoding. You can't really compare unless you factor in the difference in speed.

Do not fall for the marketing crap. There is no such thing as a "hi power" router it is marketing hype. Maybe they should put sticker on it that say "gamer" or "turbo" that will make it better right?

The power output is limited by the government and most routers put out close to the legal maximum.

The problems tend to be your end devices and not the router. They have tiny antenna and do not put out maximum power. So in many cases the signal can get to the device but it does not have enough power to send it back.

Still as mentioned above you have massive competition for radio bandwidth. You likely have very close neighbors that I suspect have multiple wifi sources. Some of the competing signals are actually stronger than your router.

You are using 40mhz channels which greatly increases you exposure. You could try running at 20mhz but with that massive amount of other people I suspect nothing is going to fix your wifi problems.

 

[Dasa]

Based on the competing WIFI you show, you won't get good performance. Have you tried powerline network adapters?

When I changed to my high power adapter I moved from not even connecting to wifi to good-very good level connection, I don't know why changing router to a newer model wouldn't solve the problem, my situation is not extremely bad, a stronger signal router should change things, not cable perfect of course but I want to avoid not so good routers.

Powerline adapters are not without problems, they work for some and don't work for others and when they don't work the result are horrible sometimes, same circuit breaker and not with lots of confusion there, home powerline quality, how many home appliances connected, etc... I don't want to throw money down the toilet just to try this technology then regret not using that money to buy a better router.

I wish I could be able to try it before buying but I can't.

The older routers to a point run better in poor conditions. This has nothing to do with power really. It is they are using a simpler data encoding. You can't really compare unless you factor in the ....

I liked the high power line because the high power adapter that I use is probably the best wifi adapter I ever used, it really sees far, not necessarily connect to everything but regular wifi adapters barely see a few signals from close rooms, the list of wifi signals that it catches is even bigger than what I posted but mostly appear and disappear, it is not a hype in this case, maybe you mean in routers it is a different story? VW car manufacturer fooled the world with their fake emissions, who knows maybe some router exceeds limits? well I hoped to find people who tried some of these routers or the hi-power ones maybe.

Anyway I have to buy one of these so I have to pick one hype or no hype it could still work better than others for different reasons, I have no other option.

I will give the bandwidth a try and see, thanks for thinking of that.

 

[kanewolf]

Powerline adapters are not without problems, they work for some and don't work for others and when they don't work the result are horrible sometimes, same circuit breaker and not with lots of confusion there, home powerline quality, how many home appliances connected, etc... I don't want to throw money down the toilet just to try this technology then regret not using that money to buy a better router.

I wish I could be able to try it before buying but I can't.

The best you can do is use a retailer with a liberal return policy.

As @bill001g said, "high power" is a marketing term only. The output power is limited by national regulations.

 

[Dasa]

The best you can do is use a retailer with a liberal return policy.

As @bill001g said, "high power" is a marketing term only. The output power is limited by national regulations.

If I am going to buy one I will be buying it overseas and there won't be any return policy and I have no one around me to borrow it before buying it, plus decent ones are above my budget!

I thought this is wifi forum not powerline forum lol

What is the top router/s I listed in term of coverage based on user experience? no one here knows? 🙁

 

[Ketchup79]

Your graph shows only 2.4 range, which is obviously very cluttered. Do you devices support 5 GHz?

 

[Dasa]

Your graph shows only 2.4 range, which is obviously very cluttered. Do you devices support 5 GHz?

No, the older CPE did, this one does not, doesn't even allow channel changing and all my wifi adapters don't support 5GHz I guess

Edit: But 5GHz is not for longer range or wall penetration . 2.4 GHz is

 

[Ketchup79]

No, the older CPE did, this one does not, doesn't even allow channel changing and all my wifi adapters don't support 5GHz I guess

Edit: But 5GHz is not for longer range or wall penetration . 2.4 GHz is

FYI: I stream from a video server all the way across the house (through walls) on 5 GHz with one of these:

AC1900 Wireless MU-MIMO Gigabit Router

AC1900 Wireless MU-MIMO Gigabit Router

www.tp-link.com

and one of these (on the server):
https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-adapters/a6210.aspx
All while the wife and kids are busy using their wifi phones and tablets around the house.

 

[Dasa]

FYI: I stream from a video server all the way across the house (through walls) on 5 GHz with one of these:

AC1900 Wireless MU-MIMO Gigabit Router

AC1900 Wireless MU-MIMO Gigabit Router

www.tp-link.com

and one of these (on the server):
https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-adapters/a6210.aspx
All while the wife and kids are busy using their wifi phones and tablets around the house.

What kind of walls do you have? concrete reinforced with steel or wood?

I saw this router on site I will use but is like $75, almost double the price of most expensive one I listed 😞

 

[Ketchup79]

Correct on the price, around $90. I got tired of paying less for cheap Netgears that don't last (so cheaper in the long run). Walls are standard wood and sheetrock. Signal carries fine with doors open or closed (hollow doors though, so not too much drop there).

 

[Dasa]

Correct on the price, around $90. I got tired of paying less for cheap Netgears that don't last (so cheaper in the long run). Walls are standard wood and sheetrock. Signal carries fine with doors open or closed (hollow doors though, so not too much drop there).

I know what you mean but shelling out double the price for a 40mbs connection and just to have the next ISP requiring me to buy another router that costs $100 is too much, by the way that $100 router costs $250 here if I don't buy now so I am buying overseas that will brought with someone so no warranty, that is another factor, I can't send it back and my slow internet is not worth more expensive than the ones I listed and my walls are made to withhold a grenade lol so IDK honestly, I am in a pickle...

 

[Ketchup79]

Well, I don't know about you "next ISP connection" or what that has to do with buying a router, I am just talking about wireless connection on a home network. Wireless AC comes into play because they take the previous 5 GHz and supercharge it, so that you have a range that isn't congested by others. But I totally understand the pricing issue. That C50 would probably be a good fit for you as you lose the gigabit ports, a bit slower CPU, and some other little features, which you may not need anyway, so I have a feeling you might be happy with that one.