Two Routers on One Network

[Silv3rAc3]

Hi all,

I bought an Xbox One yesterday and the download speeds aren't what I am supposed to be getting. On speed test.net I get around a 15mbps download speed with U-verse. When I try to download a game I only get 1-2mbps and sometimes it dips to kbps. The signal doesn't stretch far enough to make the downloads strong so I was wondering if I could connect a router to my current one but only use it as an ethernet router and connect it directly to my Xbox.

Thank you.

 

[Silv3rAc3]

Am I able to connect them both wirelessly and then have the Xbox and the direct connection in a different room than the original router?

 

[RealBeast]

Hi all,

I bought an Xbox One yesterday and the download speeds aren't what I am supposed to be getting. On speed test.net I get around a 15mbps download speed with U-verse. When I try to download a game I only get 1-2mbps and sometimes it dips to kbps. The signal doesn't stretch far enough to make the downloads strong so I was wondering if I could connect a router to my current one but only use it as an ethernet router and connect it directly to my Xbox.

Thank you.

A wireless bridge is a poor solution if the wireless signal is weak at the location where the bridge resides. The only wireless bridges that I have used in networks that were sufficient for gaming used a pair of AC routers, one as the primary router and the second in media bridge mode, using the AC for the wireless bridge.

A much more cost effective solution is usually a good pair of powerline adapters, which are also much lower latency and that is key for gaming. THIS is a good site with accurate reviews for current PL adapters.

 

[Silv3rAc3]

Hi all,

I bought an Xbox One yesterday and the download speeds aren't what I am supposed to be getting. On speed test.net I get around a 15mbps download speed with U-verse. When I try to download a game I only get 1-2mbps and sometimes it dips to kbps. The signal doesn't stretch far enough to make the downloads strong so I was wondering if I could connect a router to my current one but only use it as an ethernet router and connect it directly to my Xbox.

Thank you.

A wireless bridge is a poor solution if the wireless signal is weak at the location where the bridge resides. The only wireless bridges that I have used in networks that were sufficient for gaming used a pair of AC routers, one as the primary router and the second in media bridge mode, using the AC for the wireless bridge.

A much more cost effective solution is usually a good pair of powerline adapters, which are also much lower latency and that is key for gaming. THIS is a good site with accurate reviews for current PL adapters.

So does this mean that I can get a set of powerline adapters, plug one into the wall and my router, and then plug the other one in across the house and into another router?

 

[RealBeast]

Yes, you can use a pair of good powerline adapters to attach your main router to a second router that is configured as an access point (wireless radio and switch). You do not want two routers that are actually fully configured as routers though on your network unless you intend to create a subnet isolated from the main network.

You really don't even need the second router as an AP though if you only want to connect a few wired devices though, just the PL adapter and a switch would work.

But sometimes it is handy to have a better wireless signal remote from the main router and a second router configured as an AP by turning off the AP router's DHCP, giving it a static address in the main router range but outside the main router DHCP assignment range, connecting them LAN port to LAN port with the PL adapters, and using a different non-overlapping radio channel. I've installed literally hundreds of these setups and they always work well if you buy quality PL adapters. The router can be a cheap $30 or so TP-Link that you will use as the AP.

If you decide to do this, I can walk you through the setup. Just watch for sales on very good PL adapters -- the newer ones that call themselves gigabit or at least 600 megabit are best as they have the highest actual data transfer rates and lowest latency (the key for gaming).

I would plan to attach your gaming devices and computers to the remote access point by Ethernet cables if at all possible to avoid adding unneeded latency into your network. The wireless part of the remote AP router will be good for cell phones, tablets and laptop wireless connections used for other than gaming.