Why Your Wi-Fi Sucks And How It Can Be Helped, Part 2

[Guest]

Can you update with Meru wireless in the mix?

 

[vvhocare5]

First, it was a VERY nice article. This article was fascinating as it gave us insight into the inner workings of these ap's but by looking externally.

The rest of the comments are directed to the readers. I love the disconnect on wireless devices and the ability to configure them. I was looking for some Cisco 871's and looked at the reviews - Lots of 4's and 5's but 30% were 1's from people saying how do you configure these things??? Hardest thing to configure, etc.

Then I see this article and I see similar comments. Clearly there are people who "get it" when it comes to routing and understanding wireless and there are people who dont. These people should give up and go do something else.

 

[Guest]

I've got to agree. Great teaser headline. No useful info in the article.

So... How can it be helped?

 

[firebird]

A quick check online shows the Cisco setup costing over 10x that of the Ruckus. Is that correct???!!!

 

[williamvw]

[citation][nom]rmongiovi[/nom]I've got to agree. Great teaser headline. No useful info in the article.So... How can it be helped?[/citation]
This is a good question, and I'd refer you back to Part 1. You might do as I did and ask yourself, "OK, does my router/access point have...5 GHz support? Polarization diversity? Beamforming? Spatial multiplexing? Any sort of adaptive antenna technology? Does it raise or lower power in the face of adverse wireless conditions?" In my case, my access point is built into the godawful Actiontec router provided by Verizon (FiOS), and I'm confident that the answer to all but perhaps one of these questions is "absolutely negative." So what can you do? The same thing I'm doing now that I've done this in-depth analysis: getting a better access point that incorporates at least some of these technologies. I'm going to do some poor man's heat mapping of my home. I'm going to start experimenting with performance when I have my fairly stationary notebooks pointing in different directions and have their screens at different angles. If you powered through the horrendous formatting of Part 1, you understand why all of these things can play a role in performance. No, there's no magic wand to wave that will make what you or I are doing right now any better, unless perhaps you can force more power from your AP through its settings. But you should now have a much better idea of what to look for in your next AP. And if you can't discover from vendors whether this or that consumer AP has these technologies, then we as consumers and an industry have a real problem. It's time to fix that.

 

[soccerdocks]

Probably the best article I've read on here. You guys did a great job of designed the experiment.

 

[wifiquery]

Is the test on 5GHz on 20 MHz bandwidth or 40 MHz i.e channel 36 + 40

 

[Guest]

Great review Tom's, keep up the good work!

 

[gamoniac]

William and TH, Part II is another remarkable article. This is one of the best and interesting wireless analysis I have read. I spent all night sitting here and reading both Part I and II with no regret.

As you pointed out, this is a huge undertaking costing $15K. These articles has move TH up in my book, and will no doubt be a landmark, must-read wireless article for many in the profession and academy alike. So, please put Part I in an easier to read format like part II for your future readers.

Thanks again. I truly appreciate the hardwork you have put forth.

 

[Cowgoesmoo]

When testing the coverage area was the techs laptop connected to the AP?

If not then that would have given lower performance to the Ruckus AP as its Beam forming stuff doesn't really come into play until it has someone to talk to and adapt its signal.

It can have a real difference that you can easily see with inSSIDer and a few smart phones. Quite entertaining.

 

[Cowgoesmoo]

It would be interesting to also list the RRP of the various AP tested.

 

[translux]

Love Ruckus
Would liked to have seen how Meru stacks up.
Why were they not included?

 

[vir_cotto]

Great article, consumer router follow up?

 

[gtrider]

the tests were actually done in Ruckus' office! LAME!

 

[MountainFlip]

D-link is my brand. Why weren't they mentioned at all?

 

[MountainFlip]

I forgot to mention that these 2 articles have been very educational. Thank you very much for the research!

 

[Guest]

Any WiFi installation can be done badly,and cheap kit can perform exceptionally well when configured correctly. Conversely expensive kit can perform poorly when badly specified.

Do your homework, and if in any doubt leave it to the experts.

 

[randomstar]

Ok. good to know and very telling on the Enterprise side.
no doubt for me its Cisco , as we have a lot of deployed equipemnt by that vendor, and reliabity over time is the key.
now, for a SOHO or power home user, what is the best set of features we can hope to have at home without spending that kind of money? I truely cannot justify spending more than $200. or a router/AP.

 

[gtrider]

hmmmm that "test location" picture looks a lot like the Ruckus office.

 

[802uwaveguy]

I find it interesting that this testing did not include a Xirrus AP. They are clearly a contender of not a leader in the 802.11n heavy AP market and when discussing 3x3:3 multiple radio products should always be considered. The Xirrus unit is costly but when conducting a performance test and bake-off, not considering Xirrus is a mistake. It seems that all reviews I read concerning .11n multiple radio AP test data interestingly don't include a Xirrus unit.

 

[randomstar]

[citation][nom]randomstar[/nom]Ok. good to know and very telling on the Enterprise side. no doubt for me its Cisco , as we have a lot of deployed equipemnt by that vendor, and reliabity over time is the key.now, for a SOHO or power home user, what is the best set of features we can hope to have at home without spending that kind of money? I truely cannot justify spending more than $200. or a router/AP.[/citation]
Can someone point to a RECENT article or comparison that would be more relevent to SOHO users that just want a mid and close range Router/AP that does not suck? good fairness would be a key, as penetration through obstacles. need something in my price range , as the equipment provided by ATT Uverse aint so good..

 

[K-zon]

Good Luck, is all i can say, cause the shear thought alone, is enough to say the tests are worth more then what can be thought of or worked with to say, which of course in any sense of anything working with something against thinking of something rather of nothing or not, is probabbly more important and worth the effort.

 

[dmh001]

Wow - What deal has Meraki won over Ruckus now? For them to launch such a scathing attack it must have been a big one! Meraki is a disruptive technology and wifi vendors are rightly threatened by it. Any one of the vendors in this report could commission a report like this, in their head office for example, and come out on top. Don’t believe all you read – if you like the sound of a cloud managed, enterprise class solution try Meraki for yourself.

 

[Neverdyne]

This article got me thinking if it would be overkill to use a Ruckus AP on a home. My wireless sucks really bad, my house is built completely of bricks and cement with very thick walls. My current router (Linksys WRT160N)cannot reach one of the upper floor rooms, and it's crucial that I get internet there. The cost of breaking down the wall and installing a wired connection would surpass the cost of a $500 AP.

 

[Guest]

First of all, congratulations: both articles were outstanding and informative beyond anything I've ever read about wifi APs.

By the way, including the Apple gear was an excellent addition for us consumers: this way we can compare how consumer-grade equipment -- mostly devoid of those cutting-edge tech explained in "part I" -- fares against enterprise products.

And, yes, this layout -- as opposed to the "photo story" -- works much better. Thanks for the change!