Should I upgrade Router

Sup08

Hi All,
I have Vodafone FTTH 1gb in the house for the last 2+ years and hated the Gigabox supplied. Didn't have great Wifi. I bought a D-Link 882 Mu-Mimo router and connected straight on to the ONT and had no issues for about a year.

Suddenly devices disconnected and wouldn't reconnect. Had to do a full reset and start setting up all the devices in the house again and there are loads.

So a few months later and here I am again with the same issue. Random drop out and items that just won't connect to any SSID, Guest, 5ghz or 2.4ghz .

Should I upgrade to a new router and if so, should I try the TP-Link AX6000. Would this connect the same way, directly on to the ONT.

Thanks in Advance

ED E

Sup08 wrote: »

Suddenly devices disconnected and wouldn't reconnect. Had to do a full reset and start setting up all the devices in the house again and there are loads.

You should never have to do this, set the same SSID/PSK and your device will reconnect to any unit you install. Save the hassle.


I dont know that the AX6000 would be my choice. A more basic unit and a decent access point for the far side of the dwelling could be a better investment. There are lots of options, try the likes of Smallnetbuilder for reviews.

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/33220-wi-fi-6-performance-roundup-five-routers-tested
(this article is all the mad money units, but just an example. Wifi 6 is little use yet for most people as their clients dont support it).

Sup08

Thanks for that, I have a access point set-up at the moment as a temp solution. The DIR-882 was ablt to manage everything on it's own, but the set-up for some reason has failed over night and I cannot figure out why.

I now have the VF modem with no Wi-Fi (turned off as nothing will connect to it) and a DIR-882 in the living room on a 100Mpbs hard-line. Everything connects to the DIR-882 no problem at the moment. How can I tell if there is interference stopping the wireless connections in the original hallway. I've changed nothing in the house recently.

PeeJayIEee

I suggest that you plan ahead a bit and get something a little more modern in approach. From what you have described as currently running, you have a reasonable space to cover with likely a fair amount of obstruction.

There a few ways to tackle coverage in a home environment but I would suggest that you go down the Mesh Network path to get coverage, with this you can choose the number of APs and easily add an extra if coverage is found lacking.

For speed performance I recommend that you look to products that support IEEE 802.11ax and have a dedicated back-haul channel. An example would be ASUS ZenWiFi AX Mini (XD4), there are several others. You'll need to consider what features you want (such as Alexa, Google, etc.) in addition to performance requirements.

My last tip: Once you have decided upon a product you'll get it for a much better price (including shipping) from a German supplier, just buy a few adapters. They are all double insulated (2 pin) low current products so no issue with cheap adapters.

Example price search: idealo.de, geizhals.de
Computer Universe are one of many suppliers who ship trouble free to Ireland and follow all the EU tax rules. I have purchased from them and several others in Germany.

jmcc

Sup08 wrote: »

Thanks for that, I have a access point set-up at the moment as a temp solution. The DIR-882 was ablt to manage everything on it's own, but the set-up for some reason has failed over night and I cannot figure out why.

I now have the VF modem with no Wi-Fi (turned off as nothing will connect to it) and a DIR-882 in the living room on a 100Mpbs hard-line. Everything connects to the DIR-882 no problem at the moment. How can I tell if there is interference stopping the wireless connections in the original hallway. I've changed nothing in the house recently.

Some routers/modems may have an option to scan for channels in the configuration menus. This allows people to set the Wifi channel so that it doesn't interfere with other nearby routers using Wifi channels. It may be that some neighbour has a device on the same channel and it is causing interference. A quick scan from a laptop or other mobile device also could show you the signal strengths of nearby Wifi networks.

Regards...jmcc

Sup08

Thanks Guys for the input.

So scanned for other channels and that didn't work. Changed location of routers/modem and no joy.
Eventually got the DIR-882 to work as an AP from the VF modem/router with the WiFi turned off. VF couldn't figure it out over the phone (really tried everything and very good service) and sent a KN networks engineer.

Engineer replaced the VF Gigabox Modem/Router and tested Wifi - All good. AP still working so I connected it back as the main router on the ONT and all good again. Engineer couldn't assist or advise as not VF hardware but a very strange problem..

So, I did order an AX6000 for more processing power for the amount of devices connected and see if that totally resolves this and any future issues that may arise. Also will kind of future proof the network with WiFi 6 for a few years.