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    Suggestions for optimizing Linksys router?

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by steelroots7xe, Sep 7, 2009.

  1. steelroots7xe

    steelroots7xe Notebook Evangelist

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    Hey guys,

    I recently purchased a Linksys WRT320N Router after my old Belkin G broke. I have followed all the instructions on setting it up at home and have tried a few settings.

    Since it's Dual Band, I was under the impression that 5Ghz was the way to go. However, after configuring it to have a wireless band of 5Ghz, I noticed that range was an issue. Near the router, connectivity was very fast and efficient, but as I took my notebook into other rooms at home, the signal and speed died down.

    So I decided to switch to 2.4Ghz. Right now, it's working fine, but I noticed that it is not much better than the entry-level Belkin Wireless G I had before (which is bad because the Linksys was much more expensive and Wireless N, Dual Band is supposed to be better).

    In fact, my mom's Dell Studio 15 has some speed issues when connecting as her signal fluctuates quite a bit from 3mbps to 60mbps and averages lower than my XPS (consistent speed of about 100-300mbps), and another Toshiba Satellite notebook at home (also around 100-300mbps). Currently, aside from these three notebooks, I also have an Xbox 360 wirelessly connected, so there are 4 devices in total.

    Right now, my settings are 2.5Ghz, Mixed Network Mode, Channel Width at Auto (20Mhz or 40Mhz), and SSID broadcast Enabled. I haven't changed anything else except for enabling firewall and renaming/changing network names and passwords.

    Can anyone please suggest to me any improvements in settings I can try in my configuration to make the range and speed of the router consistent? I sure would like to maximize the capability of my new router, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.

    Right now I am not as satisfied with Linksys as I thought I would be. My Belkin Wireless G performed about just the same.

    Thanks for any suggestions/advice...
     
    steelroots7xe, Sep 7, 2009
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  2. aidil

    aidil Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm guessing your Xbox 360 is not wireless N yet (it's an A/B/G right?) Mix standards is said to have impact on wireless N performance. It might explain the speed fluctuates. So it will be better to separate the N.

    Why don't use both of your wireless routers by connecting them together. Set the Linksys as wireless N only @ 5GHz and the Belkin as wireless G (@ 2.4GHz of course)? This way you can have 2 separate wireless standards. Be sure to turn off router function on either one in order to have only one network.

    I know 5Ghz radio signal will not reach as far as 2.4Ghz, but at least you could experiment and see what will happen if you use two bands setup.
     
    aidil, Sep 7, 2009
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