[opensuse] Wireless N router? (possibly offtopic)
All, I have a G router that works fairly well, but I just bought a Mac Mini and when I situate where I want it (next to an existing wlan desktop and a mx922 printer), the connection is not stable. The Mac Mini claims N support, so I bought a new Asus N750 router for $130. The G router was half that much several years ago. I find that the N router is not talking okay to the N750 router, but not to my Canon MX922 printer which is also wireless (wireless 802.11b/g or n capability required in my router per the spec sheet). The mx922 connects, but it won's stay connected. I have 2 options I think, but no idea which is best: 1) Take the N750 router back and get a N900 router instead, They claim the N900 has greater range. 2) Get a wlan extender for the N750 Is there any consensus out there for what I should do? Greg -- Greg Freemyer -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 12:52 PM, Greg Freemyer <greg.freemyer@gmail.com> wrote:
I find that the N router is not talking okay to the N750 router, but not to my Canon MX922 printer which is also wireless (wireless 802.11b/g or n capability required in my router per the spec sheet).
I need to clarify I have the existing desktop, MX922 printer and Mac Mini all colocated: G router to MX922 printer -> good stable connection G router to existing desktop -> fairly stable connection, I have to reset the connection a couple times a week G router to Mac Mini -> I can't get it to connect at all (I can if I move the Mac Mini closer to the G router) N router to Mac Mini -> seems to be a good stable connection N router to existing desktop -> poor connection, but for $30 I can but a USB N capable transmitter N router to MX922 printer -> connects, but I have not yet succeeded at printing anything. So currently I have both routers in use, but I don't want that. I want to have a single IP subnet so I don't have to face IP routing issues. I think my best choice is either a N900 router OR stick with the N750 and add an extender unit near the above gear. Greg -- Greg Freemyer -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg Freemyer wrote:
So currently I have both routers in use, but I don't want that. I want to have a single IP subnet so I don't have to face IP routing issues.
I think my best choice is either a N900 router OR stick with the N750 and add an extender unit near the above gear.
Try limiting the N750 to G only and see if that resolves any issues. It could be some devices have a problem with N. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 1:19 PM, James Knott <james.knott@rogers.com> wrote:
Greg Freemyer wrote:
So currently I have both routers in use, but I don't want that. I want to have a single IP subnet so I don't have to face IP routing issues.
I think my best choice is either a N900 router OR stick with the N750 and add an extender unit near the above gear.
Try limiting the N750 to G only and see if that resolves any issues. It could be some devices have a problem with N.
Based on 10 minutes of testing, using the new N750 router in "legacy" mode only does seem to allow all of my devices to connect. I could not do that with either the G router or the N750 in N mode, so this is a big step forward. Time will tell how stable it is, but so far so good. Thanks Greg -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg Freemyer wrote:
Based on 10 minutes of testing, using the new N750 router in "legacy" mode only does seem to allow all of my devices to connect.
I could not do that with either the G router or the N750 in N mode, so this is a big step forward. Time will tell how stable it is, but so far so good.
When you had N enabled, was it N only or N & G. On my TP-Link TL-WA901ND access point, I can select N, G or B only or mixed G & B or N, G & B. I have to use N, G & B mixed mode, because my phone won't do N. Everything else I have can do N and I don't have anything that's B only. When I upgrade my phone, I'll configure my access point to be N only. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 11:16 PM, James Knott <james.knott@rogers.com> wrote:
Greg Freemyer wrote:
Based on 10 minutes of testing, using the new N750 router in "legacy" mode only does seem to allow all of my devices to connect.
I could not do that with either the G router or the N750 in N mode, so this is a big step forward. Time will tell how stable it is, but so far so good.
When you had N enabled, was it N only or N & G. On my TP-Link TL-WA901ND access point, I can select N, G or B only or mixed G & B or N, G & B. I have to use N, G & B mixed mode, because my phone won't do N. Everything else I have can do N and I don't have anything that's B only. When I upgrade my phone, I'll configure my access point to be N only.
The 3 choices are: auto N only legacy I haven't tried N only. Most of my devices are 2 years old or less. Is it likely they have N support? I was having issues with it set to auto. In auto mode it was horrible for my old desktop and printer (which is new). It has been very good since I set it to legacy. The biggest issue is the Mac Mini would not connect to the G router from the desired location, but it connects to the N router just fine in both auto and legacy. Greg -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Tue 13 Aug 2013 08:46:45 AM CDT, Greg Freemyer wrote:
It has been very good since I set it to legacy. The biggest issue is the Mac Mini would not connect to the G router from the desired location, but it connects to the N router just fine in both auto and legacy.
Greg Hi Sure it's not channel interference from other access points around? Are you getting a good connection speed etc? This system has a 802.11bgn 1×1 Wi-Fi Adapter and needed to tweak the router to get 150Mb/s.
-- Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890) openSUSE 12.3 (x86_64) Kernel 3.7.10-1.16-desktop up 0:56, 3 users, load average: 0.06, 0.27, 0.25 CPU AMD E2-1800@1.70GHz | GPU Radeon HD 7340 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 9:37 AM, Malcolm <malcolmlewis@cableone.net> wrote:
On Tue 13 Aug 2013 08:46:45 AM CDT, Greg Freemyer wrote:
It has been very good since I set it to legacy. The biggest issue is the Mac Mini would not connect to the G router from the desired location, but it connects to the N router just fine in both auto and legacy.
Greg Hi Sure it's not channel interference from other access points around? Are you getting a good connection speed etc? This system has a 802.11bgn 1×1 Wi-Fi Adapter and needed to tweak the router to get 150Mb/s.
Could be. There can be as many as a dozen WLANs SSIDs visible at one time at my house. I'm actually surprised how much it varies during the course of a couple days. I have it set to auto for the channel. Given the number of WLANs that seem to come and go, auto seems like the best choice? Greg -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg Freemyer wrote:
Could be. There can be as many as a dozen WLANs SSIDs visible at one time at my house. I'm actually surprised how much it varies during the course of a couple days.
I live in a condo and have a similar number, if not more. They don't seem to cause problems for me. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:59:23 -0400 Greg Freemyer <greg.freemyer@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 9:37 AM, Malcolm <malcolmlewis@cableone.net> wrote:
On Tue 13 Aug 2013 08:46:45 AM CDT, Greg Freemyer wrote:
It has been very good since I set it to legacy. The biggest issue is the Mac Mini would not connect to the G router from the desired location, but it connects to the N router just fine in both auto and legacy.
Greg Hi Sure it's not channel interference from other access points around? Are you getting a good connection speed etc? This system has a 802.11bgn 1×1 Wi-Fi Adapter and needed to tweak the router to get 150Mb/s.
Could be. There can be as many as a dozen WLANs SSIDs visible at one time at my house. I'm actually surprised how much it varies during the course of a couple days.
I have it set to auto for the channel. Given the number of WLANs that seem to come and go, auto seems like the best choice?
Greg Hi Else if supported switch to 5GHz? It depends on the signal your getting from the other AP's esp if they are close and on the same channel it may be causing interference. Maybe a scanner program may help http://software.opensuse.org/package/wifiplotter
Maybe a forum thread to catch lwfingers attention may glean additional info... -- Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890) openSUSE 12.3 (x86_64) Kernel 3.7.10-1.16-desktop up 5:33, 3 users, load average: 0.22, 0.23, 0.14 CPU AMD E2-1800@1.70GHz | GPU Radeon HD 7340 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 2:31 PM, Malcolm <malcolmlewis@cableone.net> wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:59:23 -0400 Greg Freemyer <greg.freemyer@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 9:37 AM, Malcolm <malcolmlewis@cableone.net> wrote:
On Tue 13 Aug 2013 08:46:45 AM CDT, Greg Freemyer wrote:
It has been very good since I set it to legacy. The biggest issue is the Mac Mini would not connect to the G router from the desired location, but it connects to the N router just fine in both auto and legacy.
Greg Hi Sure it's not channel interference from other access points around? Are you getting a good connection speed etc? This system has a 802.11bgn 1×1 Wi-Fi Adapter and needed to tweak the router to get 150Mb/s.
Could be. There can be as many as a dozen WLANs SSIDs visible at one time at my house. I'm actually surprised how much it varies during the course of a couple days.
I have it set to auto for the channel. Given the number of WLANs that seem to come and go, auto seems like the best choice?
Greg Hi Else if supported switch to 5GHz? It depends on the signal your getting from the other AP's esp if they are close and on the same channel it may be causing interference. Maybe a scanner program may help http://software.opensuse.org/package/wifiplotter
Maybe a forum thread to catch lwfingers attention may glean additional info...
Malcolm, that's a interesting diagnostic tool. Thanks for packaging it. Maybe you should push it into factory? == My results Up where I want the Mac Mini to live I'm seeing 15 SSIDs right now. 3 are mine. I've got the N router set to legacy only and fixed on channel 1. I note several of the other routers are bouncing around from one channel to another. I assume they are looking for a relatively clear channel. I had not thought of them moving around so much. My impression is most of the neighborhood routers are set to auto, so if I stake out channel 1 (like I have) they will run away. Currently nothing else is below 5. I don't see any 5GHz signals, so I gather the laptop I'm walking around the house with can only see 2.4GHz signals. I also tried restricting the Mac Mini to 5GHz since it is likely less cluttered than the 2.4 GHz band. It was unstable there, so that is not the solution. I think the ultimate solution is going to be to get a multi-stream N extender. The one I saw on Amazon was $80. I have't done any other looking yet. == a curiosity When I had the laptop in the same room with both my G router and my N router, the N router was far stronger even though it was set for Legacy only. Now that I'm up where I'm having trouble with the signal, both of them are about the same, and the old G router is sometimes the stronger of the 2. Thanks again Greg -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Wed, 14 Aug 2013 19:13:19 -0400 Greg Freemyer <greg.freemyer@gmail.com> wrote: <snip>
Hi Else if supported switch to 5GHz? It depends on the signal your getting from the other AP's esp if they are close and on the same channel it may be causing interference. Maybe a scanner program may help http://software.opensuse.org/package/wifiplotter
Maybe a forum thread to catch lwfingers attention may glean additional info...
Malcolm, that's a interesting diagnostic tool. Thanks for packaging it.
Maybe you should push it into factory?
<snip> Hi It is a nice tool, all started from this thread here; https://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/wireless/476398-... I'm guessing it needs to be rewritten for python3 before looking to push.... -- Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890) openSUSE 12.3 (x86_64) Kernel 3.7.10-1.16-desktop up 9:31, 3 users, load average: 0.20, 0.14, 0.08 CPU AMD E2-1800@1.70GHz | GPU Radeon HD 7340 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On 8/14/2013 4:42 PM, Malcolm wrote:
Hi It is a nice tool, all started from this thread here; https://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/wireless/476398-...
I'm guessing it needs to be rewritten for python3 before looking to push....
These things are a dime a dozen on Android or iPhone. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer -- _____________________________________ ---This space for rent--- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg Hi Else if supported switch to 5GHz? It depends on the signal your getting from the other AP's esp if they are close and on the same channel it may be causing interference. Maybe a scanner program may help http://software.opensuse.org/package/wifiplotter
Malcolm, I'm still tweaking things trying to get my setup to be reliable. I figured out 2 things: wifiplotter doesn't handle 40 MHz N comms. With 20 MHz a single channel (C) is used. If 40 MHz is enabled, then either (C+4) or (C-4) is used. Some of my neighbors have 40 MHz enabled and as best I can tell wifiplotter only shows C in use, but not the secondary channel. I grabbed a Android based scanner and it is showing both. 2) There is a concrete block wall I had forgotten about that is part of a lower interior wall. I had the router only 4ft up that wall. I have just elevated it above the top of the wall. I'm not getting any better signal strength but my connection speeds are much better. Hopefully that will mean no more drops at random times. That was my biggest complaint. fyi: I took back the ASUS N750 router and got and Amped Single Frequency N router (R10000G). It was claimed to the longest ranged router on the market a year or so ago. It still could not get through my concrete block wall (that's how I found it actually). Thus my bad mouthing the Asus was probably unfair. My placing the router only 4ft up that wall was probably the main issue all along. Greg -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg Freemyer wrote:
I haven't tried N only. Most of my devices are 2 years old or less. Is it likely they have N support?
I was having issues with it set to auto. In auto mode it was horrible for my old desktop and printer (which is new).
That depends on the device. A couple of years go, most new devices should support N, but my 3 year old Google Nexus One doesn't. Also, another consideration is encryption. If you're running N, then WPA2 is mandatory. If you have devices that support only WPA, or worse WEP, then they won't be able to connect. If you configure for plain WPA, then that router is not supposed to have N available. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 9:56 AM, James Knott <james.knott@rogers.com> wrote:
Greg Freemyer wrote:
I haven't tried N only. Most of my devices are 2 years old or less. Is it likely they have N support?
I was having issues with it set to auto. In auto mode it was horrible for my old desktop and printer (which is new).
That depends on the device. A couple of years go, most new devices should support N, but my 3 year old Google Nexus One doesn't. Also, another consideration is encryption. If you're running N, then WPA2 is mandatory. If you have devices that support only WPA, or worse WEP, then they won't be able to connect. If you configure for plain WPA, then that router is not supposed to have N available.
My old desktop had lost connectivity this morning and I had to reset the wireless in it to get it to reconnect. I'll give pure N a try in a day or two. The wireless device that dropped overnight is a USB transmitter that is G only, so I will try replacing it with a N device. I know what the basic difference between N150 / N300 / N450 / etc. If I don't care about speed, just reliability and range, does it matter what Nxxx I get? Greg -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg Freemyer wrote:
If I don't care about speed, just reliability and range, does it matter what Nxxx I get?
I'm not familiar with those, so I don't know what the differences are. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg -- Greg Freemyer On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 12:20 PM, James Knott <james.knott@rogers.com> wrote:
Greg Freemyer wrote:
If I don't care about speed, just reliability and range, does it matter what Nxxx I get?
I'm not familiar with those, so I don't know what the differences are.
A quote from the web: == The 802.11n standard defined multiple "streams", or you can think of them as channels, each being capable of up to 150Mbps (theoretical).
From this spawns the N150, N300, N450, N600, N750, N900... meaning MIMO, multiple radios/antennas.
The catch being that most client network adapters have only a single antenna/radio, and are N150, there are only a few N300 NICs out there. With that said, you probably won't see much difference, unless you're using your client devices simultaneously, in which case they may pick up different streams from the router. In other words your router may be capable of N750, but not necessarily your clients, the benefit is better multi-tasking, higher range, possibly beamforming and other advances in the N750 router. == I've bought 2 N routers in the last few months. Both claimed that the bigger Nxxx numbers had better range. The sales guy I talked to at MicroCenter said the ASUS N900 is supposed to have the best range of anything they sell. (It's over $200 for that router). What I don't know is why the N900 has better range. It is inherent to the N900 spec, or is it because they simply build them better since they can sell them for more. Also since the N900 can do 5 simultaneous streams, it is better for a small business setup, so maybe they figure a small business would need more range, so they build it better for that reason. I sort of understand the above, my question is what kind of USB transmitter is going to be the most reliable / have the most range. <research> ... <\research> Okay, I found this N900 USB adapter at Amazon. If you scroll to the bottom you can see they clearly say the N900 has the best range of the NetGear N series USB adapters. Now the question is it costs $50, or I could buy a range N600 range extender for $80. <http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-N900-Wireless-Adapter-WNDA4100/dp/B006V72AE0/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_2> <http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-Universal-Range-Extender-WN2500RP/dp/B006V72AHC/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_z> Anyway, we can drop this thread. It helped a lot to think about restricting the router to G or N or both. I didn't realize I had that option. Greg -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg Freemyer wrote:
I'm not familiar with those, so I don't know what the differences are. A quote from the web: == The 802.11n standard defined multiple "streams", or you can think of them as channels, each being capable of up to 150Mbps (theoretical). From this spawns the N150, N300, N450, N600, N750, N900... meaning MIMO, multiple radios/antennas.
I am familiar with MIMO streams. I thought you were referring to model numbers. Generally more streams mean more bandwidth, but many devices are limited in the number of streams they can handle. For example, a smart phone might not support as many streams as a notebook computer. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 2:43 PM, James Knott <james.knott@rogers.com> wrote:
Greg Freemyer wrote:
I'm not familiar with those, so I don't know what the differences are. A quote from the web: == The 802.11n standard defined multiple "streams", or you can think of them as channels, each being capable of up to 150Mbps (theoretical). From this spawns the N150, N300, N450, N600, N750, N900... meaning MIMO, multiple radios/antennas.
I am familiar with MIMO streams. I thought you were referring to model numbers. Generally more streams mean more bandwidth, but many devices are limited in the number of streams they can handle. For example, a smart phone might not support as many streams as a notebook computer.
But why does more streams == better range? That seems to be true in both the routers and USB adapter comparison charts I've seen. My only guess is they put better components into the units with more streams since they can charge more for them. Greg -- Greg Freemyer -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Greg Freemyer wrote:
But why does more streams == better range?
MIMO relies on multiple paths to overcome things like fading and can actually make use of reflections to provide a stronger signal. If the equipment supported only a singe stream, then multipath could cause problems. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Hi all, Any idea to use hamachi with opensuse 12.3? Install works ok but hamachi not work... This is a messages: 2013-08-13T10:19:14.193101-03:00 s4l-srv1 ifdown[8566]: ham0 2013-08-13T10:19:14.264166-03:00 s4l-srv1 ifdown[8566]: Interface not available and no configuration found. Thanks all. []'s ancker -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
ancker (gmail) wrote:
Hi all,
Any idea to use hamachi with opensuse 12.3?
Install works ok but hamachi not work...
This is a messages: 2013-08-13T10:19:14.193101-03:00 s4l-srv1 ifdown[8566]: ham0 2013-08-13T10:19:14.264166-03:00 s4l-srv1 ifdown[8566]: Interface not available and no configuration found.
Thanks all.
Try contacting hamachi support, alternatively use openvpn ? -- Per Jessen, Zürich (22.9°C) http://www.dns24.ch/ - free DNS hosting, made in Switzerland. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
participants (6)
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ancker (gmail) -
Greg Freemyer -
James Knott -
John Andersen -
Malcolm -
Per Jessen