Recommended Router for Fibre Optic

[kerrso05]

At the moment I am thinking of moving to Fibre Optic but I have just been told by Idnet Support that my recently purchased (all singing all dancing) Router (Belkin Play Max) cannot be used for Fibre Optic. (Is this correct?) So I was wondering what Routers those that have moved to Fibre Optic would recommend.........it would be good if I could use one that could team up with my Belkin NN adapter (at least some of my recently purchased equipment wouldn't become redundant)

Support recommended the Netgear WNR1000 which can be purchased from them at £62.40 + VAT + Postage.................but I think it can be purchased for much less elsewhere.......how good is this router? I used to use the Netgear DG834 and it was very reliable

What is the general opinion of Fibre Optic.......is it good. At the moment I get 2.5Mbps so if I was to get even half of the recommended speed of 32Mbps for Fibre Optic then it would be outstanding. Are the recommended speeds possible or is this "pie in the sky" stuff?

Your expert thoughts on this matter would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[Rik]

ADSL modem routers are generally no good for fibre, as the signal is delivered over ethernet from the BT modem. The Netgear is good for the job, but many members are using the Billion 7800N, which offers more advanced features.

Most people's experience of fibre has been good (I'm still waiting  ), but no-one would deny there have been teething problems with stability (often down to faulty BT modems) and speed, which seems to be down to a lack of capacity on the network for the large amount of data that people can pull down via fibre. This tends to affect those using the net around midnight in particular.

Support will be able to give you a reasonable prediction of the speed you're likely to achieve, but we can't do it from your current router stats as the distance to the cabinet should be substantially lower than that from the exchange. I'm 'promised' 36M, about 10x my current speed, but then I have a long line to the exchange and a short one to the cabinet.

[Lance]

Many members do see 30mb+ so the speeds are certainly possible.

[Glenn]

My estimate was 28/6 but once connected I received the full speed profile 38717/10000, my cabinet is around 500m away.

[kerrso05]

Rik..thanks as usual. The Billion seems a tad too expensive (Amazon are selling it for £120 http://tinyurl.com/6agxfpp) as the Belkin Play Max which I only recently purchased (2 months old) cost about £90 and this is now going to become reduntant..........so didn't want to pay over £100....something cheap and cheerful and of course reliable.

You say in your reply that you are waiting.......are you waiting for your Exchange to be upgraded to Fibre? Support say that I should achieve speeds around 32Mbps.........which would mind blowing.......certainly faster than 2.5mbps that I achieve with ADSL2+

[Glenn]

I currently use a Buffalo Airstation Nfiniti WHR-G300Nv2 which can be purchased for around £24.

[Rik]

You say in your reply that you are waiting.......are you waiting for your Exchange to be upgraded to Fibre?

Yes, Harry, it's due at the end of the month. But then, it was also due at the end of March and the end of December, so I'm not holding my breath.

[kerrso05]

I currently use a Buffalo Airstation Nfiniti WHR-G300Nv2 which can be purchased for around £24.

Now Glenn that looks more like the job £24.....amazing price.......and is it reliable and do you think it would connect to my Belkin NN adaptor? Have you had any problems with it on Fibre Optic? Were can you get it for that price?

Thanks

[Glenn]

Ebuyer have it for £20.99. It's worked fine in the 8 - 10 weeks I have had it, the main issue I have had, is with the BT supplied modem, I'm on my 2nd.

[kerrso05]

Thanks Glenn.................I have just recently bought from them an excellent new Monitor and found their service second to none (except they charge for postage for Northern Ireland......but it was extremely quick) The reviews are fantastic Five Star Reviews*****

If I do purchase this router, should I install it before I change to Fibre optic or should I just wait until I change over (maybe the BT engineer would help me to set it up.......or maybe not!!!)

I read that you have been having problems with the BT Modem (overheating)......has that been sorted? and how long were you without the Internet during this fault?

Thanks

[Glenn]

My line was down for 9 days, but most of that was because I was away from home, then BT had trouble getting here due to the Swinley Forest fire, most roads were closed.

[kerrso05]

OK.......this one you can't blame BT on.....they can't get into your house if you are out or away from home.

What about installing it before the Fibre Optic install or do you think I should wait and is it easy enough to install?

Thanks

PS if the BT Modem overheats is it advisable to leave it on when you are sleeping or out of the house for long periods eg. Holidays?

[Glenn]

I configured my router before the BT guy arrived, he only took around 45 mins to do his work. My router didn't overheat, it failed with the DSL light flashing, it never got very warm as others have had. It's easy to install, just access it via a browser using 192.168.11.1 then follow the easy start-up guide to add your username & password.

[kerrso05]

Thanks Glenn.........so you would recommend Fibre Optic? I'm looking at the Home Plus Fire Package from Idnet. Do you think my Belkin NN Adapter will work with the buffalo?....it should shouldn't it? I'm thinking of paying the full sum upfront to get the discount price of £26.19 a month (I don't know what my wife will think of that but that is for another day!!!)

Does anyone have a picture of the BT Modem that they install........is it an ugly brute and is it better to have it installed on the wall or does it have feet so that you can install it upright and I take it, this can be placed close to the Router and no interference will effect these two pieces of equipment?

[.Griff.]

Does anyone have a picture of the BT Modem that they install........is it an ugly brute and is it better to have it installed on the wall or does it have feet so that you can install it upright and I take it, this can be placed close to the Router and no interference will effect these two pieces of equipment?

While I'm posting please don't take this the wrong way but you keep referring to it as a "fibre optic" install. That's incorrect. It's technically a VDSL2 install (Fibre to the cabinet/DSLAM and VSDL2 over existing copper to the property).

[pctech]

Griff that looks like a DG834G you've got connected to the modem there or am I mistaken?

[.Griff.]

Griff that looks like a DG834G you've got connected to the modem there or am I mistaken?

It does look like a 834G doesn't it Mitch but it's actually a WGR614 that Idnet used to recommend for FTTC.

It was absolutely useless and I replaced it with a Linksys WRT320N.

[pctech]

If I get FTTP I may prob look at a Linksys though of course that depends who buys them.

[kerrso05]

Griff thanks for the pictures..........it doesn't look ugly but I see you don't have it wall mounted as it is recommended......do you have any problems with overheating? Also I see that both pieces of equipment are side by side.........obviously no interference.

I had a Linksy modem router years ago and I had awful trouble with it.......so that experience has always put me off them as a company........which I suppose is silly as all manufacturers have problems with different pieces of equipment.

Sorry for calling the installation incorrectly........I'm sure most people knew what I meant but I will try and call it by it's proper title "VDSL2 install"

Thanks again for the pictures

[.Griff.]

Sorry for calling the installation incorrectly........I'm sure most people knew what I meant but I will try and call it by it's proper title "VDSL2 install"

I only mentioned it in case you weren't quite sure of what was involved with FTTC. FTTC, Fibre, VDSL are all commonly used on these forum to describe the same thing.

Griff thanks for the pictures..........it doesn't look ugly but I see you don't have it wall mounted as it is recommended......do you have any problems with overheating? Also I see that both pieces of equipment are side by side.........obviously no interference.

My modem has never even got warm let alone hot so I must be one of the lucky ones. As for he positioning that's an old photo from the day it was installed. I've since replaced the Netgear router with a Linksys and I've wall mounted both of them (not for temperature reasons rather aesthetics and utilising the space).

[kerrso05]

Griff, certainly your speed is fantastic.........I'd be glad if I could get half of that speed. The price of the Linksy puts me off slightly off because of the possible redundant Belkin "Play Max" Router......I really don't want to spend a lot of money on this at the moment and that's why the Buffalo interests me more ( as long as the reviews are correct...........but it also gets good reviews on the Amazon site as well)

Does the the BT Modem come with feet/plastic stand so I can put it upright?

Thanks

[.Griff.]

If the Buffalo gets good reviews, and as Glenn recommends it, I'd go with that.

As for the modem it does have small feet/pads in the corners to raise it off the surface it sits on but it doesn't have a separate "attachment" to stand it up so to speak.

[Glenn]

Harry, your Belkin is an ADSL 2+ router/modem, so it won't work as it does now when using an FTTC connection.

[kerrso05]

Harry, your Belkin is an ADSL 2+ router/modem, so it won't work as it does now when using an FTTC connection.

Thanks Glenn...........so it's for the roof-space  

What's your speed like for the VDSL2 install .....is it as good as Griffs figures and do you think I can continue to use the Belkin NN Adaptor?
I hope you don't mind me asking but did you go for the one off payment when switching over to FTTC (and save money)?
I take it you are pleased (in general) with the move

[Glenn]

I went from a 2 - 2.5mb profile on ADSL Max to up to 37mb with FTTC, currently it's running at 24mb and I'm waiting for the profile to recover, but that was caused by BT's problems at the Guildford exchange, which left me without any internet for 38 hours.

I pay monthly, I didn't have the cash available upfront to pay for the year at the time, other bills to priority.

Do you have a link for the adaptor?

[kerrso05]

Thanks Glenn

This is the adaptor..............sorry I can't find it on the Belkin site............this is the Amazon site http://tinyurl.com/6yhxg9g

Well 2.5Mbps is the same as me and I'm getting earache from my two daughters about the speed.....that their friends get better speed (probably their friends live next the exchange).........that they can't watch You Tube (what they want to watch that for I just don't know)..........so I have to do something but at the same tine they will have to watch the Bandwidth useage as my monthly allowance will drop by moving over..............it's very much swings and roundabouts.

Thanks

[Glenn]

The Buffalo is an N spec router, so the adapter should work with it (I couldn't find it on the Belkin site either).

Griff posted a link a couple of weeks ago regarding FTTC speed increases, possibly up to 80mbps later in the year.

[kerrso05]

Wow...........those speeds would be mind blowing. I wonder would the equipment be able to handle those speeds

[Rik]

Which equipment?

[kerrso05]

Which equipment?

The Buffalo, The BT Modem etc

[pctech]

You could in theory plug the modem directly into the ethernet port on your PC as that will be a mimimum of 100 Megs and usd use a PPP clent tio authenticate the session but any router will need an ethernet WAN port to connect to the modem.

[Rik]

I suspect the BT modem is able to handle the speeds, Harry, otherwise BT will be very busy revisiting every installation. Routers shouldn't have a problem as they have a minimum 100Mb port.

[pctech]

Probably proceeded by the Fire Brigade.

[kerrso05]

It probably was the BT Modem that I was more worried about........I know the way they like to charge  


yes pctech.........you're right the Fire Birgade ..................hahaha

[Rik]

It would be covered by any upgrade charge if it needs changing, and BT will, undoubtedly charge more for the higher speeds anyway. I'm struggling to think what I would do with them.

[pctech]

Probably more business orientated or to support 'cloud' services.

[Bill]

I'm struggling to think what I would do with them.

I'm sure you'll think of something

[Rik]

 

I'm still getting used to 3.5M, Bill, after years at 2M.

[Anton]

I'm still getting used to 3.5M, Bill, after years at 2M.

Feel that leg room! ;-)

[Rik]

[kerrso05]

OK I have now talked it over with my wife and daughters and have made the decision to go for VDSL2 install and have also decided to pick the Buffalo Router that Glenn recommends (due to the price and very good reviews) but before I order one can someone quickly cast their eye over it's specifications and confirm that this is the correct router to buy....that'll work with the BT Modem.......because somewhere in it's description it says "Cable Router" (as you can see I know nothing about this subject) Also do I have to buy anything else eg. cable etc...
Here is the link to the Router:-

Buffalo Wireless - N300 Cable Router

I have also decided to pay for it monthly..........basically because it would be too much hassle to change/cancel the Direct debit that I have already set up with the Bank and Idnet.....easier all round

Thanks for all your help

[Glenn]

Harry,

I just checked, mine is the G300N http://www.crescentelectronics.co.uk/buffalo-airstation-nfiniti-wirelessn-router-access-point-wireless-router-1.html

[kerrso05]

Thanks again

I have just been on to Buffalo and spoke to a very helpful Lady who told me that I should look out for either WHR or WZR that only these models will work with Fibre Optic and she also said that if I was interested in the N300 model then I should look for Version 2. It appears that the Ebuyer model ticks all those boxes..............would you agree?

Thanks again for all your help

[Anton]

A Cable router is exactly what you need.

In general in the UK routers will be:

1. What PC world would describe as "BT" - I.E. a combined ASDL Modem and router - the type you'd use for self install copper broadband connections. Calling these "routers" is really a bit misleading as they're combined devices.

2. What PC World would describe as "Cable" - a plain router with no modem included. This is suitable for more or less any connection where you have a modem that provides an ethernet port, so that's Virgin Cable or VDSL - I.E. Where the telecoms provider installs a modem for you in your home.

The danger when listening to helplines is that they'll assume taking your broadband over a BT line must therefore mean ADSL and then go on to recommend the wrong part to you.

In general a cable router will be fine, but make sure it's a fast one! ;-)

[kerrso05]

In general a cable router will be fine, but make sure it's a fast one! ;-)

Thanks Anton, for explaining that in simple lay-mans terms....I totally understand what you mean..thanks

But, maybe you can explain your last comment "but make sure it's a fast one!"............what should I have looked out for? (mind you, it doesn't really matter now because I have already done the dirty deed and bought the Buffalo)......should I have looked for some rating figures or should I have looked at reviews before purchasing? To be perfectly honest, the whole thing is a bit of of a minefield 

Hopefully, I am doing the right thing......only time will tell but thanks to everyone here who have been very helpful and generous with their advice.......it is much appreciated.

Thanks

[Anton]

But, maybe you can explain your last comment "but make sure it's a fast one!"............what should I have looked out for?

In the old days (!) when it were all fields for miles around, the typical router you'd get at home was plenty fast enough for any speed of broadband. If you think of your connection as a chain:

PC....wireless card...router.....modem.....Broadband.....Server

your connection will only ever be as fast as the slowest link. If you're moving from say a 2mb connection, where that was pretty much certain to be the weak link to a 40mb connection, suddenly your home router, wireless card and PC need to be up to the job.

If you're connecting over an Ethernet wire, it's almost certain to be 100mb or 1Gb, both much faster than the 40mb your broadband will deliver. There are two things to look out for. A router needs to be able to handle 40mb on it's WAN port (the connection to the BT modem) and if you're using wireless, you really need to use one of the various "802.11N" standard wireless cards as the older "802.11B" and "802.11G" standards cant reliably deliver a >40mb connection.

As you say, you've done the deed, and while I'm not familiar with the router itself I'm sure someone on here will be and will confirm it's ok (or not!). Even if it isn't the fastest in the world, you'll still see good speed gains, but just not running it at maximum if that makes sense.

When BT install you, they'll test the speed and tell you what you have. That should be a rough approximation of what you then see in Real life - for example, the engineer confirmed I sync at the full 40mbps and in real life I see 37 which allowing for overheads is really the best I could hope to see.

[kerrso05]

Thanks Anton...........yes the dirty deed is done ...in all respects. I just received the Buffalo  was that quick or was that quick? Ordered in from Ebuyer one day and the next morning I receive it........and I live in Northern Ireland. That's amazingly fast.... in anyone's language.

Glenn it is really small, dinky and rather cute. I have also put my order into Idnet and about a couple seconds later I got an Email to confirm my order. Spoke to James and Miriam before I made my order...........both very helpful and courteous................but what do I expect from a Premium Company. I know I have said this before (many times) but this was the best decision I ever made coming to this Company.......they might be a bit dearer than most but customer service and internet service is second to none. Hopefully everything else will go as sweetly as this........I'll let you know how I get on.

Guys thanks again for all your help

[kerrso05]

Does anyone know how long it takes to get the order through? I thought that I would have heard by now from Idnet. I ordered the FTTC/FTTP installation on Friday last and I thought they said it would take about 4/5 days (but maybe that means work days)...........yes I know I am an impatient little .........although tomorrow would be the five days.

Knowing my luck, I will hear tomorrow that the appointment is for tomorrow.....surely not!!!

[kerrso05]

Well............guess what? I did hear on Friday.........but not from Idnet but from BT saying that an Engineer would be calling with me on Tuesday Morning. Don't know why Idnet didn't Email me, as I requested them to do but hey why should I complain, at least someone has kept me in the loop and it is going to happen very soon. I'll let you all know how I got on and whether or not it was a good idea to go down this route

[Simon_idnet]

Hi Harry

Our portal database still had your old (Eclipse) email address listed. I've now updated that to your idnet.com address for you.

Regards
Simon

[Lance]

Thanks for clarifying where the communications went, Simon. 

[kerrso05]

Thanks Simon    for updating that............I've probably been missing loads of Emails from yourselves over the years. Mind you I don't know why that happened because when I ordered the FTTP/FTTC I used the Idnet address and I have had the Newsletters coming to the Idnet address from time to time.............anyway I'm not to worried about it because you have sorted it out now and anyway, BT contacted me........so only a couple of hours to wait till I'm up and running.

Sorry for not replying to you sooner but been at my first daughter's graduation ceremony at Queens University Belfast, today. So not been thinking about Internet, just enjoying the beautiful sunny day and having strawberry's and cream on the lawn.........Great Day

[Simon]

  Harry!  I hope she does well out of it. 

[kerrso05]

Simon....thanks and I'll pass on your best wishes. She got a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Music Technology and has just got through the first round for an Apprenticeship with the BBC for Program Production.........so fingers and toes and everything else crossed for that one. There are very few jobs out there, even for graduates.

Funnily, I was talking to a Law Lecturer today and he was saying that very few of his students had jobs lined up for them when they graduated (whereas in years gone past most of them were guaranteed a job as a solicitor.....today,they would be lucky if they got a Para-legal's job) and his Daughter who had also just graduated today, in Medicine was one of the lucky ones who was guaranteed a job for two years in the Health Service.

(Sorry guys for moving off the theme of this thread)

[Simon]

You must be very proud, Harry. 

[kerrso05]

Simon.....as the saying goes......."Proud as Punch".......

[kerrso05]

Well back on to Topic.

FTTC/FTTP was installed to-day as promised. A very helpful BT Openreach Engineer phoned around 11.00am to let me know that he was going to install the upgrade and that my phone would go down for about 10 minutes and after that he would be around to the house to install the BT Modem. About 5 minutes later he called around and asked me were I wanted the Modem installed. I had decided that I would have it installed on the wall beside the Master socket in the hall, to which he replied "No problem, I will have that done as quickly as possible" and about 10 minutes later he had the modem installed......simply and as quickly as that. I told him that I wasn't a BT Openreach/Infinity customer but he said he already knew that because the job was for Idnet. He also told me that he had checked the speed coming into the house at the Master Socket and he said it was 39.5Kbps..........WOW. I told him that with ADSL I was getting around 2.5Kbps to which he replied "then you should see a bit of difference now with this" I then asked him would I get anything near that speed at which point he noticed my Powerline Ethernet Adapters and he said "with those you should see that speed"
At that, he left. The total job was over in about 30 - 45 minutes.

I loaded up the Billion Router which was relatively quite simple and then tested the line on a computer linked to the Powerline Ethernet Adaptor and got around 37.5 Kbps Download. So I am well pleased with everything. Neat tidy installation by a very polite helpful BT Openreach Engineer............I couldn't be happier.

What I have noticed is that I'm not getting those speeds with the Belkin N Adapter......the best that I have got is 17.9Kbps Download. Do you think that is the best I'm going to hope to get with a Wireless N adapter? (should I buy a Billion N Adapter because the router is a Billion?) or can I improve that speed?. Should I download the latest Alpha Firmware from Billion for the Router?

Thanks to everyone who took part in this discussion...........your help was much appreciated


THANKS

[Steve]

I would expect a bit more from wireless N , obviously performance drops off the further you are from the router and connected legacy 'G' devices tend to drag performance down. Any idea what your 'N' connection speed is.

The 1.06d firmware seems pretty mature and stable.

[Anton]

Well back on to Topic.

the best that I have got is 17.9Kbps Download. Do you think that is the best I'm going to hope to get with a Wireless N adapter?

17.9K?

Is that really 17.9M?

If so, yes, I think it's a bit on the low side, but hey, 17M is enough to stream HD and still pick up mail, so perhaps you can live with it!


Enjoy...

[kerrso05]

Sorry Anton.........you are right 17.9 Mbps.........just shows you, I know nothing about this subject 

The Firmware that is on the Billion is this:- WHR-G300N Ver.1.82 (R1.12/B1.01) .....but there is a more recent Alpha Firmware available..........do you think I should download it and try it?

Maybe I should look at getting a Billion 'N' Adapter.....I wonder would that improve the speed because they all would be from the same manufacturer. I know I am nick-picking but I just want to squeeze every last bit of speed out of this equipment.

[Bill]

I'm confused... earlier in the thread you said you were going to get a Buffalo router, now you're talking about a Billion router (with what looks like Buffalo firmware) and a Belkin adapter... what have you got?

[kerrso05]

Sorry Bill  ............I'm having a night of it................why oh why was I talking about Billion???

Forget all that RUBBISH

It's a Buffalo Nfiniti WHR-G300N V2 that I have (were I got the billion.....I never will know)

Honestly, I haven't been drinking and no I don't abuse drugs either.

This is what I have:-

Buffalo Nfinti Router and a Belkin F7D4101ED Play Wireless USB Adapter (802.11a/g/n, 300 Mbps)

[Bill]

OK, thanks, these things happen

I'm not familiar with either the Buffalo or the Belkin, but a couple of thoughts occur-

1) is the Belkin plugged into a USB2 port? I'm not sure a USB1 port would be fast enough.

2) Check the wireless "channel width" setting on the Buffalo- on my Billion I can select either 20MHz or 20/40MHz. If yours is set to 20MHz this might explain the reduced speed.

Otherwise I'm stuck

[Glenn]

Are there any other wireless devices connecting to the router?

[Steve]

Make sure your wireless security is set to WPA2/AES, other levels of security reduce throughput apparently.

[kerrso05]

Guys, thanks again for all your help. Just been looking at all that rubbish I posted yesterday......very embarrassing........looked like I had been taking drugs. 

Steve I have the Buffalo  set at AOSS WPA/WPA2 mixedmode - PSK .....hopefully that is correct!!

Bill - The Belkin N Adapter is plugged into a USB2 port

I don't know if I can select the Buffalo on either 20 or 40MHz.........maybe Glenn would know if I can do that.

I have just checked and the Firmware that I have is up to date........so forget all that rubbish I said about downloading newer Firmware, there aren't any.

[Glenn]

Harry, have you tried configuring and using the wireless without using AOSS? I don't think you can switch between 20/40Mhz bandings using the Buffalo firmware, but I haven't looked closely.

[kerrso05]

Harry, have you tried configuring and using the wireless without using AOSS? I don't think you can switch between 20/40Mhz bandings using the Buffalo firmware, but I haven't looked closely.

Glenn...........I have just switched bandings to 40Mhz using the http://192.168.11.1/ web settings but I don't know how to use the wireless without the AOSS.....that's a mystery, which you would have to explain.

Just checked the speedtest.net and am getting the same as yesterday 14 - 16 Mbps for download using the Belkin N Adapter

[Glenn]

Is the Belkin the only wireless connection to the router, no mobiles or other laptops connecting?

[kerrso05]

Is the Belkin the only wireless connection to the router, no mobiles or other laptops connecting?

Well at the moment, it's the only one................although in saying that I have the Powerline Ethernet Adapters permanently connected but no TV or Computer that uses them is on.

No that Speedtest.net test was used with only the Belkin N Adapter connected to a USB2 in a Windows XP computer

[Glenn]

On the router under Wireless config, Advanced, is the multicast rate set to Auto, if it is maybe select 54Mbps and see what happens?

[kerrso05]

Glenn

I have seen a slight improvement since changing the banding to 40Ghz plus I have changed the setting in Wireless Config from Auto to 54Mbps............I would say the speed has gone up to 19.9 mbps..so slight improvement. Should I look at getting an N adapter from Buffalo to see if that improves it?.........or can suggest any other adjustments to the router settings?

Thanks again for your help

[Anton]

Should I look at getting an N adapter from Buffalo to see if that improves it?.........or can suggest any other adjustments to the router settings?

This is blind prejudice and I'm sure others will disagree with me, but I've not, ever, been satisfied with Belkin Network gear. IMO the guarantee is great, design is good but performance is never bette than ok. It also makes a lot of sense to match the manufacturer of your gear up, particularly where N is involved as there were so many draft specs and minor incompatibilities.

Maybe knock out the Belkin out on eBay and treat yourself! :-)

[kerrso05]

Hi Guys this is the best I can get with the Belkin Adapter



but it fluctuates like mad...............maybe that is the best I am going to get and it wouldn't matter what adapter I use. The router is positioned in the hall of the house and this computer is in one of the bedrooms upstairs in a modern detached house built about 12 yrs ago (with breeze block wall construction)

What I have noticed is that the transmission speed in the Buffalo Software "Client Manager 3" on this Windows XP computer is showing as 300Mbps......so maybe that is the best I am going to get.

Mind you, it is much faster than I was getting with ADSL................so I shoudn't complain.......should I? 

[Steve]

I think that's probably very good if your that far away,you could play with the wireless channels to try and reduce neighbourhood interference.

[kerrso05]

Hi there

and this is with the Powerline Ethernet Adapter direct into the Buffalo router with a Windows 7 computer in the living room next to the hall



Good or what?  

but if I could get better with the wireless adapter up the stairs that would be the "cherry on the bun".............but maybe I'm asking for the impossible......I don't know.

Steve, you think that's the best I'm going to get?................so you don't think there is nothing to be gained by going and buying a Buffalo adapter?

Thanks again for your help...........this forum is the best there is

[Bill]

but maybe I'm asking for the impossible......I don't know.

No, it's not impossible to get those speeds from a wireless "n" connection, I've seen them on my setup (and faster for an intra-LAN transfer).

But not reliably... and when they don't happen, trying to find out why is damn near impossible.

[Steve]

I too get excellent throughput with N wireless when I'm near and on the same level as the router. I do find that it falls off rather quickly as I go upstairs though. I wouldn't spend the money until I'd tried the adaptor with the router nearby.

[kerrso05]

I too get excellent throughput with N wireless when I'm near and on the same level as the router. I do find that it falls off rather quickly as I go upstairs though. I wouldn't spend the money until I'd tried the adaptor with the router nearby.

Steve that is a good idea............I never thought of that............I could change it round, I could move the Powerline Ethernet Adapter upstairs to the Windows XP computer and use the N Adapter downstairs which is near the router............good thinking Batman. The only problem I see is I would have to buy a longer Ethernet cable.....which shouldn't be too costly.

My daughter who has Dell Laptop which is upstairs in her room is getting 30+ speeds (I haven't seen those results but there is no reason why not to believe her).....I think she has a G rated adapter

[kerrso05]

Thanks guys. This is the speed I am getting downstairs on the Windows 7 PC which is near the router in the Hall from the Belkin Adapter:-



Which is very good. So I could change the Belkin for the Powerline and then that way both PC would have good speeds.......Magic

All I need to do is buy a longer Ethernet cable for to run the Powerline upstairs from the electrical socket to the PC.....about 3 metres away.

Thanks for all your help and support...............that certainly saves me a few quid not having to buy another "N" Adapter.

PS this is what I am getting with the Powerline Ethernet Adapter:-