Just thought I would mention, this is the first product I have seen that is a wireless-n range extender. Since my house is 3 stories (including finished basement), getting a reliable wireless signal throughout the house is definitely a challenge. At $99, it may be worth a try, especially if you are trying to stream media.

http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/2008/11/12/ ... -extender/

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DIY WHS - 12.5TB and growing, too many gadgets to list

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If you have wired ethernet on the upper and presumbly basement levels, it might be more worthwhile to invest in a second wireless access point. $99 for a range extender seems expensive.

Wasn't Wireless N supposed to give you range in size to a football field? It'd surprise me if you need a range extender in your house for Wireless N.

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Richard

My gadget blog: http://www.gadgetinsane.com

Having been "N" (Yeah I know, as opposed to "L") for a while, I am going along with Richard on this. It has great linear range, but speed is mostly affected by placement. Physical obstruction is the biggest problem, though still better than "G". i don't think this is an answer unless it is an actual re-transmitter, and at that price, i doubt it.

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Actually, my Wireless N Router is in the basement. What I am trying to figure out though is that I have a PC set up in the basement as well, and connects via wireless n. When I first moved the router down there the signal was great on that PC, but of late the signal has been weak and unreliable. Troubleshooting wireless networks is not my cup of tea, so looking for alternatives incase there is some sort of interference going on between where the router is and the PC. Otherwise, the rest of my house is either wired or has powerline, so not too worried about wireless there

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DIY WHS - 12.5TB and growing, too many gadgets to list

Did you read the MediaSmartServer blog today?
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If you had a good signal and it went downhill, i would look at restoring that either at the router or adapter level. No extender is going to fix a bad signal, or a bad connection. If you have all drivers up to date, etc, you may have a bad router or adapter.

What's on the PC? PCI or USB Adapter?

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I am using the below linksys router (2.4 channel):

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellit ... 7933028B01

And the below USB adapter:

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellit ... 1733028B32

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Damian

DIY WHS - 12.5TB and growing, too many gadgets to list

Did you read the MediaSmartServer blog today?
Blog - http://www.adigitalhomeblog.com
"Like a midget at a urinal, stay on your toes!" - Lieutenant Frank Drebin

I have had good luck with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180052

I got 400 in proximity to the router, and through several concrete walls was pulling 150. And it's cheap.

Don't know what you are getting now with the USB.

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Actually, I have just about the same set up and problem although my signal is always weak comming from my basement though. When I had a G router I could not even get a signal upstairs so I moved all my puters upstairs. After buying the N router (D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme Wireless Router - 300Mbps, 802.11n (Draft N), 4x Gigabit Ports) I ran it upstairs for a while and then had to move my computers back downstairs (due to a kid who earned himself a room upstairs staying up all night. LOL)

Now my 2 wireless computers upstairs have low to good connections but not stable. (one running a G adapter and the other running a Linksys WR300N usb adapter) I have since noticed(after the change) longer data transfer times and loss of signal during data tranfers resulting in corrupt file transfers. So now I'm looking for a solution as well. running cable (cat5e or 6) will probably cost me more than a range extender or repeater by the time I buy the tools to make the cable or hire somebody capable of doing so, not to mention hideing the cable.

You mentioned a powerline network which I have been considering, they are a little spendy but looks like it may be a possible solution, I have not been able to find any feedback on theses. how well they work and what data transfer speeds can be expected.

I'm stuck with 3 options, cable connect, extender/repeater or powerline net. all probably costing between 100 and 300 dollars. I only want to spend money once so If anyone has any recomendations and experience please share!

Corey!

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If you are doing any streaming of videos (particularly HD content) I could not recommend Wireless. With powerline you just need to understand how the wiring in your house works. If all your outlets are on the same circuit then it should work fine. For me, since my basement was finished after the fact, then powerline b/w my basement and house does not work. I have an older powerline version (the Slingmedia 4 port turbo). The connection is great for internet surfing, etc...but I had some problems streaming HD content (I was averaging maybe 2mb/sec). I think though this had to do with the actual powerline device, as I have read the newer ones run much better. You can always try powerline and if it doesn't work or you are unhappy with the speeds you should be able to return it for a refund. I would recommend looking at the newest linksys powerline (http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellit ... 6422279B01) which claims speeds up to 100Mbps (under a 10/100 network) or up to 200Mbps (under a gigabit network). Also, the good thing about powerline is every outlet now becomes a network connection, so I can plug in my laptop and powerline adapter anywhere in the house and I am connected. I think the linksys I reference comes with a 4 port hub (good for a media center) and a single port that gets hooked directly into your network. For any additional spots where you would want to connection you would just need to be an additional adapter (http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellit ... 0922279B01)

Obviously the best solution would be to run Cat5/6, but you would need to weigh the costs of doing that vs powerline. I am just not sold on wireless to recommend it.

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Damian

DIY WHS - 12.5TB and growing, too many gadgets to list

Did you read the MediaSmartServer blog today?
Blog - http://www.adigitalhomeblog.com
"Like a midget at a urinal, stay on your toes!" - Lieutenant Frank Drebin

Minor detour since we're talking about powerline, does anybody use VOIP over powerline? I'd like to move my VOIP phone to a more central location but running cat6 would be a bit of a pain. I presume the bandwidth is small enough that even if it has to cross circuits I shouldn't have performance issues, but would appreciate any input from someone who may have tried this.

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One of the things people don't consider when placing wireless transmitters (or receivers, for that matter) in basements is that you not only have the structural material in between, but pretty much all the house wiring, electric and phone, is run on the floor joists for the floors above, and the main line and panel are usually there. This adds electrical interference. The romex is shielded against short and shock, but not EMF.The older the house, often, the worse the effect.

EMF from older or large amounts of wire can even have physical and psyscological effects creating a "fear cage" in some circumstances.

Cat6 comes in many lengths up to 100' ready made, and if that isn't enough you can use connectors. No need to make you own. If it hasn't been mentioned in this thread before, go to monoprice.com and you'll find out how inexpensive the cable is. If the physical running of the cable isn't a problem, def go for wired. Do try to run the cables as far away from electric lines as you can. Doesn't have to be 10 feet but don't run them along side the lines.

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Take my information with caution. I don't have personal experience with VOIP over powerline.

However, bandwidth requirements for VOIP is very small. For example, Vonage recommends that you have 90 Kbps up and down for a high quality VOIP call. If that is true, powerline should be way more than enough to work.

Again, this is all theoretical but is encouraging if that's what you are thinking of doing.

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Richard

My gadget blog: http://www.gadgetinsane.com

I have to aggree, all wireless networks are good for is surfing the internet. I'm not streaming any HD yet, I'm trying my hand at video editing and finding that it takes along time to transfer video from my capture computers which are both currently on the wireless portion of my network upstairs to my MSS which is on the wired side in the basement. I think powerline is probably going to be the best method. As far as I know my whole house is on one circuit. I only have 1 panel. And I assume you can still use the wireless and wired features of your network (router) also?

Thanks for the replies!
Corey

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Yes, the wired/wireless features will still work. Good luck.

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Damian

DIY WHS - 12.5TB and growing, too many gadgets to list

Did you read the MediaSmartServer blog today?
Blog - http://www.adigitalhomeblog.com
"Like a midget at a urinal, stay on your toes!" - Lieutenant Frank Drebin

Well, you have one main line going into the panel. Each (active) breaker in the box represents a different circuit routed somewhere in the house. Just count the active breakers.

I don't know anything about powerline, just throwing this in for info.

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