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[Panther City]

I'm new to routers and recently bought a 615 Wireless N.  From reading the posts here I've learned I need to know the version so I see it's a H/W Version C1, F/W 3.01, but you guys are so far advanced over me, I can barely understand your posts leaving me a bit lost.  What I have is a stand alone laptop with built in wi-fi draft N.  That is my only computer.  I bought the router in hopes of enabling me to move about my apartment and also access the web from the lobby, patio, etc.  My complex is typical apt construction with all wood and sheet rock, no concrete walls or steel structures.  I installed the router according to the 'quick start' instruction sheet that came with it, and it's working but the range is really poor.  Won't even work 100 ft from the router.  I have it sitting on a shelf by itself about 3 ft from the laptop when it is on the desk, and the antennas pointed the way the instructions said to do it.  There are no portable phones or other equipment near it except a non-wireless printer about a foot from it.

Is that all there is?  Or can I do something I haven't done or don't know yet.

[smlunatick]

My complex is typical apt construction with all wood and sheet rock, no concrete walls or steel structures. 

How "old" is the complex?  If the complex is a "fairly" new one, the construction of the walls could possibly include metal studs.

Also, the wireless range is affected by the number of walls / floors the signal have to pass through.  The more walls / floors, the signals will "degrade."

As with all routers, it is recommended to always consider updating the router's firmware, over an Ethernet cable, to the latest non-Beta firmware update.

[Fatman]

I would try it off the shelf first.

Play with your wireless channels (Only use 1, 6, and 11), play with locations, unless your environment is completely unsuitable there should be an easily found sweet spot.


***Edited by Fatman because as soon as he hits post he realizes that he forgot how to use the "," key.

[Panther City]

Thanks for the replies.  Sorry I'm slow getting back to you but I've had some medical things going on.

First, I've been jacking with PC's as a user since 1983 and have never felt so dumb.  Last time I felt nearly this dumb was when I once got a gig at Lockheed doing a manual to computerized inventory conversion of the plant in Ft Worth.  When I sat down at the terminal of their mainframe, everything I ever knew about computers just became useless.  Only resemblance between a PC and their mainframe was the keyboard and monitor.

Now it's de ja vu all over again. You guys are so far ahead of me, I can barely keep up.  My first dumb problem today is that this forum is a bit different from the ones I'm familiar with and I see I have a message from Fatman and one from smlunatick and I can't figure out how to answer you individually, so please bear with me and I hope ya'll can figure it out.

To FATMAN:  Errrr. "Play with your wireless channels".....How do I do that?  I used the utility built in to Vista to connect the laptop to the router and it was done mostly automatically.  How do I override that?

TO SMLUNATICK: The complex is circa late '60's or '70's construction. I don't think there is a piece of metal in it..all wood and sheetrock.  Got a partial brick facade but not between me and where I want to go.  Got lots of walls, but no floors to go through.  It would seem easier to try FATMAN's suggestion first, and then the update of the firmware.  True?  Thanks for the comment about using the ethernet wire instead of wireless to do that.

Once I find out how to get to the channel selector I'll get started.

[Panther City]

I would try it off the shelf first.

Play with your wireless channels (Only use 1, 6, and 11), play with locations, unless your environment is completely unsuitable there should be an easily found sweet spot.

FATMAN & smlunatick,
Making a little progress.  Figured out where to go to see the channels. It was set on 6 with a signal of 65% and 130.  Changed it to 11 and lost all signal.  Changed to 1 and picked up a tad of signal strength with speed still about 130.  I'm on a cable modem but I'm only paying for the slowest speed.

Saw an advisory on the forum saying some performance could be gained slightly locking in "n" if I don't need "g" or "b" for some legacy products which I don't, so I locked in "n".  Also the channel width was set at 20 and the advisory said to change that to 20/40 suto so i did that too.

It'll be tomorrow before I can wander down the halls and see if the range imporved any.

Oh, yeah...I checked and I already have the latest firmware version.

Thanks for the help.

Panthere City

*** Edited by Fatman because a quote flag hadn't been closed and it was unclear what was being said.

[Fatman]

Good luck, keep us informed of how it goes.

Networking is easier that it sounds, and wireless tends to be easier yet (as it is only good for layer 1 links there isn't much room for options).  You will have the mind for it in seconds.