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[LdyMox]

DIR-655 Router & DWA-552 Card Combo, both bought new. Firmware 1.21. I am trying to network from my main computer to a secondary computer about 100 feet away. The signal cannot reach 100 feet away? Is this normal? The best I can can get any signal is at about 75 feet and that is one bar, and the connection drops and is slow. Am I wrong thinking that it should be able to pick up the network from 100 feet? I thought N series greatly increased the distance? The card itself dose not pick up all but one network that a friends laptop did. Also the signal strength is low even under 25 feet. I have tried changing the channel with no help. Any ideas?

[davevt31]

I have 2 of these that work fine in my house, router is on first floor.  Computers are on second on opposite sides of the house.  Check here for setting up your router:

http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=616.0

[dougg]

I would think under  normal surcumstances 100 feet isnt to far I get a full signal at about 30 feet away throuh only 1 wall.  But I guess it would depend on enviroment ie walls and interferance like other wifi networks/phones etc.  if its low at 25 feet I would guess there is something wrong

[lotacus]

definatly the environment.

I get full 54Mbs, better than 802g (since the G spec is theoretical) about forty feet? who knows. I don't measure. but the way the rooms are setup, it's pretty much going through four walls, and the gateway is not in the best of locations, by an LCD TV, near the floor, sitting on top of a speaker.

But I can attest, that I can go over a 100 feet and still maintain a signal. What you have to remember, is that though, you may get farther distances, your throughput will deminish. No way in heck are you going to get 300Mb/s at 100 feet, for example.

[Lycan]

any cordless phones in the environment?

[mxnm2009]

I am posting this just for the record.
With both DIR655 and DWA552 setup, with connection distance around feet, I only get 2 bars.
Both the router and the adapter have the most current FW and Driver.
I start to think this low signal issue  is very common for most users.
I am convinced it is definitely a problem. These two devices, even dsigned to work together, do not work well with each other.
A big joke to in my opinion.

[EddieZ]

I am posting this just for the record.
With both DIR655 and DWA552 setup, with connection distance around feet, I only get 2 bars.
Both the router and the adapter have the most current FW and Driver.
I start to think this low signal issue  is very common for most users.
I am convinced it is definitely a problem. These two devices, even dsigned to work together, do not work well with each other.
A big joke to in my opinion.

Well, like I stated before as a reply on these allegations (where individual problems seem to be generalized towards a generic, established problem): either you have a defect in the device (which is sad but that can happen once in a while) or your setup is no good. 99% of these easy turned out to be a configuration issue. Just check the threads on the board for that calculation.

The Basics
The distance covered is dependable on a lot of circumstances.
- Is there an unobstructed Line Of Sight?
- What are the obstructions (floors, doors, walls) in between (wood absorbes less than concrete)
- How are the antenna triangulated (the 3 antenna's work together to achieve reach and throughput and can block eachother when misaligned. Turning an anettenna 15 degrees can cause >20% los of signal)
- Wireless N is aimed at enlarging coverage, not promising full N speed throughout the area (see limiting circumstances mentioned above)
- Are there any other neighbouring Ap's on the OVERLAPPING channel or channel sector (1,2,3,4 ; 5,6,7,8 ; 9,10, 11,12 (13) ).
- Are there any other transmitting devices surrounding you (amateur radio enthousiast, DECT, microwave) 
- up to date drivers on client

So please figure out the basics before calling it a generic problem.

[mxnm2009]

The reason I said that it could be a common problem was because I found there were several similar complaints in the forum. Please see the link below as an example.
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=2143.0
To answer you question:
The Basics
The distance covered is dependable on a lot of circumstances.
- Is there an unobstructed Line Of Sight?
  Answer:  Just one wall with wood and dry wall.
- What are the obstructions (floors, doors, walls) in between (wood absorbes less than concrete)
  Anwer: Yes, one wall (dry wall, no metal).
- How are the antenna triangulated (the 3 antenna's work together to achieve reach and throughput and can block eachother when misaligned. Turning an anettenna 15 degrees can cause >20% los of signal)
  Answer: I bent them so the attenna of both devices pointed to each other.
- Wireless N is aimed at enlarging coverage, not promising full N speed throughout the area (see limiting circumstances mentioned above)
  Answer: So in 20 feet to get 2 bars of signal is justified?
- Are there any other neighbouring Ap's on the OVERLAPPING channel or channel sector (1,2,3,4 ;    5,6,7,8 ; 9,10, 11,12 (13) ).
Answer: I tried several channels with the same result.
- Are there any other transmitting devices surrounding you (amateur radio enthousiast, DECT, microwave) 

Answer: NO!
- up to date drivers on client
Answer: Yes

[sandman]

  Answer: I bent them so the attenna of both devices pointed to each other.

Hi there,
Just to be clear, are your antennae arranged like a fan, or pea****s' tail, on each piece, as per the diagrams in the manuals?

If so, one "end" of each fan gives the strongest signal, and you have to experiment which of the two ends is the strong one.

[EddieZ]

Antennas: Do not point them at each other. The signal of an antenna is shaped like a donut around the lenght of the antenna (ominidirectional). The top of the antenna (upward pointing) has a very low signal. When you point the antennas towards each other you will use the areas with the least transmit power... This is how they work best:  \ | / <-> |
You only point parabolic or bidirectional antennas towards each other.

[KGB7]

DWA 552 it self is quiet weak, there are other adapters that are much better at receiving a signal. Even my 5 year old Dell laptop has a much better adapter.


Having that said, i do have dwa552 and DIR655, and 4 floors apart from each other, they do work. Even though im connected at 27Mbps and at about 40% signal strength, i'm  downloading torrents and typing this response as well.


So if its not your set up and configuration, then you have a faulty product that you should exchange, it happens to many of us.

[sandman]

Just to be clear, are your antennae arranged like a fan, or pea****s' tail, on each piece, as per the diagrams in the manuals?

Oops, I got bleeped out - looks like "Mother" decided I used a bad word - will in future describe this array as "The arrangement of the feathers on the male equivalent of a peahen when in default display mode"

Note - "Mother" refers to the computer on-board the spaceship Nostramo in the film Alien, and any resemblance to a person or persons actually living or none-living is entirely co-incidental.

[mxnm2009]

No problem. I can take that word, even for a happily married straight guy like me.
I just arranged the attennas to the 'fan' shape, even I knew it would not do much good, but I took your word for it and for the heck of it.

The funny thing is that I have another PC that is in the same room as the DIR-655 router is in. This PC, which is an HP, has a type N adapter too. It only gets 4 bars most of the time. And in the Status tab on 'Wireless' screen, it shows 80% signal strength. Why not 100%? There is no obstruction in between these two devices at all!

Oh, well, I am glad for all your guys that are pleased with the DWA-552 and DIR-655 combo. It is good to know that they work well for you guys. As to me? I am frowning still.

[lizzi555]

Often other components in the computer have a negative affect on the strength of send an receive signal
of PCI (PCIe) cards. Metal housing, sound- or TV-cards ...

So first try should be to place the card in a PCI slot as far as possible from other cards.

Second disadvantage are the antennas, they are placed near the metal housing and often have no direct line to the router.
An external antenna will improve this.

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=545

There also are other 11N / 2,4 GHz antenna vendors.
This one works very well with my PCI-card and the original antennas:
http://www.edimax.com/en/produce_detail.php?pd_id=130&pl1_id=1&pl2_id=8