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[jamiedolan]

EDIT: After I posted this I tried enabling Auto Channel Scan and started getting better speeds.  I don't know if this will last, but at this moment I'm getting better speeds. 

HI;

Problem Summary: Low wireless speeds from my 655 within about 30 feet. (for example getting about 1Mbps down on my laptop now that is about 20 feet from it now)

Internet: 655 is physically connected to my UVerse router; Internet is a solid 24 down / 3 up Mbps connection.

Setup: 655 - currently have slightly larger antennas on it (about 9 inch).  Latest version of rotuer software (as of 3/3/13).

Location: I currently have it placed in my second story, center of the house.  In general I am within about 30 feet of the router when I am trying to access it.  

Interference: Property is almost 1/2 acre, so the closest neighbors router is likely at least 100 feet from where my router is placed.

Devices: Main computer is hard wired to UVerse router.  Main wireless devices in use are 2 Note II phones and 1 Laptop.  Sometimes I have a Wii that connects over wireless and occasionally a ipod.

Environment: House has plaster walls, but does not have much metal lath (during remodel of a room only found metal lath used in some corners).

I've tried a number of different channels on the router.  I used a program on my android that showed me the channels with the least interference and 11 looked like the best one; which is what I am currently using.

I can't identify any significant environmental factors that would be causing a high level of interference with the wireless signal.  What I would like seems quite simple; I have a couple rooms in the house and the back yard which are within about 30 feet of the router, (most of the time closer) that I want to be able to use my laptop and phone in via Wifi at a reasonable speed.

I've had times in the past when my signal has seemed to work better, but I wouldn't say that in general it is ever great.  I'd except these kind of problems in an apartment building that is filled with rotuers, but am at a loss as to why I have so many problems in my environment.

Any ideas that I can try?  Larger antennas?  A new router?

Thanks very much;

Jamie

[FurryNutz]

Link>Welcome!
What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under router.
Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on routers web page under status.
What region are you located?

Is the 655 running as a main host router or just wireless mode since you have a Uverse Modem/Router?
 
Link>Wireless Installation Considerations
What wireless modes are you using? Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.
Try single mode G or N or mixed G and N?
Channel Width set for Auto 20/40Mhz or try 20Mhz only.

What security mode are you using? Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support AES, so you might want to try TPIK only or Auto.

Any cordless house phones?

30 feet is around the upper limites of any home router WiFi. you might want to investigate using a DLink model DAP to help extend your range:
D-Link DAP 1360, 1513, 1522, 1525, 1533

[jamiedolan]

Link>Welcome!
What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under router.
Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on routers web page under status.
What region are you located?

Is the 655 running as a main host router or just wireless mode since you have a Uverse Modem/Router?
 
Link>Wireless Installation Considerations
What wireless modes are you using? Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.
Try single mode G or N or mixed G and N?
Channel Width set for Auto 20/40Mhz or try 20Mhz only.

Thanks for your prompt response.

Hardware version: B1
Firmware: 2.10NA

By Region, I'm not sure if your just asking country or my location?  I'm in Neenah, Wisconsin, US.  Router was purchased new from Amazon, so I assume it is the US version.

It's running in regular router mode since the U-Verse device your forced to use is a all in one router / modem and their passthrough thing doesn't seem to work well.  I have different addresses on the 655 than the Uverse device.

I did have the wireless turn on, on the UVerse device until this past weekend and had been switching back and forth between that and the 655 depending where I was in the house.  However my signal didn't seem great from either one much of the time, so I disabled the wireless on the UVerse device thinking that it might be interfering with the signal from the 655.  So now the 655 is the only wireless router / AP I'm using.  

I currently have it running in Mixed N/G.  I think my phones would support N, but I am pretty sure my Laptop only supports G.

I have the channel width set to auto 20/40.  I'll try switching it to 20 after I finish this post.

I'm using WPA personal and filter by MAC address.  

My WPA mode is Auto and my cipher is TKIP and AES.  Should I try this as only TKIP?

No cordless phones here.

Thanks for the links to the other products, I will take a look at them.

I had thought that a typical router without a lot of interference would have a bit larger range than 30 feet, it's good to know that is the typical range for these.  

I just switched to auto-channel scan after I posted this message and for the moment I do seem to have a better connection at least where I am sitting right now with my laptop.

Perhaps I made some of my problems worse when I switched to channel 11, even though my testing with my phone made it look like that was a better channel.  

Thanks again for the prompt assistance.


Regards;

Jamie Dolan

[FurryNutz]

Thanks for your prompt response.

Hardware version: B1
Firmware: 2.10NA

By Region, I'm not sure if your just asking country or my location?  I'm in Neenah, Wisconsin, US.  Router was purchased new from Amazon, so I assume it is the US version. Yes, this the NA region. Just curious as there are other regions and each one has different FW versions.

It's running in regular router mode since the U-Verse device your forced to use is a all in one router / modem and their passthrough thing doesn't seem to work well.  I have different addresses on the 655 than the Uverse device.

I did have the wireless turn on, on the UVerse device until this past weekend and had been switching back and forth between that and the 655 depending where I was in the house.  However my signal didn't seem great from either one much of the time, so I disabled the wireless on the UVerse device thinking that it might be interfering with the signal from the 655.  So now the 655 is the only wireless router / AP I'm using.  
If you let the UVerse modem hand all of your IP addressing needs, you might consider just using the 655 as a wired AP. Turning a router into an AP. I know that most UVerse modem can't be bridge so in these cases sometimes letting them handle the DHCP and other stuff and then using the 655 set up in AP mode might be better.

I currently have it running in Mixed N/G.  I think my phones would support N, but I am pretty sure my Laptop only supports G. I might test the range using single mode G and see how far it gets.

I have the channel width set to auto 20/40.  I'll try switching it to 20 after I finish this post.

I'm using WPA personal and filter by MAC address.  

My WPA mode is Auto and my cipher is TKIP and AES.  Should I try this as only TKIP? Won't any difference or effect single strength. However AES has the best performance.

No cordless phones here.

Thanks for the links to the other products, I will take a look at them.

I had thought that a typical router without a lot of interference would have a bit larger range than 30 feet, it's good to know that is the typical range for these.  

I just switched to auto-channel scan after I posted this message and for the moment I do seem to have a better connection at least where I am sitting right now with my laptop.

Perhaps I made some of my problems worse when I switched to channel 11, even though my testing with my phone made it look like that was a better channel.  Usually channel 11 is the best for manual however if your area doesn't have much or maybe a couple of other WiFi routers near by, you should be good to leave it on Auto-scan. I some cases manual setting to 11 should work well too.

Keep us posted on how it goes.

[Mikeby]

you mentioned that you replaced the antennas on the 655.

What type of antennas are you using, and what is their physical orientation and relative positionling?
This could affect the MIMO functionality (and range) of the router, particularly if you have updated to a directional antenna.

[FurryNutz]

Any status on this? 

[jamiedolan]

Any status on this? 

HI;

After some additional testing; I've ended up using the settings we discussed earlier in this thread; and ended up leaving the router set to channel 10.  It's been a vast improvement.

I generally see speeds no faster than around 10 to 12 Mbps (which is about 1/2 of the connection speed) even if I am about 10 feet away from the router. 

However this ins't really a problem.  When I am about 20-25 feet away I get about 6 to 7 Mbps; which is enough for me to stream video or run a teamviewer session between my laptop and the main computer with no problems at all.

From the testing I did, it seems that the channel makes a huge difference for me, I suspect something must be causing interference on a number of channels. 

Just for my future reference if I run into range difficulties; I have a quick question about antennas; does the size of antennas that you place on this router make much difference?  I see antennas that are say 15 or 18 inches long; do those generally make any difference? 

Thanks again for all your help.

Jamie

[FurryNutz]

Depends on the gain of the antennas.

Glad your 655 is working better. I presume there could be interferences on the other channels.

Enjoy.