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[rlcronin]

I have a DAP-1522 (rev A1, firmware 1.2) talking on the 2.4GHz band in bridge mode to a DIR-655 (rev A3, firmware 1.11) that is configured for N-only (and wireless protection off). I get decent signal strengths (> 50% most of the time), but the bitrate never goes above 54 (as reported on the DIR-655 wireless-status screen). Both the DAP-1522 and the DIR-655 have channel width set to Auto 20/40.

I got the DAP-1522 to replace an SMCWEB-N (a Ubicom-based 2.4GHz Draft 2 N bridge, very much like the DAP-1522, except the built-in switch is only 10/100, not 10/100/1000). The SMC regularly achieves bitrates above 54, sometimes well over 100).

I reverted the DAP-1522 to firmware 1.02 to see if it made any difference. It did not.

Any thoughts on why the DAP-1522 cannot achieve higher bitrates?

Would the presence of another (G-only) network in relatively close proximity have any effect?

Or, might it be the case that the DAP-1522 can only achieve bitrates higher than 54 on the 5GHz band?

Bob

[lizzi555]

Any thoughts on why the DAP-1522 cannot achieve higher bitrates?

50% is about the minimum to get a stable connection. It is not enough to get high connection rates

Would the presence of another (G-only) network in relatively close proximity have any effect?

Yes, it can affect your wireless to use only 20 Mhz channelwidth instead of 40 Mhz.

Or, might it be the case that the DAP-1522 can only achieve bitrates higher than 54 on the 5GHz band?

No, I get connections up to 240 Mbps with my DIR-655 at 80-90% signal.

Consider updating your DIR to firmware 1.21 or 1.31NA
(1.31 is running fine on my DIR-655 A2 with DAP-1522 but if you encounter problems with it, you can not downgrade anymore.)

[rlcronin]

At this moment the DIR-655 reports a 72% signal strength from the SMC bridge in the same location as I attempted to use the DAP-1522. The bitrate of the connection is reported as 108. When I had the DAP-1522 up there, typical signal strengths were in the 70 to 80% range as well. When I reported >50% I was giving the minimum I saw. One obvious difference between the SMC unit and the DAP-1522 is that the SMC has 3 high gain external antennas, whereas the DAP-1522 has internals (not sure how many). The location in question is two 1.5 stories up and there are several sheetrock walls and a ceiling for the signal to penetrate in order to reach it. Still, the SMC manages to achieve decent high bitrate connections that the DAP-1522 can't (even in the presence of the nearby g-only network).

For what its worth, I also tried bringing the DAP-1522 into the same room with the DIR-655 and could not get any better connections than with it upstairs.

Back when firmware 1.2 first became available for the 655, I did try it, but it completely destroyed the signal strengths I could achieve (or, at least, the signal strengths that it was reporting). Typical drops were in the 30 to 40% range and whereas before the flash, I was able to get dual-channel connections, afterwards I could not. Lycan explained it was likely due to the "friendly neighbor" policy that the IEEE had added to the N spec. I live in a semi-rural area with a low density of nearby wireless networks (ok, yes, there are a few, but no more than that) so I would not have expected such a dramatic effect. Fortunately I was able to flash back to 1.11 and I vowed to stay there. There's have to be a VERY compelling reason for me to "upgrade", given the inability to revert.

All I want is a draft N bridge with a built-in gigabit switch that can get me better than wireless G connections. Is that too much to ask? It seems my choices at the moment are the SMC, which can achieve the connections, but does not have a gigabit switch and the DAP-1522 which has the gigabit switch but cannot achieve the connections.

Sigh.

[anon]

I do believe the dap-1522 has 2 internal antennas. With them being internal, placement of the device will play a big role in its performance. Of course the layout of the environment will as well.

[rlcronin]

I played with placement some. Right next to the router it got 100% signal strength and bitrate of 270. In the room directly above it got close to the same. In a room in the far corner of the house it got 80% signal strength and bitrate of 108. In the location in question it got between 50 and 60% (if I placed it in the same spot as the SMC unit) and never got a bitrate better than 54. If instead of placing it in the same spot as the SMC, I put it flat on the floor about 6 feet away from the SMC, it got close to 100% signal strength again and much better bitrates. So your comments about placement being key are borne out. Sadly, however, that spot (on the floor, 6 feet away from the SMC) is not a feasible permanent location.

So I conclude that the decision to save a few dollars on external antennas has rendered this product useless to me. Way to go, Dlink. Sigh. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reconsider your decision to remove the external antennas from your products. While some might think the products look sexier without them, some of us NEED them. Bah ...

[Lycan]

There is a second product that has external antenna's.
DAP-1555.
Take a look at that.

[rlcronin]

I did. It does not have a gigabit switch. I have several video devices with gigabit-capable LAN ports connected to the switch that need to exchange data between themselves, and having them connected to a 10/100 switch is limiting the throughput. I realize that nobody really needs a gigabit switch in a bridge if the connected devices are only talking over the wireless link to the Internet, and that perhaps my application is not typical of most mainstream home users (and further that the 1522 is clearly targeted to that market segment), but I would have hoped that the more advanced model (with a feature set clearly targeted to fanatics like me) would be hobbled with a 10/100 switch. Crazy.

Please make a Draft N bridge with all the nifty StreamEngine QOS features of the 1555, external antennas and a gigabit switch and I'm there (I need 3 of them).

Bob

[anon]

I too would have preferred external antennas than the dap-1522 internal ones. It took me a considerable amount of time to get the dap-1522 and dgl-4500 I have to be able to connect at 68%-76% signal and 240-270 rate (5GHz). I could move either device a few inches and see massive drops in performance.

[rrosendahl]

Has anyone experimented with the horizontal vs. vertical positioning of the bridge (place it flat or on the side)? The antennas are obviously internal and I'm not sure if changing the positioning might put the antennas into a more favorable position.

[lizzi555]

This depends on your network. Just try out whether it makes a difference.
My DAP is placed vertical in a stand but I didn't see any difference to horizontal position.

I just needs less place on the desk 

[vaz]

I've been very frustrated with this setup too. At first I did not notice it, but playing halo3 multiplayer really brought the problem out. When I hooked up my laptop and pinged the router from the bridge, it was worse than a sattelite connection. 2 - 5,000ms pings and virtually no data flowing. I was amazed I could stay connected to xbox live. I messed with the positioning of the router and 1522 and found there was litterally inches that made the difference between 1-5ms pings and over 2000ms ping along with huge drops in throughput. I still really haven't found a solution either.

[anon]

Transfer a large file between the router and bridge while moving one at a time till you get a high consistant flow of data between the two. Also try different channels.

[jimstem]

I have the same problem. I have a DIR-655 and added the DAP-1522 today.

I've spent the better part of 4 hours now trying to get the DAP to connect via 5GHz vs 2.4GHz. It won't do it. If I do the automated hit the buttons on both devices, it still only picks up the 2.4GHz part.

Why?

I'm about ready to go back to a hard wired cable as it's more reliable and faster.

[lizzi555]

I have the same problem. I have a DIR-655 and added the DAP-1522 today.

I've spent the better part of 4 hours now trying to get the DAP to connect via 5GHz vs 2.4GHz. It won't do it. If I do the automated hit the buttons on both devices, it still only picks up the 2.4GHz part.

Why?

I'm about ready to go back to a hard wired cable as it's more reliable and faster.

DIR-655 is a 2.4 GHz only Router - it does not have a 5 GHz radio.
So you can't connect the DAP to something that is not there ...

[jdiffend]

I so wanted to post a smart #$% response to this but bad karma would follow I'm sure.