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Author Topic: Better coverage in a big apartment  (Read 13464 times)

sandman

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Better coverage in a big apartment
« on: April 23, 2009, 03:12:08 AM »

Hi again,

I have looked for a wireless solution using D-Link hardware to get my internet from the front to the back, and so outside, of my apartment, but do not see a solution (See my previous posting here)
As another route, I was thinking the DHP-303 kit, with the master connected to my 655, and the secondary feeding another WLAN router, could be an answer. Does anyone see a technical reason that this would not work? (I imagine the second router would have to have a different SSID and use different channels to prevent interference)

Thanks in advance for any replies,
sandman
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sandman

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2009, 03:20:35 AM »

Back again - Since my first post I have emailed D-Link both in Germany & the UK to ask for suggestions, but no reply. Still hopeful I will get a D-Link solution.
Meanwhile, I have found a nifty Little unit, the AVM Fritz! WLAN Repeater N/G
Simple, cheap, and when I emailed about compatibility, set up etc. I got a full reply in minutes!
Hmm, come on D-Link, I am trying to buy more of your products, after all!  ;)
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EddieZ

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2009, 03:58:51 AM »

Back again - Since my first post I have emailed D-Link both in Germany & the UK to ask for suggestions, but no reply. Still hopeful I will get a D-Link solution.
Meanwhile, I have found a nifty Little unit, the AVM Fritz! WLAN Repeater N/G
Simple, cheap, and when I emailed about compatibility, set up etc. I got a full reply in minutes!
Hmm, come on D-Link, I am trying to buy more of your products, after all!  ;)


You should not expect and answer to those questions from Dlink, either by mail or through the forum (which is pretty much all about real issues)
They have resellers to do the advising and selling for them.

You should either:
- Go to a store and have an expert give you suggestions
- Ask around / search for articles on the internet

Some leads for you:
- 7 / 9 dBi Antennas
- directional antennas
- repeater
- ethernet wire

Have fun on the Inet
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sandman

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2009, 04:40:44 AM »

Hi EddieZ,

Thanks for your reply - no "serious" stores near me, just Media Markt etc. - I've done a decent amount of research (Which for instance, produced the AVM product)
Because of my apartment layout, and the position of the Garden, stronger or directional antennas won't do it, and a wired solution would be messy here, again because of the layout. So a wireless repeater, or a powerline option are the winners. I can solve this for sure with another makers' products, but I never found a definitive D-link solution.
Yep, I know this Forum generally deals with serious problems, but I also see a decent amount of regular chat, "off topic" as it were, within ongoing threads, so I see no harm to post - after all no-one has to read it or reply, and if no-one did, that's fine and cool by me!  ;D
Cheers,
sandman
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"I Love Deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
               Douglas Adams

EddieZ

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2009, 07:56:37 AM »

Hi EddieZ,

Thanks for your reply - no "serious" stores near me, just Media Markt etc. - I've done a decent amount of research (Which for instance, produced the AVM product)
Because of my apartment layout, and the position of the Garden, stronger or directional antennas won't do it, and a wired solution would be messy here, again because of the layout. So a wireless repeater, or a powerline option are the winners. I can solve this for sure with another makers' products, but I never found a definitive D-link solution.
Yep, I know this Forum generally deals with serious problems, but I also see a decent amount of regular chat, "off topic" as it were, within ongoing threads, so I see no harm to post - after all no-one has to read it or reply, and if no-one did, that's fine and cool by me!  ;D
Cheers,
sandman


There's Powerline by Dlink, AP's by Dlink...and a www.dlink.com + online shop. Have a look.
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sandman

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2009, 12:32:04 PM »

There's Powerline by Dlink, AP's by Dlink...and a www.dlink.com + online shop. Have a look.

Yes of course I have been there. First place I looked.

I tried an AP before from D-link when I lived in a big old house with walls like elephant legs - it could be all these various things, it said, but failed miserably to be a range extender on any setting. I am looking for a working range extender, not a leap of faith.

The powerline from D-link can be part of the solution, but what then works OK at the far end? At no point does D-Link have a complete fix for my problem, and I do not think my situation is so unique  - I like companies that offer an elegant solution. Devolo do, as an example.

No matter, This all comes down to the fact that my own personal crusade is that D-Link have the gear to go head-to-head with Apple for the network market for Mac owners. I am not complaining, I am just trying to push them to address this area. Competition is good for us consumers, and, at the moment, it is too easy to pay the extra and purchase Mac products. for example, buy an airport extreme, and an airport express, and connection to a printer and a backup hard drive, plus range extender, is all fixed. And they state exactly that.

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EddieZ

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #6 on: April 26, 2009, 02:41:15 PM »

Dlink produces rhe same powerline adapters as Devolo. Devolo markets them differently, but otherwise they are (apart from the internal technique) absolutely the same.

And big, thick walls kill every router/AP/wireless signal.
And looking at the percentage of Mac-users....there's not a lot of money to earn here. Sorry to say that this is how the marketplace works.
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sandman

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2009, 03:06:03 PM »

Dlink produces rhe same powerline adapters as Devolo. Devolo markets them differently, but otherwise they are (apart from the internal technique) absolutely the same.

And big, thick walls kill every router/AP/wireless signal.
And looking at the percentage of Mac-users....there's not a lot of money to earn here. Sorry to say that this is how the marketplace works.

Sorry, got to disagree, Devolo for instance offer a wireless powerline combo, allowing people in one building to connect to a wireless source in another building (or separate power circuit in the same building), and then through their own circuit connect to a remote point.

And you cannot look at everything in percentages of total - it is the physical number of potential buyers that matters. And then, Mac users count.
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"I Love Deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
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EddieZ

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2009, 02:41:39 AM »

Sorry, got to disagree, Devolo for instance offer a wireless powerline combo, allowing people in one building to connect to a wireless source in another building (or separate power circuit in the same building), and then through their own circuit connect to a remote point.

Their businessline does, combining coax and phoneline communication with the elecrical wiring in one building.

For simple consumers there is a limit on the possibilities (electrical wiring system is the main obstacle).
And devolo is a specialist in these products, Dlink isn't so you are also comparing apples and pears.

But I hope you will find a suitable solution.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2009, 04:03:05 AM by EddieZ »
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sandman

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2009, 02:49:23 PM »

"You should not expect and answer to those questions from Dlink, either by mail or through the forum (which is pretty much all about real issues)
They have resellers to do the advising and selling for them. "

D-Link Germany did get back to me today and offered a solution (Though it is only G, not N & G), and links to the German site & an English version (As my email was in English)

Top marks to them - so you see, resellers sell, but the product manufacturers still support their product!

Again, good on ya, D-Link!
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               Douglas Adams

EddieZ

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2009, 03:53:48 PM »

"You should not expect and answer to those questions from Dlink, either by mail or through the forum (which is pretty much all about real issues)
They have resellers to do the advising and selling for them. "

D-Link Germany did get back to me today and offered a solution (Though it is only G, not N & G), and links to the German site & an English version (As my email was in English)

Top marks to them - so you see, resellers sell, but the product manufacturers still support their product!

Again, good on ya, D-Link!

Great news! And good to see they do reply sometimes  ;)
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lizzi555

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2009, 09:08:57 PM »

D-Link Europe sells the DAP-1353 which can repeat the DIR-655 (D-Link only supports 2 DAP-1353 as AP/Repeater). I tested it  up to Firmware 1.11EU.
But as a repeater always utilizes at least half of the wireless bandwidth and should be the last solution.

I had nearly the same problem with thick walls and no possibility to use wired ethernet, so I had to find a solution combining power LAN and wireless.

DIR-655-----DHP-300 (303)-->2Walls & 15m-->DHP-300---DAP-1522 as AP---Clients
The powerline is the older version of 200mbit and has a real throughput of 6-7 MB/s.
(With best quality connection between both DHP-300)
This is much more than a repeater can achieve even with 11N repeating (had 3-3,5MB/s with repeating in best quality signal).

This solution is working stable since two weeks now (DAP-1522 is new in Europe). Now with DAP-1522 FW 1.20b016 and DIR-655 FW 1.31NA.

Hope this helps
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sandman

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #12 on: April 30, 2009, 01:01:30 AM »

D-Link Europe sells the DAP-1353 which can repeat the DIR-655 (D-Link only supports 2 DAP-1353 as AP/Repeater). I tested it  up to Firmware 1.11EU.
But as a repeater always utilizes at least half of the wireless bandwidth and should be the last solution.

I had nearly the same problem with thick walls and no possibility to use wired ethernet, so I had to find a solution combining power LAN and wireless.

DIR-655-----DHP-300 (303)-->2Walls & 15m-->DHP-300---DAP-1522 as AP---Clients
The powerline is the older version of 200mbit and has a real throughput of 6-7 MB/s.
(With best quality connection between both DHP-300)
This is much more than a repeater can achieve even with 11N repeating (had 3-3,5MB/s with repeating in best quality signal).

This solution is working stable since two weeks now (DAP-1522 is new in Europe). Now with DAP-1522 FW 1.20b016 and DIR-655 FW 1.31NA.

Hope this helps


Hi Lizzi555,
Thanks very much for the information and the details of the solution - this sounds very much the way to go. I had seen people refer in passing to repeaters eating up the bandwidth, but good to hear this confirmed!
Just one (Probably dumb) question - I looked at the DAP-1522 manual & the quick installation guide - although the diagrams show wired connections to this AP, they never show or explain WHERE to plug into the AP - the picture of the back shows 4 LAN ports - so you just connect the 300 to any one of those? I don't see any other choice!  ;D I always thought of LAN ports on, say, routers, being one-way (Outgoing), with the WAN port being the "In" but in this instance they can be inputs as well then?

Thank you once again for taking the time to help me.
All the Best,
Sandman
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lizzi555

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2009, 04:41:30 AM »

I connected the DHP-300 to LAN 1 as I had no other devices to connect. But as it is a 4port switch you can use all ports to connect devices and the line to your router.

The DAP-1522 is a 5/2,4 GHz switchable AP or a client Bridge to connect more than one device.
And it is much cheaper than the DAP-1353.

Up to now there is nothing negative I can tell.
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sandman

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Re: Better coverage in a big apartment
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2009, 04:47:29 AM »

Ok, thanks again, and  as tomorrow is May Day, Schönes Feiertag!

Gruß, Sandman
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"I Love Deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
               Douglas Adams
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