new router required

Hi All,

I have BT infinity 2, and BT vision, using the home hub 3, but its wireless performance is very poor.

My house has thick walls (built in 1950).

I tried using other options to get a good wireless signal upstairs to my sons xbox and other sons PC, but none work very well, these include inline power adaptors, including one that was a wireless output from the upstairs powerline, but using these means I have to use one of the four ethernet sockets on the homehub 3 to get a signal into it, meaning I loose an ethernet connections downstairs ( I have an xbox 360, PS3, BT vision youview box, and PC connected to the homehub 3, which means to connect wireless upstairs via the inline power adaptos, I must disconnect one of the ethernet cables from another device, not a good option.

This is why I thought I'd ask here, to see if anyone had ideas to get a good wireless signal upstairs (the BT homehub 3 is so poor, downstairs in sight of it, my son can't get a wireless signal to his laptop and this is a few feet from the homehub 3) and I'm on my 7th homehub 3, same for the wireless printer, it see's a signal, but very weak, changed wireless settings and channels in the hub, but no real differance).

Perhaps a new wireless broadband router that works with infinity 2 and BT vision is the way forward, but which one?

Thanks in advance.

If the powerline works, why not just buy a cheap gigabit ethernet or even cheaper 100 Meg Ethernet switch and add this to the HomeHub

Wireless signal strengths dont really vary much, just the antenna design, and if a solid object like concrete floor is the issue mimo and other options unlikely to help

The HomeHub is actually one of the good ones in terms of wireless signal. You should easily get signal in line of sight though, that's very odd.

I wouldn't bother buying other routers as you're likely to just waste money. What I'd do is install a switch into the HH to get more ethernet ports & then use powerline 500 adapters. Get 3 of these in total and install a wireless Access Point into each one. So that's 2 more AP's

This is assuming the wireless worked well with the homeplugs before?

Edited by ukhardy07 (Fri 09-Nov-12 14:03:05)

In reply to a post by zrerz:

Perhaps a new wireless broadband router that works with infinity 2 and BT vision is the way forward, but which one?

I assume you've already used inSSIDer on a laptop (Windows or Mac) or Android tablet or phone to check you have the best channel ? don't trust the advertising that says the HomeHub 3 does this for you. Use inSSIDer and set your own channel.

http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/

Homeplug is the best for your sort of building, such as these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-PA411KIT-AV500-Power...
or these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zyxel-500Mbps-Slimline-Power...

and a cheap 8 port switch such as this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Unmanaged-Desktop-TL...

That would give you many more ports downstairs too

Thanks for that, got one of the cheap 8 port switches you mention on order from amazon, hope to get it saturday 10th, so post back with results.

I would have got one of these www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Gigabit-Unmanaged-Desktop-TL-SG1005D/dp/B000N99BBC

Was just in time to get amazon to change it to the one you recommended, so it's on order for Monday delivery.

Hope it goes well

I'm currently using one of these - the dogs proverbials!!!!!

http://www.netgear.com/R6300#

Very strong signal throughout the house using channels 8+4 on the 2.4Ghz range and strong throughout the 5Ghz range. Just waiting for a laptop with ac that I can afford!!!!!!.

liked the look of these, after I read review of it in PC Advisors November issue, but not in my price range yet (hopefully, after christmas, might treat myself).

Thanks for your comments, so you get a strong wireless signal upstairs without having bought the matching USB adaptors for 802.ac?

I was looking at these in amazon, but price was near £70 each, so not for me just yet.