router/modem question

[callbay]

I have a new fixed wireless internet system from AT&T. We have a new tower 1/2 mile from my house.

Speed is high to me at about 50 Mbps. ith on line speed tests.

I have a fairly large house and the router/modem that came with the setup from AT&T does not distribute the signal very well. I have added wo Lynksys range extenders and it still does not work very well.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076ZHXK6J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you think a more powerful router would help?

Can I just connect the more powerful router to my present router/modem?

I was thinking of one of these two routers-

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076HRZJ6...0oVg&slotNum=3&tag=onecrack01-20

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B017NT8Q24/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks a ton!

 

[Rand]

There should be some way to put the modem into a passthrough mode ie disable the router part.

this would then plugin to the wan port on another router..

you can always go for a mesh wifi system.. they even have some that use both wifi and powerline networking for houses with bad stuff in the walls(blocks signal)

Generally if 1 strong router wont cover it.. you can either add WAPs(wireless access point) or go to a mesh network.

 

[wkcars]

Probably look into Wifi 6 routers and mesh that's coming out, not many out yet but it seems if wifi 6 is what it's being hyped up to be then it might actually be worth the price https://www.netgear.com/orbi/rbk852.aspx

 

[Rolla07]

Your provider might supply you with a standalone modem free. Worst case you can disable the router portion. Alot of factors when setting up wireless but a better router would help..you can still usethe range extenders if still needed.

 

[NO2]

Can you run Ethernet cable in your house? Hook up your internet gateway to several access points. Let the internet gateway act as the DHCP server. Configure the access points to run in different frequency bands. I'd use several Ubiquiti AP product, which is more of an enterprise grade product (reasonably priced), along with a PoE switch and cloud key, rather than the consumer stuff you mentioned in the links.

 

[HangFire]

I would look into getting a router, either purchased by you or provided by your provider, that has no WiFi. I had Comcast XFinity, I was lied to and told I had to use their provided WiFi/Router, I had them turn off the WiFi part, every few weeks it would turn itself on again and interfere with my much superior WiFi. I could not turn it off so every 3-4 weeks it was 30 minutes on the phone. Then I found out the truth and went back to a purchased cable modem, and the rest of the XFinity system still worked fine (ditched that later).

Ideally you should run hard wired Gigabit ethernet from the wireless modem to one ideal location in your house, and from there to another, and use a pair of same-brand WiFi and a WiFi Access Point (in wired-to-WiFi mode, not wireless-2-wireless mode). Something like these two:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Dual-Band-AiMesh-Router-AC1900/dp/B00FB45SI4 (WiFi Router)

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-RP-AC56-ASUS/dp/B0168I546M (wired access point)

 

[alarmguy]

Those two routers are more then you will ever need, take your pick, Im partial to TP link but never looked into that class of routers.
"fairly large house" can mean a million different things to people.

Is fairly large 3000 sq ft? 4000 Sq Ft? 5000 sq ft?

If your in the 4000 sq ft range you MAY want to start thinking "mesh" but avoid if not needed.

If your in the 3000 range -

These are worth a look for sure-

NETGEAR AC2100/1900 class

https://www.techradar.com/reviews/asus-rt-ac86u

and other offerings from TP link.
I have been using a TP Link AC 1700 C7 V2 for years now in my 3000 sq ft home with ZERO and I mean ZERO issues. (the new AC1700 is not the same, with TPLINK you need to pay attention to the designations "C" "A" "D" as an example)
Im just guessing that I must have 20 devices on the thing, from cell phones, to 4 or 5 Roku players, 4 security cameras, 2 desktops, 2 laptops, 2 tablets, Channel Master OTA, Ooma phone service and I am sure a few more that I can not recall right now, on top of that my wifes VPN work router is plugged into the back of the TP-Link router with a NETGEAR power line extender. *L*
Our system is rock solid, never ever needs a reset, never have a range issue.

As far as the AX routers do NOT buy a router just because one router has AX and one is only AC. AX will work with NOTHING in your home at this time and if, if, the day ever comes that the manufacturers ever start shipping consumer products with AX radios in them, your router will already be outdated and due for replacement.

 

[Brons2]

I have AT&T Fiber and I was able to turn off the built in wifi on the AT&T router using the AT&T Smart Home Manager app on my phone, and I use Ubiquiti access points to achieve whole home coverage. I still use the AT&T router as the main gateway for my network, and to give clients DHCP addresses.

The ubiquiti gear has a lot more options than your standard consumer grade router. It can be daunting for someone who is not somewhat familiar with networking.
While it's reasonably priced as compared to say Cisco or Juniper enterprise gear, it's still not cheap compared to say TPLink routers. I have about $475 into my setup, which is 2 AC-AP-Pro, 1 Unifi Switch 8 POE-60W and a cloud key. The access points are ceiling mounted and hardwired to the switch with Ethernet cables.

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by Brons2
I have AT&T Fiber and I was able to turn off the built in wifi on the AT&T router using the AT&T Smart Home Manager app on my phone, and I use Ubiquiti access points to achieve whole home coverage. I still use the AT&T router as the main gateway for my network, and to give clients DHCP addresses.

The ubiquiti gear has a lot more options than your standard consumer grade router. It can be daunting for someone who is not somewhat familiar with networking.
While it's reasonably priced as compared to say Cisco or Juniper enterprise gear, it's still not cheap compared to say TPLink routers. I have about $475 into my setup, which is 2 AC-AP-Pro, 1 Unifi Switch 8 POE-60W and a cloud key. The access points are ceiling mounted and hardwired to the switch with Ethernet cables.


I agree. We have the same mesh setup at work with 5 AC-AP-Pros and with the exception of a bad string of firmware from Ubiquiti, they've been perfect. Very minimal maintenance, very simple to upgrade the firmware and setup. Dashboard is simple to look at yet provides all the information needed for an administrator to look at.