Enhance and improve your home network setup!
Enhance and improve your home network setup!
Hey there! I’m looking for some advice on improving my network setup. To give you the best suggestions, here’s a quick snapshot of your situation:
- You live in a busy urban area with lots of interference.
- Your apartment is about 80 square meters but has thick walls that block signals.
- You currently use a 100Mbps wired connection via a TP-LINK Archer C20 AC750 router, which sits centrally.
- You have an 8-port switch (TP-LINK TL-SG108E) and wired clients like two PCs, a NAS, and a server.
- Wireless coverage is patchy—only about 5MB/s on file transfers and 3.5MB/s on Wi-Fi N.
- You plan to add more devices and TVs in the coming months.
- Cables are mostly Cat 5E except for your PC, which uses Cat 6.
- Your router, switch, NAS, server, and devices are all gigabit-capable, but wireless performance is limited.
You’re considering two paths:
1. Upgrade to a stronger router (like Archer C7 AC1750) and use one powerful device.
2. Get a decent gigabit router and set up an additional access point elsewhere.
Some thoughts I have:
- **Single high-end router** could simplify management but might not cover all areas well.
- **Two routers** with one as the main hub and another as a secondary access point can improve coverage and reduce congestion.
- Features like MU-MIMO and dual-core processors help with wireless speed and stability—worth checking if your model supports them.
- For wired connections, moving devices away from the switch toward the router could help, but you’ll still need to plan cable routes carefully.
- If you add more TVs later, consider placing them further from the router or using a dedicated streaming device.
- Upgrading to Cat 6 would give better long-term performance, especially if you expand.
What do you think? Should I suggest a specific router model for your setup, or would you prefer tips on optimizing your current gear? Let me know!
Your router isn't a gigabit device; it's around 100 Mbits. The maximum speed you'll get is about 10 MB/s on a good connection. Since the connection runs through your router rather than a switch, that's your cap. Consider setting up a dedicated C20 access point and switching to a better router. Archer C7 or C9 are solid options. Signal strength varies by brand—Asus is often praised but not ideal as a router due to inconsistent performance and hidden features. ASUS software isn't great, and some think Netgear offers strong coverage depending on the model. Personally, I prefer Archer C9 for its reliability, while TP-Links have ARP Binding in their firmware, which other home brands lack.
My mistake, my router is actually an Archer C2, not a C20, which is a gigabit device. I'm downloading files from my NAS (which is admittedly a low-end model) and server at roughly 20MB/s to 25MB/s. Can I possibly increase that speed a bit? That would be great! I plan to look into it more closely later. Honestly, I'd like something similar to the Google WiFi 3 APs but with lower transmit power—they're costly and not available in my country yet.
It's a budget-friendly device, but not very reliable. It's essentially a simple router aimed at the lowest price point with gigabit support. However, since your switch and NAS are connected through the same switch, your data transfer speeds are quite limited. I don't understand why.