.
.
.
.
.
.
.
by Anura Guruge
Other Related posts:
1. MetroCast maintains 75Mbps — Jan 11, 2015.
2. 75Mbps Internet From Metrocast — Jan. 7, 2015.
3. TDS claiming Gigabit by Oct. 2015 — Dec. 30, 2014.
>> TP-Link TL-WA850RE going strong.
>> TP-Link TL-WA850RE Wi-Fi Range Extender.
>> Ordered TP-Link.
Though I got a 75Mbps/5Mbps Internet service from MetroCast on Wednesday, January 7, 2015, I was NOT going to commit to it until I saw how the bandwidth held up during peak cable traffic on a Saturday night. As I just documented, MetroCast, to its credit, at least on this Saturday night, did ‘OK’.
So I am going to ditch the two (2) 15Mbps fiber connections I have to the house and go, for now, with the 75Mbps MetroCast service.
But, now I need to redo the entire home network. We currently have two, intentionally separated networks: one just for my main PC with 15Mbps of dedicated WAN bandwidth and another for the rest of the house, including Wi-Fi, using the second 15Mbps fiber.
Now, for the first time in like 2.5 years we will again all be back on the same network.
Yes, if I wanted to I could just about get by using the current, 2.5 year old Linksys EA3500 Wi-Fi router we have. But if I did that, first and foremost, I would use up the last LAN port on that. That means we have zero ports if I needed another LAN port (in a hurry). I don’t like not having a spare LAN port handy. Plus the way the two TDS fibers are brought into the house, the two TDS phone-jack connections are on either side of house. So the Linksys EA3500 is on Deanna’s side of our ‘office’. So I would have to run a long Ethernet cable to connect my main PC to that Linksys. I don’t want to do that.
Plus, and this is a major factor, after all the trouble I had with Linksys Range Extenders I don’t like Linksys. I don’t want Linksys in the house.
I have come to admire TP-Link. The little $23 TP-Link Range Extender I got to replace the pathetic Linksys ones works like a champ.
I asked around TP-Link is gaining a solid reputation.
So I am going to get a whole new 802.11 AC standard based network. No, I do NOT currently have any 802.11 AC devices. But, given that I do have 35 years of networking smarts under my belt, I did some research and checking around. 802.11 AC Wi-Fi routers, especially with AC1900 standard, have better range and, moreover, Beamforming technology to locate and focus the Wi-Fi signal in the direction of the devices picking up the signal. Appears that Beamforming does work. I want Beamforming.
I need the Range Extender for the IPTV box I have to watch cricket. It has an ancient 802.11b chipset! It needs as higher signal has possible to stream without issue. So I am going with a new TP-Link AC Range Extender. Yes, I will give my old TP-Link Range Extender to some lucky soul.
So, I will order the 3 TP-Link boxes today. Given that I have Amazon Prime I will have them by Tuesday. With luck I should have the new network up and running by the end of the week. I am going to get my computer guy Shane Selling to come and help me.