no signal upstairs

[Honkie]

ToT wireless router downstairs , no signals upstairs so went to get a Tenda W150M. Now problem is which mode to set it in ?

AP, Client plus AP , WDS plus AP , WISP Router , Wireless Router . Which mode ?

Tried Wisp mode , less than 1 Mb.when downstairs can get 6 to 7 Mb.

Experts out here , PLEASE advise.

[oTwoPies]

I have the Tenda W150M+ version (external aerial) and I also see the 4x factor divisor ratio in WISP mode.

If you can connect an RJ45 cable (longer version of the short cable supplied with the Tenda 150M for configuration) from the Tenda LAN port to the router LAN port then you can use the in Tenda AP mode which will not have the speed reduction otherwise I think you are stuck with the WISP drop in speed. Your WISP connection is correct for using the Tenda as a wireless/wireless connection. Let me know if you need any further information. I have a pdf of the full user guide and if you want this then let me know though it is on the Tenda website.

[Honkie]

@oTwoPies........Advice much appreciated, so you mean in AP mode , I need to connect the Tenda to the Tot router with a cable ?

If I request Tot to change my existing Billion wireless-N ADSL router to a better one ,will it help ? Less than 0.5 Mb is really frustrasting.

Anyway ,thanks again.

[Fordtech]

Make sure your WiFi repeater us same brand as the router. If it isn't it will not work.

Sent from my Starmobile DIAMOND V3 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[oTwoPies]

Honkie:

You asked for experts and get sarcasm so lets ignore the morons

Yep. AP mode is a cable connection via the LAN ports. There is no doubt in my opinion this is the way to go, if at all possible. It is the mode I am using in our hotel. The hotel has Wi-Fi and a LAN connection in the room. WISP and Wi-Fi and the speed is reduced by a factor of 4. AP, using the LAN ports and I have no speed reduction. BTW the hotel is using a high power Ubiquiti Wi-Fi router and I have no idea what switches the LAN port is connected to. All I know is it works. I have attached the Tenda W150M user guide for you.

Now to your second question:

You may have as much luck by moving your TOT router to a more suitable location as asking TOT to change for a different device.

Your problem is signal strength or, more to the point, the attenuation of the TOT signal. Try installing an analysis tool like the Xirrus Wi-Fi inspector on your PC so you can use your PC's Wi-Fi connection to monitor your Wi-Fi signal strength upstairs. The Wi-Fi inspector runs on a Windows PC and is quite a useful indicator of what is happening with your and your neighbours Wi-Fi. You can have someone walk around with the TOT router while you monitor the signal strength upstairs until you find the best location to position the TOT router to provide the strongest signal upstairs:-

http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Network-Management-and-Software/Network-Management/Wi-Fi-Inspector

The Xirrus site has an awkward registration form but once you get through that you should be okay. Alternatively, if you have a problem with registration, I can provide you with a link to download from my Cloud storage. I succeeded in completing the registration process in Thailand so it is possible. The file is 22MB so I cannot easily email to you.

You can use the Xirrus Wi-Fi inspector to see what channels the other Wi-Fi units are using and try setting your router and Tenda to an unused channel.

Let me know how you get on

p.s. the techie at the shop said something about using channel 6 for the router and WISP as this was optimum. I have no idea if this is true and I could not understand his explanation (English/Thai rather than technical)

00W150M+ user guide.pdf

[NeverSure]

Honkie:

You asked for experts and get sarcasm so lets ignore the morons

Yep. AP mode is a cable connection via the LAN ports. There is no doubt in my opinion this is the way to go, if at all possible. It is the mode I am using in our hotel. The hotel has Wi-Fi and a LAN connection in the room. WISP and Wi-Fi and the speed is reduced by a factor of 4. AP, using the LAN ports and I have no speed reduction. BTW the hotel is using a high power Ubiquiti Wi-Fi router and I have no idea what switches the LAN port is connected to. All I know is it works. I have attached the Tenda W150M user guide for you.

Now to your second question:

You may have as much luck by moving your TOT router to a more suitable location as asking TOT to change for a different device.

Your problem is signal strength or, more to the point, the attenuation of the TOT signal. Try installing an analysis tool like the Xirrus Wi-Fi inspector on your PC so you can use your PC's Wi-Fi connection to monitor your Wi-Fi signal strength upstairs. The Wi-Fi inspector runs on a Windows PC and is quite a useful indicator of what is happening with your and your neighbours Wi-Fi. You can have someone walk around with the TOT router while you monitor the signal strength upstairs until you find the best location to position the TOT router to provide the strongest signal upstairs:-

http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Network-Management-and-Software/Network-Management/Wi-Fi-Inspector

The Xirrus site has an awkward registration form but once you get through that you should be okay. Alternatively, if you have a problem with registration, I can provide you with a link to download from my Cloud storage. I succeeded in completing the registration process in Thailand so it is possible. The file is 22MB so I cannot easily email to you.

You can use the Xirrus Wi-Fi inspector to see what channels the other Wi-Fi units are using and try setting your router and Tenda to an unused channel.

Let me know how you get on

p.s. the techie at the shop said something about using channel 6 for the router and WISP as this was optimum. I have no idea if this is true and I could not understand his explanation (English/Thai rather than technical)

"You can use the Xirrus Wi-Fi inspector to see what channels the other Wi-Fi units are using and try setting your router and Tenda to an unused channel."

Excellent. Often this is the answer.

[Langsuan Man]

I have the TP-Link Modem Router supplied by TOT and have no trouble making a wireless connection to my laptop upstairs in the master bedroom

My ceilings are poured concrete and the walls are Q block and the modem / router is located near a window ( 4 feet) and the master bedroom is one floor up and on the opposite side of the house

[sirchai]

If all settings are okay, you could use a TENDA USB Wifi antenna together with a up to five meter USB cable. Try where you get the best signal, it works well for me.-

[Honkie]

oTwoPies , tried the Xirus , when upstairs ,the Tot signals did not even appear , after awhile it read -79 dBm and after switch on the Tenda ,the

upstairs signal read -46 dBm but speed is still less than 1Mb . Both use channel 1 . Would like to know how to set the channel to be 6 for the Tot router.

By the way . everything is the same on both except the Default Encrypt ,Tot is TKIP , TENDA is AES-CCMP ,is this the problem ?

[Honkie]

If all settings are okay, you could use a TENDA USB Wifi antenna together with a up to five meter USB cable. Try where you get the best signal, it works well for me.-

Thanks ,running a cable is not feasible but thanks anyway.

[thaimite]

Due to the propagation pattern (horizontal) no router will provide a strong signal to a different floor. However a quick and dirty trick I have used with some limited success is to place the router on a metal tray or sheet of tinfoil which had the effect of reflecting some the signal upstairs. It worth a try.
Apart from that most of the advice here is good and sound

sent from my Internet aware non fruity mobile device

Edited December 11, 2013 by thaimite

[sirchai]

If all settings are okay, you could use a TENDA USB Wifi antenna together with a up to five meter USB cable. Try where you get the best signal, it works well for me.-

Thanks ,running a cable is not feasible but thanks anyway.

I'd guess with a 5 meter cable you'd get a better signal, pretty close to your other access point.

The antenna is only around 300 baht. Boo Phenn Jang, Dhoor.-

[Honkie]

Due to the propagation pattern (horizontal) no router will provide a strong signal to a different floor. However a quick and dirty trick I have used with some limited success is to place the router on a metal tray or sheet of tinfoil which had the effect of reflecting some the signal upstairs. It worth a try.

Apart from that most of the advice here is good and sound

sent from my Internet aware non fruity mobile device

That is exactly why I use the Tenda upstairs . Would the metal tray or tinfoil around it work?

[Honkie]

If all settings are okay, you could use a TENDA USB Wifi antenna together with a up to five meter USB cable. Try where you get the best signal, it works well for me.-

Thanks ,running a cable is not feasible but thanks anyway.

I'd guess with a 5 meter cable you'd get a better signal, pretty close to your other access point.

The antenna is only around 300 baht. Boo Phenn Jang, Dhoor.-

Need at least 50 meter cable, By the way .what is Boo Phenn Jang Dhoor ? Sounds like a Malaysian dessert.

[thaimite]

Due to the propagation pattern (horizontal) no router will provide a strong signal to a different floor. However a quick and dirty trick I have used with some limited success is to place the router on a metal tray or sheet of tinfoil which had the effect of reflecting some the signal upstairs. It worth a try.

Apart from that most of the advice here is good and sound

sent from my Internet aware non fruity mobile device

That is exactly why I use the Tenda upstairs . Would the metal tray or tinfoil around it work?

If you think of the propogation pattern of a standard wi-fi antenna as a doughnut shape with the antenna in the middle, the metal underneath the router has the effect of curling the doughnut up at the edges giving some signal to the upper floor. As I stated it is a very simple thing to try and the best I can suggest is just get a sheet of cooking foil and give it a try. If it works then you can think about making something more elegant.

If you have an Android phone with Wi-Fi capability I suggest you install the free Wi-Fi analyser which has a very good signal strength meter and then it is easy to walk around the house seeing the effects of your work, and where you do or do not have coverage.

[oTwoPies]

@Hokie:

50 meters through rooms with ceilings and walls constructed of concrete and embedded steel is pushing it, as you have found.

You have only said the router is Billion so I cannot give precise details as to how to enter the setup screen. Normally you would connect a LAN cable between the router and PC with the PC wireless turned off, type 192.168.1.1 in a web browser (Internet Explorer) and this should generate a login screen as per the Tenda. If you do this and have the login screen try admin for both username and password. If this does not work then look at the documentation supplied by TOT to see if they tell you how to enter the router login screen. If you have successfully logged into the router the very first action should be to make a backup of the router settings. There should be an option called backup/restore. Do not use the Restore factory settings option otherwise you will kill your ADSL connection. Next look for the wireless setup wizard. One of the router setup screen options should be the wireless setup wizard were you can set the channel number to 6 and WPA2 AES for the security. If any of the above is confusing, or you do not fully understand, then leave well alone otherwise you are likely to kill your router ADSL connection. Of course, if the router has been locked by TOT then someone may suggest a router hard reset to remove the lock. This will certainly remove the router lock AND all the propriety TOT settings so this is not advised as again, you will lose your ADSL connection.

If you cannot access the router setup screen then set the Tenda to AES+TKIP or, if that setting is not available, set the Tenda to the WPA-personal (+TKIP) and not the WPA2 setting you currently have. However, I suspect this is not the route cause of your speed problem, remember, I also see a factor of 4 speed difference and have not satisfactorily resolved as to why this is. I believe this is either a Tenda or a WISP problem.

If the Tenda setup screen states AES-CCMP I suspect, in reality, it must be using AES-CCMP + TKIP otherwise you would not have the WISP connection between the PC and the TOT router. My investigations to this speed discrepancy have hit a brick wall for a month or two as I am recovering from an operation. If you do resolve this issue then please post your findings for my benefit.

[joncl]

Make sure your WiFi repeater us same brand as the router. If it isn't it will not work.

Ah not that is not so at all, where do you get that idea from?..

[oTwoPies]

Make sure your WiFi repeater us same brand as the router. If it isn't it will not work.

Ah not that is not so at all, where do you get that idea from?..

@Hokie:

Try setting the Tenda into WDS+AP mode, see page 15 section 3.3 of the user guide. You can also try Wireless router mode, see page 17 section 3.5 of the user guide. These modes will not work for me but now, if I am correct with my thoughts, you will have the Tenda operating in 'Bridge' mode and this should only halve your connection speed. Hokie, let me know if this is successful and if so, is it satisfactory for you.

@joncl:

Agreed. It is always better to use the same brand repeater as the router then you are almost certain, but not quite, guaranteed to have success and not have the compatibility problems from manufacturers idiosyncrasies causing issues. Mixing of manufacturers products re. repeaters/routers was a major problem when the manufactures jumped the gun and first released wireless 'n' products on the unsuspecting populace.

The standards committee were dragging their feet and had not agreed on the route forward from 'g' to 'n'.

The consumers had, give or take, stopped purchasing wireless 'g' (they were waiting for the new, better wireless 'n, version that was about to be released) and the manufacturers were in a quandary.

Solution, manufacturers released their own interpretations of Wireless 'n' with the intention of applying firmware upgrades when the 'n' standard was ratified.

Now, everything is agreed, the wireless 'n' standard was ratified as of the end of 2009 and problems are far less common. Not unheard of but far less common. The advice to purchase from the same manufacturer is good, if possible, but more legacy and no longer a necessity.

Whilst travelling Thailand, I use the Tenda W150M+, in WISP mode, to overcome the hotels stupid attitude of charging per connection. The WISP mode means I can login to the hotel on one PC and then re-broadcast the hotel signal to enable my other wi-fi devices to connect. It is this mode of operation that I believe causes the factor of 4 speed reduction. I also see the problem outlined by Hokie and had already suspected this to be a WISP issue. In Bangkok, I have the ubiquitous Linksys WRT54G into which I shall blow 'DD-WRT' in order to test various scenarios but that will not help Hokie in the short term.

[oTwoPies]

@Hokie

I wrote," You can also try Wireless router mode, see page 17 section 3.5 of the user guide." but was mistaken. This is the wired LAN-LAN option I originally recommended so you are back to trying the WDS + AP mode. Hopefully you will only see a factor of 2-3 speed reduction.

Further thoughts:

As previously suggested, a better aerial is a definite option to try, assuming the aerials on your Billion are replaceable:-

http://www.amazon.com/OMNI-Directional-High-Gain-Screw-On-Booster-Antenna/dp/B003VL0WMG

the above link is for ideas and not a recommendation

Suggested reading:-

In the link below I have no idea about the technical or practical aspects regarding the modems/routers/access points the author recommends other than to say I agree with his comments about the two radio one device solution though even this is not perfect. I am of the strong opinion the single radio solution of the Tenda device is the route cause of the problems we are experiencing when operating in WISP mode:-

http://www.tested.com/tech/web/454692-best-wi-fi-extender-if-youre-out-wired-options

I may not agree with everything the author says but in essence he is correct. Wi-fi repeaters suck and you are stuck with an absolute minimum of a halving in speed. He states the best option is a wired AP which is exactly what I said at the start of this discussion. I know this is not possible for you but the URL's provided in this comment show you really are banging your head against a brick wall. Solving wi-fi dropouts is not easy or straightforward if initial router positioning or cabled AP options do not work so I will repeat, if possible run a cabled AP then, again if possible, try a hi-gain antenna. Regarding the wired AP solution: could you run the LAN RJ45 extension cable from the router to the Tenda, keeping the Tenda on the same floor as the router and finishing underneath the upstairs area where you require wi-fi? With suitable positioning, and orientation, you may be able to receive your wi-fi signal in the upstairs rooms.

Below, I have copied the link referred to in the author's text on wi-fi extenders. I feel this is essential reading for you and anyone else interested in this subject:-

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-basics/31576-the-best-way-to-get-whole-house-wireless-coverage

and here is a link to the very test I outlined, in my previous posting, I was going to initiate when I return to Bangkok:-

http://lifehacker.com/5563196/turn-your-old-router-into-a-range+boosting-wi+fi-repeater

please note the drop in speed when the repeater is connected to the router though it is nowhere near as severe as you are experiencing. Methinks the picis may be biased to the optimistic side as there has to be a factor of two difference as outlined in the links above.

[oTwoPies]

oTwoPies , tried the Xirus , when upstairs ,the Tot signals did not even appear , after awhile it read -79 dBm and after switch on the Tenda ,the

upstairs signal read -46 dBm but speed is still less than 1Mb . Both use channel 1 . Would like to know how to set the channel to be 6 for the Tot router.

By the way . everything is the same on both except the Default Encrypt ,Tot is TKIP , TENDA is AES-CCMP ,is this the problem ?

@Honkie:

and of course, I should have asked the obvious questions (believe me, remote diagnostics is extremely difficult). In my defence, I also have speed issues with the Tenda in WISP mode so I was not thinking clearly.

i) Is the Tenda in the same place that you measured the TOT signals with Xirrus on your PC?

ii) Where are you placing the Tenda as a repeater and what is the TOT signal strength at the Tenda?

If the answer to i) is 'yes' then you have set the Tenda to act as a WISP repeater but the Tenda is not receiving a signal to repeat!

If you have placed the Tenda in a place were the signal strength is low or non existent then the Tenda cannot work as an effective repeater; nothing in equals nothing out.

If the Tenda is in a different position to the TOT signal you measured with the PC can you please use the PC, or an Android phone as a previous poster suggested, to monitor the signal strength and find somewhere with a good signal strength to place the Tenda then try your speed tests.

@thaimite:

An Android phone, even without installing any debug apps, is a great diagnostic tool to solve wi-fi issues and has become a permanent part of my toolbox

Thanks for the suggestion of using a wi-fi analyser with Android. It never crossed my worn out cells to even check Android for an analyser

[Honkie]

@oTwoPies

First let me wish you a speedy recovery and really appreciate your help and advice.

Presently at work and will try out some of your recommendations later.

To answer some of your questions..

a) Tot router is downstairs , when I set the Tenda with Wisp mode and placed it next to the Tot. Xarrius read both at 98%.

Logged on with Tot speed was 8.2 Mb , logged on with Tenda speed was 8.1 Mb.

Plugged the Tenda upstairs and tried the connection, speed dropped down to 0.64 Mb. Tenda read 100 %. Tot 24%

Will give you the feedback after trying out some of your advice.

[oTwoPies]

@oTwoPies

a) Tot router is downstairs , when I set the Tenda with Wisp mode and placed it next to the Tot. Xarrius read both at 98%.

Logged on with Tot speed was 8.2 Mb , logged on with Tenda speed was 8.1 Mb.

Plugged the Tenda upstairs and tried the connection, speed dropped down to 0.64 Mb. Tenda read 100 %. Tot 24%

Will give you the feedback after trying out some of your advice.

Hej Honkie:

You may not realise it but you seem to have answered your own question so well done but I am not so sure I believe your findings............

Don't get me wrong, I believe you but not your findings. I have seen similar and suspect (only suspect) Windows is getting its knicks in a twist and not reporting correctly so please repeat the above test with the Tenda in WISP mode and placed close to the TOT router but use Xirrus to BOTH change connections AND confirm your connection is to either the TOT router or Tenda WISP. If you repeat the tests, at least 3 times (TOT, Tenda, TOT 3x) and can still confirm SIMILAR connections speeds to both the TOT router or Tenda WISP then you have answered the questions in my last posting and, at the same time, cleared a puzzle for me

The solution to your question at the start of this post is simple: you appear to have placed the Tenda in an area upstairs where there is no signal so Xirrus, quite correctly, states good signal from Tenda but varying between nothing and not much from TOT. You are asking Tenda to amplify and repeat No, or Not Much, Received Signal. Zero times a very large number is still zero hence your significant speed difference however, I just have this gut feeling you will find a significant speed difference when you switch between the downstairs TOT/Tenda speed test even though TOT/Tenda/PC combination are all in close proximity. So, if there is a significant speed difference then try the Tenda in the WDS mode I suggested in one of my earlier posts. You will have to long-on to the Tenda as administrator to check the WDS settings. Again I suspect there will be no improvement in speed however, if there is a speed improvement, or similar speeds, from any of the TOT/Tenda tests then proceed as follows:-

As suggested by Thaimite: If you have access to an Android phone install WiFi Analyser available from the following link

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en_GB

and use as a portable signal strength analyser. If you do not have Android then use Xirrus and your PC to find an upstairs area with good signal strength of -70dBm or better, i.e. -65dBm is acceptable.

Place the Tenda in this area and repeat the speed tests; again 3x to check for inconsistencies. It is important to alternate between TOT and Tenda for a realistic test.

Not knowing your house layout, or anything else about your connections, I would guess you will not be able to find a good signal strength upstairs due to the omni-directional propagation nature of router aerial.

I have a few other ideas but lets keep it to one thing at a time so the plan of action:-

i) Repeat speed tests with TOT / Tenda (WISP) / PC in close proximity 3x using Xirrus to switch AND monitor the actual connection; note results of connection and speed.

If the speeds are similar then

ii) Use Android or Xirrus to locate an upstairs area with good signal strength and repeat the Tenda or, if possible, TOT / Tenda speed tests. Note results and report findings of tests i) & ii) on TV

else switch Tenda to WDS mode and repeat i) {TOT / Tenda (WDS) / PC in close proxi........}

If similar speeds goto ii)

if different report results on TV

cheers and I hope you can understand the tests required to progress this problems...........

[oTwoPies]

@Honkie:

p.s. please switch Xirrus back to display power in dBm for the signal strength. I do not understand % as it is somewhat of a nonsensical scale.

Percentage; hmmm % of what? To have a % you need a reference hence it is nonsensical . They most probably mean % of full scale but what is the full scale reading? dBm is, by definition, referenced to 1mW.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBm

The only problem with dBm is the power must be specified with reference to an impedance but now we are getting too technical.

Suffice to say you need to set Xirrus to the default dBm signal strength reading for reporting your results otherwise you will utterly confuse me.

cheers

Edited December 13, 2013 by oTwoPies

[attrayant]

Due to the propagation pattern (horizontal) no router will provide a strong signal to a different floor.

The OP did not give a model number of the TOT router but I don't think I have ever seen one that uses anything other than an omnidirectional antenna. There should be no problem getting wifi between floors. Back home I was able to get a strong wifi signal from my basement to the 4th floor. But here's the catch: that was wooden-joist floor construction.

Having seen more than a few houses under construction here, I note that floors are usually rebar and poured concrete with a wire mesh screen laid down inside. If the mesh is tied to the vertical rebar in the walls, this effectively creates a faraday cage and not even prayers to the almighty can get through that.

I have the same problem in my current house. I tried mounting the wireless router on a shelf as close to the ceiling as possible, but when I got upstairs I can barely get one tiny bar on the signal meter of a wireless client. The solution, already mentioned above, is to run an Ethernet drop to the second floor and install a repeater or second access point. A ceiling can be very hard to drill through (about a half-meter thick), so you have to get creative. Try running the wire up a stairwell or outside and up the wall and back into the second floor.

You could try mounting the wireless router at a half-way point between the 1st and 2nd floors (such as in a stairwell) so that it can broadcast horizontally into each floor without having to penetrate the floor/ceiling.

Edited December 14, 2013 by attrayant

[oTwoPies]

Due to the propagation pattern (horizontal) no router will provide a strong signal to a different floor.

The OP did not give a model number of the TOT router but I don't think I have ever seen one that uses anything other than an omnidirectional antenna. There should be no problem getting wifi between floors. Back home I was able to get a strong wifi signal from my basement to the 4th floor. But here's the catch: that was wooden-joist floor construction.

You could try mounting the wireless router at a half-way point between the 1st and 2nd floors (such as in a stairwell) so that it can broadcast horizontally into each floor without having to penetrate the floor/ceiling.

@Attarayant:

Taking your second point first: I agree with your suggestions of trying the router, or even an AP (the Tenda in this case), in a stairwell to broadcast to the 2nd floor but I suspect this ain't going to work as the op. has stated the separation to be 50m. This implies 2 or maybe 3 walls and, if concrete with rebar, the chance of success is slim. Like you, I have seen a wi-fi system with two AP's on the stairwells of a 4 floor, 20 room, guest house. The AP's are on floors 1 & 3 and no probs with wi-fi reception in any of the rooms. The radiation pattern is dependent on many variables which is why comms companies employ professionals for site surveys. The position of the mobile comms masts for 2G/3G is not arbitrary but is based on site surveys.

As to your statement with omni-directional antennas you need to be very careful. Thaimite, in his post, is factually correct, again with reservations. An omni-directional aerial radiates equally in all directions. What many do not realise is the statement, "Equally in all directions" implies with respect to a ground plane. In its simplistic interpretation this means the radiation pattern is in a two and not three dimensional space i.e. the radiation pattern approximates a circle and not a sphere. Life is never simple and, in fact, the radiation pattern more closely resembles a doughnut giving good propagation in a horizontal plane but not such good distance or reception in the vertical plane. See:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnidirectional_antenna

I am sure we can provide a solution to Honkie, as long as he plays ball with adequate and accurate feedback, but I do not see this as a simple, "just plug it in there" case. I liked Thaimite's suggestion of using Wi-Fi Analyser on Android. This app is really very good and gives a real-time view of signal strengths but without feedback from Honkie there is little or nothing I/we can do.

[attrayant]

Yes I didn't want to get needlessly technical, but suffice it to say that while an omnidirectional radiation pattern is best on the X-Y plane, there should be more that sufficient signal on the Z axis to reach an adjacent floor (provided you're not directly above or below the antenna, where you'd be in a dead zone). Now if the OP were talking about 4 or 5 floors difference, I'll agree that the directionality and antenna polarization becomes critical.

I missed the mention of 50 meters before - why is it that far just to run cable from one floor to the next?

[Honkie]

@ Attrayant...only the first floor but unless can drill some holes through the ceiling and the floorboards then at least ok ,maybe 50 m of cables is a bit of exaggeration , but definitely need more than 40 m.

@oTwoPies ..haven't got time to do the experiments yet but will let u know the results as soon as I am more free to get down to it.

[thaimite]

Why not connect to the upstairs router using power line adaptors? (send the Ethernet signal through the mains wiring) It may not be best connection but very easy to do.

sent from my Internet aware non fruity mobile device

[oTwoPies]

Why not connect to the upstairs router using power line adaptors? (send the Ethernet signal through the mains wiring) It may not be best connection but very easy to do.

Because Honkie has spent 6-700 baht on the Tenda so lets see if we can get that working first. I did say, in one of my previous posts that I had other ideas but one thing at a time. My thoughts were if we fail with the Tenda then maybe try a high gain antenna, as a previous poster suggested and power line adapters, as you have suggested. These options require more expense and maybe an evaluation exercise for the power line adapters. I am not ofay with the current state of play of power line adapters though I do know they are a lot better than when they were first introduced. I certainly could not tell Honkie to go buy two or three power line adapters and then have him post again with problems with the adapters.

@Thaimite:

Do you have any experience of power line adapters and can you make a recommendation?

@Honkie:

There will be no problem with running a LAN cable of 50 meters betwixt router and Tenda in order to move your Tenda upstairs and this, without doubt, is the best option if at all possible.

[Honkie]

Thanks for all the suggestions ,guys. Basically do not know how the wirings of the house work . just no exposed cables so it will look really out of place if I set up a Lan cable between the ToT and Tenda.