| Forum Home | ||||
| Press F1 | ||||
| Thread ID: 87932 | 2008-03-09 07:55:00 | Wired or Wireless? | jwil1 (65) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 647678 | 2008-03-09 07:55:00 | I have a client who has 3 immobile desktop workstations (2 in one building and 1 in another) and a server. At the moment there is a SINGLE wireless router trying to connect 3 PCs over about 70-80m (the 2 in the same building are within 50m), though several concrete walls. All PCs have decent CNet WLAN cards in them. The router is a Netlink (I think) Pre-N router. As you might expect, the signal strength between the 3 workstations is low, extremely unreliable and fluctuates alot. They have had endless problems with the system as it is, regarding reliability, speed and uptime. I can get a reasonably good signal 30m away from the router, in a different part of the second building. To get there the signal has to travel though only one cement wall, across a courtyard and through a wooden wall. I don't have to move my laptop around for the signal to fluctuate. My question is, is it worth trying to a) pursue the wireless solution as is, b) add a wireless repeater closer to the 2 PCs in the same building, or c) go completely wired within one building, while connecting wirelessly to the other? At the moment I think the best answer is C. |
jwil1 (65) | ||
| 647679 | 2008-03-09 08:32:00 | Wired is always more reliable than wireless, if you can wire the two in the same building do so, the usual problem is where to run the wiring, sometimes you can go up a wall then across through the roof, or as I have done in some cases run it through some small channel along the floor/wall line - its best if only cosmetic to try and hide the cables as best as possible - doesn't make it work any better - but does look a lot neater and professional. Then for the PC in the other building if wired is not an option put in a repeater. |
wainuitech (129) | ||
| 647680 | 2008-03-09 08:40:00 | What he said ^^ LOL I would say that is the best way to get reliability while keeping the cost down. Just put the repeater in a position where it gets the best signal strength. Also, 3rd party firmware such as DD-WRT allow you to change the wireless settings such as xmit power, noise reference, afterburner etc which may improve signal strength over a distance. |
The_End_Of_Reality (334) | ||
| 647681 | 2008-03-09 08:58:00 | (B) may work but I take (C), most workplaces are still wired these days, its more secure, its more reliable without all those fluctuations, in a working environment fluctuations probably drive people more crazy than slow speeds provided of course its not unbearably slow. Doing work on the computers since they fluctuate you cannot cannot establish any daily time management. It affects the whole organisation and the people. You can put a repeater in the first building and see .. and then establish what way forward ..... |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 647682 | 2008-03-09 10:34:00 | Couldn't you get a Wi-Fi signal booster and see if it improves reliability? But if there was information being transmitted of a sensitive nature then yes, I would go wired. And yes, DD-WRT firmware is great to boost signal strength without any more equipment. |
beeswax34 (63) | ||
| 1 | |||||