Wireless router for poor quality broadband line

245

Hi,

I have a marginal broadband line which just about supports a 1 Mb connection. Stats are:

Downstream
SNR margin = 12 dB
Line attenuation = 54dB
Data rate = 1024kbps

Upstream
SNR margin = 22 dB
Line attenuation = 31dB

I'm using a D-Link G624T which seems to be particularly good at handling weak signals but it got several knocks and now won't transmit a wireless signal. Its time for a new router but its been discontinued and I need to be sure of buying a replacement that'll work on a poor quality line. Its not clear as to whether or not D-Link's direct replacement for the G624T will have the same capability - you'd think that it should but its not always the case.

I've tried a Netgear DG834G which is supposed to be good on such lines but it struggled and wasn't up to much.

I connect to the point where the line enters the house. I've tried a socket with a built in filter and the original socket with an in-line filter An Eircom engineer has checked everything and concluded that its the best signal that I'm going to get.

So, my question is: does anyone else have a similarly weak signal and if so, what wireless router works best for you?

Thanks in advance.

lucernarian

That line seems stable enough. Normally a line like that would disconnect a handful of times a year.

To be fair to eircom, the router they've used in the past 2 or 3 years (the Netopia 2247, with updated firmware), seems to be one of the better company-supplied modems. I'm on an amber line so I can't get any more than 1024/128. Stats are similar to yours or a little better.

Sorry that my post isn't more useful. There's few posts looking for modem alternatives these days, so I haven't seen what's good to buy.

I've after doing some homework on the net. From what I gather, the Netgear DG834G version 4 is good for long lines (it's based on a broadcom chipset) while the D624T is a texas instruments AR7 chip, which has a bad reputation. It's the same one as in some of the BT Voyager modems which have definitely caused stability problems for people I know and here on boards.

Basically, your post seems to describe the opposite to most of the advice I saw.:( Give the eircom one a lash, it could pleasantly suprise you.

dub45

Just to be pernickety because some people to read these forums to learn.

A wireless router of itself cannot improve any line of course because it does not have a built in dsl modem - the common term of this sort of thing - wireless router with integrated modem is gateway or an all in one.

I used a netgear modem (with a seperate wireless router) its the dg834 v2 and it gives me pretty good service - my snr is usually about 6. and I am on Smart

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 3485 kbps 478 kbps
Line Attenuation 53 db 13.5 db
Noise Margin 10 db 24 db

I tried a draytek modem a while ago and it was an absolute disaster it couldn't hold the connection at all.

It really is very hard to predict the peformance of a modem in advance unfortunately.

lucernarian

Do you mean the firmware version or the actual revision of the modem/router?

If it's firmware you mean, that's grand.

But versions 1 through 3 of the netgear DG834G ( the extra G I think is for 802.11G support) itself, have unfavourable comments on the web about it. They're based on this AR7 chip also. What I say here is anecdotal, but the criticisms seemed realistic enough. Backed up by SNR graphs on one occasion.

Btw, any draytek modem that I've searched so far uses the Ti AR7 chipset too.

dub45

Thats whats written on the bottom of it - v2!.

Ironically enough I have seen a lot of positive things written about Netgears products in general being good at weak lines.

But as you know by now some people will swear by various brands and damn others irrespective.

245

Thanks for the reponses. My experience is that the D-Link doesn't drop the connection but the Netgear does - I bought the Netgear based on recommendations of other users with poor quality lines but maybe mine has some unique features. The router that UTV Internet supplied (BT Voyager, funnily enough) was a disaster and took up to 30 mins to connect and then regularly dropped the connection.

I passed the Netgear on to my Dad - I'll have a look and see what version it is. If its not V4 then I'd definitely consider an improved model - it did have very good broadcast range through a couple of solid walls.

mk6705

My router has been on for over 3 weeks without disconnecting (I checked the log) and I'm getting 2048/256 with 60 db downstream attenuation.

dub45

Not much point in posting that information if you dont tell us the make and no?

Also the Snr is needed as its that factor that usually causes the disconnects.

By the way there are lots of user reviews on www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk also on amazon thought slighlty less disciplined there!