Improve wifi

The best router that Claro has is a Comtrend CT-5374 Multi DSL brand router. It is white with 2 small antennas. If you don't have this one try and exchange the router for this one. It should take care of the Wifi by itself in your house. If not you can use the combo.

texan said:

Any suggestions on improving wifi? I have claro and it comes with a combo modem / router. I brought to brand new asus routers and an apple airport express from the USA. I went to claro to exchange the modem / router combo for just a modem. I was first told to come back and I could buy one. I went back and now they say they don't have the modem only for my service.

I think the router from my combo and my asus router are causing problems trying to put out a signal at the same time. That is why I want a modem only. I was told I could bridge the modem / router combo but I am not sure if there is a disadvantage.

I am in a two story typical concrete house. I have my router right now on the second floor and it won't get a signal for the whole second floor. The laptops can get a better signal but we have several tablets and smartphones. Once I figure out the modem I will hard wire my second asus router downstairs.

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I think you can disable the wifi part of your router or configure it by using the web interface. Just type 10.0.0.1 in your web browser and see if the modem page comes up. I think that is for the Thomson branded one. If that doesn't work try 192.168.0.1

texan said:

.......I think the router from my combo and my asus router are causing problems trying to put out a signal at the same time. That is why I want a modem only.......

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For what it's worth...............A few years ago I too came down with a router unaware that Claro only provided modem/router combos. Since I had the router I used a LAN cable to connect my personal router to a port on the rear of the Claro modem/router. I have had both routers working for the past year and a half with no problems.

Why two routers? No reason other than I had it here and decided to connect it up instead of just letting it sit idle in a box.

Just ignore the Claro SSID and use a totally different one for your better AP. Plug the better AP into one of the Claro ethernet ports, let it get an IP address, and you'll be up and running.

Make sure your wifi device uses a different channel; too many devices using the same channel will cause congestion.

beeza said:

I think you can disable the wifi part of your router or configure it by using the web interface. Just type 10.0.0.1 in your web browser and see if the modem page comes up. I think that is for the Thomson branded one. If that doesn't work try 192.168.0.1

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192.168.0.1 is mostly for DeLancer / Comcast modems.

10.0.0.1 - yes, for most Thomsons. Username = password - serial number usually starting with CP..........

I purchased older Linksys routers and converted them to repeaters using DD-WRT to increase coverage in weak signal areas.

jsimonson0 said:

Make sure your wifi device uses a different channel; too many devices using the same channel will cause congestion.

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Not much as we think.

Myth # 1

There are a tremendous number of 802.11 devices out there. It is true that the other 802.11 networks can cause interference with your network. This type of interference is known as co-channel and adjacent channel interference. But since other 802.11 devices follow the same protocol, they tend to work cooperatively-that is, two access points on the same channel will share the channel capacity.

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With current DR internet speeds this problem will be noticable in about 10+ years from now.

But yes, I would separate the channels "just in case".

texan said:

I am in a two story typical concrete house. I have my router right now on the second floor and it won't get a signal for the whole second floor. The laptops can get a better signal but we have several tablets and smartphones. Once I figure out the modem I will hard wire my second asus router downstairs.

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There is a lot of metal between the floors and walls that kill the signal. I would pull a cable from the modem on the 2nd floor down and plug any WiFi router or access point. I would not go with repeaters since you are loosing at least 50% of bandwidth with each chain. Better use powerline internet plugs if cabling is not an option.

Bred said:

There is a lot of metal between the floors and walls that kill the signal. I would pull a cable from the modem on the 2nd floor down and plug any router. I would not go with repeaters since you are loosing at least 50% of bandwidth with each chain. Better use powerline internet plugs if cabling is not an option.

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Pulling cables through concrete block buildings, while possible, is not easy.

If you have power outages and use an inverter, the square wave output of the AC power will probably interfere with powerline devices.

You should only lose speed with a repeater if the bandwidth of your repeater was slower than your basic internet connection speed. Few people here have internet connections that fast using the DSL or cable modems and the archaic equipment used here at exhoribitant prices for such low speed service.

windeguy said:

If you have power outages and use an inverter, the square wave output of the AC power will probably interfere with powerline devices.

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I thought so too before I tried. It is not the power but the wires that carry your signal.

windeguy said:

Pulling cables through concrete block buildings, while possible, is not easy.

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One can use any existing socket tubes (TV cable, phone or electric power).

windeguy said:

You should only lose speed with a repeater if the bandwidth of your repeater was slower than your basic internet connection speed. Few people here have internet connections that fast using the DSL or cable modems and the archaic equipment used here at exhoribitant prices for such low speed service.

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Theoretically I would agree with you, but my practical observations suggest the opposite. Speed goes down half with each chain.

Had the same issue. Brought a Cisco EA6500 from the states, plugged the Concast Lynksys one into it and now no issues at all. It's located in the front of the main area of the house and we get wifi in the far corner of the backyard and our neighbor 2 houses away can get our network.

I was sceptical when the sales guy said it would work but wow, he was dead on.

Billp said:

Brought a Cisco EA6500 from the states,

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A $20 router would do same job here. Not much sense to spend $130-$150 for that particular model full of bugs, as reported on Amazon by verified shoppers.

P.S. I love Ciscos, but original ones, not Linksys immitation.

bigbird said:

For what it's worth...............A few years ago I too came down with a router unaware that Claro only provided modem/router combos. Since I had the router I used a LAN cable to connect my personal router to a port on the rear of the Claro modem/router. I have had both routers working for the past year and a half with no problems.

Why two routers? No reason other than I had it here and decided to connect it up instead of just letting it sit idle in a box.

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Do this. Also and just for an extra layer of security since ou will not be using the wi-fi provided by the Claro router with the set up above, disable it. No needed, but better for security purposes.

Bred said:

192.168.0.1 is mostly for DeLancer / Comcast modems.

10.0.0.1 - yes, for most Thomsons. Username = password - serial number usually starting with CP..........

Click to expand...

Hey Bred or anyone else who can assist.. In Cabarete, Cable Del Norte I have a COMCAST Cable TV/Wi-Fi 1-Antenna Router, When we have the 3 or 4 wi-fi devices communicating the signal / picture quality is poor (Netflix & SlingBox ) and lost connections appear. It almost seems like some devices get kicked off & have to be re-connected on an individual device, something that doesn't happen back home with FIOS Internet Service. a week ago I paid for 2mbs service, returned and upped to 5-6 mbs and paid the difference.

I want to know if I can disable the Wi-Fi Portion of the cheap Chinese router they use and buy a better router that has a stronger signal. And I was able to open the website and see my Router, and all of the settings, but I was reluctant to make any settings changes for fear of creating more problems. Any help from any one knowlegable on this ? -Serge

Use the power lines:

http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Wi-Fi...pebp=1436182262583&perid=0ZED9GAVNNRR76SBEH09

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...lectronics&field-keywords=Wireless+N+Extender

If you can get access to the setup options of the modem/router via a web interface, disabling the internal wifi should be possible.

Before you connect a "router" to function solely as a wifi access point, remember to disable the DHCP function on the new router so it doesn't conflict with the already operating DHCP server on the original router. You want your new router to function as an "access point" not a "router" in this setup up. Lots of google results on how to do this if you are unsure.

I've done it here as my wifi radio works much better than the one in the modem/router combo supplied by Claro. If you live in a concrete bunker and are trying to maximize wifi reach, I'd recommend a router with three external antennas. Location of the wifi unit is important as concrete walls really degrade the signal.

Also remember you don't always get the data throughput advertised in your plan. Trying to stream HD video while 3 or 4 other devices are also using the connection on a 6mbps plan is probably part of the problem.

When you are playing with the settings on the company supplied /modem/router, you can also look for QOS settings (quality of service). Turning these options on may help the router prioritize streaming traffic over other devices checking email for example. QOS doesn't usually make that big of a difference but if your the connection is maxed out it may help a little bit.

Routers are relatively inexpensive so I would definitely recommend going this route as opposed to purchasing a device that is just an access point. A good router doesn't need to be the most expensive, but I have found as mentioned above that a router with external antennas works better in my villa than one with builtin antennas.

Also the device that is streaming the slingbox data to the TV should be connected to the primary router by an ethernet cable if possible rather than using the wifi signal.

Serge1960 said:

Hey Bred or anyone else who can assist.. In Cabarete, Cable Del Norte I have a COMCAST Cable TV/Wi-Fi 1-Antenna Router, When we have the 3 or 4 wi-fi devices communicating the signal / picture quality is poor (Netflix & SlingBox ) and lost connections appear. It almost seems like some devices get kicked off & have to be re-connected on an individual device, something that doesn't happen back home with FIOS Internet Service. a week ago I paid for 2mbs service, returned and upped to 5-6 mbs and paid the difference.

I want to know if I can disable the Wi-Fi Portion of the cheap Chinese router they use and buy a better router that has a stronger signal. And I was able to open the website and see my Router, and all of the settings, but I was reluctant to make any settings changes for fear of creating more problems. Any help from any one knowlegable on this ? -Serge

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There are enough evidences that DeLancer (Cable del Norte) allows a very limited number of PCs/devices that can work simultaneously under one contract. That may be your problem too. A good router behind the cable modem is your friend. And no, do not disable DHCP as suggested. You want all your devices to be connected to your router after the modem, so DeLancer will only see one device - your router. The router will issue local IPs to all your devices. Just make sure the router default IP and DHCP range are not in the same range as the modem otherwise you will have IP conflicts.

PM me if you need more tweaking details.