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More speed/bandwidth from an 802.11n laptop<-->WiFi Router/Modem connection?
Carol Haynes:
Also I don't really find TP-Link hardware all that consistent. I have seen a number of identical models that seem to perform differently in the same location - wonder if it is a quality control issue?
The most consistent results I got were from Netgear Rangemax hardware where all machines used compatible Netgear devices from the same range.
What are you actually trying to achieve - fast network file transfer?
By the way looking at your initial post again the WiFi quality isn't 100% which can affect speeds.
There are some chipsets that don't play well together - so there may be a conflict between the Broadcom device and the router? Not sure what chipsets TP-Link use.
I used to have some problems with Intel chipsets and that was a conflict with a router chipset.
40hz:
Many times you can get around snarky problems, and get significantly better performance and features, going over to a third-party firmware replacement such as Polarcloud's Tomato or DD-WRT.
Right now I'm going through a Linksys WRT150N that was previously sitting in a client's junk bin because it was unreliable. It required frequent reboots, bogged under more than one user, and was dog slow (28-37Mbs) as shipped from the factory. When subsequently upgraded with Linksys's new firmware (on the recommendation of Linksys's own tech support) - that finally broke the thing once and for all. However, with DD-WRT (v24 build 13575) installed, it's rock solid and gives me a very steady 117Mbs with 55% signal strength after going through a floor and three walls. Not too shabby for some freeware installed on a piece of equipment that was slated for the scrapheap.
That said, this solution is not for the faint of heart even if it isn't a technical challenge to install either of the above. It's only when an installation goes wrong that it can get extremely...um...educational. You haven't really lived until you've needed to learn the differences between tftp, tftpd, ftp, ncftp, ftpd, and pure-ftpd to do a reload - or better yet - had to fire up a soldering iron to create a JTAG cable and then attach it to the circuit board of a cheapo bricked router! <*GRIN*>
Doing a DD-WRT or Tomato load isn't an option here unfortunately. The TP-Link TD-8950ND isn't listed as a supported device for either package.
8)
4wd:
Not sure what chipsets TP-Link use.-Carol Haynes (February 20, 2013, 08:49 AM)
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Broadcom in the TD-8950ND.
Agree with 40hz about the firmware, ASUS RT-N16 WiFi was reasonable but still had the occasional drop-out, reflashed with Tomato and it's been rock solid....now if only I could do the same with the power company :-\
IainB:
...What are you actually trying to achieve - fast network file transfer?...
-Carol Haynes (February 20, 2013, 08:49 AM)
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...Polarcloud's Tomato or DD-WRT...
-40hz (February 20, 2013, 09:26 AM)
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...Broadcom in the TD-8950ND...
-4wd (February 20, 2013, 06:41 PM)
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All I am trying to do is get more of the supposed spec. performance (150mbps) out of the TP-Link TD-8950ND. The highest I have seen it momentarily go to was 72mbps, so far. The signal quality seems to vary from Good to Excellent, regardless of how close to the xmitter the PC is or what the mbps rate is. :tellme:
Yes, it would have been nice if I could have used something like the Tomato approach. Nothing would daunt me in that regard, and, having been an electronics hobbyist since age 10 and having built various bits of kit (e.g., including things like an amplifier, preamplifier, PLL VHF tuner, two-valve superhet SW tuner, calculator, multimeter) and having modded the PCBs of various bits of kit - including laptops - I am quite happy wielding a soldering iron.
I hadn't known it was a Broadcom chip in the TP-Link TD-8950ND. I couldn't find it mentioned in any of the documentation that I have (Data Sheet, User Guide, Installation notes). The laptop's WiFi is a Broadcom device also, and I have triple-checked that the drivers for that are up-to-date. Shouldn't they work in harmony? ;)
Yeah, right.
40hz:
Yes, it would have been nice if I could have used something like the Tomato approach. Nothing would daunt me in that regard, and, having been an electronics hobbyist since age 10 and having built various bits of kit (e.g., including things like an amplifier, preamplifier, PLL VHF tuner, two-valve superhet SW tuner, calculator, multimeter) and having modded the PCBs of various bits of kit - including laptops - I am quite happy wielding a soldering iron.
-IainB (February 20, 2013, 07:32 PM)
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"Hail and well met" fellow builder and circuit bender! :Thmbsup: :)
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