Don't bother with wireless N on the iPad unless you're really close to your router.

[sapporobaby]

You need Airport Extreme. Time Capsule has been a POS since it's introduction.

Interesting. I have had no connectivity issues with my TC. I had a problem that I think I created and they simply swapped out the old and gave me a new one. Funny thing though, as I live in Finland, I have a North/South American TC. Got the super wide channels that my European AirPort Extreme can not link to, to extend my network. My iPads, MBP's and Mac Mini (linked to Internet via CAT6 cable going to my 200Mbps Cable modem) all connect with no drop in connectivity. All report a 300 Mbps connection in the Network Utility --> Link Speed app.

 

[OverSpun]

I have the same issue.

I have a airport extreme downstairs on 5ghz

And I get 0 reception by wifi bars only 40 feet away includes 2 walls. My iPad will sometimes get 1 bar, and my iPhone I'm only on 3G.


My express upstairs on N 5GHZ and literally about 20 feet from another room and I only get 1 bar and my iPhone the same. It's very slow loading pages.

I do realize iPad/iPhones have 2 antennas, and my UMBP has 4 antennas and is perfect.

I really want to keep my UMBP fastest speed while still letting my ip4/iPad devices.

I've been playing every choices on each router. I do realize I'm not posting real data, but also, I can't figure the best frequency and such to make it better. =\

 

[gwsat]

You need Airport Extreme. Time Capsule has been a POS since it's introduction.

I have used a Time Capsule as a router for 2.5 years and it has been just fine. Further, the conventional wisdom is that the Airport Extreme and the wireless function built into the Time Capsule are functionally equivalent. Do you have a link to a source that supports your assertion that the "Time Capsule has been a POS [as a router] since its introduction."? I am not saying you are wrong, my point is merely that I haven't heard that before and my personal experience doesn't support it, either.

 

[sgeine]

you're all on crack!

This is neither an iPad-specific problem nor a wireless N-specific problem. It's related to 5 gHz vs. 2.4 gHz. I experience the same issue with my aluminum Macbook and Cisco WRT610N.

5gHz signals have less of an ability to go through walls than 2.4 gHz signals. The tradeoff is that you have more bandwidth available in the 5gHz band, as well as less interference from neighbors routers, Bluetooth, microwave ovens, etc.

In the same room, you will almost always get better performance with 5gHz. A few rooms away, you are almost always better-off at 2.4gHz.

I do get 300mbit/sec connections with my Macbook in the same room, BTW.

so Jtara is the first one who actually understands RF and how frequencies affect penetration. He is correct above but there's a lot more to it. Here is a collection of facts to help you guys out.

1. 802.11n is not 300mbps, its 150mbps. You can make it 300mbps if you fix your channel and utilize a 40mhz channel width instead of the usual default of 20mhz. Both your AP and NIC have to support and be configured for the 40mhz width.

2. 802.11n works on BOTH 2.4 and 5ghz (hence "dual band").

3. 802.11n has a full 2x the range of 802.11g. This is an incontrovertible fact of the technology.

4. I know all this from practical experience because my Cisco wireless plant has over 5,000 AP's on it in 250 buildings and I can see in the detailed heat maps the range, errors, and throughput for every AP and every user 802.11a/b/g/n (and triangulate their exact position) overlayed over the floorspace which also tells me the exact dB loss for every object in the room (chairs, cubicles, glass, water coolers, everything).

So in conclusion 802.11n is superior.

 

[jtp098]

interesting topic. for the op it's a interesting predicament i'll have to check it out later today.


ps. funny all the muscle flexing about internet speed. i get 87mb down and 63mb up bring on the fiber


oh also.. what are your reviews on the on time capsule vs. extreme.. could I not hook up two external hard drives to the extreme and chose one for the back up..