Weak wifi signal/signal loss with U-Verse

[rpearlberg]

In parts of our house we have a weak signal and or in and out signal loss, especially on FaceTime. I'm using the router that they supplied. How can I make the signal stronger throughout the house? New router? Apple Airport? I'm looking for an easy solution that will work...

Thanks!!

 

[Fishrrman]

"New router? Apple Airport? I'm looking for an easy solution that will work..."

For the easiest solution that works, get an Apple Airport Extreme base station.

I have Uverse, and the residential gateway that they provide only provides "g" wireless speeds, not the faster "n".

The very first thing I did -- with the Uverse installer guy still present -- was connect my Airport Extreme via ethernet, and TURN OFF the wireless broadcasting on the Uverse residential gateway. I have never used the wireless in the residential gateway.

It worked from the get-go, no problems.

IMPORTANT:
When you set up the AE base station, you want to choose the option to disable NAT, and instead run it in "bridged mode" (so you don't end up with NAT on both the residential gateway _and_ the AE).
You do this by launching Airport Utility, then go to the "network" panel, and in the "Router Mode" popup, select "Off (Bridge Mode)".

If you don't mind buying an Apple refurbished product, you can go to
http://www.refurb.me
and pick up a refurb Airport Extreme Base Station for $125.
Try this link (may not work)
http://www.refurb.me/us/browse/#!apple-refurb-store-Mac-Accessories-refurbished-Mid-2011-id-3818
Note: I just checked and it said this is the June 2011 product -- if you want newer, you'll have to "buy new".

It might be worth it to pick up the latest Airport Extreme (the tall one), to "be ready" for the future...

 

[rpearlberg]

"New router? Apple Airport? I'm looking for an easy solution that will work..."

For the easiest solution that works, get an Apple Airport Extreme base station.

I have Uverse, and the residential gateway that they provide only provides "g" wireless speeds, not the faster "n".

The very first thing I did -- with the Uverse installer guy still present -- was connect my Airport Extreme via ethernet, and TURN OFF the wireless broadcasting on the Uverse residential gateway. I have never used the wireless in the residential gateway.

It worked from the get-go, no problems.

IMPORTANT:
When you set up the AE base station, you want to choose the option to disable NAT, and instead run it in "bridged mode" (so you don't end up with NAT on both the residential gateway _and_ the AE).
You do this by launching Airport Utility, then go to the "network" panel, and in the "Router Mode" popup, select "Off (Bridge Mode)".

If you don't mind buying an Apple refurbished product, you can go to
http://www.refurb.me
and pick up a refurb Airport Extreme Base Station for $125.
Try this link (may not work)
http://www.refurb.me/us/browse/#!apple-refurb-store-Mac-Accessories-refurbished-Mid-2011-id-3818
Note: I just checked and it said this is the June 2011 product -- if you want newer, you'll have to "buy new".

It might be worth it to pick up the latest Airport Extreme (the tall one), to "be ready" for the future...

Thanks! I may pick up the new one, but will that solve the signal strength? Is it just that the AT&T Gateway isn't very good?

----------

would moving the gateway away from the TV help? Also, is it worth the extra money to get the Time Capsule...I rarely back up my pictures, etc as often as I should. Will this make it easier (do it automatically)?

 

[EricT43]

Thanks! I may pick up the new one, but will that solve the signal strength? Is it just that the AT&T Gateway isn't very good?

----------

would moving the gateway away from the TV help? Also, is it worth the extra money to get the Time Capsule...I rarely back up my pictures, etc as often as I should. Will this make it easier (do it automatically)?

The Airport Extreme and Time Capsule have very strong signals in my experience. It will probably give you better signal strength than the ISP router.

I think the Time Capsule is a great idea if you are not good about remembering to back up, so I would recommend it. The additional cost to get that over the Airport Extreme is well worth it IMO, if you don't already have a backup solution in place.

 

[rpearlberg]

The Airport Extreme and Time Capsule have very strong signals in my experience. It will probably give you better signal strength than the ISP router.

I think the Time Capsule is a great idea if you are not good about remembering to back up, so I would recommend it. The additional cost to get that over the Airport Extreme is well worth it IMO, if you don't already have a backup solution in place.

Thanks. I'm pretty sure I"m going to pick up a TC in the next few days. I've heard that I shouldn't have the router next to the TV, does it really affect the signal that much?

 

[rpearlberg]

Ok, I have a few questions.



Right now the cable and the phone line from the wall are in the RG and then ethernet to the cable box. If I want to move the modem/router to another room without a tv do I just plug the cable into the cable box for the TV, and then the phone line into the modem in the other room?



After I figure that out, I bought an Apple Time Capsule today that I'd like to use as my router so I'll need to figure out how to set that up.

 

[rpearlberg]

"New router? Apple Airport? I'm looking for an easy solution that will work..."

For the easiest solution that works, get an Apple Airport Extreme base station.

I have Uverse, and the residential gateway that they provide only provides "g" wireless speeds, not the faster "n".

The very first thing I did -- with the Uverse installer guy still present -- was connect my Airport Extreme via ethernet, and TURN OFF the wireless broadcasting on the Uverse residential gateway. I have never used the wireless in the residential gateway.

It worked from the get-go, no problems.

IMPORTANT:
When you set up the AE base station, you want to choose the option to disable NAT, and instead run it in "bridged mode" (so you don't end up with NAT on both the residential gateway _and_ the AE).
You do this by launching Airport Utility, then go to the "network" panel, and in the "Router Mode" popup, select "Off (Bridge Mode)".

If you don't mind buying an Apple refurbished product, you can go to
http://www.refurb.me
and pick up a refurb Airport Extreme Base Station for $125.
Try this link (may not work)
http://www.refurb.me/us/browse/#!apple-refurb-store-Mac-Accessories-refurbished-Mid-2011-id-3818
Note: I just checked and it said this is the June 2011 product -- if you want newer, you'll have to "buy new".

It might be worth it to pick up the latest Airport Extreme (the tall one), to "be ready" for the future...

how do I do this?
The very first thing I did -- with the Uverse installer guy still present -- was connect my Airport Extreme via ethernet, and TURN OFF the wireless broadcasting on the Uverse residential gateway.

 

[rpearlberg]

Alternatively, should I try something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Power...LWK400/dp/B0087O6AQE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[EricT43]

Ok, I have a few questions.



Right now the cable and the phone line from the wall are in the RG and then ethernet to the cable box. If I want to move the modem/router to another room without a tv do I just plug the cable into the cable box for the TV, and then the phone line into the modem in the other room?



After I figure that out, I bought an Apple Time Capsule today that I'd like to use as my router so I'll need to figure out how to set that up.

The TV might interfere with your wireless signal if your box is very close to it. You might try putting the RG up on a shelf or otherwise put some clearance between it and the TV to see if it helps.

The internet signal is coming to your RG over the coax cable, not the phone line. You said the only connection between the gateway and your cable box is an Ethernet cable right? If that's the case, then if you wanted to move the gateway, you'd need a cable hookup and a phone line to plug it into, and then run Ethernet from the RG to your cable box.

But if you got a TC, you don't need to do any of that. Put your TC in a good central location and connect it to your RG with Ethernet. After that you are going to use the TC for wireless, not your RG. You can call your ISP then and ask them to turn off the wifi radio on your RG. You could even ask them to put the RG in bridged mode and use your TC as your gateway router as well, which is what I did.

I wouldn't use those power line network extenders. I've heard that the signals can be very poor, which will limit your network speeds.

I live in a newer home (~7 years old), and I was pleased to discover that the phone wiring in the house was done with Ethernet cable. Since we use cell/cordless phones, I was able to get room-to-room Ethernet connections by simply rewiring the jacks with RJ45 plugs. This might be an option for you depending on where you live.

 

[mgnff]

Here's my setup-- Motorola NVG510 (U-Verse modem/router) with Airport Extreme connected to it via ethernet port.

The basic idea is to disable the wireless function on the U-verse modem, use it only as gateway/bridge and use AE for everything else. You can do this via any web browser, just go to your Moto modem's address (mine is 192.168.1.254) and it'll ask for access code to change settings (can be found on the side of the modem).

You'll also have to change firewall setting on the Moto and turn on IP Passthrough, so everything is passed to your AE router. I use DHCPS-fixed mode on IP Passthrough (use the MAC address of your AE in the setting window).

If you have a different U-Verse modem the exact settings might be different, but the concept is still the same.

You can also setup AE to just extend the wireless signal without ever changing anything on the U-verse modem, but this option loses out the benefits of AE's functionality since AE is not being used as the main router.