We have been using the old cable modem router gateway that came with our telstra cable connection years and years ago. It is a b/g/n wifi router. it sits in the back corner my house hooked up to the iMac via Ethernet, and my and mrs Entropy’s and the little Entropys’ laptops, iPads and iPhones, two apple tvs and any visitors’ devices, all via wifi. Needless to say the wifi was getting saturated all the time, there have been drop outs and slow downs, failures to connect, and it was time to try something new.
I thought about waiting until we were forced onto the NBN and just get whatever the NBN provider inflicts on us, but with cable the NBN seems to be delayed, it’s slower than Telstra cable anyway (except uploads…great), and the problems were really starting to annoy me, and…bargain!
There was a sale on eBay via Wireless 1, and I have had an eye on the NetGear Orbi RBK50 AC3000 pack. I got the gruntiest version of the Orbi as it has the most antennas and largest throughput (according to Netgear, 3 Gbps), just perfect for that Dolby Vision 4K TV we will get one and the Dolby Atmos home there set up to go with it. One day.
(https://www.jbhifi.com.au/FileLibrary/ProductResources/Images/267291-L-LO.jpg)
Anyway, JB HiFi currently have this on sale at $598. I got it for $379. It was delivered in two days. Brag.
Anyway, just set it up tonight and here are the improvements in performance using SpeedTest.net.
The reference is an 2011 iMac connected via ethernet to the old router. The around the house tests were completed using an iphone XS Max placed on the same spot on furniture (not holding it) in the various locations. All tests were to the Brisbane Telstra server, ping in ms, downloads and uploads in Mbps.
A very impressive performance improvement. All the front bedrooms upstairs faired poorly (relatively), while it was practically full speed in the back upstairs bedrooms. A third satellite in one of those front rooms would probably result in full speed throughout the house. I might first relocate the downstairs satellite to the font of the house and see if it makes a difference instead.
Update: I relocated the satellite to the the front lounge room, still at the other end of the house but further away from the router than the original test. About 14 m from the modem and router and through a few walls. That made all the difference. In the far front bedroom upstairs performance has risen from a respectable 71 Mbps to the full 114 Mbps. I am one happy camper.
