[KeithBecker]

So I just moved back home after college, which is nice, except for the fact that my computer's internet speed in my room (where I use it 99% of the time) is next to nothing. Mostly I use my computer for web browsing and streaming video, the latter of which is usually an extremely frustrating endeavor.

My room is about 50 ft from the router/modem, which sits under the tv in our living room. Right now there's a range extender sitting halfway in-between which worked great for a week and then I brought with me to school and then after connecting it again it is now basically useless. So I need to upgrade something.

Currently we have a D-Link WBR-2310 that I realize is terrible. Our network internet speed is at 10 mbps. The next upgrade is to 18 mbps for $20 more a month. So I'm wondering which (or both) is the thing to upgrade to get a decent internet connection in my room. And if it's the router, what is a good one? My budget is $100-150. Thanks!

This post has been edited by KeithBecker: 24 August 2012 - 12:31 PM

[tman]

a 100 foot ethernet cable is less than $20--and it will eliminate the problems of trying to stream video over a 10Mbps 'wireless' connection--yeah yeah--I know you can't or don't want to run a hard wire--but it WILL solve your problem

[LiveBrianD]

Try rebooting the router and modem. Also, try moving your router to somewhere high up and unobstructed. (on top of the TV maybe?) 10mbps should be fine - I have 15mbps and it's plenty.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 24 August 2012 - 03:21 PM

[smax013]

KeithBecker, on 24 August 2012 - 12:18 PM, said:

So I just moved back home after college, which is nice, except for the fact that my computer's internet speed in my room (where I use it 99% of the time) is next to nothing. Mostly I use my computer for web browsing and streaming video, the latter of which is usually an extremely frustrating endeavor.

My room is about 50 ft from the router/modem, which sits under the tv in our living room. Right now there's a range extender sitting halfway in-between which worked great for a week and then I brought with me to school and then after connecting it again it is now basically useless. So I need to upgrade something.

Currently we have a D-Link WBR-2310 that I realize is terrible. Our network internet speed is at 10 mbps. The next upgrade is to 18 mbps for $20 more a month. So I'm wondering which (or both) is the thing to upgrade to get a decent internet connection in my room. And if it's the router, what is a good one? My budget is $100-150. Thanks!

Have you tried the computer in the same room as the router (i.e. closer to the router)? This would make sure that there is not some "other" issue with the computer's connection.

If the computer does work fine when closer, then the first thing to try is to play with the router location. It is possible that some reasonably small change in the location of the router will dramatically help. Even just pulling it out from under the TV likely will help.

[LincolnSpector]

smax013, on 25 August 2012 - 05:42 AM, said:

Have you tried the computer in the same room as the router (i.e. closer to the router)? This would make sure that there is not some "other" issue with the computer's connection.

If the computer does work fine when closer, then the first thing to try is to play with the router location. It is possible that some reasonably small change in the location of the router will dramatically help. Even just pulling it out from under the TV likely will help.

If this test proves that location is the problem, and moving the router isn't practical, I strongly recommend buying a Homeplug starter kit (I'm not going to recommend a particular model).This turns the house's electric wiring into a near-Ethernet-speed network.



Lincoln

[evti]

Having your router under the TV can cause interference, especially if there are other electronics around. I would second the homeplug/powerline adapter recommendation for this problem. If the problem is interference, or something else to do with the wireless signal, upgrading your network speed with your ISP likely will not do anything since the signal isn't getting to the computer properly anyway. Just to make completely sure, though, trying an ethernet cord would be the best bet to start. It's much cheaper than the homeplug/powerline adapters, and if this doesn't work, the homeplug adapters likely won't either. In that case, it would likely be the router.