Does an extra access point decrease speed?

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SuperAntMD

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Hi,

Sorry, i tried searching for previous threads but every single thread either has the word "access" or "point" in it so i was unable to access this information if you see my point.

Anyway: I have a wireless router that just aint hitting the spot, so im thinking of installing an access point as a repeater. Does this affect speed? Any reasons why this would be a good/bad idea?

Thanks
 
imho, any device that sends RF in the same band as the device you are using, will use some "air time". the more devices, the slower the speed (because of less "air time").
 
andres101, thanks for the reply, so you are saying it would be like adding another computer to the network? I don't think that would be too bad cos theres not to much on it at the moment.

What I really meant was will a notebook connected wirelessly to the access point be dramatically slower then one receiving its signal from the router
 
SuperAntMD said:
Hi,

Sorry, i tried searching for previous threads but every single thread either has the word "access" or "point" in it so i was unable to access this information if you see my point.

Anyway: I have a wireless router that just aint hitting the spot, so im thinking of installing an access point as a repeater. Does this affect speed? Any reasons why this would be a good/bad idea?

Thanks
Click to expand...

What are your intentions for the remote device? If is is for internet only, you should be OK (since ADSL is only .5MB and wireless is 11 or 54MB) - if it is for daily transfer of huge amounts of data, it may slow down enough to be unusable.
 
hmmm, this is my scenario: have a desktop and two notebooks.
Desktop plugs straight into Wireless Router as does internet.
Notebooks then connect wirelessly to router for internet and filesharing. So far file sharing speeds are pretty decent only problem is does not reach all the corners of my house.

Now, have just recently become the owner of a very very decent desktop that i have no real use for, so was thinking of turning it into a server for movies (divx etc), music, and word documents etc. Thing is the rooms in which i would most like to use these capabilities in isnt currently covered by the network, hence i want to install an AP.

Will this work (at all)? You've made me think of something else.. If the two notebooks are both in the area covered by the access point would they be able to communicate with each other through the access point or does all the traffic have to go through the main router ie laptop -> access point -> laptop or Laptop ->AP->router->ap->laptop2

Thanks again
 
You should be ok with the divx machine, as the files on that machine will stay on it, and you will watch movies on that machine. The only slowness will be in getting the files onto the machine initially. (But, if you download them - from a Telkom approved site such as in the advertisement in the FHM magazine of course :D (see Other thread ) the BW will be restricted to internet speeds and you should not even notice).
 
SuperAntMD, what wireless router do you currently have? Do you know what the DBi rating is on it? You might find that with a 17DBi router with an external 5DBi omni antenna will be 100% covered.

To give you an idea, I currently have a 17DBi router with an 8Dbi antenna outside my house, I can connect to this thing with a 13DBi USB adapter and a 12DBi antenna at a distance of 2Km LOS and still get speeds of 32Mbit. Anyway ... inside my house I use a 13DBi PCI card on my media centre PC with an external 5DBi omni antenna and connect to this same antenna that is outside my house but 3m above my 2nd floor on the opposite corner and still get speeds of roughly 24 to 32 MBit.
 
SuperAntMD, that Wifi router has a 18Dbi output. If you figure that every 3Dbi doubles your output power then this is quite a powerful radio. I'm not sure that your router can detach the antennas at the back, probably not. I that case I recon you’re a bit stuffed. I then rather buy a 5Dbi omni antenna and try and connect it to the PC that's the most remote from the unit and see if it works. Another thing you might consider is to make sure that the two antennas on the unit are tilted and not strait up. Apparently the two will interfere if strait up ... hmmm ... By tilting I recon less than 45 deg.
 
hold on, if you have a wrt54g, then you can use alternative software on it and up the mw setting from 28mw to say 80mw
 
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