Want to replace an Airport/Time Machine Router.

[EdT]

I'm not worried about the Time Machine aspect, it's the router part. It's been a very long time since I had to mess with the network. Everything is on a 10.0.X.Y local network, and some of the devices I don't remember if I had to set manually or not. I definitely don't have all of the software anymore for those devices. I have DSL and not cable for a provider service, and its the only option I have except satellite. The service comes into my living room, and thats pretty much it. I currently have my router in the living room and all of the devices that I can use an ethernet cable are either there by necessity or there because they are associated with my surround sound, my ATV or physical tv, which is located at the same place. One of those things is a Dish receiver that I need to connect mostly so Dish knows I'm not renting movies thru them. I get emails and phone calls if it's unplugged from the network for 3 or 4 days.

My maximum speed is supposed to be 50 mb but is closer to 30, or 35 on a good day. It was higher a few months ago but more people nearby are connected now. At maximum I would have 2 tv's plugged in. Neither one is a 4k, at least not yet. After that it's my iMac, a couple of iPhones and also a couple of iPads and a Sonos surround sound unit. My problem is more range than anything, I have dead spots that I'd like to eliminate. But I'd like to have something that I don't have to change IP addresses if possible, or something that doesn't rely solely on an app that probably won't recognize what some of the units it is seeing are because of age.

I plan on leaving the Time Machine on as a time machine, but turn off the router part in Airport Utility. I put a small switch for ethernet close to the DSL modem for that.

 

[techwarrior]

So, the complaint is slow WiFi speeds? Slow ethernet speeds? Dead spots? All of the above?

The Airport line is still quite viable, any slowdown is likely to be the modem, or WiFi interference.

If the slower speeds are limited to the WiFi, tuning the channels often helps, to avoid overlapping with neighbors. If all speeds are slow, I would be more concerned with the modem. Ethernet speeds don't deteriorate, but WAN speeds may. You could spend money on a new router, only to find no speed improvements.

Start with a call to your ISP if it is a modem they provided an\or you rent from them. If you provided your own, research newer models.

To address dead spots, a low cost access point, like Airport Express can be a great option for very little cost. But, be sure to use Ethernet to connect the remote Access Point, wireless extending will tend to defeat much of what you gain with the extra gear.

If dead set on spending money, consider the new generation of routers supporting WiFi 6 (802.11ax). They are still a bit pricey, but promise improvements in a number of areas (range, bandwidth, reduced interference). You may be able to get by with that alone.

Or go with a decent AC (WiFi 5) router and use the TC as an access point in remote areas to fill gaps. But, again, connect TC to the network via ethernet for best results. If ethernet to remote areas is a challenge, power line adapters are getting pretty good.

 

[EdT]

So, the complaint is slow WiFi speeds? Slow ethernet speeds? Dead spots? All of the above?

The Airport line is still quite viable, any slowdown is likely to be the modem, or WiFi interference.

If the slower speeds are limited to the WiFi, tuning the channels often helps, to avoid overlapping with neighbors. If all speeds are slow, I would be more concerned with the modem. Ethernet speeds don't deteriorate, but WAN speeds may. You could spend money on a new router, only to find no speed improvements.

Start with a call to your ISP if it is a modem they provided an\or you rent from them. If you provided your own, research newer models.

To address dead spots, a low cost access point, like Airport Express can be a great option for very little cost. But, be sure to use Ethernet to connect the remote Access Point, wireless extending will tend to defeat much of what you gain with the extra gear.

If dead set on spending money, consider the new generation of routers supporting WiFi 6 (802.11ax). They are still a bit pricey, but promise improvements in a number of areas (range, bandwidth, reduced interference). You may be able to get by with that alone.

Or go with a decent AC (WiFi 5) router and use the TC as an access point in remote areas to fill gaps. But, again, connect TC to the network via ethernet for best results. If ethernet to remote areas is a challenge, power line adapters are getting pretty good.

Thanks for the reply.

My 2 primary problems are dead spots, and probably related, slow areas. I may have had them for years, but until this year my top Internet speed possible was an advertised 5mb with the reality being under 3. I wouldn't notice slow spots in my house. Line of sight with the TC I get over 40 mb (out of 50 mb listed) but in the bedroom that I use as a computer room I only get 15 mb or so. Physically there isn't that much distance between the computer and the router, probably less than 35 feet. This speed is true of my computer, my iPhone and my iPad. If I step out of the bedroom the speed jumps back up.

I don't have ethernet wired in the house. The room where the DSL comes in is a large full house width room where the kitchen/dining/living room is, with no interior walls. It has a vaulted ceiling without enough room to crawl into that area of the ceiling. The back of the house has a standard attic and this is where the 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms are.

I'm not sold on buying something just to buy it, but with decent wifi I now have enough internet speed to seriously consider streaming services -I actually have Netflix now- and maybe a 4k tv both upstairs and down. I live way too far to have cable service, so streaming would be the only source for that resolution.

Since I haven't been concerned with speed for most of the years I've lived here I haven't kept up on what's necessary or what's overkill as far as networks. That's most of the reason why I was looking at a new wifi router. I actually notice the problems I've probably had for years, its just that before I put those problems down to crummy DSL speed.

 

[techwarrior]

So, first, plug a computer into the ethernet and test speed. This will give you an idea of what the WAN side of your network is capable of. If you have a 50Mbps ISP service, it should be close to this. Anything slower on WiFi is then isolated as WiFi issues and you can start considering what strategies to take to resolve these.

Most homes don't have ethernet wiring, but don't let that worry you. As I mentioned, Powerline adapters can do a good job of getting an ethernet connection to remote parts of your home. If you are not aware, Powerline adapters allow ethernet cable from the router to plug into a unit that plugs into a standard power outlet. At the other end, a similar unit plugs into a power outlet with an ethernet cable going to another device. The power wires are used to send the data to the other adapter. Many adapters are capable of 1Gbps or better, but even older, cheaper units should be able to at least match your DSL speeds.

So, in the back of the house, you could put an access point (a router that is not routing, just bridging the ethernet to\from WiFi). The power lines would treat the far end Access Point as a wired ethernet device, the WiFi signal in that part of the house would then be boosted for the devices used back there.

I have done this with Airport Express products, which for your setup would be more than adequate. AP Express has 100Mbps ethernet WAN\LAN ports, so slower than AP Extreme\TC's 1Gbps ports. But since DSL is 50Mbps, the LAN connection would not be a bottleneck. So, this solution would use the existing router\modem, but add Powerline adapters and an access point in the back of the house to boost the signal, all managed from the Airport utility.

BTW, the AP Express (the latest one looks like a small AppleTV "puck") could be connected to a data switch at the back of the house and connect hardwired 4kTVs or other "fixed" devices that can use ethernet.

In general, if you can hardwire things to the network, WiFi will be better for remaining devices. Why? Because think of a one lane road with cars traveling in both directions. The fastest speeds occur when there are fewer cars on the road. WiFi generally only allows one send or receive packet to be processed at a time, so the more devices sending\receiving creates congestion. Even radio noise (interference) requires the device to sort out the packets for processing. Noise can come from neighbor networks on the same channels, or from radar, microwave, cordless phones, bluetooth, etc. All of this requires hosts to resend packets, adding to the bottleneck.

Newer WiFi 6 routers (~$250-300) may be a solution as well, they claim to have superior distance and speed capabilities. But, since you have dead spots, this may not resolve your issues. Powerline + AP Express would likely be about a $150 solution. While Apple doesn't sell AP products anymore, eBay should have plenty of them, like this listing.

Here is a link to an excellent powerline solution.

 

[EdT]

So, first, plug a computer into the ethernet and test speed. This will give you an idea of what the WAN side of your network is capable of. If you have a 50Mbps ISP service, it should be close to this. Anything slower on WiFi is then isolated as WiFi issues and you can start considering what strategies to take to resolve these.

Most homes don't have ethernet wiring, but don't let that worry you. As I mentioned, Powerline adapters can do a good job of getting an ethernet connection to remote parts of your home. If you are not aware, Powerline adapters allow ethernet cable from the router to plug into a unit that plugs into a standard power outlet. At the other end, a similar unit plugs into a power outlet with an ethernet cable going to another device. The power wires are used to send the data to the other adapter. Many adapters are capable of 1Gbps or better, but even older, cheaper units should be able to at least match your DSL speeds.

So, in the back of the house, you could put an access point (a router that is not routing, just bridging the ethernet to\from WiFi). The power lines would treat the far end Access Point as a wired ethernet device, the WiFi signal in that part of the house would then be boosted for the devices used back there.

I have done this with Airport Express products, which for your setup would be more than adequate. AP Express has 100Mbps ethernet WAN\LAN ports, so slower than AP Extreme\TC's 1Gbps ports. But since DSL is 50Mbps, the LAN connection would not be a bottleneck. So, this solution would use the existing router\modem, but add Powerline adapters and an access point in the back of the house to boost the signal, all managed from the Airport utility.

BTW, the AP Express (the latest one looks like a small AppleTV "puck") could be connected to a data switch at the back of the house and connect hardwired 4kTVs or other "fixed" devices that can use ethernet.

In general, if you can hardwire things to the network, WiFi will be better for remaining devices. Why? Because think of a one lane road with cars traveling in both directions. The fastest speeds occur when there are fewer cars on the road. WiFi generally only allows one send or receive packet to be processed at a time, so the more devices sending\receiving creates congestion. Even radio noise (interference) requires the device to sort out the packets for processing. Noise can come from neighbor networks on the same channels, or from radar, microwave, cordless phones, bluetooth, etc. All of this requires hosts to resend packets, adding to the bottleneck.

Newer WiFi 6 routers (~$250-300) may be a solution as well, they claim to have superior distance and speed capabilities. But, since you have dead spots, this may not resolve your issues. Powerline + AP Express would likely be about a $150 solution. While Apple doesn't sell AP products anymore, eBay should have plenty of them, like this listing.

Here is a link to an excellent powerline solution.

I’ll take a look at Poweline and AP. I was looking elsewhere other than Airport because Apple quit making them.

My Ethernet connected speed direct to the DSL modem and the wireless speed in the same 30x15 room is within a few MB’s of each other. I am supposed to get 50, via direct connection I may get around 44-45 and wirelessly I’ll get 42 to 43. This does depend on neighborhood use so Friday and Saturday evenings and night my speed can be much slower. I attribute that to my ISP and not to my equipment.

I looked at WiFi 6 and got sticker shock. If it works as it says it’s impressive, but its also 2 to 3 times as expensive, based on using a $150 standard router.

Once again, thanks for your reply. I will try to find a Powerline this weekend. I actually have my previous pre Time Capsule Apple Airport router and I may be able to use that for a test. Otherwise I’ll see if I can get a recent model.

 

[EdT]

So, first, plug a computer into the ethernet and test speed. This will give you an idea of what the WAN side of your network is capable of. If you have a 50Mbps ISP service, it should be close to this. Anything slower on WiFi is then isolated as WiFi issues and you can start considering what strategies to take to resolve these.

Most homes don't have ethernet wiring, but don't let that worry you. As I mentioned, Powerline adapters can do a good job of getting an ethernet connection to remote parts of your home. If you are not aware, Powerline adapters allow ethernet cable from the router to plug into a unit that plugs into a standard power outlet. At the other end, a similar unit plugs into a power outlet with an ethernet cable going to another device. The power wires are used to send the data to the other adapter. Many adapters are capable of 1Gbps or better, but even older, cheaper units should be able to at least match your DSL speeds.

So, in the back of the house, you could put an access point (a router that is not routing, just bridging the ethernet to\from WiFi). The power lines would treat the far end Access Point as a wired ethernet device, the WiFi signal in that part of the house would then be boosted for the devices used back there.

I have done this with Airport Express products, which for your setup would be more than adequate. AP Express has 100Mbps ethernet WAN\LAN ports, so slower than AP Extreme\TC's 1Gbps ports. But since DSL is 50Mbps, the LAN connection would not be a bottleneck. So, this solution would use the existing router\modem, but add Powerline adapters and an access point in the back of the house to boost the signal, all managed from the Airport utility.

BTW, the AP Express (the latest one looks like a small AppleTV "puck") could be connected to a data switch at the back of the house and connect hardwired 4kTVs or other "fixed" devices that can use ethernet.

In general, if you can hardwire things to the network, WiFi will be better for remaining devices. Why? Because think of a one lane road with cars traveling in both directions. The fastest speeds occur when there are fewer cars on the road. WiFi generally only allows one send or receive packet to be processed at a time, so the more devices sending\receiving creates congestion. Even radio noise (interference) requires the device to sort out the packets for processing. Noise can come from neighbor networks on the same channels, or from radar, microwave, cordless phones, bluetooth, etc. All of this requires hosts to resend packets, adding to the bottleneck.

Newer WiFi 6 routers (~$250-300) may be a solution as well, they claim to have superior distance and speed capabilities. But, since you have dead spots, this may not resolve your issues. Powerline + AP Express would likely be about a $150 solution. While Apple doesn't sell AP products anymore, eBay should have plenty of them, like this listing.

Here is a link to an excellent powerline solution.

Installed a couple of TP Link Powerline adapters this morning. Had a little problem getting them paired but after fixing that they seem to be working well. I'll try to get my old airport express going in here as well, and see how that works for filling the dead spots at the rear of the house. At worst I can just get extenders for my current TC. Thanks again for your advice.

 

[satcomer]

To me the best consumer wireless router is the Synology RT2600 with it’s extender router Synology MR2200ac.