Internet upstairs - IMPOSSIBLE!

[walm]

Apologies if asked many times before but I have a deeply frustrating problem and search is down...

I have sky broadband into my main phone-line on the ground floor.
Router is from 2007 - old netgear DG834 on G.
We recently added a loft office (on second floor) and I bought an allegedly powerful wifi USB stick antenna to hook up my desktop (an Edimax Wireless-N150 USB Adapter).

Through that, the desktop gets about 10-15% signal so wifi doesn't work.
If the stars align I might get 20% when the wifi DOES work.
This is rarer than hen's teeth so not a usable solution.

Note that my iPhone and laptop work OK-ish on the second floor. They have maybe two bars in the wifi picture and the download speed is perfectly acceptable.

OK so my wifi is weak - let's just buy a range extender.
Nope. No way.
Plenty of range extenders on google shopping.
None in stock.
Nowhere.
Apparently since every normal human has wireless-N the range problem has disappeared so no more demand for range extending so no more stocking of range extenders.

Fair enough.
I will buy an N-router.
HOLD ON!
Sky won't let you use a non-sky router. No siree bob.
Arse.

I then bought some Belkin Gigabit Powerline HD adaptors.
These may be the worst product in history, just FYI.
You are supposed to plug them into your power socket and then link an ethernet cable to your router and another to your PC.
That's it.
That's it my arse.
Nothing. All the lights say that it is working fine but no internet connection.
IE8 troubleshooting just says my router is broken.
Well it fking isn't broken, it's fine: wifi is still working on all my other contraptions.
Install disk? Install disk my arse. It's a CD-ROM with a pdf telling you what the lights mean.
Belkin helpdesk staffed by the usual "turn it off and turn it on again" morons.

So, will I have to throw away my super-fast twin-screened desktop and just use my laptop upstairs?
Please tell me there are other solutions (ones that don't involve Cat5 through the house).

[Plotloss]

This sounds to me like a PICNIC problem.

[ChrisMCoupe]

Is there no way to run something outside the house up to the loft?

[miniman]

walm said:

Sky won't let you use a non-sky router. No siree bob.
Arse.

Just because they don't want you to doesn't mean you can't. I happily used my Vigor 2820 on Sky Broadband, you just have to use the online tool to get the username and password from it. http://www.philipnicosia.com/2006/10/03/sky-broadb...

[walm]

Plotloss said:

This sounds to me like a PICNIC problem.

Very, very likely.
I know nothing about computers other than rudimentary forum posting, but now I can't even do that.

[Plotloss]

If the link is up between the powerline adaptors then the issue maybe down to configuration inside the machine.

Have you checked that your PC is being assigned an IP address by the router?

[Bullett]

Powerline adapters work 100% for me and are probably your best option.

Have you tested them on the same floor becasue you may either have a faulty unit or your wiring is not up to spec.

Also the Sky router is replaceable you just need to extract your username and password, plenty of links on Google on how to do this. It's technically possible just not allowed in contract.

[Mr E]

Plotloss said:

This sounds to me like a PICNIC problem.

Mmmm.

Power line adaptors work fine if your wiring in the house is ok.

I can't comment on the wireless without a lot more information.

If it's that annoying, use someone other than sky who give you a free choice of router and/or pay someone to install a couple of floors of cat 5/6 Ethernet to hard wire the stuff upstairs.

[Plotloss]

Mr E said:

Power line adaptors work fine if your wiring in the house is ok.

This I am aware of, however if the wiring was cockeyed then the link wouldn't come up or would be intermittent.

If the link is solid the problem must lie somewhere else.

[Mr E]

Plotloss said:

Mr E said:

Power line adaptors work fine if your wiring in the house is ok.

This I am aware of, however if the wiring was cockeyed then the link wouldn't come up or would be intermittent.

If the link is solid the problem must lie somewhere else.

True enough

[dozen]

I had a very similar problem and solved it by buying a wireless-n cable router and using that as an access point. it is a fairly simple procedure as long as you do the following:

- disable dhcp on the new router
- set new router to suitable IP so you can still administrate it and the old one. If your sky router is like mine then set the new one to 192.168.0.101
- disable wireless on the old router
- connect cable from LAN port on old router to LAN (not WAN) port on new router.

I also set the wireless ssid and password on the new router to exactly the same as the old router, thus everything just works!

The only pain is that you have to have 2 x routers powered up, but the performance gains are more that enough to justify that.

Dozen

[walm]

Plotloss said:

If the link is up between the powerline adaptors then the issue maybe down to configuration inside the machine.

Have you checked that your PC is being assigned an IP address by the router?

You see, I thought to myself - "Surely just plugging the ethernet cable into my desktop won't be enough, don't I have to tell it to look for the powerline things or SOMETHING."

However, since there was NO install advice I couldn't really do much about it and all my googling just found people writing reviews complaining about the lack of install advice. (They were on page 2 onwards of the Amazon reviews, page 1 is clearly full of Belkin shills bigging-up the user friendliness of their over-priced doorstops. I should have read beyond page 1.)

I will try checking the IP address. Thanks.

[MagicalTrevor]

Might not be the cheapest/best solution but I also have a 3 storey house, and whilst I don't have the same problems that you have I wanted a good reception on the 2nd floor (wireless base station on the ground floor).

Solution; use wireless extenders... YES I know you've already tried and failed with this but bear with me a second. Most wireless routers aren't compatible with wireless extenders as they don't have the 'WDS' functionality however the Apple Airport Extreme Wireless Base Stations are.

My suggestion would be to:

• Disable wireless on your Sky router
• Plug in an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station to the Sky Router
• Have another Airport Base Station on the 1st/2nd floor and use the two to 'extend' your wireless network.

If you check the prices then the current base stations aren't cheap but if you check ebay you'll find the dome shaped one (which I have) available for little money. Buy two of them. They'll only do 54mbps (half the speed of the current ones) but that's more than enough for most internet connections. they should be a doddle to setup as well due to the easy peasy wizard that Apple use.

Two of these

Alternatively, and this is what I actually did, buy one base station and then get an Apple Airport Express which can actually stream music to a remote location and does the same as the base station.

Here

Hope that helps, oh and Apple wireless products are 'Enterprise level' rather than domestic so they ought to be more secure.

[Plotloss]

walm said:

Plotloss said:

If the link is up between the powerline adaptors then the issue maybe down to configuration inside the machine.

Have you checked that your PC is being assigned an IP address by the router?

You see, I thought to myself - "Surely just plugging the ethernet cable into my desktop won't be enough, don't I have to tell it to look for the powerline things or SOMETHING."

However, since there was NO install advice I couldn't really do much about it and all my googling just found people writing reviews complaining about the lack of install advice. (They were on page 2 onwards of the Amazon reviews, page 1 is clearly full of Belkin shills bigging-up the user friendliness of their over-priced doorstops. I should have read beyond page 1.)

I will try checking the IP address. Thanks.

The powerline adaptors are transparent, think of them as a poly pipe, rather than the copper pipe of Cat5e. It's just a cable.

The data that runs between them is the important thing.

If you're not getting an IP address from the router than that's what needs addressing first, if you are then there is an issue with the configuration.

[mattley]

You could just try getting a USB extension cable for your existing USB stick which gives you more flexibility over where you put it and moves it away from interference from the PCs PSU.

[walm]

OK - I now have PLENTY of options to keep me frustrated for even LONGER!

I will have a final try with the powerline things. Thanks Plotloss for the advice there.

When that/I fail, I will attempt to switch the Sky router for an N-enabled fella (c£40, I think). From miniman's link getting the username and password looks very straightforward even for me.

When that/I fail, I will purchase one of those Apple airport extremes as suggested by MagicalTrevor. I already have an express so not too much outlay.

Finally I will buy a MASSIVE USB extension cable that I will dangle out the window, down through the kitchen and into the living room, thanks Mattley!

Wish me luck!
Thanks so much for the help.

[Plotloss]

When you get home, open a command window (Start>Run cmd.exe or search for cmd.exe if you're on Vista/7 and double click it)

In that dos window type ipconfig

And report back with the results.

[XMG5]

Mr E said:

Plotloss said:

This sounds to me like a PICNIC problem.

Mmmm.

Power line adaptors work fine if your wiring in the house is ok.

I can't comment on the wireless without a lot more information.

If it's that annoying, use someone other than sky who give you a free choice of router and/or pay someone to install a couple of floors of cat 5/6 Ethernet to hard wire the stuff upstairs.

I had Sky Broadband but wanted to use a N Router Modem as I had a new Desktop PC with an N standard Internet card? I switched to O2 and they allow for customer's equipment.

My PC is on the first floor in one room, my son's laptaop is in another and my Xbox and PS3 is in a third room, all on the first floor and I use my laptop and iPad downstairs in the lounge.

I ended up buying an N Router Modem and wirelessly connected all to the internet with that.

Wireless N 300hz is the way to go I would suggest.

Edited by XMG5 on Wednesday 22 September 13:37

[plasticpig]

walm said:

OK - I now have PLENTY of options to keep me frustrated for even LONGER!

I will have a final try with the powerline things. Thanks Plotloss for the advice there.

When that/I fail, I will attempt to switch the Sky router for an N-enabled fella (c£40, I think). From miniman's link getting the username and password looks very straightforward even for me.

When that/I fail, I will purchase one of those Apple airport extremes as suggested by MagicalTrevor. I already have an express so not too much outlay.

Finally I will buy a MASSIVE USB extension cable that I will dangle out the window, down through the kitchen and into the living room, thanks Mattley!

Wish me luck!
Thanks so much for the help.

Another option is to employ someone competent to set it up for you. It would probably only take them an hour and cost £50 at the most.

[walm]

plasticpig said:

Another option is to employ someone competent to set it up for you. It would probably only take them an hour and cost £50 at the most.

But I have PH!!

I have been attempting to solve this myself for some time. Hence the multiple ridiculously mis-informed internet purchases such as Powerlink adaptors.
If I can solve it myself, it will be more satisfying than that time I beat Michael Moore in a farting competition.