Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 11:09 Post subject: Upgrade antennas
I have a brand new TP-link Archer A7 router which i have flased the dd-wrt build 52189. All good and the router is working fine.
My only problem is the range.. One corner of my house does not get the wifi signal and it is a dead zone. I cannot move the router to a closer location because my desktop and set top box are wire connected to this router.
I am thinking of the following options. I am a very novice and hence have no knowledge of router hardware and wifi radio working methods.
added the pic of the settings of my 2.4 GHz radio. I chose the most least congested channel for the 2.4 Ghz band and all the wifi settings i had replicated from a post by msoengineer I have read in the forum.
Joined: 21 Aug 2019 Posts: 120 Location: Here, There And Everywhere
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 14:08 Post subject:
In my case, with Archer C7 v5, changing radio firmware to DD-WRT, overriding chipset restrictions and cranking up TX strength made a significant difference. But in general, wired connections (longet cable) should always be preferred.
EDIT: I see that your picture shows 2.4GHz radio where you cannot change the firmware.
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 14:22 Post subject: Upgrade antennas
Make sure Tx power is set to 30dBm.
I have upgraded my antennas on my Archer C7 v2 with 9dB external antennas. They get better range but nothing is even close to the Linksys EA8500 or Netgear r7800. My r7800's get at least 300ft+ range line of site with a decent throughput of >10MB/s download and upload speeds (actual Internet speedtest, dslreports.com)
Heck even my DIR-862L's get better range than the Archer C7 v2. _________________ Before asking a question on the forums, update dd-wrt: Where do I download firmware? I suggest reading it all.
QCA Best WiFi Settings
Some dd-wrt wiki pages are up to date, others are not. PM me if you find an old one.
Atheros:
Netgear R7800 x3 - WDS AP / station, gateway, QoS
TP-Link Archer C7 v2 x2 - WDS Station
TP-Link TL-WDR3600 v1 - WDS Station
TP-Link 841nd v8 - NU
D-Link 615 C1/E3/I1 x 7 - 1 WDS station
D-Link 825 B1 - NU
D-Link 862L A1 x2 - WDS Station
Netgear WNDR3700v2 - NU
UBNT loco M2 x2 - airOS
Broadcom
Linksys EA6400 - Gateway, QoS
Asus N66U - AP
Netgear WNDR3700v3 - not used
MediaTek
UBNT EdgeRouter X - switch
You have to account for higher gain aftermarket antennas or your risk burning out your radios. Seems like nobody has ever set SWR, SNR, or anything on HAM, CB, AM, or FM radio towers, whatsoever. _________________ "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep." - Robert Frost
"I am one of the noticeable ones - notice me" - Dale Frances McKenzie Bozzio