Wireless network glitch

[stuepotts]

My home network uses a Verizon MI424WR Rev1 router and 50/25 FIOS service. Download and upload speeds at my upstairs desktop, 2 feet from the router, are consistently good, up to 58/38. However, the speeds at a laptop, downstairs and close to my smart TV, run around 12/12 at best.

I've been trying to boost speeds downstairs, as streaming is interrupted frequently, even at those speeds. After failing to improve things by repositioning the router, redirecting the antennas, etc., I tried a pair of TP-link antennas. No positioning or redirecting gave any improvement; in fact, most attempts gave slower speeds.

After reattaching the router's original antennas, I finally found a position which brought the downstairs signal to about 13/20.

I don't understand why, under most conditions, my upload speed is consistently as good as or better than the download speed in my downstairs location. With all of the several dozen trials I've made, any improvements of signal were on the upload, not download, side. Can anyone help? 

[eljefe2]

I don't have an answer why you're seeing different results when trying to improve downstream vs upstream, but I can suggest a solution that might eliimate the problem.

Do you have coax feeding your router?  Do you also have coax feeding your TV downstairs?

If so, what I'd suggest you do is use a MoCA adapter downstairs to provide a wired Internet connection there.   I'm using an Actiontec ECB2500 to accomblish the same thing.

http://www.actiontec.com/251.html

Should you still need better wifi coverage downstairs, once you have the MoCA adapater in place you could use its output to feed a second wifi adapter, or router.  That would eliminate the problem of wifi signals having to penetrate walls and floors from your upstairs to your downstairs location.

[stuepotts]

Thanks for the well-considered suggestion, but I should have emphasized that both the downstairs "smart" TV and the downstairs laptop are entirely dependent on Wifi reception. Neither has a coax connection, so both rely on a wireless router signal.

[eljefe2]

Well....my next suggestion would be for you to go to the trouble to run Cat 5/6 cable from upstairs to downstairs.  It's possible that another type router might have a little better coverage, but basically when you're trying to penetrate walls and floors with a microwave signal it's a losing battle.

I'd run Ethernet from upstairs to downstairs. You could connect your smart TV and/or laptop directly to the Ethernet cable, or if you prefer to still use wifi (maybe for the laptop) you could feed another wifi access point with the Ethernet cable.

That's what I'd do. In fact, it's what  have done to get solid coverage throughout our house, including the basement. 

[viafax999]

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@stuepotts wrote:

Thanks for the well-considered suggestion, but I should have emphasized that both the downstairs "smart" TV and the downstairs laptop are entirely dependent on Wifi reception. Neither has a coax connection, so both rely on a wireless router signal.

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You could do what @eljefe suggested but rather than using the moca adapter get yourself an old fios router off of ebay and connect it as a WAP at the tv location so providing the wirless signal.  

Or are you saying there is no available coax connector either?

[eljefe2]

Quoting the OP via.....

" Neither has a coax connection....." 

[viafax999]

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@eljefe wrote:

Quoting the OP via.....

" Neither has a coax connection....." 

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I took that to mean no coax connector on the device, though I admit I thought that was odd for a TV.

Then the answer might be a powerline ethernet connection.

[eljefe2]

Maybe stuepotts will clarify the no-coax situation.

If  there is indeed no coax at all, then yes, a powerline adapter may be a workable solution, although I've had mixed results with them.  Then can be subject to noise on the ac powerline and other vagaries.  And both ends of the powerline adapter have to be on the same 110v side of a home's 220v wiring, which may or may not be convenient.

[stuepotts]

"I'd run Ethernet from upstairs to downstairs."

"You could do what eljefe suggested..."

Well, that is the route I'll take, as soon as I can find a route to take it by and train a ferret to snake the cable. Aaargh!

Thank you both very much.

[eljefe2]

If training the ferret is difficult job, you might try a powerline adapter as suggested by viafax999.  Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Powerline-500Mbps-Adapter-XAVB5201/dp/B009WG6JF8/ref=sr_1_11?s=pc&ie=U...

You could buy a set from someone like Amazon where you could easily return it if it doesn't do the job for you.

Good luck.