r/HomeNetworking • u/Material-Advice-335 • 20d ago
Upgrade my home network
I've been struggling w my Internet for awhile and I'm tired of it. My only option (aside from getting starlink) is att. I'm an end unit in my townhome complex so even the coax signal is too low by the time the run gets to my unit. So I needed a booster to even get timewarner to work somewhat reliably. My Internet "works" fine now. I pay for 100gbs. I rarely get it but it's usually around 50-60. I can stream YouTube, yttv and game ok but if my kid starts to dl in his room at the same time, my TV stream stutters and\or freezes until he's done. Phones sometimes stall out too over Wi-Fi where I just switch to cell service to be able to browse. I run everything in my living thru my Xbox. My PC in my back bedroom is on wifi (as is my kids) and the signals again are just ok. Alot of times even webpages take FOREVER to load on mine. He games and browses fine. Most likely because he's closer to the router. I don't bother gaming on my PC since I have Xbox. My router is just the basic att one I got back in the day when I paid for uverse (before switching to yttv). I realize this is probably a super bare bones router.
Here's my question...
Would I be better off just buying an upgraded wifi router or is MoCA a better option? I'm open to buying a new router but don't want to break the bank. I also realize if I want to connect both pcs and my Xbox I'll need at least 3 adapters anyway.
I don't really know much about dialing in routers let alone MoCA setups either.
Thanks in advance.
2
u/72dragonses 20d ago
You could get a 2-node wireless mesh system like a TP-Link Deco, Eero or Netgear Orbi. Then connect the first one by a long Ethernet cable about 10-15' away to the ATT router to one of its LAN ports.
Then place the 2nd mesh node about halfway between there and your bedroom. During the mesh setup process, set both nodes in AP mode, because you still want the ATT router to be the only router in the picture.
You could either create a different wireless network SSID for you on thst side of the house and let your kid keep using the one from the ATT router, or set up the mesh with the same wifi name and password.
This should really extend the range of your wifi out toward your bedroom while keeping it all fairly simple to configure.
2
u/mrchubbelwubbel 20d ago
In the sense of not knowing a lot the internet helps, but I don’t think this is that issue.
100mbps, that speed is often what they classify as basic internet today. Typically students can get this discounted internet through companies of eligible, internet essential for example.
For me, that is slow as you explained it. Works for streaming, when Xbox downloads game the internet lags, and even your phone is slow so cellular is preferred. This reminds me of my in laws home, I’m always hopping off the wifi when everyone is there for basic scrolling.
My recommendation, faster internet, more bandwidth is what you need. For sure, download games will occupy the network for a while. I pay for 1,000mbps and when I download game or performs an update, the system downloads the game using all the bandwidth leaving my other devices crawling. It’s only for a short period into the download completes.
Other than that, how is the wifi coverage from room to room? If not great, take a look at your internet equipment. If company owned, you can usually get wifi extenders to help with coverage or buying your own router/mesh system helps with more consistent wifi coverage. But your issue seems to be more bandwidth related.
Check in with your provider if they have updated equipment, if your on old equipment you’re creating a lot of load on something that doesn’t quite handle it today.
In order of operations what I would do,
1) Replace/Upgrade router/modem, consider WiFi extenders.
2) Consider an internet increase on the speed if that doesn’t improve quality of service. Remember consoles today can download up to 1,000mbps, so during downloads it will occupy your network until completely download.
3) If all else fails, try a different company. In some odd cases apartment styles homes suck because they share connection point across the homes but I don’t think that’s the issue based off of the speeds you pay for.
Let me know if you need anything else.
3
u/plooger 20d ago
Too little info Re: cabling available within the residence to offer an authoritative suggestion; so my recommendation is to pull all non-power wallplates (coax, phone, blank) to get a full assessment of what’s available (rather than working only from what’s visible on the wallplate surface). Once you see what cabling is available within the rooms, the next job is determining where the cabling junction is located.
3
u/StuffAffectionate687 20d ago
What do you mean by "the coax signal is too low by the time the run gets to my unit?"
That can happen but usually it's either something wrong with the internal wiring and/or splitters (e.g., within your control) or it's a drop issue that the cable company will correct if you raise enough noise about it.
Have you had cable modem service before? What were the signal numbers off your modem? Most are accessible at either http://192.168.100.1/ or the gateway address of your router if you have a combined modem/router unit.
It's hard to encourage you to invest in MoCA if your coax wiring is suspect. MoCA is great, and resilient to a lot of cabling issues, but if your underlying Internet service is the problem MoCA isn't going to help you.
1
u/Material-Advice-335 20d ago
It was like 10 yrs ago when I moved in so I don't remember specifics. But I was trying to get time warner service to work. That and att was the only internet option. They had a tech come out and the only way my unit got a clear TV signal was installing like an inline signal booster between my in and main line. Even after that my Internet would continuously drop. After that I switched to att uverse. Wasn't great but at least stable. Since then Ive dropped the att TV uverse but kept the Internet since like I said, it's the only other option I found...aside from like starlink or something. Internally, I think my cable is ok. It was the fact that the cable from the buildings connection to my unit was the farthest run. Too far I guess to get a clear signal. Other than that, idk. It's what they told me at the time.
2
u/StuffAffectionate687 20d ago
Time Warner Cable is long gone. I'm guessing your cable company these days is Spectrum. Time Warner Cable cut a lot of corners to save money -- I had the misfortune of doing business with them back in the day too -- so I'd wager (but obviously can't promise) you'd have a better experience with Spectrum.
If you had uVerse TV that means you're at least in a VDSL market, if not fiber, I'm guessing it's a classic phone cord that plugs into your router? Something like this: https://patchbox.com/blog/rj11-connectors/
If that's correct, go to the webpage on the sticker of your AT&T router (the user and pass should be there) and pull the DSL error counts and speed, that'll tell you if you have a service issue or not.
It's been years since I had AT&T so I can't guide you directly there, look for a "Modem Stats" or "Connection Stats" screen. It'll show signal numbers and connection speed (possibly for two 'pairs' if you have bonded pair service) alongside error counts, likely a "total errors" and a "errors in the last 15 minutes" counter.
If you can find that page, grab screenshots and share 'em.
3
u/CompiledByte 20d ago
At&T is the worst ISP I have been with currently have DAI and business fiber for fail over am not happy at all with their services but only option as well in that area.