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Forum Discussion
DST
Is the DST compatible with the R6300 router? I plugged the DST into an AC outlet in the room next to the room holding the R6300, tried with and without synching the two units, but the "DST" LED rema...
Well, that worked, at least to connect the DST to the PL1200 network (the DST LED is on now, although it is solid red, indicating a signal of <50 Mbps). So the DST is transmitting a wifi signal, but is it stronger than that from the router directly? Using Genie to measure the DST’s wifi signal three feet away from the DST indicates that the DST signal strength on both frequencies is about the same as that being received from the R6300v2) router in the other room—i.e., about -45 dBm from the DST vs. about -43 dBm for the router. It looks to me like the DST is providing no significant improvement in the wifi signal. That is not what I expected.
Now, this may be due to a poor signal being received through the powerline: the PL1200s “Pick A Plug” LEDs indicate a signal that fluctuates between green and red on the (i.e., between <50 Mbps and >80 Mbps link rates), staying red about 25% of the time (doesn’t matter where in the house the PL1200s are plugged). Netgear’s documentation indicates that diminished link rates may be due to interference, but my situation should be close to ideal for a powerline network: a four-year old suburban single family house dozens of feet from the nearest neighbor, a main electrical feed 160 feet underground from the street, and no unusual electronic or mechanical systems in house. Also, the red indicators on the PL1200s do not seem to correlate with the operation of LED lighting, kitchen appliances, HVAC compressor, or air handler. All in all, I am underwhelmed by the performance of the PL1200s and the DST so far. If they don’t work reliably in my situation, their technology is not robust enough to sell in the general market.
That said, the problem may be with my network signal source—the router. Measuring in the next room, through R19 (i.e., dense) fiberglass in the wall, Genie indicates that the wifi signal strength is attenuated about -45dBm, roughly 50%. When I do the measurements three feet away from the R6300v2 router, I still get roughly -30dBm attenuation or roughly 88% signal. I would expect virtually zero attenuation this close to the router. My last resort is to replace the R6300v2 with an R7300 in hopes of increasing both the wifi signal at the source and the ethernet signal injected into the powerline system.
Again, thanks, TheEther, for the advice.
Cheers!
There are a few misconceptions that need to be cleared up.
Wi-Fi is not broadcast through Powerline. The strength of the Wi-Fi signal coming from the router has no bearing whatsoever on Powerline performance. Powerline performance depends on the quality of your AC wiring, distance and radio interference.
Your Powerline adapters are connected to your router via Ethernet. Unlike Wi-Fi, Ethernet performance is pretty much constant (either 100 Mbps or 1000 Mbps).
You DST is broadcasting its own Wi-Fi signal. This signal is independent of the router's Wi-Fi signal. So long as both Wi-Fi networks are using different, non-overlapping channels, the two signals do not interact. The DST does not boost or amplify the router's Wi-Fi.
Let's examine the role of each part of your network. Your router is connected via Ethernet to a PLP1200. That Ethernet segment runs at 1000 Mbps. The PLP1200 is connected to your DST over Powerline. It sounds like your DST is far enough away that speeds over Powerline are sub-50 Mbps. Either Powerline or Powerline+DST's Wi-Fi is the bottleneck. If you are really measuring -45 dBm from the DST from 3 ft. away, then it sounds like something is wrong with the DST'S Wi-Fi signal. You could also try measuring the speed through the DST's Ethernet port.
Finally, getting a R7300 will not boost the Ethernet signal injected to the Powerline network. As I mentioned, Ethernet performance is not based on any notion of signal strength. The R7300 will also not boost the DST's Wi-Fi signal. What a R7300 might do is put out a stronger Wi-Fi signal than the R6300v2.